Route 17 officially begins about west of its interchange with
Interstate 91 (at Exit 8).
Route 80 begins at the interchange and continues eastward while Route 17 turns northward. Route 17 is a four-lane surface road, becoming 2 lanes as it passes through
North Haven,
Northford (where it briefly overlaps with
Route 22), and
Durham. In
Middletown it becomes a four-lane
freeway for leading to an interchange with the
Route 9 freeway. Route 17 duplexes with Route 9 for about on a four-lane
expressway from Exit 13 to Exit 16, where Route 17 exits and shortly thereafter begins a concurrency with
Route 66 as it crosses the
Connecticut River from Middletown into
Portland on the
Arrigoni Bridge. Just after the bridge, it spawns a alternate,
Route 17A, which leads to the center of town. Routes 17 and 66 become a four-lane surface road for the rest of the concurrency, where Route 17 turns north and becomes a two-lane surface road. After meeting the northern end of Route 17A, it enters
Glastonbury, passing through the
South Glastonbury Historic District and gradually becoming more suburban. Route 17 briefly becomes a
two-lane freeway, before becoming a four-lane
freeway for the last , which ultimately merges into
Route 2 West at Exit 7. The southern surface section from New Haven to Middletown is also known as
George Washington Memorial Highway. The freeway section from South Main Street to Route 9 in Middletown is known as the Catholic War Veterans Memorial Highway. A section in Durham, from the junction with Route 77 to just north of the junction with Route 68, is a designated
state scenic road. ==History==