Traveling the Merritt Parkway, Connecticut (Images of America Series) »

With an extensive background in civil engineering, author and retired highway engineer Larry Larned combines images from his personal collection with a thoroughly researched and informative text to tell the story of the Merritt. Larned also draws images from local historical societies, the State of Connecticut archives, private collections, and newspaper files. Traveling the Merritt Parkway captures not only a part of Connecticut's history but our nation's as well, as transportation became a booming industry in the twentieth century. Join Larry Larned in celebrating the history of the Merritt, and the many who have enjoyed its unique bridges and scenic vistas.

Since 1938, when the Merritt's first 7-mile section was opened to traffic, millions have shared a fascination for Connecticut's Merritt Parkway and its bridges. Discover the beginnings of this groundbreaking advance in American travel in Traveling the Merritt Parkway. This exciting collection of images preserves and pays tribute to the history of the Merritt. Opened for 38 miles on September 2, 1940, it became known throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut, as the "Queen of Parkways." A survey made in 1928 called for a two-lane macadam highway to run from Stratford to Greenwich. With $1 million of state money, construction started on the Merritt Highway in 1932. This pictorial history explores the construction of the parkway as well as the little known parent highway for which the earliest bridges were constructed, including White Plains Road in the town of Trumbull.