Connecticut Route 139
Encyclopedia
Route 139 is a state highway in southern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 running from Branford
Branford, Connecticut
-Landmarks and attractions:Branford has six historic districts that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . These include buildings in Federal, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne styles of architecture...

 to North Branford
North Branford, Connecticut
North Branford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,906 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.6 square miles , of which 24.9 square miles is land and 1.7 square miles is water...

.

Route description

Route 139 begins as North Branford Road at an intersection with US 1
U.S. Route 1 in Connecticut
In the U.S. state of Connecticut, U.S. Route 1 is a major east–west state highway along Long Island Sound. It has been replaced by Interstate 95 as a through route, which it closely parallels, and now primarily serves as a local business route...

 in the northern part of Branford. It heads northeast, crossing the Branford River soon entering the town of North Branford
North Branford, Connecticut
North Branford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,906 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.6 square miles , of which 24.9 square miles is land and 1.7 square miles is water...

. At the town line, the road changes name to Branford Road and continues northward for about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) until its end at an intersection with Routes 22 and 80 in the town center.

History

In the 1920s, a route running east from Fair Haven
Fair Haven, Connecticut
Fair Haven is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of New Haven, Connecticut located between the Mill and Quinnipiac rivers. The northeast section of the neighborhood is also known as Chatham Square....

 (in New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

) via the village of Totoket to the town center of North Branford, then southward to the northeastern corner of Branford, was a state highway designated as Highway 135. In the 1932 state highway renumbering
1932 state highway renumbering (Connecticut)
In 1932, the Highway Department of the U.S. state of Connecticut , decided to completely renumber all its state highways. The only exceptions were the U.S. Highways and some of the New England Interstate Routes. Between 1922 and 1932, Connecticut used a state highway numbering system shared with...

, Route 139 was created from the north–south portion of old Highway 135 between North Branford center and Route 1. The east–west portion of old Highway 135 was assigned to Route 80
Route 80 (Connecticut)
Route 80 is a long secondary east–west state route in Connecticut from New Haven to Deep River. It serves as a more inland alternate route to US 1 in eastern New Haven County and Middlesex County.-Route description:...

. In 1935, Route 139 was extended north along Forest Road (now Route 22
Route 22 (Connecticut)
Route 22 is a long secondary state route within the U.S. state of Connecticut. Route 22 is an L-shaped road that is signed east–west from Hamden to North Branford, and north–south from North Branford to Guilford...

) to end in the village of Northford at Route 15 (now Route 17
Route 17 (Connecticut)
Route 17 is a primary north–south state route beginning in New Haven, through Middletown, and ending in Glastonbury, with a length of .-Route description:...

). In 1951, the section north of the current northern terminus was transferred to Route 22 when that route was created.

The southern end of Route 139 originally used School Ground Road. In the 1940s, the southern terminus was shifted to use North Branford road instead. The old alignment became Route 139A, which was removed from the state highway system in 1964.

Junction list

Town Road names Junction Milepost
Branford
Branford, Connecticut
-Landmarks and attractions:Branford has six historic districts that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . These include buildings in Federal, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne styles of architecture...


(0.85 miles)
N. Branford Rd. 0.00
N. Branford
North Branford, Connecticut
North Branford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,906 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.6 square miles , of which 24.9 square miles is land and 1.7 square miles is water...


(1.51 miles)
Branford Rd. 2.36
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