Route 156 is a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

state highway running from

East Haddam East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

Route description

Route 156 begins at an intersection with Route 82 in southeastern East Haddam and heads southeast into Lyme. It continues south through Lyme into

Old Lyme Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The main street of the town, Lyme Street, is a historic district with several homes once owned by sea captains. Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is located in Old Lyme and the ...

. In Old Lyme, it continues south, intersecting

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

and

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

. It then continues south and southeast along the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

, turning east at

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

and proceeding along the shore before turning northeast through the South Lyme section of Old Lyme and crossing into

East Lyme East Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,693 at the 2020 census. The villages of Niantic and Flanders are located in the town. Geography East Lyme is located in southern New London County, west ...

. It continues east through southern East Lyme past Niantic Bay before crossing the

Niantic River The Niantic River is a mainly tidal river in eastern Connecticut. It is crossed by the Niantic River Bridge carrying Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. It separates the towns of East Lyme and Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , ma ...

into Waterford. In Waterford, it continues east and northeast to end at an intersection with US 1. Although much of the route follows a north-south trajectory, the entire road is signed east-west. The section of Route 156 in East Haddam and Lyme is designated as a scenic road.

History

In 1922, a loop route of the

Boston Post Road The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts that evolved into one of the first major highways in the United States. The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road (now U.S. Ro ...

(

New England Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...

) serving the coastal settlements of the towns of Old Lyme, East Lyme, and Waterford was designated as State Highway 333. At the same time, the road serving the village of Hamburg in the town of Lyme on the east side of the Connecticut River was designated as State Highway 150. In the 1932 state highway renumbering, old Highway 333 was renumbered as Route 156, running from US 1 in Old Lyme to the eastern terminus at US 1 in Waterford. Old Highway 150 from East Haddam to Old Lyme was renumbered to Route 86. In 1948, former Route 86 was absorbed by Route 156 resulting in its modern configuration. In 1961, the section running from the

Lieutenant River The Lieutenant River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tidal river located in Old Lyme, Connecticut. It joins the Connecticut River in the estuary, jus ...

to the intersection of Shore Road and McCurdy Road in Old Lyme was reassigned from Ferry Road and McCurdy Road to the current route along Shore Road. Improvements in the Niantic section of East Lyme have been considered several times since 1963, but the only change has been the replacement of the bridge over the Niantic River.Connecticut Routes, Route 156
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Junction list

References

External links

{{commonscat-inline 156 Transportation in Middlesex County, Connecticut Transportation in New London County, Connecticut