Connecticut Route 80 is a 25.9 mile highway that runs through south-central Connecticut. The route runs from
Interstate 91
Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...
(I-91) in
Quinnipiac Meadows neighborhood of
New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
east to
Route 154 in
Deep River. Route 80 runs within 5 miles of many town squares- including
Downtown New Haven
Downtown New Haven is the neighborhood located in the heart of the city of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven, Connecticut. It is made up of the original nine squares laid out in 1638 to form New Haven, including the New Haven Green, and the imme ...
.
Route description
Route 80 begins at the junction of
I-91
Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, ...
and
Route 17 in New Haven (at exit 8). Route 17 splits off and heads northward right after the exit. Route 80 begins as a 4-lane principal arterial road in New Haven, continuing due east for almost its entire length. It has a junction with the southern end of
Route 103 before entering
East Haven. It then passes the north end of
Route 100 before crossing into
North Branford. In North Branford, it has a overlap with
Route 22, during which it meets the north end of
Route 139. Just east of the Route 22 concurrency, Route 80 becomes a 2 lane minor rural arterial road and enters
Guilford. It crosses
Route 77 in North Guilford before entering
Madison. In the village of North Madison, it meets
Route 79 at a
roundabout
A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
. It then enters
Killingworth
Killingworth is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, within the historic county of Northumberland.
Killingworth was built as a new town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the new town ...
, where it passes
Chatfield Hollow State Park and intersects with
Route 81 at a traffic circle in the center of town. After crossing into
Deep River, it briefly overlaps with
Route 145, then meets
Route 9 at exit 5 about before its terminus at
Route 154.
[
Route 80 crosses over the ]Hammonasset River
The Hammonasset River is formed about southeast of Durham, Connecticut along a gully on the north end of Bunker Hill at about a half mile northeast of the junction of Route 148 and Bunker Hill Road. The river travels for U.S. Geological Survey ...
between Madison and Killingworth on Bridge No. 1132, a historic open-spandrel arch bridge built by the Connecticut Highway Department in 1934.
History
In 1818, a toll road was chartered running from the Boston Post Road
The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts, that evolved into one of the first major highways in the United States.
The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road (now U.S. Ro ...
at the Guilford-Madison town line northeast through Killingworth center, then east to Deep River, ending at the Middlesex Turnpike. The turnpike, known as the Pettipauge and Guilford Turnpike, used Green Hill Road in Madison and Killingworth then modern Route 80 to Deep River. In 1824, another turnpike was built, beginning in the Fair Haven section of New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
, heading eastward along modern Route 80, and ending at the Pettipauge and Guilford Turnpike in Killingworth center. This was known as the Fairhaven Turnpike.
In 1922, when Connecticut first publicly signed its state highways with route numbers, several new numbered routes where created from these two turnpikes. From Fair Haven to North Branford center, State Highway 135 was created. Old Highway 135 continued south from North Branford center along modern Route 139 to the Boston Post Road. The eastward continuation of the old Fairhaven Turnpike between North Branford center and the village of North Guilford was designated as State Highway 140. The portion of the old Pettipaue and Guilford Turnpike between Killingworth center and Deep River center became State Highway 175.
Modern Route 80 was established as part of the 1932 state highway renumbering[ ] from old highways 175, 140, and the east–west portion of 135. In 1940, its east end was relocated to US 1 in Old Saybrook
Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, an ...
along Warsaw Street, Main Street, Middlesex Turnpike, and Essex Road. In the 1950s, it was extended west to Route 10 in New Haven along Middletown Avenue, State Street, Edwards Street, Munson Street, and Henry Street to Route 10 (Sherman Avenue). In 1962, the western end was truncated to its current location at Route 17. In 1966, with the opening of Route 9, the eastern end of Route 80 was truncated and rerouted to its current location.Connecticut Routes, Route 80
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Junction list
References
External links
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080
Transportation in New Haven County, Connecticut
Transportation in Middlesex County, Connecticut