Route 63 is a secondary state highway in the U.S. state of Connecticut, from
New Haven up to
Canaan, running for . It connects the
Greater New Haven Greater New Haven is the metropolitan area whose extent includes those towns in the U.S. state of Connecticut that share an economic, social, political, and historical focus on the city of New Haven. It occupies the south-central portion of the stat ...
area to
Northwestern Connecticut
The Northwest Hills (also known as the Litchfield Hills or Northwest Highlands) are a geographic region of the U.S. state of Connecticut located in the northwestern corner of the state. It is roughly coterminous with the boundaries of Litchfield ...
via the western suburbs of
Waterbury.
Route description
Route 63 follows a mostly northwest-southeast path its entire route, and is mostly a 2 lane road with some 4 lane sections. It begins at the corner of Whalley Avenue and Fitch Street in
New Haven where
Route 10 turns onto Fitch Street. Heading northwest on Whalley Avenue, it almost immediately passes the eastern end of
Route 243 and the northern end of
Route 122. About 0.6 miles later, it leaves Whalley Avenue for Amity Road at the southern end of
Route 69. It then passes under the
Wilbur Cross Parkway (
Route 15), offering southbound access only. After crossing into
Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland''
*Woodbridge, Tasmania
Canada
*Woodbridge, Ontario
England
*Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of
** Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...
, the road becomes less suburban in nature. In Woodbridge, it intersects the eastern end of
Route 114, and the southern/eastern end of
Route 67. It then crosses into
Bethany, where it has a brief (0.1 mile) concurrency with
Route 42. It then enters
Naugatuck, where the road takes on a more suburban character. It then meets the
Route 8 expressway at Exit 26 before crossing the
Naugatuck River into the downtown area. It then passes by the western end of
Route 68 before becoming more rural again. After clipping the southwest corner of
Waterbury, it enters
Middlebury. After meeting the northern end of
Route 188, it intersects
I-84
Interstate 84 may refer to:
* Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)
Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...
at Exit 17, with access to/from the west. Access to/from I-84 east is provided by
Route 64 at the next intersection. Route 63 then enters
Litchfield County
Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...
and the town of
Watertown. Here it is a major retail strip in the southern part of town. It meets the northern end of
Route 73 before crossing
US 6 in the center of town. It then becomes a minor arterial road north of town, and passes by the eastern end of
Route 132 before entering
Morris. In Morris, it has junctions with
Route 109 and the northern end of
Route 61. It then enters
Litchfield, where it meets
US 202
U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Mass ...
at the Litchfield Green. Leaving Litchfield, Route 63 becomes a minor rural road as it passes into
Goshen. It meets
Route 4
Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries:
International
* AH4, Asian Highway 4
* European route E04
* European route E004
* Cairo – Cape Town Highway
Albania
* SH-4 road in Albania from Durres to Kakav ...
at a traffic circle in the center of town. North of there, it passes into Cornwall, where it meets the north end of
Route 43, then into the town of
Canaan. It has one junction with the southern end of
Route 126, which leads to
Falls Village. Route 63 ends approximately 1.5 miles later at
US 7.
A section of the road in
Litchfield is a designated state scenic road.
History
Route 63 was designated in 1932
and originally connected
Morris to
Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland''
*Woodbridge, Tasmania
Canada
*Woodbridge, Ontario
England
*Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of
** Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...
using the alignment of the Straits Turnpike, an early 19th-century toll road connecting New Haven to Litchfield. Route 63 is still locally called the Straits Turnpike in
Middlebury and
Watertown. In the mid-1940s,
Route 61 between Morris and
Cornwall was reassigned to an extended Route 63. Another extension happened on September 11, 1951 when Route 63 took over part of
Route 43 from Cornwall to
Canaan where it ends today.
[ ] In 1954, Route 63 was extended south to US 1 via an overlap with Route 10.
[ ]
Junction list
References
External links
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063
Transportation in New Haven County, Connecticut
Transportation in Litchfield County, Connecticut