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 at Exit 10. After crossing Route 2, it then heads north and crosses Route 94 before entering Manchester, where it serves as the main north-south thoroughfare of the town. Just before the center of town, it intersects I-384 at Exit 3. Within the town center of Manchester, a 0.77-mile (1.24 km) segment is town maintained between Hartford Road and Center St, the latter of which carries US 6/44, the town's main east-west thoroughfare. It then continues north, and comes to a junction with Route 30 at I-84 Exit 63. Route 83 overlaps with Route 30 for 1.50 miles (2.41 km) from Manchester into Vernon, intersecting I-84 once again at Exit 64 before Route 30 turns off to the east. It then continues north in Vernon as a 4-lane road where it narrows to 2 lanes shortly before a 0.81 mile overlap with Route 74. It then turns north once again on the western edge of Rockville Center, and crosses into Ellington, where it has junctions with the northern end of Route 286, and with Route 140 in the center of town. It then continues north into Somers, where it has a brief (0.02 mile) overlap with Route 190. Route 83 continues northwest, and crosses the Massachusetts state line into East Longmeadow.^[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)
			0.15	0.24	Route 2 – East Hartford, Colchester	Exit 10 (Route 2)
			2.77	4.46	Route 94 – Glastonbury Center, Hebron
		Manchester	6.61	10.64	I-384 – East Hartford, Bolton	Exit 3 (I-384)
			7.53	12.12	US 6 / US 44 – East Hartford, Bolton
			10.14	16.32	I-84 east / Route 30 south – South Windsor, Tolland	Exit 63 (I-84); southern terminus of CT 30 overlap; westbound I-84 access via Route 30 South
	Tolland	Vernon	11.64	18.73	Route 30 north – Vernon Center	Northern terminus of CT 30 overlap
			11.45– 11.90	18.43– 19.15	I-84 – Tolland, Hartford	I-84 WB entrance at MP 11.45. I-84 EB exit at MP 11.90. Access from I-84 WB via Kelly Rd. Access to I-84 EB via CT 30 to Dobson Rd.
			14.58	23.46	Route 74 west – South Windsor	Western terminus of CT 74 overlap
			15.39	24.77	Route 74 east – Tolland	Eastern terminus of CT 74 overlap
		Ellington	17.62	28.36	Route 286 south – Ellington
			18.38	29.58	Route 140 – Stafford, Broad Brook
		Somers	23.80	38.30	Route 190 west – Enfield	Western terminus of CT 190 overlap
			23.82	38.33	Route 190 east – Stafford Springs	Eastern terminus of CT 190 overlap
			27.56 0.00	44.35 0.00	Connecticut–Massachusetts state line
Massachusetts	Hampden	East Longmeadow	4.50	7.24	Route 186 / Route 220 south – Enfield, Somers	5 Corners traffic circle
		Springfield	8.09	13.02	I‑91 / US 5 – Hartford, Sherbrooke	Exit 2 (I-91); northern terminus of MA 83.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

External links

Route map: Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massachusetts Route 83.