Connecticut Route 2

State highway in Hartford and New London counties in Connecticut, United States

For the Route 2 that existed in the 1920s, see U.S. Route 5 in Connecticut.

Route 2

Route 2 highlighted in red

Route information
Maintained by CTDOT
Length| 58.03 mi (93.39 km)
Existed| 1932–present
Major junctions
West end| Columbus Boulevard / State Street in Hartford
Major intersections|

* I-84 / US 6 in East Hartford
* Route 3 in Glastonbury
* Route 17 in Glastonbury
* Route 11 / SR 637 in Colchester
* I-395 / Route 2A in Norwich
* Route 214 in Ledyard
* I-95 / SR 617 in North Stonington
* Route 78 in Stonington

East end|  US 1 in Stonington
Location
Country| United States
State| Connecticut
Counties|

* Hartford
* New London

Highway system

* Connecticut State Highway System

* Interstate
* US
* State
* SSR
* SR
* Scenic

| ←  US 1A| | →  Route 2A

|
|

| ←  Route 16| N.E.| →  Route 18

|
|

Route 2 is a 58.03-mile (93.39 km) state highway in Hartford and New London counties in Connecticut. It is a primary state route, with a freeway section connecting Hartford to Norwich and following surface roads to Stonington. The entire freeway section of Route 2 west of Route 169 is also known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Highway Though it is labelled an east-west highway (as denoted by its even number), it follows a northwest-southeast route, with large sections of the highway running north-south throughout its duration.[1]

## Route description

[edit]

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Route 2 begins as a continuation of State Street (just east of Columbus Boulevard) near Interstate 91 in downtown Hartford. It starts out heading east toward East Hartford. Route 2 then crosses the Connecticut River on the Founders Bridge and has a partial interchange with I-91 at the crossing. Immediately after crossing into East Hartford, there is a complex interchange with Interstate 84. Immediately after this interchange, Route 2 heads southeast in the direction of Glastonbury. There is a partial interchange with Route 15 about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) further. After East Hartford, Route 2 enters Glastonbury. At the East Hartford-Glastonbury town line, there is a full trumpet interchange with Route 3. About 1 mile (1.6 km) after this interchange, there is a partial interchange with Route 17. From Glastonbury, Route 2 passes into Marlborough. It continues into Colchester. In Colchester, Route 2 has a partial interchange with Route 11. After this interchange, Route 2 curves and heads east toward Norwich. Once Route 2 leaves Colchester, it passes through the towns of Lebanon and Bozrah. After Bozrah, Route 2 enters Norwich. Just after entering Norwich, Route 32 joins Route 2\. Then, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) down Route 2, there is a partial cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 395. About 1.75 miles (2.82 km) further east from the I-395 interchange, the freeway section of Route 2 ends at a four-way at-grade intersection with Town Street, Harland Road (Route 169), and Washington Street (Route 32/Route 2). Route 32 then separates in downtown Norwich after overlapping with Route 2 for 3.9 miles (6.3 km), following the west bank of the Thames River. Route 2 continues southeast from Norwich into Preston, and then into Ledyard. Just after entering Ledyard, Route 2 becomes a four-lane undivided freeway, passing by the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation and then the Foxwoods Resort Casino. After passing through Ledyard, Route 2 continues into North Stonington as a two-lane surface road. There is a roundabout with Route 184 and a partial interchange with Interstate 95 here. After leaving North Stonington, Route 2 heads into Stonington. Here, Route 2 is reduced to a minor arterial road. It has an interchange with Route 78 (Westerly Bypass) and terminates about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) later at the junction with US 1 in the Pawcatuck section of town just west of the Rhode Island state line.[1]

Route 2 westbound in Hartford, just before exits 2E, 2W and 3.

Several Connecticut freeways terminate at Route 2\. Route 3 ends at Route 2 near the East Hartford-Glastonbury town line, Route 17 ends at Route 2 in Glastonbury, and Route 11 ends at Route 2 in Colchester. Route 78 also ends at Route 2, in Stonington. It is unusual that Route 78 intersects Route 2 where it is not a freeway.

## History

[edit]

Two early toll roads, the Hartford and New London Turnpike and the Colchester and Norwich Turnpike, followed the alignment of current Route 2 in the 1800s. In 1922, The New England Interstate system incorporated the future Route 2 alignment as Route 17. Upon the discontinuation of the New England routes in the 1932 state highway renumbering, the eastern half of old New England Route 17 was renumbered to Route 2\. The western half of old New England Route 17 eventually formed part of U.S. Route 44.[2][3]

Freeway construction along the Route 2 alignment started in the 1950s and continued through the 1960s and early 1970s. The oldest freeway segment, between exits 5A and 7, opened in 1952; the latest segment, between exits 20 and 22, opened in 1971. The state still maintains some segments of the older, access highway alignment, but does not sign these segments as state routes. The state remanded the remaining access highway segments to town jurisdiction.[3]

## Junction list

[edit]

Exit numbers are currently sequential, but are scheduled to be converted to mile-based numbering starting in 2023.[4]

County| Location| mi| km| Old exit| New exit| Destinations| Notes

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|
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|
|
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Hartford| Hartford| 0.00| 0.00| –| –| Columbus Boulevard / State Street – Convention Center, Science Center| Western terminus; at-grade intersection
0.03| 0.048| –| –|
I-91 south – New Haven| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 38D on I-91
Connecticut River| 0.03–
0.88| 0.048–
1.42| Founders Bridge
East Hartford| 0.46–
0.98| 0.74–
1.58| 3| 1B| Pitkin Street / East River Drive| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
2| 1C|

I-84 (US 6) to I-91 north – Hartford, East Hartford, Springfield, Boston| Signed as exits 1B (west) and 1C (east) westbound; access to East Hartford via SR 500; no eastbound access to I-84 west
1.35| 2.17| 4| 1D|

East River Drive (SR 502 east) to I-91 south / US 5 / Route 15 south – New Haven| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
1.80| 2.90| 5| 2A| Riverside Drive / Willow Street (SR 516 east)| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
2.80| 4.51| 5A| 2B| High Street| No westbound exit
3.04| 4.89| 5A| 2| Main Street (SR 517 north)| Westbound exit only
3.27| 5.26| 5B| –| Sutton Avenue| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; permanently closed as of January 2022
3.67| 5.91| 5C| 3| Maple Street| No westbound exit
Glastonbury| 4.41| 7.10| 5D| 4A|
Route 3 south – Glastonbury, Wethersfield| Northern terminus and exits 13B-C on Route 3; signed as exit 4 westbound
4.70| 7.56| 6| 4B| Griswold Street – Glastonbury| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
5.07| 8.16| 7| 5|
Route 17 south – Portland, South Glastonbury| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; northern terminus of Route 17
5.31–
6.01| 8.55–
9.67| 8| 6|
Route 94 east (Hebron Avenue) – Glastonbury Center| Western terminus of Route 94
7.12| 11.46| 9| 7| Neipsic Road – Glastonbury| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
9.94| 16.00| –| 10|
Route 83 north – East Glastonbury, Manchester| Southern terminus of Route 83
11.56| 18.60| –| 11| Thompson Street / Wassuc Road – Glastonbury| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Marlborough| 13.42| 21.60| 12| 13| West Road / Business Route – Marlborough| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
15.44| 24.85| 13| 15|  Route 66 – Willimantic, Marlborough|
17.66| 28.42| 15| 17| South Main Street – Marlborough| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
New London| Colchester| 20.38| 32.80| 16| 20|
Route 149 south (Westchester Road) – Westchester, Moodus| Northern terminus of Route 149
22.37| 36.00| 17| 22| Business Route (SR 615 east) – Colchester| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
23.70| 38.14| 18| 23|  Route 16 – Colchester, Westchester, Middletown|
24.35| 39.19| 19| 24|
Route 11 south – New London| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; northern terminus of Route 11
25.05| 40.31| 20| 25|
Route 354 (Parum Road) to Route 85 – Salem, New London| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; access to Route 85 via SR 637
26.03| 41.89| 21| 26| Chestnut Hill Road – Colchester| Eastbound exit and entrance
26.47| 42.60| Business Route (SR 616) – Colchester| Westbound exit and entrance
Lebanon| 30.91| 49.74| 22| 30| Scott Hill Road – Gilman, Lebanon|
Bozrah| 33.32| 53.62| 23| 33|
Route 163 south / Haughton Road (SR 612 north) – Bozrah, Montville| Northern terminus of Route 163
34.54| 55.59| 24| 34| Fitchville Road (SR 608) – Fitchville| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Norwich| 35.62| 57.32| 25| 35A|
Route 32 north – Franklin, Willimantic| Western end of Route 32 concurrency; signed as exit 35 eastbound
36.33| 58.47| 27| 35B| Otrobando Avenue (SR 642) – Yantic| Westbound exit and entrance
37.00| 59.55| 28| 36-37|
I-395 / Route 2A east – New Haven, Providence| Signed as exits 36 (south) and 37 (north); no westbound access to I-395 north; exits 13A-B on I-395; western terminus of Route 2A; former Route 52
37.71| 60.69| 29| 38| New London Turnpike – Norwichtown|
38.15| 61.40| Eastern end of freeway section
| |
Route 169 north (Harland Road) – Taftville| Southern terminus of Route 169
39.52| 63.60|

Route 32 south / Route 82 west – New London, Salem| Eastern end of Route 32 concurrency; eastern terminus of Route 82
39.88| 64.18|
Route 12 south (Laurel Hill Avenue) – Groton| Western end of Route 12 concurrency
40.19| 64.68|
Route 12 north (North Main Street)| Eastern end of Route 12 concurrency
40.52| 65.21|
Route 165 east – Preston| Western terminus of Route 165
Preston| 42.95| 69.12|

Route 2A west / Route 117 south to I-95 – Ledyard, Poquetanuck| Eastern terminus of Route 2A; northern terminus of Route 117
45.70| 73.55|
Route 164 north – Preston City| Southern terminus of Route 164
Ledyard| | | Western end of freeway section
47.27| 76.07| –| –| Foxwoods Boulevard (SR 680 east) / Fox Tower Drive / Lake of Isles Drive|
48.20| 77.57| –| –|
Route 214 west / Foxwoods Boulevard (SR 680 west) – Ledyard Center| Eastern terminus of Route 214
North Stonington| | | Eastern end of freeway section
50.33| 81.00| | |
Route 201 north – Ashwillet, Glasgo| Western end of Route 201 concurrency
51.11| 82.25|
Route 201 south – Stonington| Eastern end of Route 201 concurrency
54.29| 87.37| | |  Route 184 – Old Mystic, Groton, Providence| Roundabout
55.24| 88.90|
I-95 south – New London

To I-95 north – Providence| Exit 92 on I-95; access to I-95 north via SR 617
Stonington| 56.01| 90.14|
Route 49 north – Sterling, Voluntown| Southern terminus of Route 49
56.67| 91.20|
Route 78 east – Westerly, Rhode Island Beaches| Western terminus of Route 78
58.03| 93.39|  US 1 – Mystic, Stonington, Westerly, RI| Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

* Concurrency terminus
* Incomplete access

## See also

[edit]

* Connecticut portal
* U.S. Roads portal

* List of state highways in Connecticut
* List of highways numbered 2

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Connecticut State Highway Log (2006)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
2. ^ F.J. Wood, The Turnpikes of New England, (Marshall Jones, 1919)
3. ^ a b nycroads.com - CT Route 2
4. ^ "Replacement of Highway Signs and Sign Supports on Routes 2 3 11and 17 Mileage-Based Exit Numbering". Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/Connecticut Route 2

KML is from Wikidata

Media related to Connecticut Route 2 at Wikimedia Commons
*[mi]: Miles
*[km]: Kilometers