Route 142 is a state highway in 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...

 that serves as an alternate route of 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 It has been replaced by Interstate 95 as a through route, which it closely parallels, and now primarily serves as a local business route...

, passing through the village of Short Beach

Short Beach

Short Beach is a beach neighborhood situated in Branford, Connecticut and a small part of East Haven, Connecticut. It is the westernmost of Branford's seven neighborhoods, the others being: The Hill, The Center, Pine Orchard, Stony Creek, Indian Neck, and Brushy Hill. Short Beach's population is...

 on the Branford shoreline. It starts at US 1 in East Haven and ends at US 1 in Branford, running for 4.27 miles (6.9 km).

Route description

Route 142 begins as Hemingway Avenue at an intersection with US 1 in East Haven. It heads south, intersecting with Route 100

Route 100 (Connecticut)

Route 100 is a state highway in Connecticut that connects the town center of East Haven with the Foxon community in the northern part of town.- Route description:...

 (Main Street) in the downtown area, and then turns eastward about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) later along Short Beach Road. This intersection also marks the western end of Route 337, which continues straight. Route 142 goes through the southern part of East Haven as it heads towards the village of Short Beach

Short Beach

Short Beach is a beach neighborhood situated in Branford, Connecticut and a small part of East Haven, Connecticut. It is the westernmost of Branford's seven neighborhoods, the others being: The Hill, The Center, Pine Orchard, Stony Creek, Indian Neck, and Brushy Hill. Short Beach's population is...

. After crossing the Farm River into the town of 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...

, the road becomes known as Shore Drive. In Branford, it continues east through Short Beach and Double Beach, then turns north along Short Beach Road to end at another intersection with US 1 in the Branford Hills neighborhood.

Special designations

The section of Route 142 in Branford from Double Beach Road to the eastern terminus is designated the "William E. Keish, Jr. Memorial Highway", named after a Connecticut Department of Transportation

Connecticut Department of Transportation

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The current Commissioner of ConnDOT is Jeffrey Parker...

 official.

History

In 1922, Connecticut first numbered its state highways. The route through Short Beach was, at that time, designated as State Highway 171. Modern Route 142 was created 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...

 from old Highway 171. In 1962, the portion north of the intersection with Route 337 was transferred to Route 100, and Route 142 was extended westward slong Silver Sands Road and modern Route 337 to US 1 in the Annex section of 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...

. In 1969, these changes were reversed. The former section in New Haven was designated SR 704, which later became Route 337

Connecticut Route 337

Route 337 is a state highway in southern Connecticut running for from US 1 in New Haven to Route 142 in East Haven. The road serves Tweed-New Haven Airport, and is also the main thoroughfare for the East Shore neighborhood of New Haven and the village of Momauguin in East Haven.-Route...

 in 1987.

Junction list

Town	Road names	Junction	Milepost
E. Haven East Haven, Connecticut East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven... (2.21 miles)	Hemingway Ave., Short Beach Rd.		0.00
			0.26
			0.97
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... (2.06 miles)	Shore Dr., Short Beach Rd.		4.27