Route 83 (Connecticut – Massachusetts)

Route 83
Map of northern Connecticut with CT 83 highlighted in solid red and of southern Massachusetts with MA 83 highlighted in dotted red
Route information
Length:	35.65 mi (57.37 km) Connecticut: 27.56 mi[1] Massachusetts: 8.09 mi[2]
Existed:	1932 – present
Major junctions
South end:	New London Turnpike (near Route 2) in Glastonbury, CT
	I-384 in Manchester, CT I-84 in Vernon, CT
North end:	I‑91 / US 5 in Springfield, MA
Location
Counties:	CT: Hartford, Tolland, MA: Hampden
Highway system
Routes in Connecticut Interstate U.S. State SSR SR ← Route 82 I-84 → ← Route 81 MA I‑84 →

Route 83 is a north–south state highway in the Greater Hartford and Greater Springfield areas of the U.S. states of Connecticut and Massachusetts. It serves as the main north–south artery for the towns of Manchester, Vernon, and Ellington and continues through East Longmeadow center into downtown Springfield. The route in Massachusetts is town-maintained, except for the ramps connecting to US 5 parallel to I-91.

Route description

Northbound
entering Springfield, Massachusetts

Route 83 begins at the southern end of New London Turnpike in Glastonbury near its junction with Route 2. From Glastonbury, it then heads to Manchester, serving as the main thoroughfare of that city and intersecting I-384. Within the town center of Manchester, a 0.77-mile (1.24 km) segment is town maintained (between Hartford Road and Center St). It then continues north, overlapping Route 30 for 1.50 miles (2.41 km) in Manchester and Vernon, intersecting I-84 twice. It then continues north in Vernon, overlapping Route 74 for 0.81 miles (1.30 km), before continuing north through Ellington and Somers. In Somers, Route 83 briefly overlaps Route 190 before continuing into East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.^[1] In East Longmeadow, it proceeds north as Somers Road until a complex seven-way intersection (the East Longmeadow Rotary) that involves Route 186 and Route 220 among other roads. Beyond the Rotary, Route 83 continues northwest through East Longmeadow along North Main Street. After entering the city of Springfield, Route 83 shifts onto Belmont Avenue until it reaches a six-way intersection (known as "the X") where the route shifts again to Sumner Avenue. Route 83 follows Sumner Avenue to its end then turns south on Longhill Street, which provides access to the ramps leading to I-91 and US 5.

History

In the 1920s, the segment from Glastonbury to Manchester was called State Highway 164, while the segment from Manchester to Somers was called State Highway 108. The current Route 83 was established from these two state highways in the 1932 renumbering. At about the same time, Massachusetts extended the route through East Longmeadow and Springfield as a town-maintained road. In Connecticut, the only significant changes since then are have been the straightening of a few curves.^[3] In Massachusetts, the construction of I-91 and relocation of US 5 led to the realignment of the northern end of Route 83 to its modern route along the I-91 ramps.

Junction list

State	County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Connecticut	Hartford	Glastonbury	0.00	0.00	New London Turnpike (Begin Route)
			0.09	0.14	Route 2 – East Hartford, Colchester	CT 2 Exit 10
			2.77	4.46	Route 94 – Glastonbury, Hebron
		Manchester	6.48	10.43	I-384 – East Hartford, Bolton	I-384 Exit 3
			7.53	12.12	US 6 / US 44 – East Hartford, Bolton
			10.14	16.32	I-84 / Route 30 west – Vernon	Southern end of concurrency with Route 30, I-84 Exit 63
	Tolland	Vernon	11.64	18.73	Route 30 east – Rockville	Northern end of concurrency with Route 30
			11.90	19.15	I-84 – Tolland, Hartford	Access from I-84 only, Exit 64; to access I-84 from Route 83 follow Route 30.
			14.58	23.46	Route 74 west – South Windsor	Southern end of concurrency with Route 74
			15.39	24.77	Route 74 east – Rockville	Northern end of concurrency with Route 74
		Ellington	17.63	28.37	Route 286 south – Ellington
			18.40	29.61	Route 140 – Stafford, Broad Brook
		Somers	23.80	38.30	Route 190 west – Hazardville	Southern end of concurrency with Route 190
			23.82	38.33	Route 190 east – Stafford	Northern end of concurrency with Route 190
					Connecticut–Massachusetts state line
Massachusetts	Hampden	East Longmeadow	31.06	49.99	Route 186 / Route 220
		Springfield	35.65	57.37	I‑91 / US 5	I-91 Exit 2; north end.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massachusetts Route 83.