22.57 miles; from Route 75 in Windsor Locks to Route 32 and Route 190 in Stafford. Route 140 crosses the Connecticut River at at Warehouse Point.

In the 1920s, State Highway 140 followed today's Route 80 between Routes 22 and 77.

The modern Route 140 was commissioned in 1932, and originally followed this route, going eastward, for a length of 10.65 miles:

• Today's Route 191, from US 5 through Scantic and Broad Brook to the 191/140 intersection.
• Today's Route 140, toward Ellington center
• Today's Route 286 to end at Route 83.

A short leg called Route 140A connected Ellington Center northeasterly to Route 83.

In 1932, here's what segments of present-day Route 140 were called at the time:

• From Route 75 to Route 159: the old Route 78
• From Route 159 to Main Street in East Windsor (including the bridge): part of Route 20.
• From US 5 to Broad Brook: part of Route 191.

Bridges

Route 140 crosses the Connecticut River on a two-lane box girder bridge, 1,134 feet long, built in 1992. This is at least the third bridge to be built at this point.

In 1921 a steel truss bridge was built, carrying a narrow two lanes across the river, about 1,110 feet long.

In 1886 an impressive-looking suspension bridge was built there, with a 550-foot main span and two 300-foot side spans. It was demolished in 1924, shortly after the steel truss bridge opened to the north. Tolls were charged on this bridge until 1908. (See more info and photo at BridgeMeister.com.)

New Bradley Connector prompts area renumbering

In July 1961, the new Bradley Airport connector opened as part of Route 20, which now ended at I-91. The state rearranged nearby highways to account for this, including Routes 140 and 191, which were moved to where they are now in Windsor Locks and East Windsor.

In 1963, Route 140 was extended into Stafford, and absorbed the Route 140A designation. See "Route 140A" for more details.

In the late 1990s, a segment in East Windsor and Ellington was reconstructed, with several sharp curves smoothed out. In 2002, another section in eastern Ellington near Crystal Lake was realigned.

Route 140 Freeway

In 1961, the state forecast a need for an expressway from Windsor to Bolton, serving as an outer ring road to the Hartford area. The number assigned to it was 140. (See map at Metro Hartford's Proposed Freeways for a notional alignment.)

The highway was never built; in 1963, Route 140 was extended to Stafford instead, making a reroute to Bolton even more drastic. In 1967, the Capitol Region Planning Agency proposed a similar expressway from Windsor Locks to Tolland, as part of an extended Route 20, but no such plan is active today.

Unsafe junction with Route 83 fixed

In 1977, the DOT considered the intersection of Route 83 and Route 140 in Ellington as one of the most dangerous in Connecticut, and announced it would seek federal funds to fix its problems. An incline on Route 140 eastbound at Route 83, and a sharp right turn for southbound traffic, created such a hazard that the town ambulance would routinely go west on Route 140 and use Route 286 instead to reach Route 83.

This was eventually fixed,; Route 140 now meets Route 83 at a gentler four-way intersection across Cider Mill Road.

• "Begin demolition of old bridge." Hartford Courant, Apr. 6, 1924.
• Connecticut State Highway Department. Routes and Road Numbers on the State Highway System, Showing Control Numbers and Sections. Dated Jan. 1, 1942.
• "State To Change Numbered Routes." Hartford Courant, June 14, 1961.
• Connecticut State Highway Department. "A Report to the Highway Users of Connecticut: 1960-1961."
• "155 Miles of Superhighways Projected." Hartford Times, June 1, 1967.
• "U.S. Aid Sought To Fix Rts. 83, 140." Hartford Courant, Mar. 13, 1977.

• Metro Hartford's Proposed Freeways (map)
• 1886 Suspension Bridge, Windsor Locks to Warehouse Point (BridgeMeister.com)

No longer assigned. From the 1930s to 1963, Route 140A was the number for what is now Route 140 between Route 286 and Route 83 in Ellington.

No longer assigned. Commissioned in 1933 or 1934, Route 141 was a 1.69-mile highway along Notch Hill Road, connecting Route 80 and US 1 in Branford. In 1951, this became part of the new Route 22, which was created to guide motorists along a bypass of New Haven, from the Wilbur Cross Parkway to Route 80 and US 1.

• Connecticut State Highway Department. Routes and Road Numbers on the State Highway System, Showing Control Numbers and Sections. Dated Jan. 1, 1942.
• "Route marks planned on links to parkways." Bridgeport Sunday Post, April 22, 1951.
• "Around Town With The Courant's Automobile Editor." Hartford Times, April 29, 1951.

4.27 miles; from US 1 in East Haven to US 1 in Branford.

Commissioned in 1932, Route 142 originally followed the same alignment as now. In 1963, it was extended westward along today's Route 337 to end at Forbes Ave. in New Haven (US 1 near I-95 exit 50). Route 100 was extended southward along Hemingway Ave. and Short Beach Rd. to end at Route 142.

In 1970 or 1971, the state reversed its change to Route 142, and the abandoned section became unsigned SR 704. (In 1987, SR 704 became Route 337.)

In the 1940s, Route 142 (now Short Beach Road) was called Main Street in the village of Short Beach. Like many urban-area streets, it once carried a trolley; but the tracks were removed when Main Street was reconstructed in 1946.

• The Shore Line Trolley Museum. "The End of the First Age of the Branford Elec. Ry." http://www.bera.org/articles/bery100p4.html. (17 Aug. 2002)

• Route 142 Ends (Photos; Doug Kerr at state-ends.com)

No longer assigned. Commissioned in 1932, the old Route 143 ran south and east from the old US 1A in Branford along Montowese Ave, Lakewood Ave, and Elizabeth St to end at 2nd Ave. in Pine Orchard, for a length of 2.73 miles. Both that section of US 1A and all of Route 143 became part of Route 146 in 1963.

The picture was scanned from a circa-1950 postcard depicting the center green in Branford. The shield on the right (difficult to read) is US 1A.

• Connecticut State Highway Department. Routes and Road Numbers on the State Highway System, Showing Control Numbers and Sections. Dated Jan. 1, 1942.

No longer assigned. These routes in the 140's have taken a beating.

Route 144 was commissioned in 1932, and took this route from west to east:

• Bushy Hill Road, from Route 145 in Deep River to Main Street in Essex
• Main Street (overlapping the old Route 9) and West Avenue into downtown Essex
• North Main Street and River Road toward the Deep River town line.

In 1933 or 1934, Route 144 was cut back to end at today's Route 154 in Centerbrook. In 1941, Route 80 was relocated south along Main St. through Ivoryton, and Route 144's east end was truncated to that point. In 1963 Route 144 was decommissioned altogether.