Skip to main content

Meriden's Traffic Control Tower - Meriden, Connecticut

Image
By

 


One of the enduring symbols of Meriden, Connecticut is its historic traffic control tower. In the early days of automobile travel, traffic at intersections was directed by an attendant in a control tower. The attendant would get to their booth in the tower by climbing a ladder from the base of the tower. This attendant would manually switch the familiar red, yellow, and green lights of the traffic light in a regulated pattern. The traffic control tower also includes signs for destinations such as Hartford, Middletown and Waterbury, which are nearby cities in Connecticut. Also featured on the sign is a mention of US Route 6A, which was a southern alternate route for US 6 in Connecticut and is now part of CT 66.

Meriden's traffic control tower was first erected and used on September 21, 1925. The traffic control tower was considered to be innovative for its time as this was before automated traffic signals caught on. The tower was considered unique and was quickly adopted by local residents who considered it to be a local landmark and a symbol of Meriden. The traffic control tower was originally placed a few blocks north of its current location in an area rich in transportation history in both Meriden and Connecticut at large. Early colonial roads and stage coach roads passed through Meriden, usually going to either Hartford or New Haven. Later, US 5 once passed through downtown Meriden, but now the highway runs east of Meriden down Broad Street.

As for the traffic control tower, during the 1930s, the Meriden Daily Journal ran a news column titled "The Traffic Tower", beckoning the popularity of the traffic control tower as a landmark. During World War II, servicemen from Meriden received a monthly news bulletin that featured a picture of the tower as a reminder of their home back in Meriden. On May 22, 1967, After 42 years of operation, Meriden's traffic control tower earned a retirement from service to make way for a modern traffic control device in its place. But since the tower also earned a place in the heart of the Meriden faithful, the tower was purchased and renovated by local business interests and committees. With that in mind, the traffic control tower was places near its original location at the intersection of Colony and West Main Streets in downtown Meriden, not far from the Meriden Green. As a symbol of Meriden's history and innovation, the traffic control tower can be enjoyed for generations to come.








How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Roadside America - Traffic Control Tower
Atlas Obscura - Traffic Control Tower
Labels:
Location: Meriden, CT 06451, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more