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 north ...

, 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 U.S. state, 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 t ...

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> Th ...

to the town of Houlton near the Canadian border.

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 Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...

( 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 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 ...

, continuing to

Penobscot County Penobscot County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot Nation on Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199. Its county seat is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of ...

and the town of

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, where the road begins a loosely parallel path with

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

(I-95), interchanging with the interstate just southeast of the Bangor International Airport in Bangor. US Route 2 - Maine 2

From Bangor, the road begins following the

Penobscot River The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's We ...

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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

on Marsh Island. In

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

, the road crosses the river again, staying to the east bank of the river through

Mattawamkeag Mattawamkeag is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States, located where the Mattawamkeag River joins the Penobscot River. The population was 596 at the 2020 census. The village of Mattawamkeag is in the southwest part of the town. Railr ...

, crossing the

Mattawamkeag River The Mattawamkeag River is a river in Maine. From the confluence of its East Branch and West Branch () in Haynesville, about west of the Canada–United States border, the river runs U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-r ...

, then heading northward through the rest of the county and into

Aroostook County Aroostook County ( ; french: Comté d'Aroostook) is a county in the U.S. state of Maine along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,105. Its county seat is Houlton, with offices in Caribou and Fort Kent. Kn ...

, 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 Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with US 1 for just under , before heading east and terminating just north of

Houlton International Airport Houlton International Airport is a public-use airport located in the town of Houlton in Aroostook County, Maine, United States, near the town border of Hodgdon, Maine, also on the border of New Brunswick, Canada. This general aviation airpor ...

at I-95 exit 305, the last exit before it changes to Route 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