Route 80 was commissioned in 1932 from the 1920s route 175. At the same time, the road was being rebuilt as a 40-foot-wide inland alternative to the congested US 1 east of New Haven. Route 80 served as the model for the Merritt Highway in Stratford, which was later redesigned as the four-lane divided Merritt Parkway.

Route changes - west

At a period during the 1950s, Route 80 extended west to Route 10 in New Haven, along Munson St and Henry St; it was rolled back to Route 17 in the late 1950s, or possibly 1963.

Route changes - east

In the east, Route 80 originally ended in Deep River, as now. In 1941, possibly to emphasize its role as a US 1 bypass, it was rerouted and extended to US 1 in Old Saybrook. Its route, branching southeast from present-day Route 80 in Deep River, was:

• Warsaw St, N. Main St, and Main St. (today's SR 602) into Essex
• Middlesex Tpke. (now part of Route 154)
• Essex Rd. to a trumpet interchange at US 1; this was replaced by the Route 9 interchange with I-95

On Jan. 2, 1967, shortly after Route 9 opened in the area, the state announced Route 80 would once again follow W. Elm St. and Elm St. to Deep River.

Widening in New Haven area

Route 80 was widened to four lanes east of Route 17 in the 1980s, and widened to four lanes at Route 22 in 2001.

Freeway Plans

In the 1940s, the New Haven Postwar Master Plan included Route 80 as a freeway/boulevard from Route 10 eastward into Branford. There would be interchanges at Route 10, US 5, and US 5A (now Route 103).

Furthermore, a 1967 state "Grid Analysis" future needs map proposed a freeway along Routes 80 and 82 from New Haven to Norwich.

More widening in North Branford planned

A short segment of the Route 80/22 overlap near Twin Lakes Road was widened to four lanes in 2001. The state plans to extend this four-lane profile eastward to just east of where Route 22 (Notch Hill Road) leaves Route 80. The planned project also improves intersections at Route 139, Route 22, Great Hill Road, Cedar Lake and Commerce Drive.

The $7.9 million project was to start in fall 2001 and last for about 2 years. It was even moved up 4 months earlier, in order to be complete before work on the anticipated massive I-95 widening project began.

However, historical preservation concerns and state funding issues caused a two-year delay. Construction is tentatively scheduled to start in June 2003.

Revised interchange at I-91/Route 17: moribund?

The state was planning an upgrade to the interchange at I-91 (exit 8) and Route 17. A public hearing was held on Oct. 22, 1997. What they wanted to do (I haven't heard anything about it since then):

• Realign the existing I-91 northbound off-ramp to make it a two lane exit.
• Eliminate the portion of the existing northbound off-ramp which provides through access to northbound Route 17.
• Add a second northbound off-ramp approximately 1/3 mile north of the existing ramp to intersect Route 17 at Flint Street (near the existing onramp).
• Relocate the existing northbound on-ramp to accommodate the new off-ramp.
• Widen Route 17 to four lanes from Route 80 to Flint Street.

Scenic road designation sought in Madison

In February 2003, Madison officials announced their intent to have US 1 in town designated a state scenic road. They said they would follow this up with an application for Route 80 between the Killingworth Town Line and Dream Lake; and also for Route 79.

Route 80 has some scenic ledges in the area and should be a "no-brainer" for the designation, in the words of a town Planning and Zoning Commission alternate.

"If you don't drive down Route 80 every morning, you can't imagine what it's like. It's bumper to bumper."

North Branford Mayor Joanne Wentworth, October 1999, in New Haven Register

• "Rt. 9 Opening To Cause Road Number Changes." Hartford Courant, Jan. 2, 1967.
• "DOT pushing Route 80 job by 4-6 months." New Haven Register, Oct. 14, 1999.
• (No title; subject is March 28 public hearing, Route 80). ConnDOT Press Release, March 16, 2000.
• "DOT lists plans to widen Route 80." New Haven Register, March 30, 2000.
• "Meeting to address Route 80 project." New Haven Register, March 20, 2001.
• "Route 80 Widening Project Slated For June." Branford Sound, Dec. 20, 2002.
• "Madison trumpets Route 1 scenic status." Hartford Courant, Feb. 13, 2003.

• US 1, which Route 80 was built to bypass in the 1930s
• Merritt Parkway, for which Route 80 was an initial model
• I-95, whose drivers sometimes use Route 80 as an alternate route