Commissioned in 1932, Route 79 originally took the following path from Madison to Durham:

• Wall Street, from US 1 to Bradley Road
• Bradley Road, to a street now known as Old Route 79 (I don't know the earlier name)
• Old Route 79 to Durham Road
• Durham Road (today's Route 79) and Madison Road to Route 17 in Durham

Realigning Route 79, Madison

In 1951, the state announced a plan to relieve traffic in the area by building a freeway for US 1 in Guilford, Clinton, and Westbrook. This was eventually incorporated into later plans for I-95, which was not yet a concept in 1951. Part of that plan involved a new location for Route 79 in Madison, making a straighter connection from the old US 1 to the new US 1.

In 1958 a Durham Road bridge was built, and the former Route 79 across the railroad tracks is now called Old Route 79.

Proposed freeway to Hammonasset

In the late 1960s, the Tri-State Transportation commission included a Route 79 freeway in its interim highway proposals. The freeway would have paralleled Route 79 to the east leaving Durham, and connected with the Hammonasset Connector (SR 450) in Madison.

In 1969, the Mid-State Regional Planning Association proposed a similar freeway along Route 81. Neither proposal is active now.

Scenic Road status proposed in 2003

In February 2003, Madison officials announced their intent to have US 1 in town designated a state scenic road. They said they would follow this up with an application for part of Route 80; and also for Route 79.

As of mid-2021, Route 79 is officially still not scenic.