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The Connecticut Turnpike, more currently known as the '''Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike''', is a Freeway in Connecticut that runs from Byram to South Killingly . It is approximately 135 miles long (94 miles on Interstate 95 , 37 miles on Interstate 395 , and 4 miles on State Road 695 ). HISTORY Intended to relieve congestion on U.S. Route 1 and Connecticut State Highway 15 (the Merritt & Wilbur Cross Parkway s), design work began in 1953. The Connecticut Turnpike opened on January 2 , 1958 however the westernmost portion of the highway (the three miles connecting Stamford with the New England Thruway ) opened ten months later. Tolls were originally collected through a series of eight toll booths along the route. The state stopped collecting tolls in 1985 , as the bonds taken out to construct the turnpike had been paid off. Several accidents, including a serious incident in 1983 involving a truck colliding with three cars at a toll plaza killing seven people (and injuring several others), prompted the state to eliminate tolls along the turnpike altogether. The turnpike was renamed for former Governor John Davis Lodge soon afterward. TODAY Most of the signage identifying the route as a "unified road" has been taken down in recent years. The easternmost section of the turnpike (CT 695) is not signed at all, not even as its state route. EXIT LIST
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