Notes and History |
Despite being a plumb-line route in the Federal highway system and one of
Maine's longest, US 2 in Maine
does not have a terribly distinguished routing for purposes of transport.
In fact, it only touches one
major urban centre (Bangor), preferring to let its spurs US 202 and US 302
enter the other cities,
and mostly wanders through central Maine up into the northern
Penobscot region where it splits from US 2A up to Houlton to terminate at
I-95 (which prevents it from crossing the border as it once did).
Like US 1, large portions of US 2 were in the original 1913
lettered highway definitions, including
part of I, part of K, part of O, and V.
Tracing old alignments of US 2 is extremely hard as many of them were outright
obliterated (made harder by the fact that route logs prior to 1956 used
cities in New Hampshire and New Brunswick as termini instead of the
respective borders, distorting mileage counts).
Nevertheless, here are some of the known and likely changes:
- Bethel. Originally, US 2 entered Bethel and turned north using
an at-grade intersection with what is now ME 26, as shown on the
1941 topo (warning:
large image). The current grade separation, which also involves modern
ME 5 as well as ME 26,
carries a bridge date of 1962 which is consistent with the 1964 general
atlas showing it completed. The US 2/ME 5/ME 26
Sunday River crossing to the north of
town was also part of this project, constructed in 1963, and the ME 5
realignment from Mill Hill Rd and Church St to its modern routing on Lovers
Ln probably occurred around the same time.
- Rumford. US 2 is not known to be significantly realigned in Rumford,
but see ME 108 and ME 120.
- Dixfield-East Dixfield. US 2 (and partially ME 17) occupies a
curve-straightened alignment with pieces of its former alignment surviving as
Robbins Rd, near Tainter Corner/Dixfield
Center, and More Acres Rd near East Dixfield, both of which
can be seen on the
1929 topo (warning:
large image). On the 1956
topo (warning: large image), we can see the current alignment at Tainter
Corner, but the original alignment in East Dixfield persists even through
the 1968 general atlas. One clue is provided by the 1991 date of the
nearby US 2/ME 17 Seven Mile Stream crossing, making that date the
most reasonable suspect. Also see ME 108.
- Wilton. US 2 (and partially ME 4) now occupies a southern
bypass alignment. The former alignment appears to be Lake Rd to Main St,
where ME 4 approached on what is now Maxwell Rd, then continuing as
US 2/ME 4 along Main St into
downtown Wilton, across/briefly corouting with ME 156, through East
Wilton as Main St/East Wilton Rd, and back to the present-day mainline. This
original alignment can be seen on the 1924 topo (warning: large
image). This realignment occurred in two distinct stages; the first shifted
US 2 to new alignment south of Lake Rd, then connecting back to the old
alignment using Main St at the old ME 4 junction, as shown in the 1956 topo (warning: large
image). The second realignment shifted both US 2 and ME 4 to the new Main
St alignment with a single interchange at the new ME 4 junction,
continuing on the bypass alignment to intersect the old routing east of town.
Based on the date of the Wilson Stream crossing and map trajectory comparison,
this realignment was complete by 1962, consistent with the 1968 general
atlas showing it completed.
- Farmington. US 2/ME 4's approach into Farmington was altered
to use an evenly curved alignment instead of the somewhat crossbacked alignment
shown on the 1924
topo (warning: large image); the current alignment appears on the
1956 topo (warning:
large image), indicating the realignment occurred between those dates.
A remnant of the former alignment still exists north of the
Hannaford shopping center along the curve as Old ME-2 (NAVTEQ).
- New Sharon. US 2/ME 27 now occupy a northern bypass alignment
now signed as Farmington Falls Rd. The former alignment appears to be Main
St, and can be seen on the 1924
topo (warning: large image). The current alignment appears on the
1956 topo (warning:
large image), but the current bridge over the Sandy River actually carries
a date of 1958.
East of New Sharon, just after ME 27 splits to the southeast, US 2 occupies
a curve-straightened alignment now signed as Mercer Rd. The former alignment
is in two parts, mostly Lane Rd with the rest being Taylor Rd, and can be
seen on the 1943 topo
(warning: large image). The current alignment appears on the 1956 topo (warning: large image),
consistent with the Fillibrown Brook crossing dated 1955 making that the
likely date of realignment.
- Mercer. US 2 now occupies a southern bypass alignment. The former
alignment appears to be Main St up to the north and then back east to the
present-day mainline and can be seen on the 1943 topo (warning: large image).
The current alignment appears on the 1956 topo (warning:
large image), indicating the realignment occurred between those dates.
- Palmyra, Pittsfield. NEI 15, and original US 2, originally entered
Pittsfield probably along Higgins Rd, Weeks Rd and Somerset Avenue,
intersecting ME 100 at S Main St, and then leaving town along N Rd and
Ox Bow Rd to the modern mainline. The current routing through Palmyra
appears to have been first constructed in 1931 based on map comparison.
- East Newport. US 2/ME 100 (and partially ME 7)
now occupy a southern
bypass alignment now signed as Elm St. The former alignment appears to be
signed as Old Bangor Rd, but it must have been bypassed very early as
it already appears on the 1935
topo. It is unclear if Old Bangor Rd was even part of original NEI 15.
- Hermon-Bangor. US 2/ME 100 originally crossed directly into Bangor
entirely on a now-obliterated portion
of Hammond St, which can be seen on
the 1942 topo
and 1946 topo
(warning: large images). Part of this old alignment survives as the Hammond
Street Extension, which amusingly terminates at a cemetery in a fine
if unintentional example of roadgeek gallows humour. Subsequent extensions
to then-Dow Air Force Base (succeeded today by the civilian Bangor
International Airport, a building I am unbelievably familiar with; see
ME 222) removed
the original road in favour of building it
a new southeasterly bypass heading, which can be seen on the
1955 topo
(warning: large image), towards what is now the I-95/I-395 junction.
Near the modern I-395 terminus, US 2 and ME 100
then continued on the bypass back onto Hammond St into downtown Bangor to
resume the former alignment. The earliest incarnation of this change seems
to have occurred around 1955 based on local map comparison,
as shown on the topo, but
in 1960 the easternmost portion of the loop was obliterated with the
construction of I-95 between Hammond St and Hogan Rd and
US 2/ME 100 was routed onto the Interstate instead. In the early 1980s,
an extension of Odlin Rd was created for the airport and US 2/ME 100 moved
off the freeway to the new road between the two "Hammonds," its routing today.
Although US 2 is not known to be significantly realigned in downtown Bangor,
see US 202 and US 1A (and the terminus of ME 100).
- Veazie. US 2 now occupies a western bypass alignment now signed as
State St. The former alignment appears to be Main St and can be seen on the
1902 topo (warning: large
image). This bypass is believed to have been completed fairly early, as it
can be seen on the 1946
topo (warning: large image).
- Orono-Old Town. US 2 originally ran where modern US 2A does
today, along the University of Maine-Orono and the cemetery into Old Town
on College and Stillwater Aves and Center St to the terminus of ME 43
and over the Penobscot River; this original routing can be seen on the
1946 topo (warning:
large image). In 1954, this alignment was designated as new US 2A and the
routing switched to the extant southern bypass routing, as shown on the
1956 topo (warning:
large image).
- Greenbush.
US 2 now occupies a straightened alignment signed now
as Main Rd. The former alignments appear to be Lower, Middle and Upper River
Rds (not all are continuous today) and Military Rd, and can be seen on the
1917 topo (warning:
large image). The Beach Bridge Brook bridge, say it five times fast, carries
a date of 1938, making that the likely date of realignment.
- West Enfield.
US 2 (and partially ME 6) now occupies an eastern
bypass alignment now signed as Main Rd. The former alignment appears to be
Old County Rds S and N and can be seen on the 1917 topo (warning: large image).
It isn't exactly clear when the bypass was constructed, but it appears
as complete on the 1960 topo (warning: large image).
North of West Enfield, US 2/ME 6 occupy a curve-straightened alignment now
signed as Main Rd and W Broadway.
Most of the smaller pieces have been obliterated but
several large portions of the old alignment are represented by Oak View Ln
and further to the northeast by Mohawk Rd, and can be seen on the
1942 topo (warning:
large image -- note that in 1942, US 2 was cosigned with ME 11, not ME 6).
The current alignment appears on the
1957 topo (warning:
large image), indicating the realignment occurred between those dates.
- Chester. US 2 has been realigned to avoid directly crossing
the railroad wherever possible; one extant remnant of the prior alignment
is Old Military Rd, with US 2 occupying a northwestern "bypass" now signed
as S Main St. The former alignment can be seen on the
1920 topo,
while the current alignment can be seen on the
1960 topo (warning:
large images).
- Winn. US 2 now occupies a southern bypass alignment now signed
as S Main St. The former alignment appears to be Main St and can be seen on the
1920 topo (warning:
large image).
It isn't exactly clear when the bypass was constructed, but it appears
as complete on the
1960 topo (warning:
large image); because again this was obviously done to avoid another set of
railway at-grade crossings, this may have been done simultaneously with the
Chester realignments.
- Macwahoc. US 2 now occupies a curve-straightened alignment just
north of the US 2A split now signed as Silver Ridge Rd. The former alignment
is partially represented by Smith Rd and an unnamed, possibly obliterated,
road to the north; both can be seen on the
1942 topo (warning:
large image). The current alignment appears on the 1966 general atlas.
- Island Falls. US 2 now occupies a curve-smoothed alignment east
of town now signed as Silver Ridge Rd. Most of the smaller pieces have been
obliterated but one remnant is Ryan Lane Rd, which can be seen on the
1942 topo (warning: large
image); an unnamed, possibly obliterated, road northwest of the lake
may also be part of this realignment.
The current alignment appears on the 1966 general atlas.
- Houlton. US 2 has always approached Houlton on Smyrna St, but
today it leaves by a different route. Originally, US 2 descended south
on North St with US 1 to Main St, and then proceeded east on Main St
(where it connected with US 2A after its designation) to
join and exit the town on Military St as seen on
the 1938 topo (warning:
large image). Although the 1937 WPA map for Houlton does not make this
routing as clear, it does not dispute it. By 1949, the official
state maps show US 2 as shifted to its current routing on Military and
US 2A with it, but curiously the
1951 topo (warning:
large image) still shows the old routing. The 1967 general atlas clearly
shows the present-day alignment.
From there, US 2 originally entered Canada by itself on a now
obliterated alignment that partially survives as Old Woodstock Rd, visible on
the 1938 topo (warning:
large image). This
alignment was first partially altered by construction of what is now the
Houlton International Airport during the mid-1940s. A bizarrely conceived
border port with a single unique purpose, the strip
was borne of an American security requirement during WWII that outlawed
cross-border flights. Instead, flights would take off from Portland, land
in Houlton, be towed across into New Brunswick by tractor or horse, and
continue from there. The resulting change to US 2 is thus visible on the
1951 topo (warning:
large image); however, it was the construction of Interstate 95
through the Canadian border in 1966 that completely cut off US 2, and as a
result US 2 traffic must join I-95 just shy of the international line
to cross today.
Portions of US 2
are part of the Pine Tree Trail.
See also US 2A and ME 2SH.
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