Route 171 is a state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in northeastern 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 Union

Union, Connecticut

Union is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 854 at the 2010 census, making it the least populous town in Connecticut and the second-least populous municipality in Connecticut; only the Borough of Fenwick has fewer people...

 to Putnam

Putnam, Connecticut

Putnam is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,002 as of the 2000 census. It is home to WINY, an AM radio station.-History:...

.

Route description

Route 171 begins at an interchange from I-84

Interstate 84 (east)

Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway extending from Dunmore, Pennsylvania at an interchange with Interstate 81 to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, at an interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike . I-84 has mile-log junction numbering in Pennsylvania; otherwise, exit numbers are roughly sequential...

 in northern Union (Also known as Mashapaug) and heads south to the town center, then east, south, and southeast into Eastford

Eastford, Connecticut

Eastford is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,618 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....

. It cuts across the northeast corner of Eastford into Woodstock

Woodstock, Connecticut

Woodstock is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,221 at the 2000 census.-Annual events:*The Woodstock Fair, run by the Woodstock Agricultural Society has been held since 1860. The current President of the Woodstock Fair is Susan Z. Hibbard...

. In Woodstock, it heads southeast, then turns northeast, briefly overlapping Route 198

Connecticut Route 198

Route 198 is a state highway in northeastern Connecticut, running from Chaplin to the Massachusetts state line in Woodstock.-Route description:...

 before continuing. It then passes Toutant Airport

Toutant Airport

Toutant Airport , is located in Putnam, Connecticut, United States.-Facilities and Aircraft:Toutant Airport is situated six miles northwest of the central business district, and contains one runway...

 and turns east, briefly overlapping Route 169 before cutting across the southwest corner of Thompson

Thompson, Connecticut

Thompson is a rural town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named after Sir Robert Thompson, an English landholder. The population was 9,458 at the 2010 census...

 into Putnam. In Putnam, it continues southeast before ending at an intersection with US 44

U.S. Route 44

U.S. Route 44 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 237 miles through four states in the Northeastern region of the United States. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 209 and New York State Route 55 in Kerhonkson, a hamlet in the Hudson Valley region of New York...

 and Route 12

Connecticut Route 12

Connecticut Route 12 is a state highway that runs between Groton and the state line near Thompson.-History:Route 12 was preceded by New England Interstate Route 12. The southern terminus of NE-12 was originally at New London, Connecticut. It travelled along present-day Route 32 from New London to...

.

History

The portion of modern Route 171 between South Woodstock and Woodstock Valley was part of an early toll road known as Woodstock and Somers Turnpike. This section of the turnpike became part of a state highway in 1922 with the designation Highway 183. Old Highway 183 continued south of Woodstock Valley to Eastford along modern Route 198. Between Putnam and South Woodstock, modern Route 171 was part of Highway 142, which continued north along modern Route 169 to North Woodstock and the Massachusetts state line. In Union, the Buckley Highway became Highway 149.

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 91 was created from old Highway 183. It began further south than the old route at US 6 in Chaplin using modern Route 198 and extended further east to Route 12 in Putnam (along part of old Highway 142). At the same time, the Buckley Highway became part of Route 15

Route 15 (Connecticut)

Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Connecticut that runs from a connection with New York's Hutchinson River Parkway in Greenwich, Connecticut to its northern terminus intersecting with Interstate 84 in East Hartford, Connecticut...

 and Bigelow Hollow Road became Route 198.

In 1959, Route 91 was renumbered as a result of the designation of Interstate 91

Interstate 91

Interstate 91 is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of New England...

to avoid a numbering conflict. Route 171 was created from part of former Route 91, running from Woodstock Valley to the current eastern terminus at Route 12. The portion between Woodstock Valley and Chaplin became part of an extended Route 198. In 1963, Routes 171 and 198 were reconfigured to their current locations, resulting in part of Route 198 being redesignated as a westward extension of Route 171.

Junction list