The Hartford and New Haven Turnpike was a toll road

Toll road

A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...

 (turnpike) that was built in 1798-1799 to connect the cities of New Haven and Hartford in the U.S. state of 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...

. The turnpike was built along the principle of a straight line and connected the court houses of New Haven and Hartford in as straight a route as the terrain allowed. Because of the straight line principle, several intermediate town centers are bypassed by the turnpike. The roads used by the turnpike still exist today but the route is no longer a main road in the New Haven area. In the Hartford area, the turnpike road has been substantially widened and straightened out as the Berlin Turnpike

Berlin Turnpike

The Berlin Turnpike is a 4-lane/6-lane divided arterial road carrying U.S. Route 5 and Route 15 through the towns of Berlin, Newington, and Wethersfield, Connecticut, United States. The road begins at the Meriden-Berlin town line. The official length of the Berlin Turnpike is 11.02 miles but the...

, a major commercial thoroughfare.