Connecticut Route 72

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Route 72
Length: 20.10 mi[1] (32.35 km)
Formed: 1932
South/East end: Route 9 in New Britain
Major
junctions:		 I-84 in Plainville
North/West end: Route 4 in Harwinton
Routes in Connecticut
< Route 71 Route 73 >
Special Service Roads – State Roads

Route 72 is a state highway in the western part of the Greater Hartford area. Route 72 is an L-shaped route with a north-south section in Plymouth and Harwinton and an east-west section from Bristol to New Britain. Route 72 is a freeway from Route 9 in New Britain to Route 177 in Plainville.

There is a plan to extend the highway to Bristol as a four-lane boulevard. The construction project broke ground on October 15, 2007 and is scheduled for completion in 2009. The contractor for the project is Manafort Brothers, based out of Plainville.

Contents

[edit] Route description

Route 72 begins at Route 9 in New Britain and runs for 20.10 miles to end at Route 4 in Harwinton. The first 6.3 miles of the route from New Britain to Plainville is 4-lane or 6-lane freeway. Route 72 becomes a secondary route after its junction with U.S. Route 6 in Plymouth, and is reduced to a rural collector road in Harwinton for its last 5 miles. There is a 0.52-mile overlap with I-84 in Plainville. Route 72 goes through the following towns from east to west: New Britain, Plainville, Bristol, Plymouth, and Harwinton.[1]

[edit] Special designations

The section of Route 72 from Route 9 to Route 372 (Corbin Avenue) in New Britain is also known as the Thaddeus Kosciuszko Highway.[1] The section from Route 372 (Corbin Avenue) in New Britain to the freeway end at the Plainville-Bristol town line is also known as the Polish Legion of American Veterans Memorial Highway.

[edit] History

Route 72 was established in the 1932 state highway renumbering between Route 66 (then Route 14) in Middletown to Route 10 in Plainville. Since then, the route has been extended west and north and relocated to an expressway. The original route has been transferred to Routes 3 and 372.[2]

In 1942, a portion of US 6 in Bristol and Plymouth was transferred to Route 72 after a realignment of US 6 to use former US 6A. Another section of Route 72 was realigned in Berlin the same year with the construction of an interchange with the Berlin Turnpike. In 1954, the former Routes 117 (Bristol to Torrington) and 49 (Torrington to Norfolk) were transferred to Route 72, extending the route through Torrington to the Massachusetts state line. In 1962, the section of Route 72 north of modern Route 4 was transferred to a relocated Route 4 and a new Route 272, resulting in the current northern/western terminus. The section from Plainville to Berlin was later upgraded to an expressway. In 1978, the old surface route of Route 72 was assigned as Route 372. In 1990, a freeway connection from the east end of the Route 72 freeway to the west end of the Route 9 freeway opened. The Route 9 designation was extended westward to the current Route 9/72 interchange. Route 372 was extended east along the old Route 72 alignment to Route 3 while Route 3 was extended south along the old Route 72 alignment to Route 66.

[edit] Expressway relocation

In 1961, an expressway section in Berlin was opened from Route 71A to the Berlin Turnpike (US 5 and Route 15). In 1969, Route 72 was rerouted from Berlin into New Britain, leaving the freeway section west of the current Route 9 in Berlin to be reassigned to SR 572. The first section of this reroute, from SR 572 to Ellis Street, was opened this year. In 1970, the second section of the rerouting to New Britain was opened from Main Street to I-84. In 1979, the final part of the rerouting to New Britain was opened, connecting Ellis and Main Streets.

In 1980, Route 72 in Plainville from the overlap with I-84 to Forestville Avenue was rerouted to the current route. This road, which begins as a freeway and narrows to a divided two lane road, was constructed in two stages, in 1975 and from 1978 to 1980. With the completion of the freeway from Plainville to Berlin in 1980, Route 72 was formally designated on the freeway and the former surface alignment became Route 372. In 1990, Route 9 took over the eastern end of the Route 72 freeway truncating Route 72 to the current 9/72 interchange and extending Route 372 eastward along the former Route 72.

[edit] Exit List

Town Mile Exit # Destinations Note
New Britain (2.84 miles)[1] Junction with Route 9
0.31 9 Route 71 to Main Street No westbound exit
0.95 8 Columbus Boulevard – Downtown New Britain Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
1.89 7 Route 372 (Corbin Avenue)
2.55 6 I-84 East –Farmington, Hartford Westbound junction only
Plainville (3.49 miles, limited access section only) 3.20 I-84 East – Hartford Eastbound junction only. I-84 joins westbound and leaves eastbound. Signed as Exit 35 to Route 72 East on I-84.
3.72 I-84 West – Waterbury Westbound junction only. I-84 joins eastbound and leaves westbound. Signed as Exit 33 to Route 72 West on I-84.
4.13 4 I-84 West – Waterbury Eastbound junction only. Same interchange as Exit 3.
4.13 3 Woodford Avenue Eastbound exit only. Same interchange as Exit 4.
2 Route 372 (New Britain Avenue) – Plainville No eastbound exit
5.76 1 Route 177 (North Washington Street) Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
6.33 Route 372 At-grade intersection

[edit] Junction List

Town Road names Major junctions Milepost
Plainville
(0.17 miles, non-limited access section only)[1]		 Forestville Avenue Route 372 6.33
Bristol
(5.57 miles)		 East Main Street, Broad Street, Riddle Street, Riverside Avenue, Main Street, School Street, Divinity Street, Park Street, Terryville Road Route 229 8.34-8.40
Route 69 9.92-9.93
Plymouth
(3.48 miles)		 South Riverside Avenue, North Riverside Avenue, Poland Brook Road US 6 13.02
Harwinton
(4.55 miles)		 Terryville Road Route 4 20.10


[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Connecticut State Highway Log
  2. ^ Connecticut Routes, Route 72