Milford Parkway (Connecticut)

The Milford Parkway, officially the Daniel S. Wasson Connector,[2] is a 2.78-mile-long (4.47 km) parkway between U.S. Route 1 and the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways (Route 15) in Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut. The highway is officially designated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation as State Road 796 (SR 796) but is not signed as such. As a designated scenic road, commercial vehicles are prohibited from using the Milford Parkway.

Milford Parkway
Daniel S. Wasson Connector
Map of New Haven County in southern Connecticut with Milford Parkway highlighted in red
Route information
Length	2.70 mi[1] (4.35 km)
Existed	1942 (extended in 1993)–present
Restrictions	No commercial vehicles, trailers, towed vehicles, hearses, or buses
Major junctions
South end	I-95 / US 1 in Milford
North end	Route 15 / Merritt Parkway / Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford
Location
Counties	New Haven
Highway system
Routes in Connecticut Interstate U.S. State SSR SR

In 2012, the Milford Parkway had an average daily traffic count of 58,800 vehicles in the northbound direction.[1]

Route description

The Milford Parkway has one intermediate exit between US 1 and Route 15, at Interstate 95. There is also a partial interchange to Wheelers Farms Road by way of Wellington Road, which is also served by exit 55A on the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15).

On ConnDOT highway maps, the route is referred to as the "Daniel S. Wasson Milford Police Department Connector."[3]

History

At its completion on September 2, 1940, the Merritt Parkway ended at the present-day Sikorsky Bridge crossing over the Housatonic River, and the Wilbur Cross Parkway was planned to continue in the northeast direction towards Hartford. The Milford Parkway was then built as a connection between the two parkways and U.S. Route 1 (US 1). The Milford Parkway was opened to traffic on September 2, 1942.

The long loop ramp connecting to southbound Route 15, including the interchange with Wheelers Farms Road, was completed in 1993.

On June 23, 2003, the parkway was renamed to honor of Daniel S. Wasson, the first police officer to die in the line of duty in the city of Milford.[2] Wasson was killed on April 12, 1987, when he was shot by a motorist he had pulled over.[2]

Prior to 2012, the parkway was treated mostly as a ramp, signed as "To I-95 / US 1" on Route 15 and Wheelers Farms Road, as well as "To Route 15" on both I-95 and US 1. In summer 2012, exit numbers were applied to the parkway's four interchanges. Also included in the project were the first signs to designate the parkway by the Milford Parkway name, located on US 1. However, entrance signs at the other three interchanges still do not list the name of the road.

Exit list

The entire route is in Milford, New Haven County.

mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
0.00– 0.26	0.00– 0.42	1	US 1 – Milford	Signed as exits 1A (north) and 1B (south)
0.46– 0.67	0.74– 1.08	2	I-95 – Bridgeport, New Haven	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only; signed as exits 2A (north) and 2B (south); exit 38 on I-95 (Connecticut Turnpike)
1.62	2.61	3A	Route 15 north – Hartford	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 54 on Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway)
2.32	3.73	4	Wheelers Farms Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
2.70	4.35	3B	Route 15 south – New York City	exit 54 on Route 15 (Merritt Parkway)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

References

1. State of Connecticut Department of Transportation (2012). "2012 Traffic Volumes, State Maintained Highway Network" (PDF). Retrieved January 27, 2020.
2. "Milford Delegation Announce Ceremony For "Daniel S. Wasson Connector"". June 18, 2003. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
3. Connecticut Department of Transportation (December 31, 2018). "Milford, Connecticut" (PDF). Retrieved January 28, 2020.