The Hammonasset Connector is a short freeway from the Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike

Connecticut Turnpike

The Connecticut Turnpike, known now as the Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike, is a freeway in Connecticut that runs from Greenwich to Killingly. It is signed as Interstate 95 from the New York state line at Greenwich to East Lyme, and then as Interstate 395 from East Lyme to Plainfield...

 (I-95

Interstate 95 in Connecticut

Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, runs in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles in Connecticut from the Rhode Island state line to the New York State line. I-95 Southbound from East Lyme to the New York State...

) to US 1

U.S. Route 1 in Connecticut

In the U.S. state of Connecticut, U.S. Route 1 is a major east–west state highway along Long Island Sound. It has been replaced by Interstate 95 as a through route, which it closely parallels, and now primarily serves as a local business route...

. The Hammonasset Connector begins as a continuation of Duck Hole Road at Interchange 62 of I-95 in the town of Madison

Madison, Connecticut

Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 18,812 at the 2000 census....

. The connector is designated as part of Special Service Road 450 (SSR 450), a designation which continues along Duck Hole Road and Horse Pond Road to Route 79

Route 79 (Connecticut)

Route 79 is a state highway in southern Connecticut from Madison to Durham.-Route description:Route 79 begins at US 1 in Madison center and heads north across I-95 . It continues north, intersecting with Horse Pond Road , which leads to the town offices...

. The road gets its name from Hammonasset State Park, the park at the southern terminus of the freeway.

Route description

The connector starts as a continuation of Duck Hole Road at an interchange with I-95 in Madison. The road crosses over I-95 about 190 yards (173.7 m) from when it begins. The connector parallels the Hammonasset River

Hammonasset River

The Hammonasset River is formed about southeast of Durham, Connecticut along a gully on the north end of Bunker Hill at about a half mile northeast of the junction of Route 148 and Bunker Hill Road. The river travels for to Clinton Harbor on Long Island Sound just east of Hammonasset Beach State...

 for its entire length. The connector terminates at an intersection with U.S. Route 1 in Madison, and the road continues into Hammonasset State Park beyond US 1 as a local road.

History

The Hammonasset Connector was built in 1957, serving as a freeway from Interstate 95 to the park in Madison. The Connecticut Department of Transportation

Connecticut Department of Transportation

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The current Commissioner of ConnDOT is Jeffrey Parker...

had once planned to turn the southern terminus of the connector into an interchange, where ramps would be given for US 1 and the connector's internal designation, 450, would continue in the park. In fact, the designation did stretch into the park until 1984, when it was truncated to U.S. Route 1. There had also been a plan to build a Route 79 expressway over the connector, but this did not occur.

Major intersections

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