Connecticut Route 302

Route 302
Route information
Maintained by ConnDOT
Length:	7.96 mi[1] (12.81 km)
Existed:	1974 – present
Major junctions
West end:	Route 53 in Bethel
East end:	Route 25 in Newtown
Highway system
Routes in Connecticut Special Service Roads • State Roads ← I-291 Route 305 →

Route 302 is a state highway in western Connecticut running from Bethel to Newtown.

Route description

Route 302 begins at an intersection with Route 53 in Bethel center and heads generally east across the town to Newtown. In Newtown, it heads southeast and northeast to end at an intersection with Route 25 in the borough of Newtown.^[1]

Special Designations

The section of Route 302 in Newtown is designated the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard Memorial Highway.^[2]

History

In the 1920s, the road connecting Bethel center and Newtown borough was designated as State Highway 161 between Bethel and the Newtown Turnpike (modern Key Rock Road), and as part of State Highway 158 (the designation for the Newtown Turnpike) the rest of the way to Newtown borough. In the 1932 state highway renumbering, Route 34, a continuous New Haven to Danbury route, was established. The original Route 34 continued west beyond the current western end of modern Route 34 by overlapping with US 6 into Newtown borough, then using modern Route 302 to Bethel and modern Route 53 to downtown Danbury.

In 1935, a new U.S. Route, US 202, was established in Connecticut. The new US 202 went between Danbury and Newtown via Bethel along part of modern Route 53 and the entire length of modern Route 302. Route 34 was cut back to end in the village of Sandy Hook as it does today. On May 1, 1974, US 202 was relocated to a completely new alignment in northwestern Connecticut. The Bethel to Newtown segment of old US 202 was redesignated as Route 302. The Danbury to Bethel segment was assigned as a northward extension of Route 53.^[3]

Junction list

Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
Bethel	0.00	Route 53
	1.72	Route 58
Newtown	7.96	Route 25
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

Connecticut portal

1. ^ ^{a b c} Connecticut State Highway Log
2. ^ State Roads and Bridges with Names Commemorating Veterans Organizations or Groups
3. ^ Connecticut Routes, Route 302