Route 262 is a state highway in west central 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 in a "U" pattern from Watertown

Watertown, Connecticut

Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 21,661 at the 2000 census. The zip code for Watertown is 06795. It is a suburb of Waterbury. It borders the towns of Woodbury, Middlebury, Litchfield, Plymouth, Bethlehem, and Thomaston.-Founding History:More...

 to Plymouth

Plymouth, Connecticut

Plymouth is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England. The population was 11,634 at the 2000 census. The Town of Plymouth includes the villages of Terryville and Pequabuck.-Geography:...

.

Route description

Route 262 begins at an intersection with US 6

U.S. Route 6

U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...

 in Watertown. It heads southeast and east to Route 8, turning north and intersecting Route 8 at two successive exits before crossing the Naugatuck River

Naugatuck River

The Naugatuck River is a river in the US state of Connecticut. It carves out the Naugatuck River Valley. The river flows from northwest Connecticut southward into the Housatonic River in Derby, Connecticut. One of the river's main uses is hydropower, which is used to power industrial plants...

 into Thomaston

Thomaston, Connecticut

Thomaston is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,503 at the 2000 census.-History:The town, originally part of Plymouth, Connecticut, and referred to as 'Plymouth Hollow' was first settled in the early 18th century. The town is known for clock making, which...

. In Thomaston, it continues south along the Naugatuck River to Waterbury

Waterbury, Connecticut

Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...

. It briefly curves east just south of the Thomaston-Waterbury town line before turning north into Plymouth. In Plymouth, it heads north past the Waterbury-Plymouth Airport and Lake Plymouth before ending at another intersection with US 6.

History

Route 262 was commissioned in 1963 from South Street (old SR 862, which became a state road in 1959) and its southward continuation along Spruce Brook Road (which became state-maintained in 1962). It originally ran from Waterbury Road (modern SR 848) in Thomaston to US 6 in Plymouth. In 1964, with the opening of the Route 8 freeway from Waterbury to Thomaston, Route 262 was extended south along the former route of Route 8 to Huntingdon Avenue in Waterbury. In 1965, it was truncated back to Spruce Brook Road in Waterbury. In 1975, the Watertown section of Route 262 was added, using former SR 824 (newly-constructed road from Buckingham Street to Frost Bridge Road in 1970) and SR 855 (Buckingham Street). In the same year, the section between Lake Plymouth and Tomlinson Road in Plymouth was realigned.

Junction list

Town	Road names	Junction	Milepost
Watertown Watertown, Connecticut Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 21,661 at the 2000 census. The zip code for Watertown is 06795. It is a suburb of Waterbury. It borders the towns of Woodbury, Middlebury, Litchfield, Plymouth, Bethlehem, and Thomaston.-Founding History:More... (3.75 miles)	Buckingham Street, Route 262, Frost Bridge Road		0.00
			2.65-2.96
			3.59
Thomaston Thomaston, Connecticut Thomaston is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,503 at the 2000 census.-History:The town, originally part of Plymouth, Connecticut, and referred to as 'Plymouth Hollow' was first settled in the early 18th century. The town is known for clock making, which... (0.59 miles)	Frost Bridge Road, Waterbury Road	(No major junctions)
Waterbury Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City... (0.51 miles)	Thomaston Avenue, Spruce Brook Road	(No major junctions)
Plymouth Plymouth, Connecticut Plymouth is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England. The population was 11,634 at the 2000 census. The Town of Plymouth includes the villages of Terryville and Pequabuck.-Geography:... (4.52 miles)	Spruce Brook Road, Mt. Tobe Road, South Street		9.37