Connecticut Roads - CT 66


With windswept good looks like that, who cares if it's an MA 66 shield?



Eastbound signs on the CT 66 freeway, which continues I-691 east of I-91. Originally all of I-691 was part of the CT 66 freeway; pre-691, CT 66 used surface roads such as current CT 322 and was numbered US 6A.


Westbound freeway signs. As you can see, CT 66 is already signed as I-691, which is just a tad premature. As you can also see, sometimes it's harder to make a good-looking reflective sign than to stick on button copy letters.


Construction west of Middletown is intended to widen CT 66 to four lanes from I-691 into town. Had the CT 66 freeway extended through Middletown and on across the river, this construction wouldn't be needed, and you wouldn't have MA shield errors like this and the one atop the page.


EB at Main Street in Middletown, former CT 9/17 and where CT 66 turns left toward the Arrigoni Bridge. The label at the bottom of this sign dates it - the State Traffic Commission still exists, but modern signs aren't labelled, and the letters have an older font.


Across from the previous EB sign is this WB assembly.


Stealing two photos from the CT 17 page, these are from the 17/66 duplex across the Arrigoni Bridge over the Connecticut River.


Eastbound into Hebron, where old CT 66 shields have been replaced with these monstrosities.


Old and new signs mix WB along the same stretch, and thankfully the new ones are normal. The Gay City State Park brown sign and the small-font 85 shield are the oldest.


CT 66 comes to US 6 here west of Willimantic. Straight ahead is the Willimantic Bypass, which was to have been part of I-84 to Providence. While CT 66 from Willimantic west was part of US 6A, a southern through route that bypassed Hartford, CT 66 through Willimantic was originally part of US 6 proper. At this intersection, US 6 is the west and north legs, and CT 66 is the south and east legs, in other words a double bump.


WB through the historic part of Willimantic, past the St. Mary Catholic and First Baptist Churches to the former county and town courthouse, constructed in 1896.


WB at the South St. Bridge across the Willimantic River. Ignore those frogs with the scarves.


Fine, stare at the frogs for awhile. Are these things permanent? They look awfully like metal, difficult-to-remove sculptures. What about the scarves?


WB entering Willimantic from the beginning of the route. This bridge certainly dates to the US 6 days.

Continue west on I-691
Exit 10 to CT 15
Exit 10 or 11 to I-91
Onto CT 3
Onto CT 17
Onto CT 2
Onto CT 85
Onto CT 14
Onto CT 195
Onto US 6
I-691 and the CT 66 freeway on Steve Anderson's nycroads.com
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