Merritt Parkway is in southwest Connecticut and travels from the New York state line east to the Housatonic River. Merritt Parkway is also known as CT 15, which is a four-lane divided highway suitable for most types of vehicles. Connecticut regulations restrict the use of Merritt Parkway to “non-commercial motor vehicles that do not exceed 7,500 pounds, 24 feet in length, eight feet in height, and seven feet six inches in width.” The byway runs for 38 miles and is usually open all year.
Merritt Parkway is a unique driving experience in that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its bridges. The 38-mile parkway was built in the 1930s as Connecticut’s first divided-lane, limited access highway. The tree-lined corridor is a unique achievement in highway landscape, bridge design and engineering. Originally there were 72 bridges constructed, of which 69 remain, and no two were alike in design.
The Parkway is the culmination of a generation of experiments in combining the talents of engineers and landscape architects to create parkways that served recreational purposes, were scenic, and provided safe transportation. The planners of the parkway’s landscape, A. Earl Wood and Weld Thayer Chase, gave priority to fitting the road into the natural surroundings. Spring brings brilliant displays from the flowering trees and shrubs, while autumn brings its own display of magnificent colors.
The Barlett Arboretum is a facility operated by the University of Connecticut. Here you can enjoy a wide variety of plants indigenous to New England. Walking trails invite inspection of swamps, woodlands, and cultivated gardens. The Sherwood Island State Park offers wide sandy beaches on the Long Island Sound, waterside picnic areas, and fishing jetties.