Connecticut Route 35

In the 1920s, Route 35 was part of New England route NE-3, a progenitor to today's US 6.

The modern Route 35, commissioned in 1932, has changed slightly in the intervening years. An old rotary at US 7 no longer exists; and the spot where it crosses the New York state line has changed twice.

In 1932, Route 35 followed West Lane all the way from Main Street in Ridgefield to the New York state line. (New York would not designate a continuation of Route 35 until about 1942). A year or two later, Route 35 was moved to South Salem Road, and the remainder portion of West Lane became Route 35A. In 1963, Route 35A became SR 835, which exists today. New York never designated a Route 35A on its side.

In 1940, Route 35 was moved slightly southward near the state line; Old South Salem Road is the older alignment. The new road had been designated SR 434 in 1939.

Proposed freeway for Route 35 (or 34, or 110)

Grander plans were in the wings for Route 35 a few decades ago. A 1956 New York plan called for a Route 35 freeway from Peekskill to Ridgefield, following CT 102 to meet the proposed US 7 freeway.

In 1969, the Tri-State Transportation Commission proposed an expansion of the freeway to New Haven via Monroe, Derby, and the Route 34 alignment. So would it be called 35, or 34? The TSTC instead called it the "Conn. 110 Expressway," citing its benefits as:

East-west route through the former Fairfield County. Fills 18-mile gap in regional highway grid. Connects rapidly developing suburbs. Extends stub-end expressway.

A few comments: "former Fairfield County" alludes to Connecticut's dissolution of county governments in 1960 (no, Westport did not slide into the sea). The "stub-end expressway" is Route 34 in New Haven. Route 110 does have an east-west portion in the corridor between Monroe and Derby, and is closest to the proposed alignment in that area. And finally, the TSTC was at the time quite interested in completing highway grids, filling gaps, and other geometric temptations. This made for some interesting ideas that had little chance of realization. (Also, note that the earlier TSTC has no relation to the modern-day Tri-State Transportation Campaign (http://www.tstc.org), which espouses a more environmentally friendly, less highway-centric approach to transportation planning.)

In 1975, the Regional Plan Association urged Connecticut not to proceed with its part of the plan. I haven't seen mention of reviving it since then.

	30.29 miles; from US 7 in Ridgefield to US 9 in Peekskill, N. Y. 5.66 miles in Connecticut. Just over the state line, NY 35 intersects NY 123; if you follow that road, you will eventually cross back into Connecticut on CT 123.
	In the 1920s, Route 35 was part of New England route NE-3, a progenitor to today's US 6. The modern Route 35, commissioned in 1932, has changed slightly in the intervening years. An old rotary at US 7 no longer exists; and the spot where it crosses the New York state line has changed twice. In 1932, Route 35 followed West Lane all the way from Main Street in Ridgefield to the New York state line. (New York would not designate a continuation of Route 35 until about 1942). A year or two later, Route 35 was moved to South Salem Road, and the remainder portion of West Lane became Route 35A. In 1963, Route 35A became SR 835, which exists today. New York never designated a Route 35A on its side. In 1940, Route 35 was moved slightly southward near the state line; Old South Salem Road is the older alignment. The new road had been designated SR 434 in 1939. Proposed freeway for Route 35 (or 34, or 110) Grander plans were in the wings for Route 35 a few decades ago. A 1956 New York plan called for a Route 35 freeway from Peekskill to Ridgefield, following CT 102 to meet the proposed US 7 freeway. In 1969, the Tri-State Transportation Commission proposed an expansion of the freeway to New Haven via Monroe, Derby, and the Route 34 alignment. So would it be called 35, or 34? The TSTC instead called it the "Conn. 110 Expressway," citing its benefits as: East-west route through the former Fairfield County. Fills 18-mile gap in regional highway grid. Connects rapidly developing suburbs. Extends stub-end expressway. A few comments: "former Fairfield County" alludes to Connecticut's dissolution of county governments in 1960 (no, Westport did not slide into the sea). The "stub-end expressway" is Route 34 in New Haven. Route 110 does have an east-west portion in the corridor between Monroe and Derby, and is closest to the proposed alignment in that area. And finally, the TSTC was at the time quite interested in completing highway grids, filling gaps, and other geometric temptations. This made for some interesting ideas that had little chance of realization. (Also, note that the earlier TSTC has no relation to the modern-day Tri-State Transportation Campaign (http://www.tstc.org), which espouses a more environmentally friendly, less highway-centric approach to transportation planning.) In 1975, the Regional Plan Association urged Connecticut not to proceed with its part of the plan. I haven't seen mention of reviving it since then.
	Traffic is growing on the Route 35 corridor, but plans to address this do not include the freeway proposal from the 1960s. In 2003, the town of Ridgefield studied Route 35 traffic and figuring out ways to ease congestion. Problems include: lots of on-street parking and delivery trucks stopped in traffic lanes; and people using Route 35 and Route 33 as a "Route 7A" alternative to clogged US 7. Improvements could include widening Route 35 or building a roundabout at its intersection with Route 33. The study was completed around 2004.
	"Tri-State Transportation 1985; an interim plan." Tri-State Transportation Commission, 1966. "Report Asserts Fairfield Needs No New Expressways for Years." New York Times, Feb. 13, 1975. "As Route 35 traffic grows, so does call for regional planning." New York Times, May 8, 1988. "Ridgefield to study traffic congestion." News 12 Connecticut, June 18, 2003.
	NY/CT 35 expressway (history, Steve Anderson) CT 35 photos (Steve Alpert) Route 35 Ends (Photos; Doug Kerr at state-ends.com)