Route 49 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 from
Route 2
The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads.
International
* AH2, As ...
in
Stonington to
Route 14A in
Sterling, in the southeast part of the state. It is a scenic route that runs through the
Pachaug State Forest
Pachaug State Forest is the largest forest in the Connecticut state forest system, encompassing over 27,000 acres (110 km²) of land. It is located on the Rhode Island border in New London County, and parcels of the forest lie in the towns o ...
.
Route description
Route 49 begins as North Street at an intersection with
Route 2
The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads.
International
* AH2, As ...
in the northeastern corner of the town of
Stonington. It proceeds north into the town of
North Stonington
North Stonington is a town in New London County, Connecticut which was split off from Stonington in 1724. The population was 5,149 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of whi ...
as Pendleton Hill Road, intersecting with
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
and
Route 184.
Route 49 continues north, soon intersecting
Route 216.
As it enters the town of
Voluntown
Voluntown is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Voluntown was part of Windham County, Connecticut, Windh ...
, Route 49 then becomes Westerly Road, while still on a northward track.
Route 49 briefly overlaps with
Route 165 and
Route 138 within the town center.
North of the overlap, Route 49 continues as Ekonk Hill Road, crossing the
Pachaug River
The Pachaug River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river arising from the Pachaug State Forest at the Connecticut - Rhode Island border and draining in ...
and running through the
Pachaug State Forest
Pachaug State Forest is the largest forest in the Connecticut state forest system, encompassing over 27,000 acres (110 km²) of land. It is located on the Rhode Island border in New London County, and parcels of the forest lie in the towns o ...
, before reaching its end at
Route 14A in the
Sterling Hill Historic District of the town of
Sterling.
Route 49 is designated as a scenic road from Route 184 (milepost 2.09) in North Stonington to milepost 12.95 (south of Route 165) in Voluntown and from the Voluntown boat launch (milepost 13.84) to the northern terminus in Sterling.
History
In the 1920s, the road from the northeast corner of
Stonington (at
New England Route 17
,
,
,
,
,
The New England road marking system was a regional system of marked numbered routes in the six-state region of New England in the United States. The routes were marked by a yellow rectangular sign with black numbers and border ...
) heading north through
North Stonington
North Stonington is a town in New London County, Connecticut which was split off from Stonington in 1724. The population was 5,149 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of whi ...
and
Voluntown
Voluntown is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Voluntown was part of Windham County, Connecticut, Windh ...
to the Sterling Hill section of
Sterling was designated as State Highway 216. In the
1932 state highway renumbering, State Highway 216 was renumbered to Route 95.
In 1950, Route 95 was extended east along modern
Route 14A up to the Rhode Island state line.
In 1958,
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
was formally designated in Connecticut, and Route 95 was in need of a new designation due to the numbering conflict. The new designation chosen was Route 49.
[ In 1963, as a result of the Route Reclassification Act, Route 14A was created and the north end of Route 49 was relocated to its current terminus.][
In early 2003, work on Route 49 and Route 14A Corridor Management Plan was started, funded by the ]FHWA
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
and ConnDOT. The concerns are speed along Route 49, stone walls, and the surrounding scenery. Since state budget constraints preclude adding more police, one idea was to repaint the fog line so that the lanes are wide. In October 2003, the state turned down a N. Stonington request to lower the speed limit from to 35 and .
Junction list
References
External links
{{Portal, Connecticut
049
Transportation in New London County, Connecticut
Transportation in Windham County, Connecticut