Notes and History |
Despite US 302 being technically the youngest non-bannered US highway in
Maine, US 202 was the last of the mainline 2du/3dus to be designated
intrastate; although it was first designated in 1934, it did not actually
appear in the route logs until after 1936 (first seen in the 1937-8 map).
Regardless of its being the relative
latecomer, it is an extremely important arterial in southern and central
Maine serving Sanford, Gorham, Auburn-Lewiston, Augusta and Bangor. Unlike
most of
the other US highways which own or control most of their own alignments and
stand typically alone, large portions of US 202 are cosigned with other
state routes. In
fact, the Hampden expressway alignment (see below) is the only alignment
US 202 travels alone upon due to
its delayed appearance in the state and the routes already present that it
overlaid.
As originally designated in 1936, US 202 entered the state
with ME 11 along former lettered highway
U: with ME 11 into Sanford, leaving ME 11 and
picking up ME 4 (now ME 4A) in Sanford, and continuing to Alfred (now
with modern ME 4). From there,
it followed ME 4 through Waterboro and Hollis into
Bar Mills, continued with ME 4 through Gorham and Fosters Corners,
briefly picked up ME 115 with ME 4 into Gray, left ME 115 and
picked up ME 100 with ME 4 to Danville (where it picked up what
was formerly ME 3), rejoined ME 11 entering Auburn, crossed the
Androscoggin River leaving ME 4 as ME 11/ME 100/US 202 (and
originally ME 3), continued through Winthrop to Manchester where
it picked up ME 17, and entered Augusta as ME 11/ME 17/ME 100/US 202
(and for a time ME 3). Leaving ME 11, joining US 201 and crossing the
Kennebec as ME 17/ME 100/US 201/US 202, it picked up ME 9
(becoming ME 3/ME 9/ME 17/ME 100/US 201/US 202!) and exited east
with ME 3 and ME 9 leaving ME 100 with US 201. US 202 continued
with ME 3 and ME 9 to South China where ME 3 left, and from there
solely with ME 9 through Unity and Dixmont to Hampden, joining US 1
(now US 1A) into Bangor to terminate.
US 202 as originally signed terminated at its parent, US 2, in downtown
Bangor (ironically with ME 100, another famous chain of multiplexes);
this last segment used a busy co-signed section with US 1A
and ME 9 between Interstate 395 and US 2. Based on signage dates
on I-395 and the 1989 USRN, somewhere between 1986 and 1989
this section was removed from the official routing and
US 202 was designated to terminate at I-395 exit 3, reflected
both in total number of miles in the highway system and changes in the
terminus description.
Despite this, signage still remains along I-395, and the
old END
US 202 sign is still at the corner of Main and Hammond Sts where it
intersected US 2, along with the END sign for ME 100. Although it
logically eliminates yet another useless multiplex, it is somewhat of a shame
in that US 202 now no longer touches its mother route, and it creates
a new useless multiplex by leaving it along its Interstate routing for a
single mile only to terminate an exit later.
Significant portions
of US 202 and its component highways today run on expressway, meaning
it has undergone a large number of realignments in the manner of the other
major mainlines like US 1. Here are some of the known changes:
- Lebanon. ME 11/US 202 (and NEI 11)
had a more circuitous routing in this region as originally designated as
seen in the
1944 topo (warning:
large image).
From Blaisdell Corners, the original routing proceeded up W Lebanon Rd
to Upper Guinea Rd over the Big Brook, then to Center Rd and southeast
to Upper Cross Rd, then northeast to Depot Rd, crossing over modern
ME 11/US 202 in the process to Creamery Hill Rd where it rejoins the
modern alignment. The modern alignment appears on the
1958 topo
(warning: large image), consistent with the 1953 Big Brook bridge
presently in use making that the most likely date of realignment.
- Sanford. See ME 4A. Unlike Bar Mills, US 202 did not move
with ME 4 to its new alignment, but is now co-signed with ME 4A
over the portion that was formerly ME 4.
A very small bypassed alignment of ME 11/US 202
(and NEI 11) remains as Welch Ln, which can be seen on the
1944 topo and
subsequent 1958 topo
(warning: large images). The bypass must have been relatively late
as the old alignment still appears on the 1962 general atlas too.
- Alfred. Although ME 4/US 202 in this region doesn't
appear to have been significantly altered, its old terminus with ME 111
was, which used to be at the corner of Saco Rd and Oak St. ME 111 now
comes off at the junction of ME 4A/US 202 and ME 4; see ME 111
for the history of this change.
North of ME 111, ME 4/US 202 now occupies a curve-straightened alignment
to the west now signed as Waterboro Rd and Main St. The former alignment
is Shaker Hill Rd and can be seen on the
1944 topo (warning:
large image). The modern alignment appears on
1956 topo (warning:
large image), consistent with the 1951 bridge date for the Shaker Pond
outlet making that the most likely date of realignment.
- Waterboro. Approaching East Waterboro, ME 4/US 202 now
occupies a curve-straightened alignment signed as Main St. The former
alignments are signed
as a portion of Justin Way, Sanford Rd (now discontinuous) and Old Mast
Camp Rd, and can be seen on the
1944 topo (warning:
large image). The Old Mast Camp Rd alignment is straightened by the 1962
general atlas, but the Justin Wy/Sanford Rd alignment was apparently
done rather later and its history is unclear.
- Hollis-Bar Mills. ME 4/US 202 (and mostly ME 117)
were realigned to a new routing 1937-8 along what is now Hollis Rd, Old
Alfred Rd and the Narragansett Trail, leaving the
former alignment on Bar Mills Rd and Main St as ME 4A.
After that, an additional realignment occurred bypassing Salmon Falls using
what is now signed Hollis Rd; this was probably done in 1948 based on the
age of the Saco River crossing.
- Fosters Corners. ME 4/US 202 and US 302 intersect at a
rotary signed as the intersection of Gray Rd and Roosevelt Trail; the
original intersection was at Lotts Dr and Roosevelt Trail, and can be
seen on the 1944 topo
(warning: large image). The modern alignment is seen on the
1957 topo (warning:
large image).
- Gray. ME 4/ME 100/US 202 (and for a time ME 3) occupy
a minimally straightened alignment signed as Lewiston Rd. The former
alignment appears to be Foster Hill Rd and must have been bypassed very
early, as it appears on the
1892 topo
(warning: large image), but is already bypassed by the
1944 topo
(warning: large image).
- Auburn-Lewiston. Originally ME 4/ME 100/US 202 (and
for a time ME 3) entered Auburn on Washington St on
the modern northbound alignment, joining ME 11 (and terminating
ME 121) at Minot Ave, and then heading east on Court St.
From there, ME 4 separated
at Pleasant St and ME 11/ME 100/US 202
(and ME 3) crossed the Androscoggin River into Lewiston, today on a 1983
600' span, leaving the city as Main St. This original alignment can be
seen on the
1942 topo and
1956 topo (warning:
large images).
In 1958, ME 4/ME 100/US 202 along Washington
St was upgraded to a dual-carriageway, semi-expressway alignment. The former
alignment became the northbound lanes, and new southbound lanes were
constructed which are also part of administrative ME 4S. The Rotory St
connector with ME 11/ME 121 was built as part of this upgrade.
Due to the increased traffic volumes, ME 4 was subsequently upgraded
north of the US 202 separation and realigned to Union St; see ME 4.
- Greene-Foggs Corner. ME 11/ME 100/US 202 now occupies
a curve-straightened alignment to the east. The former alignment is
Daggett Hill Rd (in two portions) and can be seen on the
1942 topo (warning:
large image). The modern alignment appears on the
1956 topo (warning:
large image).
- Greene. ME 11/ME 100/US 202 now occupies a center-straightened
alignment slightly bypassing the town to the north with a complex history.
The original alignment through Greene is shown on the
1908 topo, variously
signed as W Main Rd, Main St, Barrel Shop Rd and Penney Ln, and east of
there the small fragments also signed as Main St. Old Lewiston Rd and
Key Hill Rd also appear to be portions of the former alignment. By the
1942 topo (warning:
large image), the easternmost
portion of Main St is curve-straightened, but the alignment through Greene
is preserved (although this topo also shows a routing along Wiley Rd which is
not only not the modern alignment, but is also discordant with the
earlier 1934 National Surveys map, so this may have been erroneous).
The completed modern alignment appears by the
1956 topo (warning:
large image).
- Norris Hill-Monmouth.
ME 11/ME 100/US 202 now occupies a bypass alignment to the northwest.
The former alignment is Norris Hill Rd, Academy Rd, and Main St (partially
with ME 132), and can be seen on the 1941-2 topos:
south and
north (warning:
large images). The modern alignment is seen on the
1956 topo (warning:
large image).
This realignment also lengthened ME 132 to modern US 202.
- North Monmouth. ME 11/ME 100/US 202 now occupies a
straightened
alignment to the southeast. The former alignment is signed as Old Lewiston
Rd, branching off just after the ME 132 junction, and
can be seen on the 1941
topo (warning: large image). The history of this
change is unclear, but a nearby crossing on the current alignment over the
Wilson Stream is dated 1946, and the modern alignment appears on the 1961
general atlas.
- Winthrop. Just after Old Lewiston Rd rejoins the modern alignment,
ME 11/ME 100/US 202 upgrades to expressway with the ME 41/ME 133
interchange on Western Avenue;
ME 11/ME 100/US 202 then completely bypasses the
town to the south, leaving the former alignment as Old Western
Avenue and Main St, which can be seen on the 1943 topo (warning: large image).
The realignment
likely occurred in 1955 based on bridge dates and map trajectory analysis.
- East Winthrop. ME 11/ME 100/US 202 now occupies a
curve-straightened alignment. The former alignment is signed as Pine
Knoll Rd, Old Village Rd and Turtle Run Rd, and can be seen on the
1892 topo (warning:
large image). These alignments must have been bypassed relatively early
as the modern alignment appears on the 1943 topo (warning: large image).
- Augusta. ME 11/ME 17/ME 100/US 202 enters town as
Western Avenue; however, there is a road signed Old Winthrop Rd,
split by the Augusta State Airport built around World War II,
resuming as Winthrop St at US 202 et al on the
other side. A 1934 National Survey
map shows this alignment already bypassed and the modern one in use, so it
is unclear if this was ever part of the official routing, but it does
appear as a through route on the
1892 topo (warning:
large image).
Originally ME 17/ME 100/US 201/US 202
crossed the Kennebec
on the Father Curran Bridge until the Memorial Bridge was built in
1949. For the history of the Augusta Kennebec River crossings, see US 201.
Outside of town, ME 3/ME 9/US 202 was altered
with the ME 3 bypass construction (see ME 3);
the old ME 3/ME 9/US 202
alignment is now Hidden Haven Ln and ME 3 branches off towards its current
terminus at I-95. Currently, Google Maps has a
mismatch
between the satellite and map layers, using the correct alignment for
the map but an image of ME 3 under construction for the satellite view.
- South Vassalboro. ME 3/ME 9/US 202 now occupies a
curve-reduced alignment variously signed as Belfast Ave
and Augusta Rd. The former alignments are Whitehouse Rd
and Pond Hill Rd, and appear on the
1943 topo and
1956 topo (warning:
large image). The modern alignment is seen on the 1961 general atlas.
- South China. ME 3/ME 9/ME 32/US 202 approach South China on
a straightened expressway bypass alignment to the south now signed as S
Oak Hill Rd; the former alignment
is Village St. Upon entering South China on Village St,
ME 32 previously branched south off on Old Windsor Rd
and ME 3 continued east on what is now Legion Memorial Drive with
ME 9/US 202 leaving north on Jones Rd, as seen on the
1943 topo
and 1956 topo (warning: large image).
After the reconfiguration,
ME 32 was shifted off Old Windsor Rd to deviate south at the current
"interchange" and ME 9/US 202 were directed north at a new interchange
on Lakeview Dr to join the old alignment north of town.
The modern alignment appears on the 1961 general atlas.
Towards China, ME 9/US 202 occupies a curve straightened alignment
now signed as Lakeview Dr. Part of the old alignment remains as Pond Rd
and can be seen on the same maps; similarly, the modern alignment appears
on the 1961 general atlas.
- China. ME 9/US 202 now occupies a bypass alignment to the
northeast signed as Lakeview Dr. The former alignment is Causeway Rd and
Main St, up to the junction with ME 137, which did not move (but see
ME 137 for its own realignment in this region approaching the junction),
as shown on the
1943 topo
and the 1956 topo (warning: large images),
nor on the 1961 general atlas, so it must have occurred after that time.
- Dixmont. ME 9/US 202 now occupies a curve-straightened alignment
signed as Western Ave. The former alignment is Town House Rd, Mill Stream
Rd and Wellman Pond Rd, as shown on the
1932 topo (warning:
large image). The modern alignment appears on the
1955 topo.
- Hampden-Bangor. Originally ME 9/US 202 approached Hampden on
Western Avenue and proceeded up Main Rd N/Main St with US 1A, where
they crossed into Bangor and US 202 terminated as described above, as
seen on the 1948 topo
(warning: large image); this
persisted even after the initial construction of Interstate 395.
In 1965, a new expressway bypass was constructed for US 202, the only
section it wholly controls, linking I-395 more or less directly
into Hampden at
Western Avenue just before Main Rd. From there, US 202 was briefly cosigned
with I-395 to the US 1A junction and continued into town as previously.
US 202, as mentioned above, now terminates administratively along I-395.
For realignments related to the formerly cosigned portion with US 1
and US 1A, see US 1A.
There is no evidence to suggest that Main St and Old Danville Rd
in Auburn-Lewiston was
signed as US 202 (or, for that matter, ME 4) at any point going back
as far as 1934.
Up to Alfred, US 202 (and its component highways) are signed as the Carl
Broggi Highway (continuing on ME 111), named for Sanford local booster Carl Broggi
who went on to become the first
State Commissioner of the Deparment of Development of Industry and Commerce.
Involved in many charitable projects in the region for literally decades,
Broggi's rise to fame came in 1954 when he stepped in
after the closure of the Goodall-Sanford Mills ravaged the local economic
climate and helped to establish the Sanford-Springvale Chamber of Commerce
as its first president.
Broggi's efforts brought tremendous and much needed local investment and
national recognition, and in commemoration his efforts were
dramatized by
Darren
McGavin in 1955 on the NBC Armstrong Circle Theatre ("The Town That
Refused To Die"). Heralded as "the man who helped save Sanford," Governor
Edmund Muskie named him as commissioner to his new Department and Broggi
immediately sprang to work expanding his Sanford Plan tactics to serve
a statewide scope. Sadly, Broggi passed away suddenly in 1956 at the age
of only 47. As a memorial to his pioneering work towards the economic
advancement of the state, the legislature named US 202 through Alfred
and sections of ME 111 the Carl Broggi Hwy in 1957.
US 202 is also signed in parts as the Narragansett Trail. The name probably
comes from the designation of Maine's numbered
Narragansett townships by the General Court
of Massachusetts for the soldiers of the Narragansett War of 1675, waged
against the tribe now
officially known as the Nahahiganseck Sovereign Nation. These townships have
survived to the present day, although they are no longer numbered; for example,
Narragansett Number 7 is now Gorham.
The portions of US 202 signed over ME 100 are part of the
Pine Tree Trail.
See also ME 202SH.
|
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