CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: July 7, 2016

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 FAX: (860) 594-3065 WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

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Following a detailed review process by the Scenic Roads Advisory Committee, the Connecticut Department of Transportation is announcing that a nearly 2-mile portion of Route 136 in Westport has been officially designated as a “Scenic Roadway.”

Public Act 87-280 authorizes the Commissioner of Transportation to designate state roads or portions thereof as scenic roads in consultation with the Commissioners of Environmental Protection and Department of 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 section of Route 136 approved for scenic road designation begins at the intersection with Route 1 and Compo Road south, and proceeds southerly to the intersection at Bridge Street, where it turns westerly, terminating at the west abutment of the Saugatuck River Bridge, for a distance of 1.82 miles.

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 individually or in combination set the roadway apart from other roadways as being distinct.  The scenic road shall have development that is compatible with its surroundings and must not detract from the scenic, natural character and visual quality of the roadway area.

The application to designate a portion of Route 136 as a scenic road was submitted to the Department of Transportation by John Suggs, Morley C. Boyd, Helen Garten and Wendy Crowther.

To learn more about scenic roadways in Connecticut, click here to visit the CTDOT’s scenic roads webpage.