U.S. Route 201 (US 201) is part of the nationwide system of

United States Numbered Highways The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

. It runs for entirely within the 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 north ...

and is a spur route of

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick at US 1 and

Maine State Route 24 Business State Route 24 (abbreviated SR 24) is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from Bailey Island south of Orr's Island in Harpswell northward to Gardiner, passing through Brunswick along the way. Route descrip ...

. Its northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Jackman (a terminus it shares with

Maine State Route 6 State Route 6 (SR 6) is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from west to east across the state. Its western terminus is at the Canada–United States border near Sandy Bay (a terminus it shares with U.S. Route 201), wher ...

), where it connects to

Quebec Route 173 Route 173 (Route-du-Président-Kennedy) is a major north/south highway on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, named after the assassinated American president, John F. Kennedy. Its southern terminus is at the Armstrong-Jac ...

. Between

Solon Solon ( grc-gre, Σόλων; BC) was an Athenian statesman, constitutional lawmaker and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic Athens.Aristotle ''Politics'' ...

and its northern terminus, US 201 is known as the Old Canada Road

National Scenic Byway A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...

.Scenic Byway
visitmaine.com. Retrieved 13 July 2012.

Route description

US 201 begins in Brunswick along SR 24 Business (former SR 24) at an interchange with US 1. It follows the

Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...

from

Gardiner, Maine Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,961 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture. Gardiner ...

, to The Forks where it winds away from the river and runs up into the north woods mountains. The highway crosses the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

at Caratunk, Maine.Maine Scenic Drives: Old Canada Road Scenic Byway

HowStuffWorks HowStuffWorks is an American commercial infotainment website founded by professor and author Marshall Brain, to provide its target audience an insight into the way many things work. The site uses various media to explain complex concepts, termin ...

. Retrieved 14 July 2012. North of The Forks, US 201 climbs in elevation over Johnson Mountain and around

Coburn Mountain __NOTOC__ Coburn may refer to: Places * Coburn, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place, United States * Coburn, West Virginia, an unincorporated community, United States * Coburn Mountain (Maine), United States * Coburn Hill, Yellowstone County, ...

near Upper Enchanted and Parlin Pond Townships. Before reaching Jackman, the road peaks at the Attean Pond Lookout, a popular rest area, before descending into town. US 201 intersects the northern end of

SR 15 Route 15, or Highway 15, can refer to: For roads named A15, see A15 roads. International * Asian Highway 15 * European route E15 * European route E015 Australia New South Wales * Hunter Expressway * New England Highway and other local Ne ...

in Jackman and is cosigned with SR 6 for the remaining north to the Canadian border. The road continues through parts of Moose River and Dennistown before reaching the Armstrong-Jackman Border Crossing at Sandy Bay Township. US 201 and SR 6 ends as the highway crosses into

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada and becomes Route 173. A former alignment designated

US 201A U.S. Route 201 (US 201) is part of the nationwide system of United States Numbered Highways. It runs for entirely within the state of Maine and is a spur route of U.S. Route 1. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick at US 1 and Maine State Rou ...

runs through the towns of

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

and

Norridgewock Norridgewock was the name of both an Indigenous village and a band of the Abenaki ("People of the Dawn") Native Americans/First Nations, an Eastern Algonquian tribe of the United States and Canada. The French of New France called the village Ke ...

History

US 201 follows old river trading routes of the

Abenaki people The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predom ...

. Parts of

Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec In September 1775, early in the American Revolutionary War, Colonel Benedict Arnold led a force of 1,100 Continental Army troops on an expedition from Cambridge in the Province of Massachusetts Bay to the gates of Quebec City. The expeditio ...

took place along the route that today make up US 201.Old Canada Road Scenic Byway (Route 201)
exploremaine.org. Retrieved 13 July 2012. On June 15, 2000, the route was designated a

.Old Canada Road Scenic Byway – Official Designations
byways.org. Retrieved 13 July 2012. US 201 used to be

New England Interstate Route , , , , , The New England road marking system was a regional system of marked numbered routes in the six-state region of New England in the United States. The routes were marked by a yellow rectangular sign with black numbers and border. M ...

20 (NEI 20) in the 1920s. The original 1922 plan had NEI 20 starting in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. The southern half was later shifted east to start in Brunswick (the realignment may have been done prior to actual signing of the route.) The southern end of the original NEI 20 is now SR 100 from Portland to Augusta. The Brunswick end of the original NEI 20 intersected with NEI 1 (which is now

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

), which remained the southern terminus of US 201 until the construction of the US 1 freeway, at which point its terminus was moved to its current location on

SR 24 Route 24, or Highway 24, can refer to: International * European route E24 Australia * Lyell Highway (Tasmania) * Central Arnhem Road, NT Austria * Verbindungsspange Rothneusiedel Canada * Alberta Highway 24 * British Columbia Highway 24 * ...

. Since its designation in 1926, US 201 has only undergone one major realignment. The original highway used to run through

Anson Anson may refer to: People * Anson (name), a give name and surname ** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname Place names ;United States * Anson, Indiana * Anson, Kansas * Anson, Maine ** Anson (CDP), Maine * Anson, Missour ...

, and

on its way to

. In 1954, US 201 was moved to a new eastern alignment which completely bypasses this area and the existing alignment was redesignated

. US 201 has also undergone various other minor route adjustments, but largely maintains its original 1926 routing.

Major intersections

Somerset County Alternate route

U.S. Route 201 Alternate (US 201A) is the designation of a former alignment of US 201 in the towns of

Skowhegan Skowhegan () is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 8,620. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuously-held state fair in the United States. Skowh ...

and

. The route is long and forms a western loop of US 201, which was rerouted in 1954 to bypass to the east. US 201A runs along the

over its entire length. The southern terminus of US 201A is at

US 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...

, US 201 and State Route 104 in Skowhegan. The northern terminus is at US 201 in Anson, a terminus it shares with State Route 8. US 201A is also part of the Arnold Highway (named for

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

), established in 1931 over the original US 201. US 201A is completely overlapped with other routes due to various realignments of the routes signed over it.

Route description

US 201A begins in Skowhegan just south of the Kennebec River, at an intersection with

, US 201, and SR 104 (which has its northern terminus here). US 201A begins overlapped with US 2 and the two routes proceed southwest along the southern bank of the river on the way to

. Upon reaching town, the highway intersects with SR 8 and SR 139. SR 139 has its western terminus at this intersection while SR 8 northbound joins the concurrency. Just to the west, US 2 splits off to the southwest, while US 201A goes to the northwest with SR 8 in tow. US 201A and SR 8 are cosigned for the remainder of their lengths. US 201A and SR 8 continue along the riverbank, turning north into

and intersecting with SR 43 and SR 148. US 201A and SR 8 then turn west, joining the converging routes to cross the river as a four-route concurrency. On the west side of the bridge lies the town of

, where US 201A and SR 8 split to the north off SR 43 and SR 148, which continue west concurrently. The highway turns north along the west bank of the river into the village of North Anson, intersecting the eastern end of

SR 234 The following highways are numbered 234: Australia Borung Highway Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 234 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 234 * Prince Edward Island Route 234 * Quebec Route 234 Costa Rica * National Route 234 India * Na ...

before meeting SR 16 just to the north. SR 16 joins US 201A and SR 8, proceeding north along the river out of town, and eventually passing into

. Nearing the riverbank once more, SR 16 splits to continue north along the river, while US 201A and SR 8 turn northeast to cross the river. Both routes terminate at US 201.

Junction list

References

External links

U.S. Route 201's page on Byways.org
{{Kennebec River National Scenic Byways 01-2 01-2 201 2 Transportation in Somerset County, Maine Transportation in Kennebec County, Maine Transportation in Sagadahoc County, Maine Transportation in Cumberland County, Maine