Connecticut Route 2
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| Route 2 |
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| Length: | 58.03 mi (93.39 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1932 | ||||||||
| North end: | State Street (near  I-91) in Hartford |
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| Major junctions: |
 I-84 in East Hartford I-395 in Norwich I-95 in North Stonington |
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| South end: |  US 1 in Stonington |
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Route 2 is a state highway in Connecticut and is 58.03 miles in length. It is a primary state route, with a freeway section connecting Hartford to Norwich and a non-freeway section extending up to Stonington.
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[edit] Route description
Route 2 begins as a continuation of State Street (just east of Columbus Blvd) near Interstate 91 in downtown Hartford. It crosses the Connecticut River on the Founders Bridge. It has a partial interchange with Interstate 91 at the crossing. Right after crossing into East Hartford, there is a complex interchange with Interstate 84 and then a partial interchange with Route 15 about 0.75 miles further. After East Hartford, Route 2 goes through the towns of Glastonbury, Marlborough, Colchester, Lebanon, Bozrah, and Norwich. In Norwich, just west of the interchange with Interstate 395, Route 32 joins Route 2, then the freeway section of Route 2 ends just after the I-395 interchange. Route 32 then separates in downtown Norwich after overlapping with Route 2 for 3.9 miles, following the west bank of the Thames River. Route 2 continues southeast into Preston, Ledyard, North Stonington, and Stonington. The Foxwoods Resort Casino can be found off Route 2 in Ledyard. There is also a roundabout with Route 184 and a partial interchange with Interstate 95 in North Stonington. In Stonington, Route 2 is reduced to a minor arterial road. It has an interchange with Route 78 and terminates at the junction with U.S. Route 1 just west of the Rhode Island state line.
[edit] Special designations
The entire length of Route 2 is also known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Highway.
[edit] Notes
Several other 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.
[edit] Exit list
| Town | Number | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford | 0.0 | Columbus Boulevard and State Street Western terminus of Route 2 |
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| 0.1 | I-91 South |
eastbound exit only | ||
| Founders Bridge (Connecticut River crossing) | ||||
| East Hartford | 3 | 0.5 | Pitkin Street, East River Drive | eastbound exit only |
| 2 | 0.5 | I-84 East |
eastbound exit only | |
| 2NEW | 0.8 | 2N: East Hartford 2E: I-84 East To Boston2W: I-84 West to I-91 North |
westbound exits only | |
| 3 | 1.0 | Pitkin Street | westbound exit only | |
| 4 | 1.4 | East River Drive TO   US 5/Route 15 South To I-91 South |
westbound exit only | |
| 5 | 1.8 | Willow Street | eastbound exit only | |
| 5A | 2.8 | High Street (EB), Main Street (WB) | ||
| 5B | 3.2 | Sutton Avenue | eastbound exit only | |
| 5C | 3.6 | Maple Avenue | eastbound exit only | |
| 5D | 4.0 | Route 3 Glastonbury, Wethersfield (EB) |
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| Glastonbury | 6 | 4.4 | Griswold Street | eastbound exit only |
| 7 | 5.1 | Route 17 Portland |
eastbound exit only | |
| 8 | 5.6 | Route 94, Hebron Avenue | ||
| 9 | 7.0 | Neipsic Road | eastbound exit only | |
| 10 | 9.9 | Route 83 East Glastonbury, Manchester |
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| 11 | 11.6 | Thompson Street, Wassuc Road | westbound exit only | |
| Marlborough | 12 | 13.4 | West Road, Marlborough Business Route | eastbound exit only |
| 13 | 15.4 | Route 66 Marlborough, Willimantic |
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| 15 | 17.9 | South Main Street | westbound exit only | |
| Colchester | 16 | 20.4 | Route 149 Westchester, Moodus |
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| 17 | 22.0 | Colchester Business Route | eastbound exit only | |
| 18 | 23.7 | Route 16 Colchester, Middletown (WB) |
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| 19 | 24.4 | Route 11 New London |
eastbound exit only | |
| 20 | 25.3 | Route 354/Parum Road To Route 11 and Route 85 | westbound exit only | |
| 21 | 26.0 | Chestnut Hill Road (EB), Colchester Business Route (WB) | ||
| Lebanon | 22 | 30.9 | Gillman, Lebanon | |
| Bozrah | 23 | 33.3 | Route 163 Bozrah, Montville |
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| 24 | 34.7 | Fitchville | ||
| Norwich | 25(WB) 27(EB) |
35.7 | Route 32 North Willimantic, Yantic (EB), Franklin (WB) |
Route 32 joins eastbound and leaves westbound |
| 27 | 36.3 | Yantic | westbound exit only eastbound Exit 27 is the same interchange as Exit 25 |
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| 28NS | 37.0 | 28S: I-395 South To New Haven and Route 2A 28N: I-395 North To Providence |
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| 29 | 37.7 | Norwichtown | eastbound exit only | |
| 38.2 | Route 169 | End of freeway; at-grade intersection | ||
Junctions on non-freeway section
- Norwich (Washington St, Chelsea Harbor Dr, Water St, East Main St)
- Preston (Norwich-Westerly Road)
- Mile 43.0: Route 2A / Route 117
- Mile 45.7: Route 164
- Ledyard (Norwich-Westerly Road)
- Mile 47.3: Entrance to Foxwoods Resort Casino
- North Stonington (Norwich-Westerly Road)
- Mile 48.0: Route 214
- Mile 51.1: Route 201 (0.8 mile overlap)
- Mile 54.4: Route 184
- Mile 55.3: I-95
- Stonington (Liberty Street)
- Mile 56.0: Route 49
- Mile 56.6: Route 78
- Mile 58.0: U.S. Route 1 (eastern terminus)
[edit] History
- 1800s: The alignment was used by two early toll roads: The Hartford-New London Turnpike and the Colchester-Norwich Turnpike.
- 1922: The alignment becomes part of New England Interstate Route 17 (NE-17)
- 1932: The New England routes were decommissioned. The eastern half of NE-17 was designated as a state highway called Route 2. The western half of NE-17 will become part of U.S. Route 44.
- 1950s-1960s: Freeway construction along the Route 2 alignment. The Route 2 freeway opened in sections, with the oldest segment (between Exits 5A and 7) opening in 1952, and the latest segment (between Exits 20 and 22) opening in 1971. Some parts of the old, surface alignment are still state-maintained but not signed as state routes, while the rest were handed over to town jurisdiction.
