Route 136 is a state highway in southwestern

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, running from Darien to Easton. The route was initially established in 1932 to serve the beach communities between Darien and

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

. Its eastern end was relocated in 1963 to head northeast from Westport to Easton instead.

Route description

Route 136 begins at an intersection with

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

in Darien and heads east, intersecting

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadi ...

before crossing into Norwalk. In Norwalk, it continues south, east, and northeast through the

Rowayton Rowayton is an affluent coastal village in the city of Norwalk, Connecticut, roughly from New York City. The community is governed by the Sixth Taxing District of Norwalk and has a number of active local associations, including the Civic Assoc ...

section of the city before a section maintained by the city between the intersection of Wilson and Meadow Streets and the intersection of Water and Washington Street, after which it continues east across the

Norwalk River The Norwalk River is a river in southwestern Connecticut, United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 The word "Norwalk" comes from t ...

, through a triangular

one-way couplet A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descriptio ...

and into Westport. In Westport, Route 136 turns northeast along the

Saugatuck River The Saugatuck River is a river in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It drains part of suburban and rural Fairfield County west of Bridgeport, emptying into Long Island Sound. , a U.S. Navy oiler that saw service in World War II, ...

, intersecting I-95 again before crossing the Saugatuck (via the

Saugatuck River Bridge The Saugatuck River Bridge is a bridge in Connecticut carrying Route 136 over the Saugatuck River in Westport. The bridge, built in 1884, is the oldest surviving movable bridge in Connecticut and is listed on the National Register of Historic ...

), briefly overlapping Route 57, passing beneath Route 15 without a junction, and continuing northeast across the northwest corner of

Fairfield Fairfield may refer to: Places Australia * Fairfield, New South Wales, a western suburb of Sydney. **Electoral district of Fairfield, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Fairfield, Queensland * Fairfield, Victoria ...

into Easton. In Easton, it continues northeast before ending at an intersection with Route 59.

History

Modern Route 136 in Westport and Easton was the southern portion of an early 19th-century public

turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...

known as the Branch Turnpike, which was incorporated in 1831. The road ran from Wesport center, through Easton center and the Upper Stepney section of

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorporated community and census-designate ...

, to the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

at Bennett's Bridge in

Newtown Newtown may refer to: Places Australia *Newtown, New South Wales *Newtown, Queensland (Ipswich) *Newtown, Queensland (Toowoomba) *Newtown, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong *Newtown, Victoria (Golden Plains Shire), a locality near Ballarat Canada * ...

, and collected tolls until 1851. Between Easton center and Upper Stepney, the old turnpike is now part of Route 59. In the early 1920s, Connecticut assigned numbers to its state roads. A coastal road in the Gold Coast region of the state running parallel to

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, makin ...

, from Darien to

, was designated as State Highway 335. The former Branch Turnpike, however, remained unnumbered. Route 136 was formed as part of the 1932 state highway renumbering as a renumbering of old Highway 335. In 1963, Route 136 was relocated to its current route, including the portion along the old Branch Turnpike, as a result of the 1961 Route Reclassification Act. Maintenance of the coastal portion of old Route 136 in Westport and Fairfield was returned to the towns. Additionally, a section in the

South Norwalk South Norwalk is a neighborhood in Norwalk, Connecticut which corresponds to the city's Second Taxing District. Often referred to as SoNo, the neighborhood was originally settled as Old Well, then chartered as the city of South Norwalk on August ...

section of Norwalk is still maintained by the city and is one of only two such maintenance gaps in a state highway in Connecticut (the other gap is at

Route 83 The following highways are numbered 83. International * Asian Highway 83 * European route E83 Australia * Eastern Highway in Melbourne * B83 Pacific Highway * Flinders Ranges Way, South Australia * National Route 83 from Birdsville to No ...

).Connecticut Routes, Route 136
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Major intersections

References

{{Portal, Connecticut Darien, Connecticut Easton, Connecticut Norwalk, Connecticut

136 136 may refer to: *136 (number) * AD 136 *136 BC *136 (MBTA bus) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority MBTA bus, bus division operates bus routes in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area. All routes connect to Massachusetts Bay Tr ...

Transportation in Fairfield County, Connecticut Westport, Connecticut