Connecticut Route 4

For the Route 4 that existed in the 1920s, see Connecticut Route 41.

Route 4
Route information
Maintained by ConnDOT
Length:	46.72 mi[1] (75.19 km)
Existed:	1932 – present
Major junctions
West end:	Route 41 / Route 343 in Sharon
	Route 8 in Torrington
East end:	Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Asylum Ave. in Hartford (future)
Highway system
Routes in Connecticut Special Service Roads • State Roads ← Route 3 US 5 →

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. It runs 46.72 miles (75.19 km) from the town of Sharon to the town of West Hartford.

Route description

Route 4 begins at the junction of Route 41 and Route 343 in Sharon as a rural, minor arterial road, traveling through the towns of Cornwall, Goshen, and Torrington. From Torrington eastward, it becomes an urban principal arterial road for most of its remaining length. The road continues through Harwinton, Burlington, and Farmington. In Farmington, it runs along Farmington Avenue. Farmington Avenue (and Route 4) continues into West Hartford for another 0.9 miles (1.4 km) before becoming a local road. The rest of Farmington Avenue (no longer designated as Route 4) runs through West Hartford center up to downtown Hartford.^[1]

Special designations

A 1.4-mile (2.3 km) section in Harwinton around the Cooks Dam area, and a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) section in Sharon, are designated state scenic roads.^[1]

History

Most of modern Route 4 was first improved as portions of various turnpikes in the 19th century. The section of modern Route 4 between Sharon and Cornwall Bridge was the Sharon and Cornwall Turnpike; from Cornwall Hollow to Torrington, it was part of the Goshen and Sharon Turnpike (which used West Cornwall Road and Route 128 between Sharon and Cornwall Hollow); the portion between Harwinton to Burlington was the eastern half of the Litchfield and Harwinton Turnpike (the western half is Route 118); and the portion from Farmington to West Hartford was part of the Farmington and Bristol Turnpike (which used George Washington Turnpike and Red Oak Hill Road between Burlington center and Route 10).^[2]

The road between Cornwall Bridge through Torrington to Collinsville in Canton (part of the Goshen and Sharon Turnpike and the Torrington Turnpike) was designated as State Highway 123 in 1922. The road from Collinsville to Farmington center was designated as State Highway 138 at the same time. Route 4 was created in 1932 from these two state highways, running as a continuation of old New York State Route 361 from Amenia, New York to Farmington at Route 10. In the Torrington area, Route 4 originally ran further north than it does today, along the current alignment of U.S. Route 202 from Torrington to Collinsville, then southward along modern Route 179 to Unionville, where it continued east on its current alignment. Route 4 was relocated in 1963 to its present day route through the area, taking over part of Route 72 and part of Route 116 (now Route 118.^[3]

The west end was truncated in 1966 to end at Route 41 and the section connecting to the state line was renumbered to Route 361 to match the New York route. New York has since turned its Route 361 over to the county. In the Hartford area, Farmington Avenue east of Route 10, from Farmington to downtown Hartford, used to be part of the original U.S. Route 6 alignment. When US 6 was rerouted in 1956, Farmington Avenue was assigned to an extended Route 4. The route designation was later truncated to end in West Hartford where state maintenance of the road ended.^[3]

Junction list

Town	Mile	Destinations	Notes
Sharon	0.00	Route 41 / Route 343
	7.64	US 7	Begin overlap
Cornwall	7.89	US 7	End overlap
	11.30	Route 125
	12.31	Route 43 / Route 128
Goshen	17.60	Route 63
Torrington	22.19	Route 272
	24.08	Route 8
	24.18	US 202
	25.71	Route 183
Harwinton	28.12	Route 118
	30.25	Route 72 west – Terryville
Burlington	33.47	Route 69
	36.24	Route 179
Farmington	38.84	Route 177
	39.10	Route 167
	42.77	Route 10 – Avon, Plainville
	44.16	I-84 / US 6 east – Hartford, East Hartford I-84 / US 6 west – Bristol, Waterbury	via SR 508
W. Hartford	46.72	Route 173 – Avon, Newington
Hartford	47.65	Asylum Ave.

References

Connecticut portal

1. ^ ^{a b c} Connecticut State Highway Log (2009)
2. ^ F.J. Wood, The Turnpikes of New England, (Marshall Jones, 1919)
3. ^ ^{a b} Kurumi.com - Route 4 History

External links

• Gribblenation - CT Route 4 end photos

Coordinates: 41°48′30″N 73°07′00″W / 41.808301°N 73.116589°W / 41.808301; -73.116589