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Route 101 is a
state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...
in northeastern
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
running from
Pomfret Pomfrets are scombriform fish belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of ...
to the
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
state line in Killingly. The road originated as a 19th-century
toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...
known as the Connecticut and Rhode Island Turnpike. Route 101 was designated along the modern alignment in 1935 when an earlier Route 101 was renumbered to
U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonks ...
.


Route description

Route 101 starts at
U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonks ...
as Mashamoquet Road then Killingly Road in the town of
Pomfret Pomfrets are scombriform fish belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of ...
. It runs along the Mashamoquet Brook State Park before intersecting with Route 169. It proceeds eastward, soon passing over the
Quinebaug River The Quinebaug River ( ) is a river in south-central Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut, with watershed extending into western Rhode Island. The name "Quinebaug" comes from the southern New England Native Americans in the United States, Nati ...
into the town of Killingly. East of the river, the road becomes known as Hartford Pike. Route 101 then intersects Interstate 395 and Route 12, then passes near Chase Pond, a small pond related to the Chase Reservoir. Route 101 then passes between two large lakes; on the north, the Middle Reservoir (also known as the Chestnut Hill Reservoir), and on the south, the Bog Meadow Pond. It passes by more reservoirs, as it reaches its end at the
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
border. Route 101 continues in Rhode Island as Rhode Island Route 101. Route 101 from the western terminus to milepost 6.78 in East Killingly is also known as the
Leif Ericson Leif Erikson, also known as Leif the Lucky (), was a Norse explorer who is thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental America, approximately half a millennium before Christopher Columbus. According to the sagas of I ...
Highway.The name is misspelled as "Leif Erickson" in Public Act 03-115.


History

In the 19th century, modern day Route 101 was originally known as the Connecticut and Rhode Island Turnpike and was one of several routes connecting
Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
(via the Boston Turnpike) and
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
. It began at the Boston Turnpike in
Phoenixville Phoenixville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek (Schuylkill River tributary), French Creek an ...
(at the junction of modern Route 198 and Route 44) and went eastward along modern Route 44 to west of Pomfret Landing, then along modern Route 101 through Killingly Center to the Rhode Island state line. Beyond the state line it continued as the Rhode Island and Connecticut Turnpike to Providence. In 1922, Connecticut numbered its state highways. The turnpike from Phoenixville to west of Pomfret Landing was designated as part of Route 101. The original Route 101 began in South Chaplin, where it split off from New England Route 3. It ran northward via modern Route 198 to Phoenixville then turned eastward along the Connecticut and Rhode Island Turnpike (modern Route 44) to west of Pomfret Landing. Route 101 then continued along modern Route 44 northward to Pomfret Center and eastward through Putnam to the Rhode Island line. Route 101 followed modern Route 44 through Rhode Island all the way to
Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...
. At the same time, the eastern half of the Connecticut and Rhode Island Turnpike was designated as Highway 137 west of Route 12 and Highway 139 east of Route 12. In 1932, Route 101 was extended westward across the entire state. It now began in
Canaan CanaanThe current scholarly edition of the Septuagint, Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interprets. 2. ed. / recogn. et emendavit Robert Hanhart. Stuttgart : D ...
and ran through
Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
to Phoenixville, where it continued east along its 1920s alignment. The portion of old Route 101 between South Chaplin and Phoenixville became part of Route 91 (now Route 198). Old state highways 137 and 139 were combined into a new Route 202. In 1935,
U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonks ...
and
U.S. Route 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of U.S. Route 2, US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware in the south to Maine in the north and traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, N ...
were designated by
AASHO The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United St ...
. US 44 used the alignment of the extended Route 101. Old Route 202 was renumbered to Route 101 (since the number was now available) to avoid a numbering conflict with US 202. This route number change was done in cooperation with Rhode Island, which designated the continuation as Rhode Island Route 101. Route 101 was one of the few state routes that survived the 1932 state highway renumbering.


Junction list


References


External links

{{Portal, Connecticut
101 101 may refer to: *101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a 19 ...
Transportation in Windham County, Connecticut Pomfret, Connecticut Killingly, Connecticut U.S. Route 202