New England Interstate Highway System

New England Interstate Highways of the 1920s

In 1922, the six New England states devised a system to number its emerging highway system with a numbering system, replacing the confusing system the in use of painting colored bands and symbols on telegraph poles. Under this system, multi-state "interstate" routes would have numbers less than 100, with odd numbered routes running east-west, and even numbered routes north-south. The directional rule wasn't followed very well, particularly for higher numbered routes. Numbers above 100 were for individual state highways, and could be duplicated among the states.
New York State also participated in this system for routes east of the Hudson River, although they broke the rules with many of their routes.
In 1926 the US Highway system came into being. Since US highways used odd mumbers for north-south routes and even for east-west, New England highways that became US routes received new numbers. The only exception was New England Route 1m which became (part of) US 1. New England routes that didn't become US routes became "ordinary" state routes, receiving new numbers in some cases when they conflicted with a US route in the same state. Many of these numbers are still used today for state route numbers.

Route No.	Dir.	South or West End	North or East End	Length	Through	Replaced By
1	E/W	(New York, NY) Greenwich, CT	Calais, ME	617	New York, NY Bridgeport, CT New Haven, CT New London, CT Westerly, RI Providence, RI Boston, MA Portsmouth, NH Portland, ME Bangor, ME Calais, ME	US 1
2	N/S	New Haven, CT	(Québec, QC) Derby Line, VT	296.5	New Haven, CT Hartford, CT Springfield, MA Brattleboro, VT White River Jct, VT St. Johnsbury, VT Derby Line, VT	US 5
2A	N/S	West Burke, VT	Derby, VT	26	West Burke, VT Westmore VT Derby, VT	VT 5A
3	E/W	Bedford, NY Ridgefield, CT	Provincetown, MA	300.5	Bedford, NY Danbury, CT Hartford, CT Providence, RI New Bedford, MA Falmouth, MA Chatham, MA Provincetown, MA	US 6 MA 28
4	N/S	(New York,NY?) (Amenia, NY) Sharon, CT	Montréal QC Highgate Springs, VT	234.5	Amenia, NY Sharon, CT Great Barrington, MA Pittsfield, MA Bennington, VT Rutland, VT Burlington, VT Highgate Springs, VT	US 7
5	E/W	Albany NY Pittsfield, MA	Boston, MA	155	Albany NY Springfield, MA Worcester, MA Boston, MA	US 20
6	N/S	Orleans, MA	Colebrook, NH	319	Orleans, MA Plymouth, MA Boston, MA Lowell, MA Nashua, NH Manchester, NH Concord, NH Franklin, NH Plymouth, NH Lancaster, NH Colebrook, NH	US 3 MA 3 MA 6A
6A	N/S	Kingston, MA	Quincy, MA		Kingston, MA Scituate, MA Quincy, MA	MA 3A
6A	N/S	Franklin, NH	West Plymouth, NH	24.5	Franklin, NH Bristol, NH West Plymouth, NH	NH 3A
7	E/W	Troy, NY Hancock, MA	Boston, MA	152	Troy, NY N. Adams, MA Greenfield, MA Fitchburg, MA Lexington, MA Boston, MA	MA 2 MA 2A MA 43
8	N/S	Stratford, CT	Wilmington, VT ? Londonderry, VT ?		Stratford, CT Waterbury, CT Torrington, CT Winstead, CT W. Becket, MA North Adams, MA Wilmington, VT Londonderry, VT ?	CT 8 MA 8 VT 8
9	E/W	Troy, NY Bennington, VT	Wells, ME		Troy, NY Bennington, VT Brattleboro, VT Keene, NH Henniker, NH Concord, NH Dover, NH Wells, ME	NY 7 VT 9 NH 9 ME 9
10	N/S	Saybrook, CT (now Old Saybrook)	Littleton, NH		Saybrook, CT Hartford, CT Granby, CT Westfield, MA Northhampton, MA Greenfield, MA Keene, NH Lebanon, NH Littleton, NH	CT 10 Old CT 9 MA 10 NH 10
11	E/W	Manchester, VT	Biddeford, ME		Manchester, VT Springfield, VT Newport, NH Franklin, NH Laconia, NH Rochester, NH Sanford, ME Biddeford, ME	VT 11 NH 11 US 202 ME 111
12	N/S	New London, CT	Derby, VT		New London, CT Norwich, CT Putnam, CT Worcester, MA Fitchburg, MA Winchendon, MA Keene, NH Claremont, NH Windsor, VT Montpelier, VT Barton, VT Derby, VT	CT 12 CT 32 MA 12 NH 12 VT 12
12A	N/S	Randolph, VT	Northfield, VT		Randolph, VT E. Granville, VT Roxbury, VT Northfield, VT
12B	N/S	Hardwick, VT	Coventry, VT		Hardwick, VT Craftsbury, VT Albany, VT Coventry, VT
13	E/W	Whitehall, NY Fair Haven, VT	White River Jct. VT	59	Whitehall, NY Fair Haven, VT Rutland, VT Bridgewater, VT White River Jct. VT	US 4
14	N/S	Burlington, VT	White River Jct. VT	96	Burlington, VT Montpelier, VT Barre, VT Royalton, VT White River Jct. VT	US 2 VT 14
15	E/W	Burlington, VT	Houlton, ME	428	Burlington, VT Morrisville, VT St. Johnsbury, VT Lancaster, NH Rumford, ME Wilton, ME Skowhegan, ME Bangor, ME Houlton, ME	US 2 VT 15
16	N/S	Portsmouth, NH	Errol, NH	145.5	Portsmouth, NH Dover, NH Conway, NH Berlin, NH Errol, NH	NH 16 NH 153
17	E/W	(Hudson, NY ?) Great Barrington, MA	Pawcatuck, CT	115	Great Barrington, MA Norfolk, CT Hartford, CT Norwich, CT Pawcatuck, CT	US 44 US 7 CT 2
18	N/S	Portland, ME	Montpelier, VT	166.5	Portland, ME Fryeburg, ME Littleton, NH St. Johnsbury, VT Montpelier, VT	US 302 US 2 NH 18 VT 18
20	N/S	Brunswick, ME	Jackman, ME	152	Brunswick, ME Augusta, ME Waterville, ME Skowhegan, ME Jackman, ME Québec, QC	US 201
22	*N/S*	*New York, NY*	Hillsdale, NY poss. to Plattsburg, NY		New York, NY White Plains, NY Bedford, NY Brewster, NY Amenia, NY Hillsdale, NY ... Plattsburg, NY ?	*NY 22*
23	E/W	*Hudson, NY*	Gt. Barrington, MA	27	Hudson, NY Hillsdale, NY Great Barrington, MA ... Woronoco, MA ?	NY 23 MA 23
24	N/S	Houlton, ME	Ft. Kent, ME ? Madawasca, ME	99	Houlton, ME Presque Isle, ME Caribou, ME Van Buren, ME Madawasca, ME	North end of US 1
25	E/W	Montpelier, VT	Portland, ME	182	Montpelier, VT Wells River, VT Haverhill, NH Plymouth, NH Meredith,NH W. Ossipee, NH Standish, ME Portland, ME	US 302 NH 25 ME 25?
25A	E/W	W. Topsham, VT	Bradford, VT	18	W. Topsham, VT E. Corinth, VT Bradford, VT	VT 25
26	N/S	Portland, ME	Lemington, VT		Portland, ME Poland Spring, ME Norway, ME Errol, NH Colebrook, NH Lemington, VT	ME 26 NH 26
28	N/S	Sagamore, MA	Manchester, NH	114	Sagamore, MA Brockton, MA Boston, MA Lawrence, MA Manchester, NH	MA 28 NH 28
30	N/S	Granville, NY Poultney, VT	Alburg, VT		Alburg, VT Burlington VT Vergennes, VT Middlebury, VT Hubbardton, VT Fair Haven, VT Poultney, VT Granville, NY	VT 30 US 2 VT 22A NY 2
30A	N/S	Fair Haven, VT	Vergennes, VT		Vergennes, VT Orwell, VT Fair Haven, VT
32	N/S	Groton, CT	Newport, NH		Groton, CT Stafford, Sprs. CT Ware, MA Winchendon, MA Peterboro, NH Hillsboro, NH Henniker, NH Newport, NH	CT 32 CT 12 CT 19 MA 32 US 202 NH 114 NH 103
32A	E/W	Bradford, NH	Hopkinton, NH		Bradford, NH Warner, NH Contoocook, NH Hopkinton, NH

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