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 | Route 185 was commissioned in 1932 as a 6.18-mile route from US 44 in West Hartford to Route 10 in Simsbury. Its original route, from south to north:
One of the many recommendations of the 1961 Route Reclassification was that routes 218 and 185 should simply cross each other; their segments south and east of their intersection were swapped in 1963. Some older maps showed Route 185 continuing south along Main Street to Farmington Avenue (former Route 4); but I haven't seen this reflected in 1940s or early '50s highway logs. |
 | Route 185 Ends (Photos; Doug Kerr at state-ends.com) |
| From Route 190 in Somers to MA 83 in East Longmeadow, Mass. 3.56 miles in Connecticut. |
| Commissioned in 1932, Route 186 has undergone one location change (which was later reversed). In 1951, the southern part was redefined to follow Four Bridges Road to end at Route 83 instead of Route 190. By 1963, Route 186 was moved back to its original location, following Hall Hill Road to Route 190. Four Bridges Road is no longer state maintained. |
| Route 186 Ends (Photos; Doug Kerr at state-ends.com) |
| 33 miles; from US 44 in Hartford to US 20 in Westfield, Mass. 19.74 miles in Connecticut. Route 187 shares a short segment of four-lane freeway with Route 189 in North Bloomfield. Built in 1960, that roadway was part of a planned Route 9 freeway (later Route 189) to connect with I-84 at exit 46 in Hartford. South of the freeway, Route 187 is a four-lane boulevard serving the Griffin office park complex. The four-lane section extends to Route 305. The boulevard, designed for minimal impact on vegetation and nearby ponds, won an Award of Merit from the Federal Highway Administration in 1990. |
| In the 1920s, part of Route 187 (between Routes 189 and 168) was called State Highway 328. Another part, between Park Ave in Bloomfield and US 44, was part of the old SH 311. In 1932, Route 187 was commissioned, extending north from the old Route 9 (now Route 189) in North Bloomfield to the Massachusetts state line, for a length of 10.83 miles in-state. Its original route:
1947: Trade offer for Route 218 declinedIn 1947, Bloomfield officials submitted a bill to have the state accept Blue Hills Avenue Extension, a portion of today's Route 187 north of Park Avenue, into the state highway system. Gov. McConaughy vetoed the bill, saying the two population centers served by the road were already served by parallel trunk routes (such as Route 9, which is now Route 189). Gov. McConaughy also noted that the state had offered to turn over the Cottage Grove Road portion of Route 218 to the town in return for the Blue Hills segment, but that offer had been declined. In a general note attached to his veto, he criticized the recent practice of the Legislature to prod the Highway Commissioner into incorporating more and more local roads into the state system. He concluded: "I believe the interests of the whole state should take precedence over the desires of the local community, as much as I would like to sign each bill that improves local roads." A new Farmington River bridge, and leaving Spoonville RoadUntil the mid-1950s, Route 9 (now Route 189) followed Tunxis Avenue from North Bloomfield to Tariffville, crossing the Farmington River into East Granby and back into Tariffville. In 1954, the state discussed plans to relocate Route 9 to the opposite bank of the river, eliminating the double crossing. Route 187 would still cross the river to end at Route 9. In August 1955, Mother Nature took the initiative on some demolition work, as floods washed away several bridges along the Farmington River -- including both bridges the new Route 9 was to bypass. Temporary bridges were built to carry Route 9 across to the Route 187 junction in East Granby and back across toward Tariffville. In early 1957, the state conducted another hearing in East Granby about proposed changes to the area. Route 9 would stay on the south side of the river, and a new bridge to the west would carry Route 187 across. In East Granby, Route 187 would be relocated to the west, away from the village of East Granby, to meet existing Route 187 somewhat north of Hatchett Hill Road. The new road would be safer, and Spoonville Road would be quieter with less through traffic. On Jan. 11, 1960, the new Route 187 roadway and bridge opened to traffic, as well as a short segment of Route 9 freeway in North Bloomfield (which is now part of Route 189 and 187). The new roadway was two lanes and limited access, leading from a trumpet interchange at Route 9, across the river, to Hatchett Hill Road (today's SR 540). Route Reclassification: Extension to HartfordThe segment of today's Route 187 south of the 187/189 split in North Bloomfield was added in 1963. Before that, most of it was a state road under different names. From US 44 to Park Avenue, it was part of the old Route 184, dating back to 1932. North of there (dates uncertain), the road was unsigned SR 921, one of the highest state route numbers ever used. In 1963, Route 187 was extended southward from the Tariffville Road exit on Route 189 to its modern terminus at US 44. The old Route 184 and SR 921 were decommissioned. Widening in BloomfieldIn the late 1970s, Route 187 was widened to four lanes between Route 218 and Park Avenue. In the 1980s, however, it was significantly improved in the office park area of North Bloomfield, and is now four lanes divided between Route 305 and the 187/189 merge. Around the same time, a new T-intersection was built for the southern 187/189 junction. Tariffville Road in the area is no longer part of Route 187. |
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| 15.92 miles; from Route 34 in Seymour to Route 63 in Middlebury. It's shaped like an upside-down "J" (not unlike Route 286). Northbound 188 meets Route 64, overlaps it for a mile, and diverts southeast, including another crossing with I-84, without an interchange. The portion of Route 188 near I-84 was in 1998 a growing office park area. (This fact was mainly included so I could cite a newspaper article with "Route 188" in the headline.) |
| Commissioned in 1935, Route 188 was originally a relatively straight north-south road, ending at the old Route 135 (Old Waterbury Rd.) in Middlebury, for a length of 9.21 miles. Circa 1943, Route 135 was decommissioned and Route 188 extended to Route 63. |
| "Route 188 development is watch and see." The Republican-American [Waterbury, Conn.], Sept. 1, 1998. |
| Route 188 Ends (Photos; Doug Kerr at state-ends.com) |
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| Commissioned in 1932, Route 189 was initially a short (7.05 miles) highway leading from Route 20 in Granby to the state line. Today's Route 189 south of there was part of the old Route 9, which has since been upgraded to a freeway and now ends in Farmington. In March 1963, part of Route 9 was redesignated as an extension of Route 189, southward to US 44. Some were unhappy with Route 9's new designation. In 1963, State Rep. Albert Sweeton claimed Granby's prestige would suffer by losing Route 9, and offered to help find out the meaning of the new number if authorized by town selectmen. At the time, Granby was slated to have as many as three new freeways built: Route 9 (now 189), Route 10, and Route 20. None of these plans came to fruition, and depending on viewpoint, Granby has been either neglected or spared. A new Farmington River bridge, and leaving Spoonville RoadUntil the mid-1950s, Route 9 (now Route 189) followed Tunxis Avenue from North Bloomfield to Tariffville, crossing the Farmington River into East Granby and back into Tariffville. There were three Route 9 bridge in the area:
In August 1955, Mother Nature took the initiative on some demolition work, as floods washed away several bridges along the Farmington River -- including the Middle and Spoonville Bridges. Temporary bridges were built to carry Route 9 across to the Route 187 junction in East Granby and back across toward Tariffville. In the following year and a half, the state discussed Route 9 plans. East Granby favored keeping the original alignment, including two replacement bridges. Meanwhile, the state was developing plans for relocating Route 9 throughout Bloomfield, starting in the north, at the Farmington River. On Sept. 2, 1958, work began on Routes 9 and 187. Route 9 would stay on the south side of the river, located along a new two-lane limited access highway; and a new bridge to the west would carry Route 187 across. The "Middle Bridge", connecting East Granby to Tariffville, would not be replaced. A short four-lane freeway would carry Route 9 southerly over Tariffville Road. On Jan. 11, 1960, the new Route 9 opened. It's similar to the way the Route 187/189 freeway is today; except the original freeway narrowed to two lanes and followed the Route 9(189) mainline. In the late 1980s, coordinated with Route 187 widening, the south end of the freeway was relocated to follow Route 187. Route 189 now diverges at a T-intersection. Route 189 freeway once plannedFrom the 1940s through the late 1970s, Hartford and the state had plans for a freeway in the Route 189 corridor, from I-84 Exit 46 toward North Bloomfield. North of there, the route would either have veered toward Bradley International Airport or toward Route 10 in Granby. It's not certain the 1960 freeway would have been included in all plans. The trumpet interchange empties onto two-lane roads, so a lot of work would have to have been redone. ConnDOT dropped the 189 freeway plan on January 26, 1973. All that remains:
In 1975, the state did recommend building a "new highway" (not freeway) for Route 189 from Tower Avenue to Route 218, probably on the east side of the University of Hartford campus. This would have been in the proposed 189 freeway corridor, along the Park River north branch. North Bridge was replaced, as wellOld Hartford Ave. in Granby leads to the site of the former North Bridge, connecting to Main St. in Tariffville. It survived the 1955 flood, but was replaced later. |
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Updated July 4, 2007
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