Wilbur Cross Parkway

Wilbur Cross Parkway
Route information
Length:	29.46 mi (47.41 km)
Existed:	1941 – present
Component highways:	Route 15 from Milford to Meriden
Restrictions:	No commercial vehicles, trailers, towed vehicles, buses, or hearses[1]
Major junctions
South end:	Route 15 / Merritt Parkway in Stratford
North end:	US 5 / Route 15 (Berlin Turnpike) in Meriden
Highway system
Routes in Connecticut Interstate U.S. State State Roads Special Service Roads

The Wilbur Cross Parkway is a limited access road in Connecticut, comprising the portion of Route 15 between Milford and Meriden. It is named after Wilbur Lucius Cross, a former governor of the state (1931–1939). Being classified as a parkway, commercial vehicles, trailers, towed vehicles except as provided in Section 14-298-240,^[2] buses, hearses in a procession or cortege, and large vehicles are prohibited from using the road.^[1] The Wilbur Cross Parkway had two toll barriers until 1988; these were located in Milford and Wallingford.

Route description

The four-lane Wilbur Cross Parkway begins at the Sikorsky Bridge over the Housatonic River at the town line between Milford and Stratford as a direct continuation of the Merritt Parkway. Immediately after crossing the Housatonic River is the exit for the Milford Parkway, which connects to the Connecticut Turnpike (I-95) and the Boston Post Road (US 1). The Wilbur Cross Parkway runs east northeast through the towns of Milford, Orange, Woodbridge, and New Haven. At the town line between New Haven and Hamden, the parkway passes through the West Rock Tunnel, which was renamed Heroes Tunnel in 2003 by the State of Connecticut to honor first responders. Heroes Tunnel is the only road tunnel through a natural obstacle in Connecticut. The tunnel is lighted solely using low pressure sodium vapor lamps, rare for the United States. From the West Rock Tunnel, the parkway proceeds north through the towns of Hamden, North Haven, Wallingford, and Meriden. After connecting with I-91 in Meriden, the parkway ends, merging onto North Broad Street (US 5). North of Meriden, Routes 5 and 15 continue as the Berlin Turnpike.

On the parkway, there are two service stations. They are located in Orange and North Haven. There are also three abandoned rest areas along its length. These were located in Woodbridge, New Haven, and Meriden.

History

The Wilbur Cross Parkway was originally planned in 1937 as route from US 1 in Milford to the Massachusetts state line in Union. The portion of the parkway south of Meriden was built largely as planned. Construction began in 1939 when federal funds were secured. The first section of the parkway to open was the Milford to Orange segment, from the Housatonic River (Exit 54) to Route 34 (Exit 57-58). Subsequent construction was delayed by World War II. After the war, two more sections of the parkway opened: the segment from US 5 in Wallingford (Exit 66) to US 5 in Meriden (Exit 68), bypassing the city center opened in 1946; and the segment from Route 10A in Hamden (Exit 61) to US 5 in Wallingford opened in 1947.

In 1948, the parkway was designated as part of a new Route 15, connecting New York to Massachusetts. Because the New Haven segment had not yet been completed, motorists were directed to temporarily follow Route 34, US 5, and Route 10A. In November 1949, the New Haven segment, from Exit 57-58 to Exit 61, including the West Rock Tunnel opened. The entire parkway was a toll road when it opened in 1941. Tolls were removed from both the Merritt and Wilibur Cross Parkways in 1988.

Exit list

The entire route is in New Haven County.

Location	Mile	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Housatonic River	36.9	59.4	Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridge Route 15 south (Merritt Parkway)
Milford	37.8	60.8	54	To I-95 / US 1 – Milford, New Haven	Milford Parkway
	38.4	61.8	55A	Wheelers Farms Road	Signed as exit 55 southbound
	38.50	61.96	55B	Wolf Harbor Road	Northbound exit only
Orange	41.50	66.79	56	Route 121 – Orange, Ansonia
	42.80	68.88	57	Route 34 east – Orange, New Haven
	43.20	69.52	58	Route 34 west – Derby
New Haven	46.70	75.16	59	Route 63 / Route 69 – Woodbridge, New Haven
	47.10	75.80	Heroes Tunnel
Hamden	50.20	80.79	60	Route 10 – Hamden, New Haven
	51.60	83.04	61	Whitney Avenue — Hamden, New Haven
	51.00	82.08	61A	Dixwell Avenue	Northbound exit only
	52.50	84.49		Route 40 – Hamden, North Haven	Unnumbered exit, proposed interchange
North Haven	53.30	85.78	63	Route 22 – North Haven
Wallingford	58.40	93.99	64	S. Turnpike Rd., Quinnipiac St. – Wallingford
	58.70	94.47	65	Route 150 – Yalesville, Wallingford
	61.10	98.33	66	US 5 – Wallingford, Meriden
Meriden	63.10	101.55		ConnDOT Maintenance Facility	Via Miller Avenue; Northbound exit and entrance
	64.10	103.16	67S	I-91 south – New Haven	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	64.30	103.48	67	East Main Street – Downtown Meriden	Joint exit with I-91
	64.70	104.12	68 N-E	I-91 north / Route 66 east – Rocky Hill, Middlefield	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	65.20	104.93	68W	I-691 west – Meriden, Waterbury	No southbound exit
	66.70	107.34		US 5 south (North Broad Street) to Route 66 – Meriden	Southern terminus of concurrency with US 5; Limited access ends
			Route 15 north / US 5 north (North Broad Street to Berlin Turnpike)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Unopened

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles: Registering a Pick-up Truck with Passenger Plates
2. ↑ Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies

• Connecticut state highway route log, 2006
• kurumi.com - Wilbur Cross Parkway
• nycroads.com - Wilbur Cross Parkway