U.S. Route 1 in Maine

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U.S. Route 1

Length:

527.19 mi^[1]^[2] (848 km)

Formed:

1926

South end:

US 1 in Portsmouth, NH

Major
junctions:

US 302 in Portland

SR 9 in Calais

US 2 in Houlton

North end:

Route 161 in Clair, NB

State Routes in Maine
< I-495		US 2 >
< Route 20	N.E.		Route 25 >
United States Numbered Highways
List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

In the U.S. state of Maine, U.S. Route 1 is a major north-south state highway serving the eastern part of the state. It parallels the Atlantic Ocean from New Hampshire north through Portland, Brunswick, and Belfast to Calais, and then the St. Croix River and the rest of the Canadian border via Houlton to Fort Kent. The portion along the ocean, known as the Coastal Route, provides a scenic alternate to Interstate 95.

[edit] Route description

Main article: Baxter Boulevard

A distance marker on the Baxter Boulevard path in Portland

In northern Portland, US 1 uses Baxter Boulevard, a roadway around the west side of Back Cove. It was named after James P. Baxter, a former mayor, and served as the means to head north from downtown Portland before Tukey's Bridge, now on I-295, was built. Northbound Route 1 merges with I-295 for a few hundred yards just north of Tukey's Bridge, before separating again at exit 9.

The Charles Loring Highway is part of US 1 in Portland, Maine. Like Loring Air Force Base it is named for Charles J. Loring, Jr..

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[edit] History

US 1 south of Calais was initially part of the Atlantic Highway, and became Route 1 when the New England road marking system was established in 1922.^[3] The northward continuation from Calais was later designated as part of Route 24. In the original plan, Route 24 was to run from Brunswick to Moosehead Lake in Greenville. By 1925, however, Maine had transferred the Route 24 designation to a completely new alignment on the eastern edge of the state, running from Calais to Madawaska at a border crossing with Edmunston, New Brunswick.

The initial 1925 plan for the U.S. Highway system took US 1 along the better-quality inland route (then Route 15)^[4] between Bangor and Houlton, and placed US 2 on the coastal route.^[5] This changed in the final 1926 plan, when the inland shortcut - now generally followed by Interstate 95 - became part of US 2.^[6]

The Waldo-Hancock Bridge opened in 1931,^[7] allowing US 1 to bypass Bangor; the old route became US 1A.

The portion between Portland and Brunswick was rebuilt, mainly as a four-lane divided highway, in the 1950s, and later absorbed into I-95 (now I-295). A freeway from Brunswick east to Bath was built in the 1960s.