Vermont Route 30 (VT 30) is a north–south

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

. VT 30 runs from

U.S. Route 5 U.S. Route 5 (US 5) is a north–south United States highway running through the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Significant cities along the route include New Haven, Connecticut; Hartford, Connecticut; and Spring ...

(US 5) and VT 9 in

Brattleboro Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about no ...

to US 7 and VT 125 in Middlebury. The northern portion, from Poultney to Middlebury, was 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. ...

's Route 30, from which VT 30 got its number. The route passes through many historic small towns, and travel writers such as those at ''Southern Vermont'' have described the route as "idyllic" and "picturesque".

Route description

VT 30 starts in a residential neighborhood in

and begins to follow the

West River West River may refer to: Rivers Canada *West River (Antigonish, Nova Scotia) in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia * West River (Pictou, Nova Scotia) in Pictou County, Nova Scotia * West River (Halifax, Nova Scotia) in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia * West ...

northwest through West Dummerston, Newfane, Townshend, and

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. At Jamaica, the route climbs out of the West River valley and into Winhall, passing close to Stratton Mountain and

Bromley Mountain Bromley Mountain is located in southern Vermont, United States and is part of the Green Mountains. It is located in the town of Peru, Bennington County, seven miles (11 km) east of Manchester, Vermont and just west of the Peru town center. ...

ski areas. The route then joins VT 11 and proceeds southwest down the western slopes of the Green Mountains into

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, where it has an interchange with

US-7 U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for through the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) exit 15 ...

. At the roundabout in Manchester Center, it again turns northwest, following the

Mettawee River The Mettawee River (sometimes spelled "Mettowee River") is a tributary of Lake Champlain in western Vermont and eastern New York in the United States, passing the town of Granville, New York. The river is particularly good for rapids and kayaking. ...

Drainage through the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range () are a range of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western Vermont. ...

in the towns of

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, Pawlet, and

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

. In Poultney, VT 30 passes along the eastern edge of

Lake St. Catherine State Park First opened as a picnic and swimming area in 1953, Lake St. Catherine State Park is a state park located in Poultney, Vermont on the northern end of Lake Saint Catherine (Vermont), Lake Saint Catherine. Activities include camping, swimming, boa ...

. At Poultney, VT 30 takes on a northerly course, then crosses

US-4 U.S. Route 4 (US 4) is a long United States highway that runs from East Greenbush, New York, in the west to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the east, traversing Vermont. In New York, US 4 is signed North-South to reflect its alignment in the sta ...

in Castleton. To the north in Hubbardton, VT 30 runs along the eastern shore of

Lake Bomoseen Lake Bomoseen ( ) is a freshwater lake in the western part of the U.S. state of Vermont in the towns of Castleton and Hubbardton in Rutland County. It is the largest lake that lies entirely within the state's boundaries, with a surface area of ...

. It then continues almost due north with panoramic views of the Green Mountains and Adirondacks along a hilltop through pasture land in the towns of Sudbury, Whiting, and

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. VT 30 then descends and turns northeast, following North Main Street past

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

into a residential section of Middlebury, where it soon terminates at a roundabout with VT 125.

History

From 1922 until 1926, New England Route 30 (part of the

) ran from Granville,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, through Poultney (via New York State Route 22A), continuing north through

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

, to Alburg. The northern sections of Route 30 were assigned in 1926 to U.S. Route 7 (US 7) from Middlebury to Burlington, and to US 2 from Burlington to Alburg. Soon afterwards, Vermont extended the Route 30 designation southeast to its current

terminus. (VT 30 to Brattleboro had been in place by 1933.) In August 2011,

Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 At ...

heavily damaged large sections of VT 30 and made it impassable for a period of time.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermont Route 030 030