Route 42 is an east–west
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 ...
running for from
Route 67 in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
to
Route 10 in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
.
Route description
Route 42 begins at an intersection with
Route 67 just east of the town center of
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
as Chestnut Tree Hill Road Extension . The route makes several 90-degree turns as it shifts to Chestnut Tree Hill Road and then to Pines Bridge Road. The road soon enters the town of
Beacon Falls
Beacon Falls is a town in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It lies in the southwestern part of the state, and is bisected by the Naugatuck River. The population was 6,000 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, dow ...
, crossing over the
Naugatuck River
The Naugatuck River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Its waters carve out the Naugatuck River Valley in the wes ...
a mile beyond the town line. Route 42 continues along the east bank of the Naugatuck River via a short (0.25-mi) section of Old Turnpike Road to a partial interchange with
Route 8, where only access to southbound and from northbound Route 8 is possible. Past Route 8, the road becomes known as South Main Street , a divided four-lane road. beyond the Route 8 junction, Route 42 turns east onto Bethany Road while South Main Street continues north into Beacon Falls center.
Route 42 again makes several 90-degree turns as it proceeds eastward, shifting from Bethany Road to Munson Road then to Lasky Road. After , Route 42 enters the town of
Bethany
Bethany ( grc-gre, Βηθανία,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā'') or what is locally known as Al-Eizariya or al-Azariya ( ar, العيزرية, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the West B ...
and the road name changes to Beacon Road . About two miles (3 km) later, the road ends at Old Litchfield Turnpike near the junction with
Route 63. Vehicles bound for southbound Route 63 are directed onto the south branch (unsigned State Road 703) while those bound for Route 63 northbound and those following Route 42 are directed on the north branch (Route 42 proper). After overlapping Route 63 for a tenth of a mile, Route 42 continues east on Cheshire Road, intersecting with
Route 69 about a mile later. The road then clips the town of
Prospect for about 0.4 miles (as Mountain Road) before entering the town of
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
. In Cheshire, the road name becomes Bethany Mountain Road as it traverses the ridge separating Prospect/Bethany and Cheshire (part of the
Metacomet Ridge
The Metacomet Ridge, Metacomet Ridge Mountains, or Metacomet Range of southern New England is a narrow and steep fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and rare or endangered plants. ...
). At the end of Bethany Mountain Road, Route 42 turns north onto North Brooksvale Road. The road runs for another and ends at
Route 10 (South Main Street) south of Cheshire center.
History
Route 42 was established in 1963 as a result of the Route Reclassification Act from unsigned state roads that were taken over by the state the previous year. When first designated, Route 42 extended from Route 8 in the town center of Beacon Falls to Route 10 in the Brooksvale section of Cheshire. In Beacon Falls, the original route used Burton Road instead of the modern alignment on Bethany Road and Munson Road. In 1967, Route 42 was extended west of Route 8 from Pines Bridge to Route 67 in the town center of Oxford. In 1968, Route 42 was relocated southward to bypass Beacon Falls center to its modern alignment along Bethany Road.
Connecticut Routes, Route 42
/ref>
Junction list
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
042
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
Transportation in New Haven County, Connecticut