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U.S. Route 302

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U.S. Route 302 marker

U.S. Route 302

Map
US 302 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 2
Length171 mi (275 km)
Existed1935[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
West end US 2 in Montpelier, VT
Major intersections
East end I-295 / US 1 / SR 100 in Portland, ME
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesVermont, New Hampshire, Maine
CountiesVT: Washington, Caledonia, Orange
NH: Grafton, Coos, Carroll
ME: Oxford, Cumberland
Highway system
VT 289VT VT 313
I-293NH I-393
I-295ME I-395
Route 17N.E. Route 20
SR 17 ME SR 22

U.S. Route 302 (US 302) is an east–west spur of U.S. Route 2 in northern New England in the United States. It currently runs 171 miles (275 km) from Montpelier, Vermont, beginning at US 2, to Portland, Maine, at U.S. Route 1. It passes through the states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Route description

[edit]
Lengths
  mi[1][2] km
VT 35.746 57.528
NH 79.155 127.388
ME 53.9 86.7
Total 168.801 271.659
U.S. Route 302 in Berlin, Vermont, approximately two miles from the western terminus

Vermont

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US 302 begins as River Street in the southeastern part of Montpelier, the state capital, at a junction with US 2. It heads southeastward up the valley of the Stevens Branch of the Winooski River, passing through the northeastern corner of the town of Berlin and entering Barre, where it becomes North Main Street. In the center of Barre, US 302 becomes Washington Street at the junction with Vermont Route 14 south, and continues southeastward up the valley of the Jail Branch River. In East Barre, US 302 has an intersection with Vermont Route 110 at a roundabout. US 302 climbs into the hills of eastern Vermont, passing through the rural town of Orange, where it crosses a height of land and crosses the valley of the Waits River, a tributary of the Connecticut River. The highway turns northeastward, passing through a corner of Topsham, crosses another height of land, and enters the valley of the Wells River in the rural town of Groton. The highway turns southeastward again, following the Wells River and passing through the village of South Ryegate, before intersecting Interstate 91 in the northern part of the town of Newbury. US 302 continues east and enters the village of Wells River, where it crosses US 5 and reaches the Connecticut River and the New Hampshire border.

US 302 is named the William Scott Memorial Highway and was part of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in Vermont.[3][4]

New Hampshire

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KML is not from Wikidata
US 302 entering Crawford Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

US 302 enters the state of New Hampshire at a two-lane arch bridge over the Connecticut River beginning in Wells River, Vermont. It follows Central Street on a two-lane alignment, passing through Woodsville until it reaches NH 10 (Dartmouth College Highway), where it turns eastward.

US 302 follows the Ammonoosuc River through a mix of fields and forested land, passing through Bath as Lisbon Road and Lisbon as its Main Street. As it approaches Littleton, the road's name changes to Meadow Street and becomes a shopping strip just before crossing the river and interchanging with I-93. After a short stretch, the road meets Main Street (NH18) at a skewed intersection, defaulting onto Main Street and passing through the town's downtown.

The route intersects NH 116 and turns southward onto Cottage Street, immediately bridging the Ammonoosuc River once again, and passes through a residential area before turning eastward onto Bethlehem Road. The route passes under Interstate 93 again and passes through woodland, where it crosses I-93 for a third time at a second interchange, where NH 18 and NH 116 also depart to the south. US 302 then travels eastward through largely forested land, passing through Bethlehem and Twin Mountain (where it crosses U.S. Route 3), then turns southward as it passes through Crawford Notch State Park, bearing Crawford Notch Road as its name and paralleling the Saco River.

After turning eastward again, passing through Bartlett and intersecting NH 16, the road becomes White Mountain Highway and turns southward once more, passing Lower Bartlett and entering North Conway. The route follows Eastman Road south of North Conway, which it follows to its end at NH 113 (Main Street) after bridging the Saco River once again. US 302 turns east, passing through more forested land as it crosses the Maine state border, bound for Fryeburg a short stretch east of there.

Maine

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The state border sign for Maine on U.S. Route 302 in 2014

US 302 is known as the Roosevelt Trail through southern Maine because it was the beginning of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway to Portland, Oregon.[4][5] It is a two-lane highway for almost all of its length, but there are multi-lane sections within the Portland area, as well as short four-lane sections in and around North Windham in commercial areas. Some of the hilly sections also feature a third passing lane.

The highway enters Maine at Fryeburg, in the Saco River valley as it leaves the White Mountains. The road bridges the Saco near milepost 56 in eastern Fryeburg, Moose Pond near milepost 46 in Bridgton, Long Lake near milepost 31 in Naples, and the Crooked River in Casco near a boyhood home of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The highway passes the north end of Jordan Bay on Sebago Lake in the town of Raymond, and crosses the Pleasant River at milepost 13.4 in Windham. US 302 bridges the Presumpscot River from Westbrook into Portland at Riverton, then (via Forest Avenue) reaches its eastern terminus at I-295/US 1 at the south end of Back Cove via Forest Avenue.[6]

History

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The eastern end of US 302 was formerly at Longfellow Square in Portland, Maine. The highway follows a 19th-century stagecoach road from Portland through Windham to Bridgton. The portion from Windham to Bridgton was built about 1785. Stagecoach service began in 1803, and the route became a post road for the United States Postal Service in 1814. Transportation over this route was augmented by the Cumberland and Oxford Canal from 1832 to 1932, and by the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad from 1883 to 1941.[7] The highway through Crawford Notch follows the Tenth New Hampshire Turnpike built in 1803 and parallels the Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division built in 1877. The highway eliminated railway passenger travel over the route from Portland by 1958, and railroad freight service through Crawford Notch was discontinued in 1983.[8]

State Route 18 marker

State Route 18

LocationConway, NHPortland
Length54.18 mi (87.19 km)
Existed1926–1935

From 1922 until 1935, much of what is now US 302 was a part of the New England road marking system, designated as Route 18, from Portland, Maine, northwest to Littleton, New Hampshire, roughly 112 miles (180 km). From Littleton west to Montpelier in Vermont, US 302 and Route 18 took different paths. NE-18 took a more northerly route, along present-day New Hampshire Route 18 and Vermont Route 18 to St. Johnsbury, Vermont (closely paralleling I-93), then along present-day US 2 up to Montpelier.

Current US 302 runs along a more southerly route using other former sections of New England Interstate Routes. From Littleton, it went along former Route 10 to Woodsville, New Hampshire, then along former Route 25 to Montpelier.

The entire Maine segment of US 302 was formerly designated State Route 18, a route that was established in 1926 until being deleted in 1935 by US 302.

Major intersections

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StateCountyLocation[1][2][9][10]mi[1][2][9][10]kmDestinationsNotes
VermontWashingtonMontpelier0.0000.000 US 2 – East Montpelier, St. Johnsbury, MontpelierRotary; western terminus of US 302.
Berlin0.2230.359


Berlin State Highway (VT 9030) to VT 62 west / I-89 – Berlin Corners
Northern terminus of unsigned VT 9030
City of Barre4.3767.042
VT 14 north


VT 62 west to I-89
Western end of concurrency with VT 14; eastern terminus of VT 62.
4.8337.778

VT 14 south to I-89
Eastern end of concurrency with VT 14.
Town of Barre8.63913.903
VT 110 south – Washington, Chelsea, Granite Quarries
Northern terminus of VT 110 at rotary.
OrangeOrange16.04125.815
VT 25 south – West Topsham, Bradford
Northern terminus of VT 25.
CaledoniaGroton23.92838.508
VT 232 north – Rickers Mills
Southern terminus of VT 232.
OrangeTown of Newbury32.472–
32.681
52.259–
52.595
I-91 – Bradford, White River Junction, Barnet, St. JohnsburyExit 17 on I-91.
35.33456.865
US 5 north – East Ryegate, St. Johnsbury
Western terminus of concurrency with US 5.
35.46357.072
US 5 south – Newbury, Bradford
Eastern terminus of concurrency with US 5.
Connecticut River35.746
0.000
57.528
0.000
VermontNew Hampshire state line
New HampshireGraftonHaverhill0.2240.360 NH 135 (Woodsville Road / South Court Street) – MonroeVillage of Woodsville
1.2452.004
NH 10 south (Dartmouth College Highway) – North Haverhill, Hanover
Northern terminus of NH 10
Bath3.8126.135
NH 112 east (Wild Ammonoosuc Road) – Swiftwater, North Woodstock, Lincoln
Western terminus of NH 112
Lisbon12.96020.857
NH 117 east (Sugar Hill Road) – Sugar Hill, Franconia
Western terminus of NH 117
Littleton20.004–
20.152
32.193–
32.432
I-93 (Styles Bridges Highway) – Bethlehem, Concord, Dalton, St. Johnsbury VTExit 42 on I-93
21.00033.796



NH 18 north (West Main Street) to I-93 north / NH 135 – Dalton, Monroe
Western end of concurrency with NH 18
21.55634.691
NH 116 north (Union Street) – Whitefield, Jefferson
Western end of concurrency with NH 116
22.08835.547Cottage StreetTo I-93 – Franconia, Plymouth, Woodsville, St. Johnsbury VT Exit 41
Bethlehem23.501–
23.850
37.821–
38.383
I-93 (Styles Bridges Highway) – Franconia, Plymouth, Littleton, St. Johnsbury VTExit 40 on I-93; no eastbound access to I-93 north; no westbound access from I-93 south
23.85738.394

NH 18 south / NH 116 south (Profile Road) – Franconia
Eastern end of concurrency with NH 18 / NH 116
26.672–
26.701
42.924–
42.971
NH 142 (Agassiz Street / Maple Street) – Franconia, Whitefield
CoosCarroll34.79655.999 US 3 (Daniel Webster Highway) – Whitefield, Lancaster, PlymouthVillage of Twin Mountain
CarrollBartlett63.892102.824
NH 16 north (Pinkham Notch Road) – Jackson, Gorham, Berlin
Western end of concurrency with NH 16; village of Glen
65.026104.649
NH 16A south – Intervale
Northern terminus of NH 16A
67.299108.307
NH 16A north (Intervale Resort Loop)
Southern terminus of NH 16A
Conway71.981115.842
NH 16 south (White Mountain Highway) – Conway
Eastern end of concurrency with NH 16; village of North Conway
74.522119.932
NH 113 west (East Main Street) – Conway
Eastern terminus of NH 113
 79.155
0.00
127.388
0.00
New HampshireMaine state line
MaineOxfordFryeburg1.151.85
SR 113 north – East Conway NH, Stow
Western end of concurrency with SR 113
1.372.20

SR 5 south / SR 113 south – Brownfield, Old Orchard Beach
Eastern end of concurrency with SR 113; western end of concurrency with SR 5
1.792.88
SR 5 north – Lovell
Eastern end of concurrency with SR 5
CumberlandBridgton14.9624.08
SR 93 north – Sweden, Lovell
Southern terminus of SR 93
16.8627.13
SR 117 north – Norway, Harrison
Western end of concurrency with SR 117
18.4129.63


SR 117 south to SR 107 south – Denmark
Eastern end of concurrency with SR 117
Naples24.9440.14

SR 11 south / SR 114 south – Sebago Lake
Western end of concurrency with SR 11; northern terminus of SR 114
25.4140.89
SR 35 north – Harrison, Waterford
Western end of concurrency with SR 35
26.3042.33
SR 11 north – Mechanic Falls, Poland
Eastern end of concurrency with SR 11
Raymond34.0254.75
SR 121 north – Raymond Village, Casco
Southern terminus of SR 121
34.4755.47
SR 85 north
Southern terminus of SR 85
Windham38.8662.54
SR 35 south – Standish

SR 115 east – Gray
Eastern end of concurrency with SR 35
Western terminus of SR 115
41.7367.16 US 202 / SR 4 – GrayRotary
Portland51.7483.27
SR 100 north (Allen Avenue) – Falmouth
Western end of concurrency with SR 100
52.9985.28
SR 9 east (Ocean Avenue)
Western end of wrong-way concurrency with SR 9
53.0885.42
SR 9 west (Woodford Street)
Eastern end of wrong-way concurrency with SR 9
54.0186.92 I-295 / US 1 – South Portland, Falmouth



SR 100 south to SR 77 south
Exit 6 on I-295
Eastern terminus of US 302; eastern end of concurrency with SR 100
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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Special routes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Traffic Research Unit (May 2013). "2012 (Route Log) AADTs for State Highways" (PDF). Policy, Planning and Intermodal Development Division, Vermont Agency of Transportation. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (20 February 2015). "NH Public Roads". Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Vermont Named State Highways and Bridges" Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Vermont Department of Libraries. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  4. ^ a b Tracy, A.W. Theodore Roosevelt International Highway (1996) p. 7
  5. ^ "U.S. 2: Houlton, Maine, to Everett, Washington". United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  6. ^ Greaton, Everett F. Maine, a Guide "Down East" (1937) pp. 375–381
  7. ^ Jones, Robert C. Two Feet to the Lakes: The Bridgton & Saco River Railroad (1993) ISBN 0-915713-26-8 pp. 12–13
  8. ^ Johnson, Ron Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division p. 9
  9. ^ a b Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (3 April 2015). "Nodal Reference 2015, State of New Hampshire". New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 April 2015.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ a b "MaineDOT Public Map Viewer". Maine Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
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KML is not from Wikidata