Interstate 91 in Connecticut
| Interstate 91 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ConnDOT | ||||
| Length: | 58.00 mi[1] (93.34 km) | |||
| Existed: | mid–1940s – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: | ||||
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| North end: | ||||
| Highway system | ||||
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Interstate 91 (abbreviated I-91) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the state of Connecticut. The interstate's southern end is in New Haven, Connecticut at Interstate 95.
Contents |
Route description [edit]
Interstate 91 is the major north–south transportation corridor for the center of the state. It is the main route between the larger cities of New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield, Massachusetts. As such, it is almost always heavily trafficked (especially during rush hour), and maintains at least three lanes in each direction through Connecticut except for a short portion in Hartford at the interchange with Interstate 84. The three cities also serve as Connecticut's control points along its length of the Interstate. Overhead signs in each direction consistently feature one or two of the cities, although very few (if any) conventional highway mileage signs are placed along the Interstate in Connecticut that indicate the remaining distance between the cities.
The highway begins just east of downtown New Haven at the intersection with the Connecticut Turnpike Interstate 95 and Connecticut Route 34 at the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, or Q Bridge as referred to by the locals. At the bottom of the ramp for Exit 5, U.S. Route 5 has its southern terminus and the first of its many interchanges with the freeway. Leaving New Haven, I-91 follows a northeastward trek through New Haven's suburbs of North Haven and Wallingford before entering the city of Meriden. In Meriden, about halfway between Hartford and New Haven, I-91 sees an interchange with its first spur route, Interstate 691. I-691 provides a westward link to Interstate 84 and the city of Waterbury. Leaving Meriden, I-91 travels briefly through Middletown before passing through Cromwell, Rocky Hill, and Wethersfield, eventually entering the Hartford city limits. Just south of Hartford, the highway begins to directly parallel the Connecticut River. In Hartford, I-91 interchanges with I-84 before leaving the city limits. I-91 will maintain an urban character throughout its distance to Springfield. Halfway between the two cities, Exit 40 provides direct access (via Connecticut Route 20) to the Bradley International Airport. I-91 runs through Windsor, Windsor Locks, East Windsor and Enfield (with several exits in each town) before crossing into Massachusetts at milepost 58.
I-91's final exit in Connecticut is Exit 49, which offers northbound travelers access to Longmeadow, Massachusetts, after which I-91 enters Massachusetts.
History [edit]
In the 1970s there were plans to extend I-91 across the Long Island Sound from New Haven, Connecticut to Long Island in New York. The extension would continue south to the southern shore of the island perhaps along the route of the current William Floyd Parkway[citation needed] in central Suffolk County. It would also provide easier access to New York City via the Long Island Expressway, as well as to The Hamptons via Sunrise Highway (New York State Route 27).
Auxiliary routes in Connecticut [edit]
| Interstate | City | Type | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate 291 | Hartford | Bypass route | ||
| Interstate 691 | Meriden | Spur |
Exit list [edit]
| County | Location | Mile[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven |
New Haven | 0.00 | 0.00 | — | ||
| 0.23 | 0.37 | 1 | Southbound junction only | |||
| 0.64 | 1.03 | 2 | Hamilton Street / Ives Place | Northbound exit is accessible only from the southbound lanes of I-95 | ||
| 0.99– 1.02 |
1.59– 1.64 |
3 | Trumbull Street | Yale University | ||
| 1.30 | 2.09 | 4 | Southbound exit only (via Humphrey Street) | |||
| 1.37 | 2.20 | 5 | Northbound exit only | |||
| 1.44 | 2.32 | 6 | Willow Street to Blatchley Avenue |
Signed for US 5 southbound | ||
| 2.15 | 3.46 | 7 | Ferry Street – Fair Haven | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 2.68– 3.01 |
4.31– 4.84 |
8 | ||||
| North Haven | 4.63– 4.79 |
7.45– 7.71 |
9 | Montowese Avenue | SR 715 to Route 103 | |
| 6.26– 6.78 |
10.07– 10.91 |
10 | Quinnipiac University | |||
| 7.56 | 12.17 | 11 | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; to US 5 | |||
| 8.63– 8.79 |
13.89– 14.15 |
12 | ||||
| Wallingford | 10.83– 11.08 |
17.43– 17.83 |
13 | SR 702 to Wharton Brook State Park | ||
| 12.13– 13.40 |
19.52– 21.57 |
14 | East Center Street – Wallingford (SB) |
East Center Street is SR 738 to Route 150 | ||
| 15.71– 16.19 |
25.28– 26.06 |
15 | ||||
| Meriden | 18.71 | 30.11 | 16 | East Main Street | Northbound junction only | |
| 18.87– 19.74 |
30.37– 31.77 |
17 | Signed for I-691 / Route 66 northbound and Route 15 alone southbound | |||
| 19.99– 20.27 |
32.17– 32.62 |
18 | Signed for Route 66 northbound and I-691 southbound | |||
| 20.97 | 33.75 | 19 | Baldwin Avenue, Preston Avenue | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| Middlesex |
Middletown | 22.95– 23.40 |
36.93– 37.66 |
20 | Country Club Road, Middle Street | |
| Cromwell | 25.78– 26.08 |
41.49– 41.97 |
21 | |||
| 26.92– 27.86 |
43.32– 44.84 |
22 N-S |
Split southbound into exits 22N and 22S | |||
| Rocky Hill | 29.05– 29.57 |
46.75– 47.59 |
23 | West Street |
SR 411 to Dinosaur State Park | |
| 31.66– 31.72 |
50.95– 51.05 |
24 | ||||
| Wethersfield | 33.47– 33.88 |
53.86– 54.52 |
25 | Great Meadow Rd. – Old Wethersfield |
Partial interchange; split southbound into exits 25N and 25S; access to northbound exit 26; signed for Route 3 only southbound | |
| 34.26 | 55.14 | 26 | Great Meadow Rd. – Old Wethersfield | Northbound exit must use exit 25 ramp | ||
| Hartford |
Hartford | 35.87 | 57.73 | 27 | South end of US 5/CT 15 overlap | |
| 36.53 | 58.79 | 28 | Airport Road is SR 530 | |||
| 36.82 | 59.26 | 29 | North end of US 5/CT 15 overlap | |||
| 37.57– 37.96 |
60.46– 61.09 |
29A | Whitehead Highway – Capitol Area | |||
| 37.78 | 60.80 | 32 | Trumbull Street |
Northbound ramps; signed as exits 32A (I-84/US 6 west) and 32B (Trumbull Street) | ||
| 38.45 | 61.88 | 30 | Southbound junction only | |||
| 38.45 | 61.88 | 31 | State Street | Southbound junction only | ||
| 38.81 | 62.46 | 32 | Trumbull Street |
Southbound ramps; signed as exits 32A (I-84/US 6 west) and 32B (Trumbull Street) | ||
| 39.55 | 63.65 | Northern terminus of I-91 Restricted Lanes | ||||
| 39.60– 40.05 |
63.73– 64.45 |
33 | Jennings Road, Liebrt Road, Weston Street | HOV exit | ||
| Windsor | 40.98– 41.25 |
65.95– 66.39 |
34 | |||
| 41.63– 42.46 |
67.00– 68.33 |
35 A-B |
35A: |
HOV exit; signed as exits 35A (I-291) and 35B (Route 218) | ||
| 43.32– 43.80 |
69.72– 70.49 |
36 | ||||
| 44.29– 44.75 |
71.28– 72.02 |
37 | HOV exit | |||
| 46.03– 46.45 |
74.08– 74.75 |
38 | HOV exit; split southbound into exits 38A and 38B | |||
| 47.19 | 75.94 | Southern terminus of I-91 Restricted Lanes | ||||
| 47.22 | 75.99 | 39, 41 | Kennedy Road to Center Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| 47.81– 48.43 |
76.94– 77.94 |
40 | Exit to reach Bradley International Airport | |||
| Windsor Locks | 48.89 | 78.68 | 39, 41 | Center Street | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |
| 48.97– 49.49 |
78.81– 79.65 |
42 | ||||
| Connecticut River | 49.58 | 79.79 | Dexter Coffin Bridge | |||
| East Windsor | 50.21– 50.78 |
80.81– 81.72 |
44 | |||
| 50.96– 51.19 |
82.01– 82.38 |
45 | ||||
| Enfield | 52.82– 53.00 |
85.01– 85.30 |
46 | |||
| 55.34 | 89.06 | 47 E-W |
47E: 47W: |
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| 55.94– 56.26 |
90.03– 90.54 |
48 | ||||
| 57.47– 57.92 |
92.49– 93.21 |
49 | ||||
| 58.00 | 93.34 | Continuatuion into Massachusetts | ||||
References [edit]
| KML file (edit) |
- ^ a b "Highway Log" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. pp. 195–205. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
External links [edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 91 in Connecticut |
| Previous state: Terminus |
Connecticut | Next state: Massachusetts |