Connecticut Route 74

Route 74
	290x172px Map of northeastern Connecticut with Route 74 highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained by ConnDOT
Length:	22.21 mi (35.74 km)
Existed:	1932 – present
Major junctions
West end:	Route 194 in South Windsor
	I-84 in Tolland
East end:	US 44 in Ashford
Location
Counties:	Hartford, Tolland, Windham
Highway system

File:Connecticut Route 74 westbound, Willington CT.jpg

Westbound in Willington

Route 74 is a state highway in Connecticut in the eastern part of the Greater Hartford area. It runs from Route 194 in South Windsor to US 44 in Ashford, going through the towns of Ellington, Vernon, Tolland, and Willington. East of its junction with I-84, it becomes a rural collector road.

Route description

Route 74 begins at an intersection with Route 194 in South Windsor and proceeds northeastward into the southwestern part of Ellington. In Ellington, it continues northeastward and then loops southeastward into Vernon. In Vernon, Route 74 becomes Windsorville Road and continues to a concurrency with Route 83 through the west end of the village of Rockville. When Route 83 turns to the north at West Street, Route 74 continues eastward towards Tolland. In Tolland, Route 74 continues east through town, with a brief concurrency with Route 30. Just prior to the Willington town line, it crosses I-84. In Willington, Route 74 continues eastward, with a brief concurrency with Route 320 in the center of town, and continues into Ashford. In Ashford, Route 74 continues southeastward to its terminus at an intersection with US 44.^[1]

History

The eastern half of modern Route 74 (east of Tolland center) was originally laid out as a turnpike in 1809 known as the Tolland County Turnpike. The turnpike ran from Ellington center, through Tolland and Willington, to the village of West Ashford, ending at the Boston Turnpike. The turnpike corporation collected tolls until 1834 when the corporation was dissolved. In 1922, the turnpike route between Tollland and West Ashford and the road between Rockville and Tolland was designated as State Highway 107. Route 74 was commissioned in the 1932 state highway renumbering from old Highway 107 and ran from Route 83 in Rockville to US 44 (then Route 101) in Ashford. In 1948, the section from I-84 in Tolland to US 44 was transferred to US 44, which had been relocated to the new Wilbur Cross Highway between Manchester and Tolland. This change was reversed in 1982 with the connection of Interstate 84 with I-384 and the southward rerouting of US 44 to its original surface route. In 1963, Route 74 was extended west to the intersection of Routes 30 and 194 and Buckland Road in South Windsor center. In 1993, for safety reasons, the western terminus was moved slightly north to its current location.^[2]

Junction list

County	Location	mi^[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Hartford	South Windsor	0.00	0.00	Route 194 – South Windsor, Windsor
Tolland	Ellington	4.23	6.81	Route 286 north – Ellington
	Vernon	5.01	8.06	Route 83 south – Talcottville	Begin overlap with CT 83
		5.82	9.37	Route 83 north – Ellington	End overlap with CT 83
		7.03	11.31	Route 31 south – Coventry
	Tolland	8.95	14.40	Route 30 south – Vernon	Begin overlap with CT 30
		9.09	14.63	Route 30 north – West Stafford	End overlap with CT 30
		11.21	18.04	Route 195 south – Mansfield
		14.69	23.64	I-84 – Vernon, Union	I-84 Exit 69
	Willington	15.32	24.66	Route 32 – Stafford Springs, Mansfield
		17.18	27.65	Route 320 north – Willington	Begin overlap with CT 320
		17.35	27.92	Route 320 south – Mansfield	End overlap with CT 320
Windham	Ashford	22.21	35.74	US 44 – Mansfield, Ashford
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi