Maine State Route 5
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Termini and Mileage (2006)	Termini Main alignment: Int of RTE 5, GRAND AVE, Old Orchard Beach to Int of ELM ST, N MAIN ST, NEWT, Andover Mileage Main alignment: 118.54 miles (total over all segments)
Notes and History	Like ME 4, ME 5 primarily serves the western portions of the state near the New Hampshire border. Designated after the Maine Great Renumbering, it was a slightly longer route as first inaugurated. From Old Orchard Beach, it took over that portion of old ME 205 (parts also former ME 110) to near Cornish, then co-signed with ME 25 to ME 113 and up ME 113 through Hiram to Fryeburg, then along old ME 210 to near Lynchville, then up with new route ME 35 over old ME 118 to Bethel (see ME 35 for details of their cosignage in Bethel) and up US 2 (and partially ME 26) to Rumford Pt, where it then followed old ME 219 to terminate in South Arm at the lower portion of Lower Richardson Lake, along what is now South Arm Rd. This routing persisted until 1979-80 when it was cut back to ME 120 at Andover and is no longer numbered highway. In Bethel, ME 5 (and old ME 118) originally approached US 2 along Mill Hill Rd and Church St, as shown in the 1941 topo (warning: large image). The current routing along Lovers Ln was probably done as part of the US 2 interchange reconfiguration (see US 2). Surprisingly, I-195's construction in Saco did not greatly impact ME 5's routing. ME 5 followed a circuitous routing in Saco, entering town on Bradley St, northeast on Spring St, joining ME 112 on North St southeast to US 1, then northeast again along US 1 to Ocean Park Avenue where it left east towards Old Orchard Beach. After the first stage of I-195 was constructed between Saco and Old Orchard Beach in 1982 partially over ME 5's alignment on Ocean Park Ave, it was shifted to a parallel routing called Ocean Park Rd and rejoined its old alignment at the end of I-195. (There is an irregularity about this -- see ME 5B.) However, the remainder of the routing remained intact. See also ME 5A, ME 5B and ME 5S.
Additional Photographs
Signage for US 1 along ME 5 near Saco.
Additional Resources	Maine Highways: Route 5 (JP Kirby)

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