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Route 177 could be considered part of an alternate to Route 10 – follow it through Plainville, Unionville and Avon to Canton; then turn east on US 44, pick up Route 167 north, and meet Route 10 again in Simsbury.
No part of Route 177 is officially a state scenic road, but there are nice views in Unionville and the bridge over the Farmington River.
State maintenance of Route 177 dates back to 1925, where two sections of the route were numbered:
On Jan. 1, 1932, these routes were combined to form Route 177.
In 1960, the state Committee to Reclassify All Public Roads recommended extending Route 177 south to Route 10 in Southington, including Birch Street and a spur section of Town Line Road. In 1962, Route 177 was extended along Birch Street.
In 1971, Route 177 was realigned to follow Town Line Road, ending at Route 10 in Plainville instead of Southington. The Birch Street segment of Route 177 became SR 532, which is now a one-way road 0.44 miles in length. Birch Street is quite narrow, with a railroad crossing quite close to its terminus at Route 10; this might have contributed to the decision to move Route 177.
In 1965, development plans for the Unionville section of Farmington called for widening the South Main Street portion of Route 177 to four lanes.
In January 1982, a partial interchange with Route 72 opened in Plainville. Route 72 had opened more than a year earlier with no access to Route 177.
In the mid-1990s, ConnDOT and Plainville officials discussed improvements to Route 177, including a possible widening to four lanes at Route 72. Residents near the route opposed this, saying Route 177 would be turned into a speedway.