Vermont Route 17

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Vermont Route 17
Maintained by VTrans
Length: 40.409 mi[1] (65.032 km)
Formed: By 1930[2]
West end: NY 9N / NY 22 via NY 910L in Crown Point, NY
Major
junctions:		 US 7 in New Haven
VT 116 in Bristol
East end: VT 100 in Waitsfield
Counties: Addison, Chittenden, Washington
Vermont Routes
< VT 16 VT 18 >

Vermont Route 17 is a 40.409-mile (65.032 km) long state highway in western Vermont. The western terminus is at the New York-Vermont state line on the Champlain Bridge in Chimney Point, where the route continues to New York State Route 9N/New York State Route 22 in Crown Point, New York, as New York State Route 910L, an unsigned reference route. The eastern terminus is at VT 100 in Waitsfield.

VT 17 was initially much shorter than it is today, encompassing only the Lake Champlain-Addison portion of its routing upon assignment. It was extended in the late 1960s through the Green Mountains to Waitsfield.

Contents

[edit] Route description

The routing of VT 17 varies greatly on opposite sides of the Bristol town center. West of Bristol, the route passes through generally level terrain and connects multiple communities. East of Bristol, VT 17 is more mountainous and more rural in nature.

[edit] New York

The connector road to Vermont 17, New York State Route 910L (Bridge Road), begins at an intersection with New York State Route 9N/New York State Route 22 concurrency in Crown Point, New York. Route 910L heads northward, intersecting with several local roads and passing to the east of Crown Point State Historical Park before crossing over the Champlain Bridge into Vermont.[3]

[edit] West of Bristol

VT 17 begins on the Champlain Bridge at the New York-Vermont state line, continuing the path of Bridge Road (NY 910L) through Addison County. Shortly after reaching the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, VT 17 intersects VT 125 adjacent to the Chimney Point State Historical Site at Chimney Point. The route continues northward along the lakeshore for roughly 2 miles (3 km) (passing D.A.R. State Park) before turning eastward toward Addison.[4]

Main Street (VT 17/VT 116) in Bristol
Main Street (VT 17/VT 116) in Bristol

In the center of Addison, situated 6 miles (10 km) from Lake Champlain, VT 17 intersects VT 22A. VT 17 continues east from Addison, crossing over the Otter Creek and intersecting VT 23 near Weybridge prior to curving to the northeast toward Waltham. Midway between Waltham and New Haven, VT 17 briefly overlaps U.S. Route 7, then continues eastward through New Haven to Bristol. Prior to entering the town center, VT 17 intersects VT 116. VT 116 turns east onto VT 17, joining the route through Bristol along Main Street.[4]

[edit] East of Bristol

Routes 116 and 17 reassurance shields
Routes 116 and 17 reassurance shields

Outside of Bristol, VT 17 and VT 116 are joined by the New Haven River, here marking the northern boundary of the Green Mountain National Forest. The roadway and the waterway head east, following a winding route through the Green Mountains. When the New Haven splits off to the southeast shortly afterward, VT 17 and VT 116 continue north along Baldwin Creek up to the point where VT 17 and VT 116 split. While VT 116 continues north along Beaver Brook, VT 17 remains in the vicinity of Baldwin Creek as it heads northeast through the Green Mountains.[4]

Midway between Bristol and Waitsfield, VT 17 intersects Gore Road, a local road that leads to eastern Burlington 15 miles (24 km) to the north. The route crosses into Chittenden County, as well as the Camel's Hump State Park, shortly afterward. The route leaves Chittenden County and passes into Washington County 2 miles (3 km) later upon traversing the Appalachian Gap, a mountain pass located to the north of Mount Ellen. East of the gap, VT 17 continues through the eastern Green Mountains for 6 miles (10 km) to Waitsfield, where it terminates at VT 100.[4]

[edit] History

The road connecting the ferry landing at Chimney Point to the town center of Addison was designated in 1927 as Vermont Route F-7. The ferry crossed Lake Champlain into Port Henry.[5] In 1929, the Champlain Bridge opened, connecting Chimney Point to Crown Point.[6] By the beginning of 1930, Route F-7 was renumbered to Route 17, which began at the New York state line and ended in Addison at Route 30A (now Vermont Route 22A).[2] In 1933, Vermont Route 17 was added to the state highway system, including an eastern extension to U.S. Route 7 in New Haven. Prior to that, maintenance of the road was under control of the towns.[7] As part of the 1935 state highway expansion, additional mileage was added to Vermont Route 17, which was extended 4.3 miles (6.9 km) to Vermont Route 116 in Bristol.[8]

In 1936, a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) portion of the McCullough Turnpike in Fayston,[7] which was chartered in 1933 but proved to be unprofitable,[9] was deeded back to the state of Vermont and renamed to McCullough State Highway. The road was paved during the period of 1936 and 1940. The rest of the McCullough Turnpike to Vermont Route 100 in Waitsfield became part of the state highway system in 1956. In 1965, the state legislature authorized the extension of Vermont Route 17 from Bristol to Starksboro to connect with McCullough State Highway.[7] The VT 17 designation was extended east along McCullough State Highway by 1972.[10][11]

The short connector between VT 17 and the NY 9N/NY 22 overlap in Crown Point, New York, was originally designated as part of NY 8 in the early 1930s.[12][13] NY 8 was truncated to its present northern terminus in Hague in the late 1960s;[14][15] however, the connector remains under the jurisdiction of the New York State Department of Transportation as an unsigned reference route. The internal designation has changed through the years; it was designated as New York State Route 903 by 1980[16] prior to being renumbered to its current designation of NY 910L.[17]

[edit] Major intersections

Also shown is VT 17's continuation into New York as NY 910L.

County Location Mile[1][17] Roads intersected Notes
Essex Crown Point 0.00 NY 9N / NY 22
4.11
0.000		 New York-Vermont state line; roadway becomes VT 17 eastbound and NY 910L westbound
Addison Addison
0.315 VT 125 Western terminus of VT 125
8.377 VT 22A
Weybridge 11.140 VT 23 Western terminus of VT 23
New Haven 15.735 US 7 north Northern terminus of concurrency
15.849 US 7 south Southern terminus of concurrency
Bristol 20.189 VT 116 south Western terminus of concurrency
24.503 VT 116 north Eastern terminus of concurrency
Washington Waitsfield 40.409 VT 100

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b 2006 (Route Log) AADTs - State Highways. Vermont Agency of Transportation (June 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  2. ^ a b Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book, 1930/31 edition, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930)
  3. ^ Google Maps. Overview map of NY 910L/NY 903 [map]. Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
  4. ^ a b c d State of Vermont. Official Vermont state map - Vermont Road Map & Guide to Vermont Attractions [map]. (2007) Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  5. ^ Official Automobile Blue Book, Vol.1, (Automobile Blue Books Inc., Chicago, 1926 and 1927). The 1926 edition shows the Addison-Chimney Point route as unnumbered while the 1927 edition shows the route numbered as F-7.
  6. ^ National Bridge Inventory, a database compiled by the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, available at www.nationalbridges.com. Accessed 2008-02-19.
  7. ^ a b c State Highways History, in Route Order with Route Log Notes (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation, Policy and Planning Division - Mapping (2007-10-05). Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  8. ^ State Highways History, Details of the Original 1931 1000-mile Addition and the 1935 700-mile Addition (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation, Policy and Planning Division - Mapping (2007-10-05). Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  9. ^ O.D. Gutfreund, Twentieth-Century Sprawl: Highways and the Reshaping of the American Landscape, (Oxford University Press, New York, 2004), p.146
  10. ^ United States Geological Survey. Bristol Quadrangle - Vermont - Addison Co. [map], 1 : 24,000, 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). (1963)
  11. ^ United States Geological Survey. Lake Champlain, New York; Canada; Vermont Quadrangle [map], 1 : 250,000, Eastern United States 1:250,000. (1972) Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  12. ^ Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book, 1930/31 and 1931/32 editions, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930 and 1931). The 1930/31 edition shows New York state routes prior to the 1930 renumbering
  13. ^ Sun Oil Company. Road Map & Historical Guide - New York [map]. Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. (1935)
  14. ^ United States Geological Survey. Glens Falls, NY Quadrangle [map], 1:250,000, Eastern United States 1:250,000. (1967) Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  15. ^ State of New York Department of Transportation (1970-01-01). Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  16. ^ United States Geological Survey. Port Henry, NY Quadrangle [map], 1:24,000, Eastern United States 1:24,000. (1980) Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  17. ^ a b Traffic Data Report - NY 908F to NY 953B (PDF). NYSDOT (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2007-12-23.