Route 81 is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
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 ...
from
Clinton center through
Killingworth
Killingworth, formerly Killingworth Township, is a town in North Tyneside, England.
Killingworth was built as a planned town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the Township. Other nearby towns and ...
center to the village of
Higganum
Higganum is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Haddam, a part of Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,089 at the 2020 census.
History
The name "Higganum" is derived from an Indian name mean ...
in the town of
Haddam.
Route description
Route 81 begins at an intersection with
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 ...
in the town center of Clinton and heads north as Hull Street then quickly shifts to High Street. It intersects with
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 ...
(exit 63) about north of US 1 and passes in front of the Clinton Crossing outlet mall before heading into the town of
Killingworth
Killingworth, formerly Killingworth Township, is a town in North Tyneside, England.
Killingworth was built as a planned town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the Township. Other nearby towns and ...
. North of I-95 in Clinton, the road is known as Killingworth Turnpike. In Killingworth, Route 81 becomes Clinton Road and has a junction with
Route 80 south of the town center at a
rotary. North of Route 80, the road becomes known as Higganum Road, intersecting with
Route 148 north of the town center before crossing into the town of
Haddam. In Haddam, Route 81 is known as Killingworth Road and has an interchange with
Route 9 at exit 9 before ending at an intersection with
Route 154 in the village of
Higganum
Higganum is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Haddam, a part of Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,089 at the 2020 census.
History
The name "Higganum" is derived from an Indian name mean ...
.
[
]
History
In the 19th century, the road connecting the villages of Clinton, Killingworth, and Higganum was a private turnpike
Turnpike often refers to:
* A type of gate, another word for a turnstile
* In the United States, a toll road
Turnpike may also refer to:
Roads United Kingdom
* A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...
known as the Killingworth and Haddam Turnpike. The turnpike was chartered in 1813 and collected tolls until 1850. In 1922, the length of the old turnpike was designated as a state road with designation State Highway 106. As part of the 1932 state highway renumbering, modern Route 81 was created from old Highway 106.
/ref>
Junction list
References
External links
{{Portal, Connecticut
081
Transportation in Middlesex County, Connecticut