Connecticut Roads - I-291

I-291


I-291 was supposed to be a full beltway around Hartford. All that is open to traffic is the northern highway actually known as I-291, and the northern part of CT 9 in Newington. Remnants of the full plans include the northern half of the CT 9/I-84 stack interchange and a ghost wye on I-91 north of Gilbert Ave. in Rocky Hill. From its current western terminus, I-291 would have headed west and south, roughly paralleling CT 218 and avoiding the settled areas of Bloomfield. After passing West Hartford, it follows CT 9 to Central CT State University, where I-291 would have headed eastward past Churchill Park and 1860 Reservoir (don't blame me, I got those names from Google Maps). Most of this path is still clear enough to construct the beltway if need be, but residential opposition will probably never let it happen.

Onto the open part of I-291
Onto the stubs of the CT 9/I-84 stack


This state property is cleared land that would have been the EB-NB and SB-WB half of the I-291/I-91 wye in Rocky Hill. This and the next photo were taken from Gilbert Ave.


Looking north into the median of I-91, this is where the NB-WB I-291 exit would have risen and then turned westward. As you can tell, the wye doesn't look like much from the ground - the only part you can really see is the concrete-paved EB-SB ramp, which is there because it had to be cut into rock. From the air, the path of this interchange and most of the southern leg of I-291 are quite obvious.

I-291 on Steven Anderson's nycroads.com
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