U.S. Route 302 (US 302) is an east–west spur of
U.S. Route 2
U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern ...
in northern
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
in the United States. It currently runs from
Montpelier,
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, beginning at US 2, to
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 ...
,
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 ...
, at
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 ...
. It passes through the states of Vermont,
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 ...
and Maine.
Route description
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VT
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, -
,
NH
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, -
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ME
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, - class="sortbottom"
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Vermont
US 302 begins as River Street in the southeast part of
Montpelier, the state capital, at a junction with US 2. It heads southeast up the valley of the Stevens Branch of the
Winooski River
The Winooski River (formerly the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in the northern half of Vermont. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from ...
, passing through the northeast corner of the town of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and entering
Barre
Barre or Barré may refer to:
* Barre (name) or Barré, a surname and given name
Places United States
* Barre, Massachusetts, a New England town
** Barre (CDP), Massachusetts, the central village in the town
* Barre, New York, a town
* Barre (ci ...
, where it becomes North Main Street. In the center of Barre, US 302 becomes Washington Street at the junction with
Vermont Route 14
Vermont Route 14 (VT 14) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Vermont, United States. It extends from U.S. Route 4 (US 4) and US 5 in White River Junction to VT 100 in Newport. Between White River Junction an ...
south, and continues southeast up the valley of the
Jail Branch River The Jail Branch River is a river in central Vermont. It is a tributary of the Stevens Branch of the Winooski River and part of the Lake Champlain watershed.
The Jail Branch is a 16-mile-long river that rises in Washington, Vermont, and flows no ...
. In
East Barre, US 302 has an intersection with
Vermont Route 110
Vermont Route 110 (VT 110) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs from VT 14 in Royalton in northern Windsor County north to U.S. Route 302 (US 302) in the town of Barre in central Washington Coun ...
at a
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
. US 302 climbs into the hills of eastern Vermont, passing through the rural town of
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
, where it crosses a height of land and crosses the valley of the
Waits River, a tributary of the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
. The highway turns northeast, 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 southeast again, following the Wells River and passing through the village of
South Ryegate, before intersecting
Interstate 91
Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Connecti ...
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
The Theodore Roosevelt International Highway was a transcontinental North American highway, from the era of the auto trails, through the United States and Canada that ran from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon. Its length was about .
Route desc ...
in Vermont.
[Tracy, A.W. ''Theodore Roosevelt International Highway'' (1996) p. 7]
New Hampshire
![US 302 Crawford Notch NH](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/US_302_Crawford_Notch_NH.jpg)
US 302 enters the state of New Hampshire at a two-lane arch bridge over the Connecticut River beginning in
Wells River, Vermont
Wells River is a village in the town of Newbury in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 431 at the 2020 census. The village center is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 5 and 302.
The village center (the portion near ...
. 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
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
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
Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...
. 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
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
and
Twin Mountain (where it crosses
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 (US 3) is a United States highway running from Cambridge, Massachusetts, through New Hampshire, to the Canada–US border near Third Connecticut Lake, where it connects to Quebec Route 257.
Massachusetts Route 3 connects to ...
), then turns southward as it passes through
Crawford Notch State Park, bearing
Crawford Notch
Crawford Notch is a major pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, located in Hart's Location. Roughly half of that town is contained in Crawford Notch State Park. The high point of the notch, at approximately above sea level, is at ...
Road as its name and paralleling the
Saco River
The Saco River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Sαkóhki'') is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, Maine, Portland ...
.
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
North Conway is a census-designated place (CDP) and village in eastern Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,116 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, North Conway is the second-largest village within the town ...
. 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
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 ...
state border, bound for
Fryeburg a short stretch east of there.
Maine
![Maine state border on U](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Maine_state_border_on_U.S._Route_302.jpg)
US 302 is known as the Roosevelt Trail through southern Maine because it was the beginning of the
Theodore Roosevelt International Highway
The Theodore Roosevelt International Highway was a transcontinental North American highway, from the era of the auto trails, through the United States and Canada that ran from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon. Its length was about .
Route desc ...
to
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
.
[ It is a two-lane highway for almost all of its length, but there are multi-lane sections within the ]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 ...
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
The Saco River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Sαkóhki'') is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, Maine, Portland ...
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
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, and the Crooked River in Casco Casco may refer to: Places in the United States
*Casco, Maine, a town
** Casco (CDP), Maine, a census-designated place within the town
*Casco Bay, a bay on the coast of Maine
* Casco, Missouri, a ghost town
* Casco, Wisconsin, a village
*Casco (town ...
near a boyhood home of Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.
He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
. The highway passes the north end of Jordan Bay on Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake is the deepest and second-largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine. The lake is deep at its deepest point, with a mean depth of . It is possible that Sebago is the deepest lake wholly contained within the entire New England region, ...
in the town of Raymond
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
, and crosses the Pleasant River at milepost 13.4 in Windham. US 302 bridges the Presumpscot River
The Presumpscot River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river located in Cumberland County, Maine. It is the main outlet of Sebago Lake. The river ...
from Westbrook into Portland at Riverton, then reaches its eastern terminus at I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville
* Interstate ...
/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 ...
at the south end of Back Cove.
History
The eastern end of US 302 was formerly at Longfellow Square
Longfellow Square is a public square in Portland, Maine, United States. Named for the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it is one of the three main squares on the city's Congress Street — the others being Congress Square
Congress Square ( ...
in Portland, Maine. The highway follows a 19th-century stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
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
A post road is a road designated for the transportation of postal mail. In past centuries, only major towns had a post house and the roads used by post riders or mail coaches to carry mail among them were particularly important ones or, due ...
for the United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
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
The Bridgton and Saco River Railroad (B&SR) was a narrow gauge railroad that operated in the vicinity of Bridgton and Harrison, Maine. It connected with the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad (later Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division) from ...
from 1883 to 1941. The highway through Crawford Notch follows the Tenth New Hampshire Turnpike built in 1803 and parallels the Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a U. S. Class I railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expanded to w ...
Mountain Division
The Mountain Division (later the Mountain Subdivision) is a railroad line that was once owned and operated by the Maine Central Railroad (MEC). It stretches from Portland, Maine on the Atlantic Ocean, through the Western Maine Mountains and Whi ...
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.[Johnson, Ron ''Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division'' p. 9]
From 1922 until 1935, much of what is now US 302 was a part of the New England road marking system
,
,
,
,
,
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. ...
, designated as Route 18, from Portland, Maine, northwest to Littleton, New Hampshire
Littleton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,005 at the 2020 census. Situated at the northern edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River.
The main vil ...
, roughly . 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
New Hampshire Route 18 is a state highway in northwestern New Hampshire. It is a local road serving Franconia, Bethlehem, and Littleton, New Hampshire, which I-93 bypasses. Its northern extension, Vermont Route 18, continues northward from the ...
and Vermont Route 18 to St. Johnsbury, Vermont (closely paralleling I-93
Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...
), then along present-day 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 ...
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
Woodsville is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest village in the town of Haverhill in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, along the Connecticut River at the mouth of the Ammonoosuc River. The population was 1,431 at the 2 ...
, 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
See also
Special routes
*U.S. Route 302 Business (Bartlett, New Hampshire)
New Hampshire Route 16 (NH 16) is a , north–south state highway in New Hampshire, United States, the main road connecting the Seacoast region to the Lakes Region and the White Mountains. Much of its length is close to the border with Maine. ...
, a loop connecting US 302 to Lower Bartlett. It is locally known as the Intervale Resort Loop and is signed only as New Hampshire Route 16A.
Related state highways
*New Hampshire Route 18
New Hampshire Route 18 is a state highway in northwestern New Hampshire. It is a local road serving Franconia, Bethlehem, and Littleton, New Hampshire, which I-93 bypasses. Its northern extension, Vermont Route 18, continues northward from the ...
* Vermont Route 18
References
External links
Endpoints of U.S. Highway 302
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