Route 169 (Connecticut–Massachusetts)

Route 169 is a 47.36-mile-long (76.22 km) state highway in the U.S. states of Connecticut and Massachusetts. It begins in the city of Norwich, Connecticut, and runs 38 miles (61 km) through Northeastern Connecticut, continuing across the state line into Southbridge, Massachusetts. The route ends in Charlton after another nine miles (14 km). A portion of the route in the town center of Pomfret is on the National Register of Historic Places as Pomfret Street Historic District, and 32.10 miles (51.66 km) of the road is designated as the Connecticut State Route 169 National Scenic Byway.

Route 169
Map of eastern Connecticut with CT 169 highlighted in solid red and of southern Massachusetts with MA 169 highlighted in dotted red
Route information
Maintained by ConnDOT and MassDOT
Length	47.36 mi[1] (76.22 km) Connecticut: 38.25 mi[1] Massachusetts: 9.11 mi[2]
Existed	January 1, 1959[3]–present
History	Created in 1932 as Route 93[4]
Tourist routes	Connecticut State Route 169
Major junctions
South end	Route 2 / Route 32 in Norwich, CT
	I-395 in Lisbon, CT US 6 in Brooklyn, CT US 44 in Pomfret, CT
North end	US 20 in Charlton, MA
Location
Counties	CT: New London, Windham, MA: Worcester
Highway system
Routes in Connecticut Interstate U.S. State SSR SR ← Route 168 → Route 171 ← Route 168 MA → Route 177 ← I-91 CT 93 → Route 94 ← I‑93 → I‑95

Route description

A reassurance sign in Southbridge, Massachusetts

Route 169 begins at an intersection with Route 2 and Route 32 in Norwich and heads northeast to the Taftville section of Norwich, where it briefly overlaps Route 97 and turns south before crossing the Shetucket River into Lisbon. In Lisbon, Route 169 continues generally northeast, intersecting I-395 before continuing into Canterbury. In Canterbury, Route 169 continues north, generally parallel to the Quinebaug River although not actually along it, before crossing into Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, it continues north, bisecting the town, before crossing into Pomfret. In Pomfret, it continues north, overlapping US 44 through the center of town, before continuing north into Woodstock. In Woodstock, it continues north past the Woodstock Airport, briefly overlapping Route 171, before heading generally northwest to the Massachusetts state line.[1]

In Massachusetts, Route 169 is an undivided two-lane highway through the towns of Southbridge and Charlton. It begins as North Woodstock Road, briefly overlaps Route 131 as part of East Main Street, then splits north on Mechanic Street at the American Optical rotary, bypassing Southbridge center. At the north end of Mechanic Street, the highway follows Worcester Street north to the Charlton town line, where it changes its name to Southbridge Road. It ends at U.S. Route 20 in Charlton City, a village in Charlton.

A 32.10-mile (51.66 km) stretch of Route 169, running from Rocky Hollow Road in Lisbon to the Massachusetts state line, is a designated National Scenic Byway and state scenic road known for its vibrant autumn foliage and historic communities.[5][6] The entire route within Connecticut is also designated the General Israel Putnam Highway.[1] The portion of Route 169 in Pomfret Center between Bradley Road and Woodstock Road is a historic district known as the Pomfret Street Historic District.

History

The Norwich and Woodstock Turnpike was a private toll road incorporated in 1801 connecting the city of Norwich to the town center of Woodstock. The corporation was dissolved in 1846. The turnpike left Norwich using Canterbury Turnpike, crossing the Shetucket River at Occum and continuing northeast on Kinsman Hill Road to Route 169. The turnpike then followed Route 169 all the way to Woodstock and the Massachusetts state line. In 1923, state routes were first designated in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The route from downtown Norwich to Taftville and Baltic along Harland Road and modern Route 97 was designated as State Highway 187. A loop route of New England Route 12 between Taftville and Jewett City via the village of Newent (partly along modern Route 138) was designated as State Highway 356. In northeastern Connecticut, the route from Putnam to Woodstock and beyond to the Massachusetts state line (partly along modern Route 171) was assigned State Highway 142. In Massachusetts, the road from Southbridge center via Charlton along modern Route 169, then to West Auburn along modern US 20, was assigned as State Highway 124. By 1931, Highway 124 was relocated along roughly modern I-84 from the Connecticut state line in Holland via Sturbridge center to Charlton, then continuing along its original route to West Auburn. The former alignment of Highway 124 was redesignated as Highway 124A.[7][8]

Route 93
Location	Norwich–Newent
Existed	1932[4]–January 1, 1959[3]

In 1932, most of the turnpike route was renumbered as Route 93 as part of a major statewide renumbering of roads.[4] Portions of old Highways 187 (Norwich-Taftville) and 356 (Taftville-Newent) were utilized for the new Route 93. At the same time, Massachusetts renumbered Highway 124A as Route 93 to maintain number continuity across the state line. On January 1, 1959, Route 93 was renumbered to Route 169 in both Connecticut and Massachusetts because the route number was to be used for I-93.[3]

In April 1991, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) designated Route 169 as a Connecticut Scenic Road. This designation ran between Lisbon and the Massachusetts state line in Woodstock.[6] Two years later, the highway was named to the country’s top 10 scenic byways by Scenic America.[9] The highway was then designated a National Scenic Byway in September 1996.[10]

Junction list

State	County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Connecticut	New London	Norwich	0.00	0.00	Route 2 / Route 32 – Preston, Mohegan, Colchester, Franklin	Southern terminus
			2.88	4.63	Route 97 north – Baltic	Northern terminus of CT 97 wrong way overlap
			3.19	5.13	Route 97 south – Downtown Norwich	Southern terminus of CT 97 wrong way overlap
		Lisbon	5.36	8.63	I-395 south / Conn. Turnpike south – Norwich	Exit 19 (I-395/Conn. Tpk.)
			6.46	10.40	Route 138 – Jewett City, Baltic
	Windham	Canterbury	14.07	22.64	Route 14 – Scotland, Moosup
		Brooklyn	20.31	32.69	Route 205 south – Wauregan	Northern terminus of Route 205
			20.59	33.14	US 6 – Danielson, Willimantic
		Pomfret	25.50	41.04	Route 101 – Dayville
			26.77	43.08	US 44 west – Mansfield	Western terminus of US 44 overlap
			28.33	45.59	US 44 east – Putnam Route 97 south – Hampton	Eastern terminus of US 44 overlap
		Woodstock	30.54	49.15	Route 171 east – Putnam	Eastern end of CT 171 overlap
			31.32	50.40	Route 171 west – Union	Western end of CT 171 overlap
			35.71	57.47	Route 197 – Quinebaug, Union
			38.25 0.00	61.56 0.00	Connecticut–Massachusetts state line
Massachusetts	Worcester	Southbridge	3.81	6.13	Route 131 – Sturbridge, North Grosvenor Dale
		Charlton	9.11	14.66	US 20 – Sturbridge, Auburn	Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

•  Connecticut portal
•  United States portal
•  U.S. Roads portal

References

1. Connecticut Department of Transportation. Connecticut State Highway Log (PDF). Hartford: Connecticut Department of Transportation.
2. Office of Transportation Planning (2007). "Road Inventory". Executive Office of Transportation. Archived from the original on 2006-09-27.
3. "State Highway Route Numbers to be Changed". The Naugatuck Daily News. September 25, 1958. p. 9. Retrieved April 14, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Road Conditions in Connecticut". The Hartford Daily Courant. May 27, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved December 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Connecticut State Route 169". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration.
6. Connecticut Department of Transportation (March 10, 2003). "Scenic Roads" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
7. Wood, F.J. (1919). The Turnpikes of New England. Marshall Jones.
8. Automobile Legal Association. ALA Green Book (1930/31 and 1931/32 ed.). Scarborough Motor Guide Co.
9. Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects (1995). "Route 169 Corridor Management Plan" (PDF). Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
10. Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments (2015). "Route 169 Corridor Management Plan Update". Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments. Retrieved October 19, 2015.

External links

• Highway photos from Mile by mile