Route 184 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 southeastern

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 Groton to

North Stonington North Stonington is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States which was split off from Stonington, Connecticut, Stonington in 1724. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connect ...

Route description

Route 184 begins as a

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

from northbound exit 86 of

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

just north of the city of Groton. It crosses over Route 12 later at an interchange and soon becomes a surface road after another quarter of a mile. The road continues east northeast towards the village of Center Groton, where it meets Route 117. It continues another via Burnetts Corner to the head of the

Mystic River The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts. In the Massachusett language, means "large estuary", alluding to the tidal ...

in the village of

Old Mystic Old Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Groton, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,554 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area ...

near the Stonington town line. Route 184 travels four miles (6 km) through the northern part of Stonington before entering the town of

. It has a junction with Route 2 at a rotary south of North Stonington center. Beyond Route 2, the surroundings become rural as Route 184 heads towards 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. Route 184 ends just short of the state line at Route 216 near exit 93 of I-95. The roadway continues past Route 216 to the state line as State Road 626, which originally connected with

Rhode Island Route 3 Route 3 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Route 3 serves as a local alternative to Interstate 95 (I-95) as it parallels I-95 for almost its entire length. Route 3 in West Warwick was the site of The Station nightclub fir ...

prior to the construction of I-95 in the area. Route 184 is also known as Gold Star Highway, New London Turnpike, and Providence-New London Turnpike along its lengths in Groton, Stonington, and North Stonington respectively.

History

In 1818, a turnpike was chartered to provide an improved road from the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

ferry (between New London and

Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...

) to the

Hopkinton and Richmond Turnpike Route 3 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Route 3 serves as a local alternative to Interstate 95 (I-95) as it parallels I-95 for almost its entire length. Route 3 in West Warwick was the site of The Station nightclub fire ...

, known as the Groton and Stonington Turnpike. The toll road ran more or less along the modern alignment of Route 184. The establishment of this road completed a continuous turnpike route from

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

to New London. The turnpike corporation was dissolved in 1853, one year after opening continuous rail service from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

via Providence. The route from the borough of Groton to the town center of North Stonington was designated as State Highway 331 in 1922. Highway 331 used modern Route 184 to the junction with Route 201, then Route 201 until the intersection with Route 2. In 1932, Route 84 was established from part of old Highway 331 along the current routes of Route 184 to Old Mystic, then modern Route 234 to US 1 in Pawcatuck. In 1935, Route 84 was relocated to the current route along the old Groton and Stoninton Turnpike alignment to the Rhode Island state line. In 1958, Route 84 was renumbered to Route 95 to serve as a temporary link for motorists following I-95, which had not yet been completed in Southeastern Connecticut. In December 1964, Route 95 was renumbered as I-95 opened in the Groton area. The eastern terminus was also truncated from the state line to its current location.

Junction list

As part of an I-95 signing contract, the Route 12 interchange received a mile-based number.

References

External links

{{Portal, Connecticut

184 __NOTOC__ Year 184 ( CLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Eggius and Aelianus (or, less frequently, year 937 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 18 ...

Transportation in New London County, Connecticut