In the heart of South Windsor lies one of the busiest intersections in town containing the ends of Sullivan Avenue, Oakland Road, Buckland Road, and Ellington Road.
Ellington Road, although interrupted by the intersection, resumes further up the path connecting to Sullivan Ave.
What South Windsor residents of the younger age demographic fail to understand is, there wasn’t always a quarter mile gap segmenting Ellington Road.
The intersection, formerly known as The Five Corners, was renovated in the mid 90s, transitioning from a five way intersection to a four way intersection.
What is now Peterson Way, follows the old path of Ellington Road, but instead of having a dead end, it bridges the gap between Oakland Road and Sullivan Avenue at the intersection.
Increased traffic flow in the area, mainly due to the new addition of Buckland Mall, meant that improvements had to be made to the Five Corners intersection to prevent large traffic jams.
Previously, Sullivan Avenue and Buckland Road were two lane roads, now doubling in size are four lanes supplementing the increased flow of traffic in town.
“To handle the increase of traffic from the new mall going in, the town needed to widen Sullivan Avenue and Buckland Road,” South Windsor resident Gabe Hathorn explained.
Gabe Hathorn has lived in South Windsor for the majority of his life, graduating from South Windsor High School in 1991, and observing this major traffic change.
“The removal of Ellington Road from Five Corners was a smart move by the town to increase traffic flow,” Hathorne told The Prowl.
One of the remnants of The Five Corners is the Wapping Community Church, which is addressed at 1790 Ellington Road, despite the fact that the front doors face Oakland Road.
The church was originally positioned facing Ellington Road, prior to the renovation, yet still has the same address.
Overall the renovation of Ellington Road and the 5 Corners intersection has sped up traffic in the area, especially since the town’s population has grown.
“The Five Corners intersection was considered the center of town. It was well known by everyone in the area,” Hathorn said. “To make way for all the growth from the new mall, a better traffic design was needed.”
Many residents to this day still call the intersection “Five Corners,” especially those of the older age demographic.
It is similar to how many older residents still refer to Veterans Memorial Park as “Spring Pond” or the Peoples Bank Arena in Hartford the “Civic Center” despite the name changes.
No matter what you call the intersection, it remains an interesting and important part of South Windsor and its history.
