Merritt Parkway

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Merritt Parkway

Merritt Parkway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by CTDOT
Length37.67 mi[1] (60.62 km)
ExistedJune 29, 1938 (June 29, 1938)–present
Tourist
routes		A Map of the Merritt Parkway Merritt Parkway
RestrictionsNo trucks, buses, trailers, towed vehicles, or vehicles taller than 8 ft (2.4 m)[2][3]
Major junctions
South end Hutchinson River Parkway at the New York state line in Greenwich
Major intersections
North end Route 15 / Wilbur Cross Parkway / Milford Parkway in Milford
Location
CountryUnited States
StateConnecticut
CountiesFairfield, New Haven
Highway system
  • Connecticut State Highway System

The Merritt Parkway (also known locally as "The Merritt") is a limited-access parkway in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with a small section at the northern end in New Haven County. Designed for Connecticut's Gold Coast, the parkway is known for its scenic layout, its uniquely styled signage, and the architecturally elaborate overpasses along the route. As one of the first, oldest parkways in the United States, it is designated as a National Scenic Byway and is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[4][5] Signed as part of Route 15, it runs from the New York state line in Greenwich, where it serves as the continuation of the Hutchinson River Parkway, to Exit 54 in Milford, where the Wilbur Cross Parkway begins. Facing bitter opposition, the project took six years to build in three different sections, with the Connecticut Department of Transportation constantly requiring additional funding due to the area's high property value. The parkway was named for U.S. Congressman Schuyler Merritt. In 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation called the Merritt Parkway one of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places".[6]

Trucks, buses, trailers, towed vehicles, and all vehicles 8 feet (2.4 m) tall or taller are not allowed on any part of the parkway due to its low bridges, narrow lanes, and tight curve radii.

Route description

Main article: Connecticut Route 15
A bridge over the Merritt Parkway
Route 59 Easton Turnpike bridge over the Merritt Parkway at Exit 46 in Fairfield.

The Merritt is one of a handful of United States highways listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is acknowledged for the beauty of the forest through which it passes, as well as the architectural design of its overpasses; at the time of its construction, each bridge was decorated in a unique fashion so that no two bridges on the parkway looked alike.[7] Newer overpasses used at exit 39 (US 7), though, did not maintain this tradition, and as a result, exit 39 on the parkway is now spanned by several ordinary modern bridges constructed using undecorated concrete-on-steel I-beams.[8]

The parkway has two lanes in each direction. Due to its age, it was originally constructed without the merge lanes, long on-ramps, and long off-ramps that are found on modern limited-access highways. Some entrances have perilously short and/or sharp ramps; some entrances even have stop signs, with no merge lane whatsoever; this leads to some dangerous entrances onto the highway. Most have since been modernized, with the interchange of Route 111 in Trumbull featuring Connecticut's first single-point urban interchange (SPUI). The speed limit on the parkway ranges from 50 to 55 mph (80 to 90 km/h). The stretch of road between exit 42 in Westport and exit 44 in Fairfield is a very long stretch, roughly 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) long without a single exit, referred to by local traffic reports as the "No Exit Zone"[9] or "No Man's Land".[10] An exit 43 was planned in the middle of this stretch, but was never built because it would have connected to a northerly extension of the Sherwood Island Connector, which itself was never built to that point.[11]

Vehicles 8 feet (2.4 m) tall or taller in height, weighing 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) or more, towing a trailer, or having more than four wheels are not allowed on the parkway. Under extenuating circumstances, however, ConnDOT may issue permits for oversized vehicles to use the parkway.[2][3]

History

Trees in the center of the Merritt Parkway road
Tree canopy over the Merritt Parkway, and grassy median
A sign stating Route 15 south to New Haven to the left: It also states Route 15 north is straight ahead.
An entrance sign to the Merrit Parkway with the white-on-green and sawtooth border

The Merritt Parkway is one of the oldest scenic parkways in the United States.[12] The portion from Greenwich to Norwalk was opened on June 29, 1938. The section from Norwalk to Westport was completed in November 1938, but didn't open until the end of that year. The extension to Trumbull was completed on November 18, 1939, and on September 2, 1940, it was finished to the Housatonic River in Stratford. The parkway was named for U.S. Congressman Schuyler Merritt, who was instrumental in enacting legislation allowing the parkway to be built. The Merritt Parkway is the first leg of what later became modern Route 15. Built between 1934 and 1940, the Merritt Parkway runs for 37 miles (60 km) from the New York state line in Greenwich to the Housatonic River in Stratford. It was conceived as a way to alleviate congestion on the Boston Post Road (U.S. Route 1) in Fairfield County.[13]

After the parkway fully opened in 1940, travelers not uncommonly stopped to picnic along the side of the road.[14] The Merritt Parkway Advisory Commission (later the Merritt Parkway Advisory Committee) decided to ban horses and buggies, bicycles, pedestrians, billboards, and U-turns, while a system of horse trails along the parkway was developed, but later abandoned.[15]

To ease objections from county residents, who feared an influx of New Yorkers on their roads, in their towns, on their beaches, and through their forests, highway planners called on engineers, landscape architects, and architects to create a safe and aesthetically pleasing limited-access highway, one with exit and entrance ramps, but no intersections, that would not spoil the countryside.[16][17]

The bridges played a prominent role in the design. Architect George L. Dunkelberger designed them all. They reflected the popularity of the Art Deco style, with touches of neoclassical and modern design.[18][19][20] Some of these bridges were constructed by the Works Progress Administration.

A toll booth with several cars at it on the Merritt Parkway
Toll booth in 1955

Tolls were collected on the parkway at one toll plaza in Greenwich from June 21, 1939, until June 27, 1988. Two additional tolls were also located on the Wilbur Cross Parkway, in Milford and Wallingford. One of the parkway's former toll plazas is now preserved in Stratford's Boothe Memorial Park near Exit 53, complete with still-flashing lights over each toll lane.

In April 2001, a complete reissuance of the parkway's signs was carried out, instituting a uniform white-on-green color scheme, and a sawtooth border.[21][22][23]

Services

Six rest areas/service plazas, featuring parking lots, gas stations, and convenience stores, were also built along the Merritt Parkway so that drivers would not have to exit to refuel. Pairs of plazas are located opposite each other on either side of the parkway in Fairfield (near exit 46), New Canaan (near exit 37), and Greenwich (just beyond the CT-NY state line). The northbound-side plaza in Greenwich also houses a Connecticut welcome center. The plazas were originally constructed during the parkway's days as a tolled highway, but remained even after the tolls were removed in 1988, making the parkway one of only a few toll-free highways with service plazas along its length. Between 2011 and 2015, all six of the service plazas (along with the four located further north along the Wilbur Cross Parkway) were completely renovated. The renovations preserved the original brick-and-stone façade of the buildings, but completely redesigned and modernized the interiors. The plazas now include more modern gas pumps, Alltown convenience stores, and a Dunkin' Donuts shop at each location; three of the Merritt's six plazas also include a Subway shop. Prior to the renovations, no fast-food service had previously been available at the plazas. The renovation project was completed during the summer of 2015, when the New Canaan plazas were reopened.

In 2013, electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations for Tesla automobiles were added to both the northbound and southbound Greenwich service plazas, with four Superchargers installed in each direction. In addition, charging for CHAdeMO-equipped EVs was added to the northbound Greenwich service plaza. The parking/charging stalls are some of the first in the U.S. to be designated "shared use" - EVs may use the stall for up to 45 minutes to charge, or internal-combustion engine vehicles may park for up to 15 minutes.[24]

Safety

A sign stating "Welcome to Connecticut and the Merritt Parkway"
Welcome sign on the northbound side in Greenwich near exit 27 on the NY-CT state border.

One of the Merritt's aesthetic features is also a potential danger to its drivers. Trees that line either side of the parkway, and often in the center median, grow branches that cover the roadway, and occasionally fall during severe weather, or with natural aging. Stretches of the parkway also lack guardrails on the right shoulders, creating a risk of tree-impact accidents if cars veer off the pavement.

In 2007, after complaints were voiced about the danger of the trees along the parkway, state officials announced they would trim and eliminate some of them more aggressively. A large, seemingly healthy tree fell on a car near exit 42 in Westport in June 2007, killing a couple from Pelham, New York. On June 23, 2011, a driver was killed in Stamford when a tree fell onto his car.[25]

A state study of fatalities on Connecticut highways showed that from 1985 to 1992, about 10 people died every three years in tree-related accidents, although no other state roadway averaged more than one in three years.

The state Department of Transportation commonly sends out work crews twice a year to drive along both sides of the parkway at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) in search of decrepit trees. Trees that had been scheduled to be cut down in five to 10 years would be removed sooner. Some more trees also would be removed, as the shoulder of the parkway is being widened to 8 feet (2.4 m) to give drivers room to pull over.[26]

Following the 2007 and 2011 incidents, the state became more aggressive in closing the parkway in times of severe weather. The parkway was closed during Tropical Storm Irene[27] and the Halloween nor'easter in 2011, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. With each of those storms, many trees and limbs fell across the parkway. After Sandy, the state began a large effort to remove unhealthy trees, and in the process created much wider clearances between the roadside and forest.[25]

The Merritt Parkway Advisory Committee meets quarterly.[26][28]

Future

ConnDOT is currently reviewing plans and holding community meetings over a redesign of the Merritt's interchange with U.S. Route 7 (US 7) and Main Avenue in Norwalk, exits 39 and 40.[29] The US 7 freeway was extended north to Wilton from its previous terminus in the northern part of Norwalk in 1992, passing the Merritt along the way. Due to a lack of funds, a full interchange was not built between the Merritt and US 7, which led to the lack of the important southbound Merritt to southbound US 7 connection. Not long after, ConnDOT and the federal government drew up plans for a three-level interchange that provided all connections between Main Avenue, the Merritt, and US 7. Work was supposed to begin on the Main Avenue portion in 2005 and on the US 7 and Merritt portion in 2007, but local activists filed and won a lawsuit in 2006 against ConnDOT and the federal government, alleging that not only was the proposal too expensive, but also the plans were rushed and did not take into account the beauty and historical significance of the parkway. Similar lawsuits were brought on earlier during the construction of the interchanges at Route 8 and Route 25, but both failed. The lawsuit specifically mentioned the flyover ramps between the Merritt and US 7 as a significant issue. ConnDOT and the federal government were forced to redesign their plans, with hopes of construction starting in 2009. Plans soon fell apart, and ConnDOT was forced to temporarily drop the issue.[30] Community outreach started back up in 2017, and ConnDOT is actively drawing up plans as of May 2019 with hopes of starting construction sometime between 2021 and 2024.[31]

Exit list

Like most highways in Connecticut, exits are numbered sequentially, not mile-based, though the state is gradually transitioning to milepost-based exit numbers. Exit numbers on the Merritt Parkway continue from the original sequential exits of the Hutchinson River Parkway, which ended at 27;[5]:15 since 2021, the Hutchinson River Parkway has used a mileage-based system ending at 19A.[32] King Street (NY 120A), which travels along the state border, is served by exit 27 on the Merritt Parkway and exit 19A on the Hutchinson River Parkway. Prior to 2021, because additional interchanges had been added on the New York side, exit 19A on the Hutchinson River Parkway was numbered as exit 30.

CountyLocationmi[1]kmOld exitNew exitDestinationsNotes
FairfieldGreenwich0.000.00––
 Hutchinson River Parkway south – New York City		Continuation into New York
0.050.0802719B
 NY 120A north (King Street) – Armonk, NY		[33] Access to NY 120A south via Hutchinson River Parkway exit 19A
3.395.46283Round Hill RoadTo Greenwich Business District
4.166.69294Lake Avenue
30-Butternut Hollow RoadAt-grade intersection; intersection closed 1955[34]
5.719.19315North StreetTo Greenwich Business District
Stamford8.8914.31338Den RoadRight-in/right-out interchange
9.2214.84349 Route 104 (Long Ridge Road)To Downtown Stamford and University of Connecticut Stamford Campus
10.4016.743510 Route 137 (High Ridge Road)
New Canaan13.1521.163613 Route 106 (Old Stamford Road)
13.89–
14.10		22.35–
22.69		3714 Route 124 – New Canaan, Darien
Norwalk16.0125.773815 Route 123 (New Canaan Avenue)To Norwalk Community College
16.87–
17.31		27.15–
27.86		3916-17A US 7 – Norwalk, DanburyNorthbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 39A (16) (south) and 39B (17A) (north); redesign in proposal stage[29]
17.53–
17.63		28.21–
28.37		4017B-C
 Main Avenue to US 7 – Norwalk, Danbury		Signed as exits 40A (17B) (south) and 40B (17C) (north) (northbound); will be signed as exits 17B (north) and 17A (south) southbound; no northbound signage for US 7
Westport20.7333.364120 Route 33 – Westport, Wilton
21.5934.754221 Route 57 – Westport, Weston
Fairfield26.9543.374427 Route 58 – Fairfield, ReddingTo Fairfield Business District and Fairfield University
28.5846.004628 Route 59 – Fairfield, EastonTo West Campus of Sacred Heart University, formerly General Electric Headquarters[35]
Trumbull29.3147.174729Park AvenueTo University of Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University
30.3748.884830 Route 111 (Main Street) – Long Hill, MonroeSingle-point urban interchange
31.6450.9249S31


 Route 25 south to Route 8 south – Bridgeport		Southbound access to Route 25 south via exit 52 (34); exit 7A on Route 25 north
32.6952.6149
49N		32A
32
 Route 25 north – Danbury		Signed as exit 49 (32A) southbound, exit 49N (32) northbound; exits 8A & B on Route 25 south
32.9953.095032B Route 127 – TrumbullSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
33.5153.935133 Route 108 (Nichols Avenue) – Trumbull, StratfordNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
33.77–
34.57		54.35–
55.64		5234
 Route 8 to Route 108 – Bridgeport, Waterbury		Northbound access to Route 8 south via exit 49S (31); exits 9-10 on Route 8
Stratford36.5458.815336 Route 110 – Stratford, Shelton
Housatonic River37.5360.40Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridge
New HavenMilford37.6760.625437

 To I-95 / US 1 – Milford, New London		Access via Milford Parkway
––
 Route 15 north (Wilbur Cross Parkway) – Hartford		Continues north as the Wilbur Cross Parkway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

In popular culture

Images

  • Map (western segment)

    Map (western segment)

  • Map (eastern segment)

    Map (eastern segment)

  • Talmadge Hill Metro-North station over the Merritt in New Canaan

    Talmadge Hill Metro-North station over the Merritt in New Canaan

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Connecticut Department of Transportation (2012). "2012 Traffic Volumes, State Maintained Highway Network" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Connecticut Parkways: Vehicles Prohibited from Connecticut Route 15 (Merritt Parkway and Wilbur Cross Parkway) between the New York State Line & I-91 in Meriden, CT and State Route 796 (Milford Parkway)". Connecticut Department of Transportation. January 15, 2020. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "What is allowed to travel on the Merritt Parkway?". Connecticut Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on November 3, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
  4. ^ "Connecticut: Fairfield County Historic Places". National Register of Historic Places. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
  5. ^ a b Shannahan, John W. (April 17, 1991). "National Register of Historic Places in America". Retrieved 14 March 2020. National Park Service Certification I, hereby, certify that this property is: entered in the National Register [signed Beth L. Savage] 4-17-91[...]The Merritt Parkway, Connecticut's ALL-YEAR GATEWAY TO NEW ENGLAND, Welcome to our State. We want you to enjoy your stay here and to come again. [signed Raymond E. Baldwin ] Governor
  6. ^ "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places". National Trust for Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  7. ^ Lynn, Catherine; Wigren, Christopher (February 22, 1991). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Merritt Parkway" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved February 12, 2015. Photos
  8. ^ "Steel Structure" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "Traffic: A Guide to the Pure Chaos of the Merritt Parkway". DimeBrothers. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  10. ^ Radde, Bruce (1993). The Merritt Parkway. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. p. 84. ISBN 0-300-05379-7. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  11. ^ Fenster, Jordan (March 26, 2019). "Why is there no Exit 43 on the Merritt Parkway?". The News-Times. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  12. ^ "Connecticut Scenic Drives: Merritt Parkway". HowStuffWorks. April 12, 2007. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  13. ^ "CT's In A Jam, But More Road Capacity Isn't The Answer". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  14. ^ Trumbull Historical Society (February 19, 2004). Trumbull. ISBN 978-0-7385-3458-9.
  15. ^ Radde, Bruce (1993). The Merritt Parkway. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. p. 83. ISBN 0-300-05379-7.
  16. ^ "Merritt Parkway Preservation Landscape". Connecticut Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  17. ^ Fazzalaro, James J. (May 17, 2002). Merritt Parkway Traffic Accident Analysis. Connecticut General Assembly Office of Legislative Research. 2002-R-0501. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  18. ^ "Local Legacies — The Merritt Parkway". Library of Congress. 2000. Archived from the original on October 4, 2007.
  19. ^ Roth, Charles R. "The Merritt Parkway: The Queen of All Parkways". Trumbull, Connecticut: Trumbull Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
  20. ^ "A Scenic Roadway that Bridges Many Divides". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
  21. ^ "Historical Merritt Parkway Images". Connecticut Department of Transportation. 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  22. ^ "Merritt Parkway Signage to be Replaced". Connecticut Department of Transportation. April 13, 2017. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
  23. ^ Shay, Jim (April 12, 2017). "State plans to replace signs on Merritt Parkway". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  24. ^ "EV Charging Stations" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  25. ^ a b Cassidy, Martin B. (December 15, 2012). "State eliminates storm-weakened Merritt trees". Danbury News-Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  26. ^ a b Ginocchio, Mark (July 27, 2007). "Merritt trees to face the ax". The Advocate (Norwalk ed.). Stamford, Connecticut. pp. 1, A4.
  27. ^ "Irene knocks out power, downs trees on approach". WTNH-TV. August 28, 2011. Archived from the original on September 18, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  28. ^ "Merritt Parkway Preservation Landscape". CT.gov — Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  29. ^ a b "Route 7/15 Norwalk Project". Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  30. ^ "The US 7-CT 15 Interchange". Merritparkway.org. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  31. ^ Krasselt, Kaitlyn (January 11, 2017). "DOT Explains Route 7/15 Interchange Project". The Hour. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  32. ^ "Old numbers make their exit on Hutchinson River Parkway". Pelham Examiner. July 23, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  33. ^ "Hutchinson River Parkway Guide Signs, Bruckner Interchange to Connecticut Line, S.H. Various, Bronx, Westchester Counties, Contract D264231" (PDF). p. 39. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  34. ^ "Crossover to be Closed". The Daily Item. Port Chester, New York. November 16, 1955. p. 6. Retrieved May 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Grice, Jordan (September 14, 2018). "Sacred Heart Settling into Former GE Headquarters". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  36. ^ Willem de Kooning, Merritt Parkway, 1959 Archived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, AMICA (Art Museum Images from Cartography Associates) Library.
  37. ^ Content is a Glimpse: March 1960: Interview with David Sylvester, recorded March 1960 Archived May 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Willem de Kooning Foundation.
  38. ^ "The Road Taken...The Merritt Parkway". Westport Historical Society. October 6, 2008. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.

Further reading

Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation

All of the following are filed under Fairfield County, CT:

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Connecticut Route 15.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Merritt Parkway.
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