Route 302 is a state highway in western
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 ...
running from
Bethel
Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...
to
Newtown.
Route description
Route 302 begins at an intersection with
Route 53 in Bethel center and heads generally east across the town to Newtown, intersecting the northern end of
Route 58
The following highways are numbered 58:
International
* European route E58
Australia
* Riverina Highway
Canada
* Alberta Highway 58
* Highway 58 (Ontario)
* Saskatchewan Highway 58
Finland
* Finnish national road 58
India
* National Highway ...
during its path. In Newtown, it heads southeast and northeast to end at an intersection with
Route 25 in the borough of Newtown.
[
The section of Route 302 in Newtown is designated the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard Memorial Highway.
]
History
In the 1920s, the road connecting Bethel
Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...
center and Newtown borough was designated as State Highway 161 between Bethel and the Newtown Turnpike (modern Key Rock Road), and as part of State Highway 158 (the designation for the Newtown Turnpike) the rest of the way to Newtown borough. In the 1932 state highway renumbering, Route 34
The following highways are numbered 34: for a list of roads numbered N34 : see list of N34 roads.
International
* AH34, Asian Highway 34
* European route E34
Australia
* Cox Peninsula Road (Northern Territory)
* (Sydney)
* Maroondah Highway (Vi ...
, a continuous New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
to Danbury
Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut.
Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...
route, was established. The original Route 34 continued west beyond the current western end of modern Route 34 by overlapping with US 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to ...
into Newtown borough, then using modern Route 302 to Bethel and modern Route 53 to downtown Danbury.
In 1935, a new U.S. Route, 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 ...
, was established in Connecticut. The new US 202 went between Danbury and Newtown via Bethel along part of modern Route 53 and the entire length of modern Route 302. Route 34 was cut back to end in the village of Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.
The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...
as it does today. On May 1, 1974, US 202 was relocated to a completely new alignment in 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 ...
. The Bethel to Newtown segment of old US 202 was redesignated as Route 302. The Danbury to Bethel segment was assigned as a northward extension of Route 53.Connecticut Routes, Route 302
/ref>
Major intersections
References
{{Portal, Connecticut
302
__NOTOC__
Year 302 (CCCII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius or, less frequently, year 1055 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination ...
Transportation in Fairfield County, Connecticut
U.S. Route 202