Interstate 91 Connecticut Descriptions

Interstate 91 runs for exactly 58 miles through Connecticut and is the major north-south transportation corridor for the center of the state. It serves as the Interstate link between the larger cities of New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield, MA. As such, it is almost always heavily trafficked (especially during rush hour), and maintains at least three lanes in each direction throughout its distance in Connecticut. The three larger cities also serve as Connecticut's control points along its length of the Interstate. Overhead signs in each direction consistently feature one or two of the cities, although very few (if any) conventional highway mileage signs are placed along the Interstate in Connecticut that indicate the remaining distance between the cities.

The highway begins just east of downtown New Haven at a complicated intersection with Interstate 95 and Connecticut Route 34. At the bottom of the ramp for Exit 5, U.S. Route 5 has its southern terminus and the first of its many interchanges with the freeway. Leaving New Haven, I-91 follows a northeastward trek through New Haven's suburbs of North Haven and Wallingford before entering the city of Meriden. In Meriden, about halfway between Hartford and New Haven, I-91 sees an interchange with its first spur route, Interstate 691. I-691 provides a westward link to Interstate 84 and the city of Waterbury. Leaving Meriden, I-91 travels briefly through Middletown before passing through Cromwell, Rocky Hill, and Wethersfield, eventually entering the Hartford city limits. Just south of Hartford, the highway begins to directly parallel the Connecticut River, and will do so until reaching St. Johnsbury, VT, almost 200 miles north. In Hartford, I-91 interchanges with east-west I-84 before leaving the city limits. I-91 will maintain an urban character throughout its distance to Springfield. Halfway between the two cities, Exit 40 provides direct access (via Connecticut Route 20) to the busy Bradley International Airport. The airport is the second-largest in New England and serves both the Hartford and Springfield metropolitan areas. I-91 will run through Windsor, Windsor Locks, East Windsor, and Enfield (with several exits in each town) before crossing into Massachusetts at milepost 58.

I-91's final exit in Connecticut is Exit 49, which offers northbound travelers access to Longmeadow, MA. This is the highest-numbered exit along I-91's route in the three states. Just after Exit 49, I-91 enters Massachusetts.