NEWINGTON, Conn. – State Transportation Commissioner Joseph F. Marie has announced that a portion of Route 1, the Boston Post Road, in the Town of Madison has been designated as a scenic road.

“This designation means that any future alteration or improvement to Route 1 will preserve the roadway’s scenic qualities,” said Commissioner Marie. “Any development must be compatible with the immediate surroundings and cannot detract from the scenic, natural character and visual quality of the highway area.”

Public Act 87-280 authorizes the Commissioner of Transportation to designate state highways or portions thereof as scenic roads in consultation with the Commissioners of Environmental Protection and the Economic and Community Development.  The Scenic Road Advisory Committee, which includes representation from each of the three agencies, recommended that this section be designated as a scenic road.

The Madison section of the Boston Post Road approved for scenic road designation begins at its intersection with Neck Road No. 2 and runs northerly to the intersection with Lovers Lane, a distance of 2.3 miles.

The application to designate a portion of Route 1 as a scenic road was submitted to the Department of Transportation by the Town of Madison Land Use Office.

In order to qualify for scenic road designation, the state roadway under consideration must have a minimum length of one mile and have significant natural or cultural features along its borders such as agricultural land, a historic building or structure which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the State Register of Historic Places, or afford vistas of marshes, shoreline, forests with mature trees or notable geologic or other natural features which singly or in combination set the highway apart from other highways as being distinct.