U.S. Route 7 in Vermont
U.S. Route 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Allen Highway[1] | ||||
<mapframe>: Couldn't parse JSON: Syntax error Map of Vermont with US 7 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by VTrans | ||||
| Length | 176.328 mi[2] (283.772 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926[3]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end | File:US 7.svg US 7 at the Massachusetts state line in Pownal | |||
| ||||
| North end | File:I-89.svg I-89 near Highgate | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Vermont | |||
| Counties | Bennington, Rutland, Addison, Chittenden, Franklin | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south highway extending from southern Connecticut to the northernmost part of Vermont. In Vermont, the route extends for 176 miles (283 km) along the western side of the state as a mostly two-lane rural road, with the exception of an expressway section between Bennington and East Dorset. US 7 is known as the Ethan Allen Highway for its entire length through the state, named after the US Revolutionary War general.[1] US 7 ends at an interchange with Interstate 89 (I-89) in the town of Highgate, just south of the Canada–United States border. I-89 continues to the border crossing.
Route description
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US 7 crosses the Massachusetts–Vermont state line at Pownal, from where the road heads north to Bennington as a rural two-lane highway. Just north of downtown Bennington, the highway transitions into a limited-access highway. For three miles (4.8 km), US 7 is a true expressway with divided carriageways and multiple lanes. The road subsequently narrows down to an undivided two-lane freeway; however, many stretches have passing lanes. This continues to a point just south of East Dorset, where US 7 reverts to a surface road. Most of US 7 between East Dorset and the Canada–United States border is an undivided, uncontrolled road varying in width from two to four lanes. Two divided highway sections also exist: a 10-mile (16 km) section south of Rutland and a three-mile (4.8 km) stretch with numerous traffic signals between Shelburne and South Burlington known as Shelburne Road. There is overhead signage at the junction with I-189 in South Burlington that directs northbound trucks onto I-189. While US 7 heads directly into Burlington, I-189 bypasses the city to the south and east and leads directly to I-89, which runs close to US 7 north of Winooski. Near downtown Burlington, US 7 intersects with US 2; the latter route joins US 7 for more than nine miles (14 km) to Colchester. From here, US 7 and I-89 run through northern Vermont to Highgate, where US 7 ends at the northernmost exit on I-89.
History
US 7 was assigned in 1926.[3] I-89 was originally envisioned to parallel US 7 from the Canadian frontier to the Massachusetts border.[disputed – discuss] This plan was ultimately canceled, and I-89 was shifted to its current alignment, turning southeast at Burlington toward Montpelier and White River Junction. Prior to the cancelation of the original I-89 routing, approximately 25 miles (40 km) of freeway (mostly super two with some four-lane sections) was built in the US 7 corridor between Bennington and Manchester, plus an additional seven miles (11 km) of four-lane highway between Wallingford and Rutland were completed.
Major intersections
Suffixed routes
US 7 has two suffixed routes, both of which are old alignments of US 7.
- VT 7A (27.820 mi or 44.772 km) is an alternate route of US 7 between Bennington and Dorset.[2] The route is signed as "Historic VT 7A" to distinguish it, the original routing of US 7, from the modern US 7 limited-access highway.
- VT 7B (6.786 mi or 10.921 km) is an alternate route of US 7 through the towns of Wallingford and Clarendon.[2] VT 7B was the original alignment of US 7 prior to the construction of the current US 7 divided highway through the area.[citation needed] The route intersects US 7 five times (including the terminuses) and overlaps it for 0.716 miles (1.152 km) in Clarendon.[2]
US 7 Alternate
| Location | Burlington |
|---|---|
| Length | 2.107 mi[2] (3.391 km) |
U.S. Route 7 Alternate (US 7 Alt.) is an alternate route of US 7 in Burlington. The southbound-only US 7 Alt. begins at the intersection of Hyde Street and Riverside Avenue (US 2 and US 7) and runs for a distance of 2.107 miles (3.391 km)[2] in the following manner: west on Riverside Avenue, south on North and South Winooski avenues, south on St. Paul Street, and south on Shelburne Street to its end at US 7 at a roundabout intersection with South Willard Street (US 7) and Locust Street. Mainline US 7 travels over Hyde Street and North and South Willard streets until the aforementioned intersection. As of July 2016, there are three US 7 Alt. assemblies along the route. The original one is located on Saint Paul Street in Burlington, just south of the intersection with South Winooski Avenue and Howard Street, with the newer two on South Winooski Avenue, with one at the intersection with Pearl Street, and the other at Main Street. As of November 2022[update], in conjunction with the reconstruction of the rotary-style intersection where US 7 Alt. terminates, there is a new directional US 7 Alt. sign installed in the rotary, along with a lone reassurance US 7 Alt. marker installed just to the north.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 State of Vermont Board of Libraries (April 28, 2008). "Vermont Named State Highways and Bridges" (PDF). Department of Libraries, State of Vermont. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Traffic Research Unit (May 2013). "2012 (Route Log) AADTs for State Highways" (PDF). Policy, Planning and Intermodal Development Division, Vermont Agency of Transportation. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- ↑ Huntley, Katharine (November 17, 2022). "Burlington officials celebrate early completion of roundabout". WCAX3. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
External links
- File:Commons-logo.svg Media related to U.S. Route 7 in Vermont at Wikimedia Commons
- Infobox road instances in Vermont
- U.S. Highways in Vermont
- Rutland, Vermont
- Burlington, Vermont
- Transportation in Addison County, Vermont
- Transportation in Bennington County, Vermont
- Transportation in Rutland County, Vermont
- Transportation in Chittenden County, Vermont
- Transportation in Franklin County, Vermont
- Two-lane freeways in the United States
- U.S. Route 7