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Route 25 (Connecticut)
Encyclopedia
Route 25 is a 28.59 miles (46 km), primary state highway
connecting the city of Bridgeport
and the town of Brookfield
in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Route 25 is a six-lane freeway from Bridgeport to northern Trumbull
and a two-lane surface road the rest of the way to Brookfield.
Route 25 was originally laid out as a toll road
known as the Bridgeport and Newtown Turnpike in 1801. The Route 25 designation was assigned in 1932 to the turnpike alignment and additionally extended through New Milford
all the way to Torrington
. The route was cut back to its modern northern terminus in Brookfield in 1974, with U.S. Route 202 taking over the old alignment. The Bridgeport-Newtown corridor had been planned as an expressway since the 1950s. The modern Route 25 expressway was fully open by 1982.
in Bridgeport. For the first 3.8 miles (6.1 km) of the route, it is co-signed with the Route 8
freeway. After the split with Route 8, it continues as its own freeway through the town of Trumbull
for another 6.1 miles (9.8 km). The freeway portion ends at the junction with Route 111 in Trumbull.
Route 25 continues northward as a surface road following Main Street through the towns of Trumbull
, Monroe
, and Newtown
. In Newtown, Route 25 has a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) overlap with U.S. Route 6. After the overlap with U.S. Route 6, it becomes a secondary minor arterial road until its terminus at U.S. Route 7/U.S. Route 202 in Brookfield
.
known as the Bridgeport and Newtown Turnpike in 1801 and ran from Bridgeport via Newtown borough to Brookfield center. In 1848, the north and south ends were made free. In the south, tolls were no longer collected within the city limits of Bridgeport, and in the north, the road north of Newtown borough was made free. In 1886, Fairfield County dissolved all turnpike corporations in its jurisdiction, causing the Bridgeport and Newtown Turnpike to become a public road.
Route 25 was designated along the old turnpike route in the 1932 state highway renumbering
. When originally designated in 1932, Route 25 continued well beyond Brookfield, following Route 133 and Route 67
to New Milford
(via Bridgewater), then turning northeast along modern Route 202 before terminating at Route 8
in Torrington
. In the mid-1940s, a portion of Routes 25 and 133 swapped alignments. Route 25 now connected to U.S. Route 7 in Brookfield and overlapped it to New Milford, bypassing Bridgewater. In 1963, Route 25 was extended further eastward to Route 44 in Canton
after the relocation of Route 4
. In 1974, U.S. Route 202 was relocated and the portion of Route 25 from Brookfield to Canton was taken over by US 202. Route 25 was truncated to its present terminus in Brookfield at this time.
when the expressway opened.
The Route 25 expressway was originally planned to continue north to meet I-84
in Newtown, where a semi-directional interchange and freeway stub for the planned expressway connection was built. The planned 9 miles (14.5 km) extension was canceled in 1991, along with many other highway projects due to a fiscal crisis arising when Connecticut was especially hit hard by the Late 1980s recession
. At that time Connecticut's economy was heavily reliant on the defense industry
. The end of the Cold War
combined with the recession resulted in a near-total collapse of Connecticut's industrial base, and a loss of billions of dollars in tax revenues generated by these industries.
During the late 1990s, an alternative plan to widen the existing Route 25 through Trumbull, Monroe, and Newtown was met with opposition, particularly in Newtown where there was strong opposition to any type of project that will change the existing profile of the Route 25 corridor, despite the high accident rate and congestion on the road. In the early 2000s the Connecticut Department of Transportation
(ConnDOT) was forced to resort to a plan that will widen and improve intersections on Route 25 from the expressway terminus in Trumbull to the Monroe/Newtown town line, but opposition in Newtown has compelled ConnDOT to limit upgrades in that community to spot improvements at major intersections and routine maintenance. To ease traffic congestion in Newtown, ConnDOT opened the Mile Hill Road Bypass (SR 860), cutting through the former Fairfield Hills Hospital property and connecting to I-84
and Route 34
at the freeway stub originally intended for Route 25 (now part of SSR 490). Under the belief an expressway will never be built along Route 25 or Route 34, ConnDOT plans to remove this freeway stub and the high-speed interchange, replacing it with a diamond interchange
within the next 10 years. ConnDOT is also planning to build a rest area
on land left over when the interchange conversion is complete.
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...
connecting the city of Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
and the town of Brookfield
Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield is a town located in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,452 at the 2010 census. First settled in 1710 by John Muirwood and several other colonial founders who bartered for the land From the Wyantenuck Nation Under the Sachem Waramaugs who lived...
in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Route 25 is a six-lane freeway from Bridgeport to northern Trumbull
Trumbull, Connecticut
Trumbull, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut in the New England region of the United States, is bordered by the towns of Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Easton along Connecticut's Gold Coast. The population was 36,018 according to the 2010 census.Family Circle magazine...
and a two-lane surface road the rest of the way to Brookfield.
Route 25 was originally laid out as 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...
known as the Bridgeport and Newtown Turnpike in 1801. The Route 25 designation was assigned in 1932 to the turnpike alignment and additionally extended through New Milford
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
all the way to Torrington
Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the northwestern Connecticut region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The city population was 36,383 according to the 2010 census....
. The route was cut back to its modern northern terminus in Brookfield in 1974, with U.S. Route 202 taking over the old alignment. The Bridgeport-Newtown corridor had been planned as an expressway since the 1950s. The modern Route 25 expressway was fully open by 1982.
Route description
Route 25 begins at an interchange with Interstate 95Interstate 95 in Connecticut
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, runs in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles in Connecticut from the Rhode Island state line to the New York State line. I-95 Southbound from East Lyme to the New York State...
in Bridgeport. For the first 3.8 miles (6.1 km) of the route, it is co-signed with the Route 8
Route 8 (Connecticut)
Route 8 is the portion of the multistate New England Route 8 within the state of Connecticut. It is a state highway running north–south from Bridgeport, through Waterbury, all the way to the Massachusetts state line where it continues as Route 8...
freeway. After the split with Route 8, it continues as its own freeway through the town of Trumbull
Trumbull, Connecticut
Trumbull, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut in the New England region of the United States, is bordered by the towns of Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Easton along Connecticut's Gold Coast. The population was 36,018 according to the 2010 census.Family Circle magazine...
for another 6.1 miles (9.8 km). The freeway portion ends at the junction with Route 111 in Trumbull.
Route 25 continues northward as a surface road following Main Street through the towns of Trumbull
Trumbull, Connecticut
Trumbull, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut in the New England region of the United States, is bordered by the towns of Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Easton along Connecticut's Gold Coast. The population was 36,018 according to the 2010 census.Family Circle magazine...
, Monroe
Monroe, Connecticut
Monroe is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,479 at the 2010 census. The current first selectman is Steve Vavrek....
, and Newtown
Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 27,560 at the 2010 census. Newtown was founded in 1705 and incorporated in 1711.-Government:...
. In Newtown, Route 25 has a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) overlap with U.S. Route 6. After the overlap with U.S. Route 6, it becomes a secondary minor arterial road until its terminus at U.S. Route 7/U.S. Route 202 in Brookfield
Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield is a town located in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,452 at the 2010 census. First settled in 1710 by John Muirwood and several other colonial founders who bartered for the land From the Wyantenuck Nation Under the Sachem Waramaugs who lived...
.
History
Route 25 was originally laid out as a toll roadToll 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...
known as the Bridgeport and Newtown Turnpike in 1801 and ran from Bridgeport via Newtown borough to Brookfield center. In 1848, the north and south ends were made free. In the south, tolls were no longer collected within the city limits of Bridgeport, and in the north, the road north of Newtown borough was made free. In 1886, Fairfield County dissolved all turnpike corporations in its jurisdiction, causing the Bridgeport and Newtown Turnpike to become a public road.
Route 25 was designated along the old turnpike route 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...
. When originally designated in 1932, Route 25 continued well beyond Brookfield, following Route 133 and Route 67
Route 67 (Connecticut)
Route 67 is a secondary state highway in the U.S. state of Connecticut, from the town of New Milford in the Greater Danbury area to the town of Woodbridge in the outskirts of New Haven. The route runs for .-Route description:...
to New Milford
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
(via Bridgewater), then turning northeast along modern Route 202 before terminating at Route 8
Route 8 (Connecticut)
Route 8 is the portion of the multistate New England Route 8 within the state of Connecticut. It is a state highway running north–south from Bridgeport, through Waterbury, all the way to the Massachusetts state line where it continues as Route 8...
in Torrington
Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the northwestern Connecticut region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The city population was 36,383 according to the 2010 census....
. In the mid-1940s, a portion of Routes 25 and 133 swapped alignments. Route 25 now connected to U.S. Route 7 in Brookfield and overlapped it to New Milford, bypassing Bridgewater. In 1963, Route 25 was extended further eastward to Route 44 in Canton
Canton, Connecticut
Canton is a rural town, incorporated in 1806, in Hartford County, Connecticut. The population was 8,840 at the 2000 census, and has grown to 10,292 as of the 2010 census. It is bordered by Granby on the north, Simsbury on the east, Avon and Burlington on the south, New Hartford on the west, and...
after the relocation of Route 4
Route 4 (Connecticut)
Route 4 is an east–west primary state highway connecting rural Litchfield County to the Greater Hartford area of the U.S. state of Connecticut...
. In 1974, U.S. Route 202 was relocated and the portion of Route 25 from Brookfield to Canton was taken over by US 202. Route 25 was truncated to its present terminus in Brookfield at this time.
Expressway relocation
Before the last segment of the Route 25 Expressway opened in 1982, Route 25 originally followed Main Street through Bridgeport northward to the present-day expressway terminus. The old Route 25 through Bridgeport became an extension of Route 111Connecticut Route 111
Route 111 is a state highway in southwestern Connecticut, United States, running from the Merritt Parkway in Trumbull to Route 34 in Monroe. The junction with the Merritt Parkway is currently the only single-point urban interchange in the entire state....
when the expressway opened.
The Route 25 expressway was originally planned to continue north to meet 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 Newtown, where a semi-directional interchange and freeway stub for the planned expressway connection was built. The planned 9 miles (14.5 km) extension was canceled in 1991, along with many other highway projects due to a fiscal crisis arising when Connecticut was especially hit hard by the Late 1980s recession
Late 1980s recession
The recession of the early 1990s describes the period of economic downturn affecting much of the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Causes:...
. At that time Connecticut's economy was heavily reliant on the defense industry
Defense industry
The defense industry, also called the military industry, comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military materiel, equipment and facilities...
. The end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
combined with the recession resulted in a near-total collapse of Connecticut's industrial base, and a loss of billions of dollars in tax revenues generated by these industries.
During the late 1990s, an alternative plan to widen the existing Route 25 through Trumbull, Monroe, and Newtown was met with opposition, particularly in Newtown where there was strong opposition to any type of project that will change the existing profile of the Route 25 corridor, despite the high accident rate and congestion on the road. In the early 2000s the 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...
(ConnDOT) was forced to resort to a plan that will widen and improve intersections on Route 25 from the expressway terminus in Trumbull to the Monroe/Newtown town line, but opposition in Newtown has compelled ConnDOT to limit upgrades in that community to spot improvements at major intersections and routine maintenance. To ease traffic congestion in Newtown, ConnDOT opened the Mile Hill Road Bypass (SR 860), cutting through the former Fairfield Hills Hospital property and connecting to 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...
and Route 34
Route 34 (Connecticut)
Route 34 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Route 34 is long, and extends from Washington Street near I-84/US 6 in Newtown to the junction of I-95 and I-91 in New Haven. The highways connects the New Haven and Danbury areas via the Lower Naugatuck River Valley...
at the freeway stub originally intended for Route 25 (now part of SSR 490). Under the belief an expressway will never be built along Route 25 or Route 34, ConnDOT plans to remove this freeway stub and the high-speed interchange, replacing it with a diamond interchange
Diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
within the next 10 years. ConnDOT is also planning to build a rest area
Rest area
A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting on to secondary roads...
on land left over when the interchange conversion is complete.
Current upgrades
Between Route 111 in Trumbull and Route 59 in Stepney, the two-lane undivided arterial section of Route 25, carries dense traffic loads during the day. Most of the daily traffic backups are caused by vehicles waiting to make a left turn onto Tashua Road or Spring Hill Road in northern Trumbull. To alleviate traffic in this area, the following amends were initiated in 2007:- Add a right turn branch from CT-25 Southbound to CT-111 Southbound.
- Upgrade the intersections at Tashua and Spring Hill Roads (more details to follow).