Maine State Route 100
<< Maine State Route 99 All Points in Maine Maine State Route 100A >>

Termini and Mileage (2006)	Termini (in-state) Main alignment: Int of FOREST, CUMBERLAND, Portland to Int of HAMMOND, CENTRAL, MA, Bangor Mileage (in-state) Main alignment: 139.7 miles (total over all segments)
Regional and National Route Information	History as Pole Highway (1919-1925) Part of the White - Blue Aroostock Trail from Fairfield to Pittsfield (today to Newport along the NEI 15 section vacated by US 2 later), and the entirety of the Blue - White Capital Way. History as New England Interstate (1925) Both 1924 maps I have on file show modern ME 100 was originally signed as part of NEI 1 (and, correspondingly, ME 100 routed on the coast on the routing that is now US 1). This is not seen by 1925, and may have only been a proposal. Modern ME 100 in Pittsfield was formerly part of NEI 15, now US 2. History as US Highway Modern ME 100 in Pittsfield was formerly part of US 2.
Notes and History	The lettered system notwithstanding, ME 100 is "officially" Maine's "first" numbered state highway -- based on the numbering system introduced by the New England Interstates, ME 100 was the lowest-numbered of the state-specific highways and as such retains significant state importance. Despite being poo-pooed for being multiplexed for nearly its entire routing (except for a small portion on Allen Avenue in Portland, modern ME 100 is always cosigned with something else, most notably US 2, US 201 and US 202), that's because for a great majority of the cases the later routes were multiplexed over it, not ME 100 over them. ME 100's original 1925 routing ran between Gray at NEI 26 (now ME 26) and Pittsfield at NEI 15 (later US 2 and now part of ME 100 itself, at the corner of what is now Somerset Ave and Main St). From Gray it proceeded to Auburn-Lewiston, Greene, Winthrop, Augusta, through Belgrade and Oakland into Waterville, Fairfield and finally Pittsfield. North of Augusta, ME 100 was routed on the Old Belgrade Rd, which is now bypassed (see ME 11). This initial routing corresponded to former lettered highways E (from Gray on), G, and part of I. Maine had great plans for its "lowest-numbered" highway, extending it as an intended large-scale west-east arterial in 1931: when US 2 was shifted to its new and present routing through Palmyra, ME 100 took control of US 2's old alignment from Pittsfield to Newport and from there shot straight on, taking over old ME 104 (now ME 7) to Dover-Foxcroft, then old ME 154 (now ME 6/ME 16) to Howland via LaGrange and Milo, and finally old ME 172 (now ME 188) through Saponac to Grand Falls Plt where it terminated as ME 172 did into local road. This is seen on consecutive maps as well. Not until 1932 was ME 100 extended south (initially along ME 26) to Portland; originally both routes terminated together at US 1, although exactly where is not exactly clear (see ME 26 and US 302; the modern routing with US 302 is seen on route logs by 1936, and has an equally uncertain original terminus). After the Maine Great Renumbering, ME 100 actually disappeared briefly (not signed at all on the 1934-5 official map) and was replaced by ME 3 from Augusta to Portland instead. The remainder of its alignment was given to ME 11 (and portions ME 27) to Pittsfield, then ME 7 through Dover-Foxcroft (and partially ME 11), ME 16 to Milo, ME 155 to LaGrange, ME 11 to Enfield and finally ME 188 to Saponac and Grand Falls Plt. In 1935, ME 100 appears again on the official map, but all of the other co-routings remained; in addition, its terminus in Portland was adjusted to US 302 instead of ME 26 (with a connector on Allen Avenue, now the only portion solely ME 100 today), it was shifted onto US 201 between Augusta and Waterville (leaving its old Belgrade alignment as part of ME 11) as it remains today, and instead of continuing up north through Newport as it had before, it was placed on a shared alignment east from there into Bangor along US 2 with its new terminus in the downtown (and its terminus in Bangor has remained the same ever since, at the corner of Hammond and Center Sts with modern US 1A), along former lettered highway I. When US 202 was finally signed in Maine, it, too, was partially placed on ME 100; see US 202. Eventually ME 3 was retracted, but not most of the other routes. Since then, ME 100 has remained relatively unmolested except for alignment changes to the routes that are signed over it. Today, it starts in Portland south of US 302 and joins it north (despite prevailing signage), transfers to ME 26 over Allen Avenue, continues with ME 26 to Gray, leaves ME 26 and joins ME 4/US 202 into Auburn where it joins with ME 11 as well, exits Lewiston with US 202 and ME 11, joins ME 17 in Manchester, joins with US 201 in Augusta and crosses the Kennebec as ME 17/US 201/US 202, loses ME 17 but gains ME 9 and exits Augusta with ME 9/US 201/US 202 before ME 9/ME 202 head east, continues on and enters Winslow with US 201, joins ME 137 and crosses the Kennebec again this time with ME 137 and US 201, leaves with US 201 along Main St, enters Fairfield with US 201 and crosses the Kennebec for a third time leaving US 201 but adding ME 11 and ME 139, leaves ME 139 in Benton, continues with ME 11 through Pittsfield to Newport where it leaves ME 11 and picks up US 2 and ME 7, leaves ME 7 in East Newport, and continues with US 2 through Carmel and Hermon into Bangor where it terminates. In particular, see US 2, US 201 and US 202 for realignments associated with those routes during their sections carried with ME 100. A fascinating throwback to the earliest days of Maine's numbered highway system, the great tradition of the multiplex started here with the very "beginning." The entirety of ME 100 is part of the Pine Tree Trail. See also ME 100A and ME 100S.
Archival Photographs
Part of the I-95 interchange for ME 11/ME 17/ME 100/US 202 along Western Avenue in Augusta (Highway News 9/60). This is just after exiting the Interstate on the approach road facing north.
Additional Photographs
End ME 222 in downtown Bangor (there is a nice Japanese restaurant just ahead on the right). US 2 and ME 100 are cosigned through most of Bangor. Note the dark navy blue "old sign style" I-95 shield. End of two routes in downtown Bangor, viewed from EB US 2: the (false) end of US 202 at US 2, and ME 100 at the end of its useless multiplex with US 2 (preserved for historical reasons). This is shown on unified signage instead of separate shields and banners. End of two routes in downtown Bangor, viewed SB at the (false) northern terminus of US 202, with two signage errors: ME 9 is not routed here (it comes with US 1A up ahead; this should be signed as "TO ME 9"), and this is the terminus of ME 100, which comes in from the right and does not continue along US 2 as the sign implies it does. On this view, US 202 starts here and proceeds straight ahead to US 1A. US 2 and ME 100 cosigned along Hammond St south of Bangor International Airport. I-395 ending at US 2 and ME 100 just southeast of the Bangor International Airport. ME 11, ME 17, ME 100 and US 202 cosigned in Augusta.
Additional Resources	Maine's Highway 100 (JP Kirby)

<< Maine State Route 99 All Points in Maine Maine State Route 100A >>

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