Community Corner

75th Anniversary Celebration for the Merritt Parkway

June 29 marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the first 17 miles of the Merritt Parkway, which stretches from the New York state line in Greenwich to Norwalk. The Westport Library will host two events next month regarding the anniversary.

The Merritt Parkway, a 37.5-mile byway that runs from Greenwich to Stratford, is mostly known for the beauty of the forest it meanders through, but some commuters may recognize the road for something entirely different -- traffic. The Westport Library will debut two new exhibits next month in celebration of the parkway’s 75th anniversary.   

Section 1 of the Merritt Parkway Turns 75” and “Painting the Merritt: Cynthia Mullins Celebrates the Parkway,” will be on display beginning May 1 on the library’s riverwalk level, according to Westport Library Community Relations Director Joan Hume. 

An opening for both exhibits will be held on May 3, from 6 - 7 p.m., in the Westport Library’s McManus Room. The event is free and open to the public.     

Other Merritt Parkway events to be held at the Westport Library:   

  • Jill Smyth, Executive Director of the Merritt Parkway Conservancy, will speak about the history of the Merritt Parkway on May 7 at 7:30 p.m.     
  • Filmmaker Lisa Seidenberg will introduce her film “The Road Taken...the Merritt Parkway" on June 6 at 2 p.m.     

History of the Merritt Parkway      

By the mid-1920’s the Boston Post Road was the most traveled highway in Connecticut. The Fairfield County Planning Association (FCPA), formed in 1924, discussed several potential solutions for the congestion, including widening Route 1. The FPCA decided to create an entirely new route 20 miles inland from Long Island, Hume said.   

Construction began on July 1, 1934 and the project eventually employed more than 2,000 workers, according to the Connecticut State Library

On June 29, 1938, the first 17.5-mile section of the Merritt Parkway, from the New York State line at Greenwich to Norwalk, opened with more than 120,000 cars traveling on it during the first four days, Hume said. 

On September 2, 1940, the remaining 20 miles of road opened. The steel bridge over the Housatonic River at the Milford / Stratford line also opened that day, according to the Connecticut State Library.


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