South end: US 1 in Milford, CT Length 4.47 km | Counties: New Haven County New Haven County | |
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Existed: 1942 (extended in 1993) – present North end: Route 15 (Merrit Parkway / Wilbur Cross Parkway) in Milford, CT | ||
The Milford Parkway, officially the Daniel S. Wasson Connector, is a 2.78-mile-long (4.47 km) parkway between U.S. Route 1 and the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15) in the city of Milford, Connecticut. The highway has one intermediate exit to Interstate 95. The highway is officially designated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation as State Road 796 (SR 796) but is not signed as such. Signs on the Milford Connector read "TO I-95/US-1" heading southbound and "TO CT-15" heading northbound. Because it is designated as a scenic road, commercial vehicles are prohibited from using the road.
Contents
Map of Milford Pkwy, Milford, CT 06461, USA
History
At its completion on Sept. 2, 1940, the Merritt Parkway ended at the present-day Sikorsky Bridge crossing over the Housatonic River, and the Wilbur Cross Parkway was planned to continue northeasterly. A connection to US 1 was needed, and the Milford Parkway was constructed. It opened on Sept. 2, 1942. The long loop ramp to CT-15 southbound including the interchange with Wheelers Farms Road was completed in 1993.
The Milford Parkway was renamed on June 23, 2003 to honor Daniel S. Wasson, the first police officer to die in the line of duty in the city of Milford. He was killed on April 12, 1987 when he was shot by a motorist he had pulled over.
Prior to 2012, the parkway was treated mostly as a ramp in signage. However, in the summer of 2012, exit numbers were applied to the parkway's four interchanges. Also included in the project were the first signs to designate the parkway by the Milford Parkway name, located on US 1. However, entrance signs at the other three interchanges still do not list the name of the road.
Exit list
The entire route is in Milford, New Haven County.
For the last 1.1 miles (1.8 km), the Route 796 designation follows the long exit ramp for southbound Route 15. The road ends at the southbound merge with Route 15.