Route 101 is one of the primary east-west routes toward Providence, and used to be one of the longest highways in Connecticut.
Updated June 28, 2020
 |
Route 101 is one of the primary east-west routes toward Providence, and used to be one of the longest highways in Connecticut.
In a way, Route 101 survived the Great Renumbering of 1932, where few others did.
In the 1920s, State Highway 101 had the following route in Connecticut:
At the time, present-day Route 101 between Route 169 and Route 12 was called SH 137; between Route 12 and Rhode Island, SH 139.
On Jan. 1, 1932, the "Great Renumbering" took place, and Route 101 was extended nearly all the way across Connecticut, totaling more than 90 miles. Its new route was:
At this time, present-day Route 101 was called state route 202.
In 1935, US 44 and US 202 were commissioned. US 44 took over all of existing Route 101 in the state. Nearby state route 202, its number displaced by US 202, became the new Route 101.
In 1968, a 65-mile route from Hartford to Providence was added to the interstate highway system: a realignment and extension of I-84. (The existing I-84 east of Manchester was for a while signed as I-86.) All that had to be done was study, plan, and build the route.
The idea was ultimately abandoned in 1983, but in the 1970s planning was well under way, including alternatives to serve traffic in case I-84 was not constructed. One alternative was to widen US 6, US 44, and Route 101 to four lanes, undivided. Doing this would have significant property impacts in the centers of Brooklyn and Danielson (US 6), and Dayville (Route 101).
To alleviate impacts in Dayville, a bypass on Route 101 was proposed. It would have been a 1.9-mile controlled-access road to the south, four lanes undivided, starting near Williamsville Road and ending near Dog Hill Road. The road would have overpassed the Penn Central Railroad and also crossed over where I-395 and Route 12 cross, southeast of Dayville, with no direct access.
If I-84 to Providence were not constructed, traffic projections called for widening Route 101 to four lanes and bypassing the town center of Dayville in Killingly.
In the end, I-84 was not built and Route 101 was not widened or bypassed; though Route 101 does have additional thru and turning lanes in the developed retail section near I-395 and Route 12.