10.88 miles; from SR 801 (E. Main St, just north of Interstate 84) in Cheshire to Route 71 in Meriden.

Commissioned in 1932, Route 70 originally stretched westward along E. Main Street (now unsigned SR 801) into Waterbury, to end at the old Route 14. It was cut back to meet the then-new I-84 in 1963.

Before 1932, the part west of Route 10 was called Route 323, the part east, Route 325.

Route 70 Ends (Photos; Doug Kerr at state-ends.com)

19.19 miles; from US 5 in Wallingford to Route 173 in West Hartford. It's a 4 lane boulevard in New Britain near Route 9 and in West Hartford near West Farms Mall. In its short life, it intersects five freeways: I-691, SR 571, Route 72, Route 9, and I-84.

Commissioned in 1932, Route 71 originally started at the old US 5 (Maple Ave) or possibly US 5A (Washington Ave). It followed New Britain Avenue to Corbins Corner, then the current Route 71 alignment to New Britain. In 1933 or 1934, US 6A was extended eastward from Farmington, and replaced all of Route 71 from Corbins Corner to US 5/5A.

Also in 1933 or 1934, Route 71 was extended south from New Britain to Meriden.

About ten years later, US 6A in West Hartford and Hartford became part of US 6. Around 1970, US 6 was rerouted away from New Britain Avenue to overlap with I-84. Route 71 was extended slightly from Corbins Corner to South Main St (now Route 173), getting back some pavement it had given up in the 1930s.

A freeway for Route 71

Routes 72 and 73 have had freeways proposed (and part of Route 72 was built), so why not a freeway for 71? In the mid-1950s, a Route 71 relocation was proposed, roughly from Allen Street in New Britain, eastward to the Newington border, then north along the town line to meet I-84 at Corbins Corner.

A few years later, this proposal morphed into part of the planned Interstate 291 beltway around Hartford. Though I-291 was cancelled, Route 9 was extended into the corridor in 1992. Route 9 from New Britain to I-84 in Farmington works quite well as a Route 71 bypass.

In 1961, the state was proposing the New Britain connector from proposed I-291 to proposed Route 72 as Route 71. This was built in 1986 but is now part of Route 9.

In 1963, the state announced a different plan for Route 71: a four-mile, four-lane expressway leading from Route 72 in New Britain, crossing I-291, and ending at a proposed Cedar Ridge connector (SR 504) in Hartford. This was to be built sometime after 1975.

In Wallingford, Route 71 shares a one-lane railroad underpass with Route 150, controlled with a traffic light. This underpass, built in 1838, is reported to be the first skew arch underpass built in America.

The state was planning improvements in the area circa 1997, because of increased commercial traffic along US 5, but does not plan to modify the underpass.

Extend numbering along Route 150 and Route 22 to US 1 in Branford.

• "Report on alternate locations for the east-west expressway & U.S. 6 relocation ... in West Hartford & adjacent towns." Alfred Kaehrle & Associates, 1957.
• Connecticut State Highway Department. "A Report to the Highway Users of Connecticut: 1960-1961."
• "Survey Plots Expressway Plans." Hartford Times, Jan. 1, 1963.
• City of Wallingford. "Points of Interest." http://www.town.wallingford.ct.us/Page.cfm?name=Points%20of%20Interest (21 Sept 2003)

• Newington Roads
• Metro Hartford's Proposed Freeways (map)

2.92 miles; from Route 71 in Kensington to Buell Street in New Britain.

Route 71A was longer in the past: in 1978, for example, it continued north along Arch Street and Main Street to meet with Routes 71 and 174, for a length of 4.71 miles. Signs for 71A still exist on Arch Street, beyond the route's present-day terminus at Buell Street.

In 1979, the state announced all of Route 71A in New Britain would be turned over to the city. However, in 1981 this was rescinded, "pending determinations involving the Central Connecticut Expressway (Conn. 9)." The Buell Street cutoff was the eventual determination.

• State Highway Log, 1978.
• Route Change Notices, ConnDOT, Jan. 22, 1979 and Sept. 25, 1981.
• Kml22471@aol.com, 'CT 71-A correction needed.' Personal e-mail, Dec. 4, 2000.

Have the north end reconnect with Route 71 at Ellis St.

See the Route 72 page.

3.46 miles; from Route 63 in Watertown to Route 8 in Waterbury. It's signed east and west, and is four lanes wide at its eastern terminus, an interchange with Route 8.

Commissioned in 1932; no changes except for the interchange as Route 8 was upgraded to a freeway around 1960.

Route 73 westbound leaves Route 8 on a dual-lane left exit, built in anticipation (I presume) of a planned 73 expressway. The overpass carries Route 8 southbound. Today, Route 73 narrows to two lanes after 0.85 miles. Photo by Jim K. Georges.

(This is a popular scene. Steve Anderson's Route 73 page uses Jim's photo as well (long before this page did), and Doug Kerr took his own photo for State-ends.com at nearly the same point.)

Expressway plans

In the late 1960s, the Tri-State Transportation Commission proposed a Route 73 freeway; Connecticut's expressway Test Plan did as well. The proposal would have connected Route 8 to Route 63 or US 6 in Watertown. By 1975, however, Route 73 was off the state's short or long-range plans.

I assume but haven't proven that the direct interchange with Route 8 was a provision for this plan. The incomplete interchange connects to Route 8 to and from the south only.

The Route 73 corridor was the subject of a 1997 study by the Council of Governments of the Central Naugatuck Valley. The study addressed traffic flow and safety problems in the area. I haven't heard of recommendations on this yet.

• Connecticut Highway Department. Planning for the Future, Part II: Connecticut's Major Arterials Needs, Present to Year 2000. September 1969.
• "1975 Master Transportation Plan." Connecticut Department of Transportation.

• Unbuilt CT 73 expressway (Steve Anderson)
• Route 73 Ends (Photos; Doug Kerr at state-ends.com)

22.21 miles; from Route 194 in South Windsor to US 44 in Ashford.

Commissioned in 1932, Route 74 originally ran from Route 83 in Vernon east to US 44 in Ashford. When the Wilbur Cross Highway came in (late 1940s), US 44 was rerouted to follow it to the Route 74 intersection, then cut eastward along Route 74; Route 74 was shortened to end there. On Dec. 1, 1982, US 44 was rerouted southward, and Route 74 regained the 7.5 miles it had lost. This is the only instance of a Connecticut state highway losing several miles for about 40 years and then getting them back.

Buckland Five Corners becomes Four

In 1963, Route 74's west end was extended to the Buckland Five Corners (meeting Buckland Road, Route 30, and Route 194). As the years passed, that intersection became a congestion and safety problem, and was redesigned. In October 1993, the Route 74 leg was closed off, and Route 74 was realigned. It now ends at Route 194 a short distance north of Route 30.

Between 1963 and 1993, Route 74 used to intersect Route 30 twice: once at Five Corners, and once again in Tolland. From South Windsor, Route 74 eastbound branched to the left from Route 30 northbound -- a compass-busting intersection that is rare in Connecticut and unknown in many states.

• Route Change Notice, ConnDOT, Sept. 9, 1982.
• Draft South Windsor Plan of Conservation and Development, April 2002.

• Route 74 Ends (Photos; Doug Kerr at state-ends.com)