In the U.S. state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, U.S. Route 2 (US 2) is a principal east–west route through the central portion of the state, extending from the

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

border in

Gilead Gilead or Gilad (; he, גִּלְעָד ''Gīləʿāḏ'', ar, جلعاد, Ǧalʻād, Jalaad) is the ancient, historic, biblical name of the mountainous northern part of the region of Transjordan.''Easton's Bible Dictionary'Galeed''/ref> ...

to the town of Houlton near the

Canadian border Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Route description

After crossing the

state line in

, US 2 continues to follow the

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River ( Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...

, turning north in Bethel ( State Route 26 (SR 26) continues eastward from this turn). From there, the road crosses the river and turns north for a short while before turning eastward again, following the curving path of the river on the opposite bank until Dixfield, where it turns northeast, crossing from Oxford County, through southeastern Franklin County and into Somerset County. The road has a major junction with US 201 in Skowhegan, continuing to Penobscot County and the town of Newport, where the road begins a loosely parallel path with Interstate 95 (I-95), interchanging with the interstate just southeast of the

Bangor International Airport Bangor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport on the west side of the city of Bangor, in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Owned and operated by the City of Bangor, the airport has a single runway measuring . F ...

in Bangor. US Route 2 - Maine 2

From Bangor, the road begins following the Penobscot River northward, passing through Orono, crossing the river just south of the main campus of the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...

on Marsh Island. In Old Town, the road crosses the river again, staying to the east bank of the river through Mattawamkeag, crossing the Mattawamkeag River, then heading northward through the rest of the county and into Aroostook County, heading due north from Macwahoc, eventually meeting up again with I-95 near exit 286 in Oakfield, before crossing back at exit 291 in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

. From Smyrna, the road travels due east into Houlton, sharing a concurrency with US 1 for just under , before heading east and terminating just north of Houlton International Airport at I-95 exit 305, the last exit before it changes to

Route 95 Route 95, or Highway 95, may refer to routes in the following countries: __TOC__ International * European route E95 Australia * Great Northern Highway (Western Australia) * Fossickers Way (New South Wales) Canada * British Columbia Highway 95 * ...

History

The original path of the road near the Houlton Airport did not turn around what is now the north–south runway, instead going straight on what is now Old Woodstock Road, over the eventual path of the runway, and crossing Airport Drive just south of the exit, meeting at the old U.S. Customs station, two hundred yards due south of the current one. The corresponding Canadian road also has closed, ending further from the border than it once did. The roadway paths are still visible on satellite imagery.

Major intersections

References

External links

Floodgap Roadgap's RoadsAroundME: US Highway 2 (Maine)
{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=2, statebefore=New Hampshire, state=Maine 02 Transportation in Aroostook County, Maine Transportation in Penobscot County, Maine Transportation in Somerset County, Maine Transportation in Franklin County, Maine Transportation in Oxford County, Maine Maine