Route 181 is a rural
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 northern
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
Barkhamsted to
Hartland.
Route description
Route 181 begins as River Road at an intersection with
US 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 ...
in southern
Barkhamsted. The road heads north into the village of
Pleasant Valley, where it briefly overlaps
Route 318 across the
West Branch Farmington River. Immediately after the river crossing, it intersects with East River Road, an unsigned state highway designated as Special Service Road 482, providing access to
Peoples State Forest and leading to the village of
Riverton. After , Route 181 turns northeast to follow Center Hill Road towards the
Barkhamsted Reservoir
Barkhamsted ( ) is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It contains seven villages: West Hill, Mallory, Barkhamsted Center, Center Hill, Washington Hill, Pleasant Valley, and Riverton. The population was 3,647 at the 2020 ...
. It continues north parallel to, but not quite along, the west side of the reservoir towards the town of
Hartland, passing by Barkhamsted Center along the way. In Hartland, it continues for another before ending at an intersection with
Route 20 in Hartland center.
[
A section of Route 181 in Barkhamsted from the southern terminus to the northern end of the overlap with Route 318 is designated as a scenic road.][
]
History
Route 181 was commissioned in 1932, running from Barkhamsted to Granby. It originally went east across a road that has been submerged by the Barkhamsted Reservoir, and continued east of Route 179 along modern Route 219 to Route 20 in Granby. The reservoir was created in 1940, splitting the route into two. As a result, Route 181 was relocated to its current route along the west side of the reservoir, ending at its current terminus at Route 20. The eastern part of the route became SR 721, which was later reassigned in 1960 as an extension of Route 219.Connecticut Routes, Route 181
/ref>
Junction list
References
External links
{{Portal, Connecticut
181
Year 181 ( CLXXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Burrus (or, less frequently, year 934 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 181 for this ye ...
Transportation in Hartford County, Connecticut
Transportation in Litchfield County, Connecticut