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Route 164 shares an interchange at I-395 with Route 138; to the dismay of many along the road, it's well known as a shortcut from I-395 to Foxwoods Casino.
As of Feb. 1, 1994, 2.76 miles of Route 164 is a state scenic road, from SR 605 (Old Shetucket Tpke.) in Preston to the Griswold town line.
In the 1920s, State Highway 164 followed today's Route 83 between South Manchester and East Glastonbury.
The modern Route 164 was commissioned in 1932, and originally was only the 3.11 miles between Route 2 and Route 165. A portion of future Route 164 in Griswold, from Brewster Road to Route 138, was unposted SR 662. The remainder from Route 165 to Brewster Road was not state-maintained.
In 1935, Route 164 was extended north to Route 138. There was still a gap in state maintenance, from Broad Brook to the Griswold town line; this was officially added in 1940.
In the 1960s, the region proposed a freeway along the Route 117 and Route 164 corridors, connecting I-395 to Route 2A in Ledyard and I-95 in Groton.
In 1979, the Southeastern Connecticut Regional Planning Agency recommended a smaller-scale connection, uniting Routes 164 and 117 to create another north-south route from Groton to Jewett City. This would relieve traffic on nearby Route 12.
The improvements would include reconstructing Route 117, realigning Church Hill Rd. and Fanning Rd., and building a 1-mile extension from there to meet Route 164 at Route 2.
On Feb. 1, 1994, a 2.76-mile section of Route 164, from from SR 605 (Old Shetucket Tpke.) in Preston to the Griswold town line, was designated a state scenic road. Some Griswold residents wanted the designation to continue to Brewster Road, but some elected officials, who wanted to zone some of the land as commercial, were not on board. Rudy J. Favretti wrote in a September 1997 op-ed:
This section of highway is the epitome of scenery in Eastern Connecticut... stone walls... red cedars, open fields, rolling hills, slightly curving road alignment, water in some cases and other cultural features as well.