Vermont Route 17

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Vermont Route 17 marker

Vermont Route 17
Otter Creek Highway
Route information
Maintained by VTrans
Length: 40.409 mi[1] (65.032 km)
Existed: ca. 1930[2][3] – present
Major junctions
West end: NY 185 at the New York state line in Addison
  US 7 in New Haven
VT 116 in Bristol
East end: VT 100 in Waitsfield
Location
Counties: Addison, Chittenden, Washington
Highway system

State highways in Vermont

← VT 16 VT 18 →

Vermont Route 17 (VT 17) is a 40.409-mile (65.032 km) long state highway in western Vermont in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at the New York state line in Addison, where it connects to New York State Route 185 (NY 185) by way of the Lake Champlain Bridge. Its eastern terminus is at a junction with VT 100 in Waitsfield. VT 17 was initially much shorter than it is today, extending from the Champlain Bridge to Addison upon assignment. It was extended east through the Green Mountains to Waitsfield in 1965.

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.

West of Bristol

VT 17 begins at the New York state line over Lake Champlain, where it connects to NY 185 at the midpoint of the Lake Champlain Bridge. The route heads northeastward from the state line, descending the eastern bridge approach and intersecting VT 125 adjacent to the Chimney Point State Historical Site at Chimney Point. It continues northward along the lakeshore of Addison County and the town of Addison for roughly 2 miles (3 km) (passing D.A.R. State Park) before turning eastward toward the village of Addison.[4]

VT 17 eastbound at VT 22A in Addison

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 with U.S. Route 7 (US 7), before continuing eastward through New Haven to Bristol. As the route approaches the village of Bristol, it meets VT 116 at an intersection just west of the community. VT 116 turns east here, joining VT 17 through Bristol along Main Street.[4]

East of Bristol

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 waterway head east, following a winding route through the Green Mountains. When 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 diverge. 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]

Reassurance markers along the VT 17 / VT 116 overlap

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]

History

The road connecting the ferry landing at Chimney Point to the town center of Addison was designated as VT F-7 ca. 1927. The ferry crossed Lake Champlain into Port Henry.[5] VT F-7 was extended eastward to US 7 in New Haven by 1929.[2] In 1929, the Champlain Bridge opened, connecting Chimney Point to Crown Point.[6] By the following year, the segment of VT F-7 west of VT 30A (now VT 22A) in Addison was renumbered to VT 17, which now began on the Champlain Bridge at the New York state line.[3] In 1933, all of VT 17 and the portion of VT F-7's former routing between Addison and New Haven were added to the state highway system. Prior to this time, maintenance of both roads was performed by the towns through which they passed. VT 17 was subsequently extended eastward to New Haven along VT F-7's former routing.[7] As part of the 1935 state highway expansion, additional mileage was added to VT 17, which was extended 4.3 miles (6.9 km) to VT 116 in Bristol.[8]

In 1936, a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) portion of the McCullough Turnpike in Fayston,[7] which was chartered in 1933 but proved unprofitable,[9] was deeded back to the state of Vermont and renamed to McCullough State Highway. The road, which extended eastward from the Chittenden–Washington county line, was paved during the period of 1936 and 1940. The rest of the McCullough Turnpike to VT 100 in Waitsfield became part of the state highway system in 1956. In 1965, the state legislature authorized the extension of VT 17 from Bristol to the Addison–Chittenden county line, connecting it to the McCullough State Highway by way of Chittenden County's section of the former McCullough Turnpike.[7] The VT 17 designation was extended eastward through Chittenden County and along the McCullough State Highway at this time.[10][11]

VT 17's connection to the state of New York was temporarily severed in October 2009 when the Champlain Bridge was closed due to safety concerns.[12] The bridge was demolished two months later, truncating VT 17 to the eastern shoreline of Lake Champlain[13] until its replacement, the Lake Champlain Bridge, opened to traffic on November 7, 2011.[14]

Major intersections

CountyLocationMile[1]kmDestinationsNotes
AddisonAddison0.0000.000 NY 185 (Bridge Road)Continuation into New York
0.3150.507 VT 125Western terminus of VT 125
8.37713.481 VT 22A
Weybridge11.14017.928 VT 23Northern terminus of VT 23
New Haven15.73525.323 US 7 northNorthern terminus of US 7 / VT 17 overlap
15.84925.506 US 7 southSouthern terminus of US 7 / VT 17 overlap
Bristol20.18932.491 VT 116 southWestern terminus of VT 17 / VT 116 overlap
24.50339.434 VT 116 northEastern terminus of VT 17 / VT 116 overlap
WashingtonWaitsfield40.40965.032 VT 100
     Concurrency terminus •      Closed •      Unopened

See also

Portal icon U.S. Roads portal

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "2010 (Route Log) AADTs – State Highways" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation. May 2011. pp. 21, 36, 54. Retrieved January 14, 2012. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Standard Oil Company of New York (1929). New York in Soconyland (Map). Cartography by General Drafting.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book, 1930/31 edition, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 State of Vermont (2007). Official Vermont state map - Vermont Road Map & Guide to Vermont Attractions (Map).
  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. ↑ "Champlain Bridge Opened With Fete". New York Times. August 27, 1929. p. 34. Retrieved December 28, 2009. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "State Highways History – Route Listing, Exclusive of Interstates with Route Log Notes" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation, Policy and Planning Division – Mapping. October 5, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2012. 
  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 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. ↑ Mobil Oil Company (1965). Northern New England: Maine – New Hampshire – Vermont (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company.
  11. ↑ Vermont Department of Highways (1965). Official Highway and Touring Map of Vermont (Map). Cartography by Diversified Map Corporation (1966 ed.).
  12. ↑ McKinstry, Lohr (October 17, 2009). "Vital bridge at Crown Point closed". The Press Republican. Retrieved October 31, 2009. 
  13. ↑ "It's down! Champlain Bridge imploded". Times Union (Albany, NY). December 28, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009. 
  14. ↑ Waldman, Scott (November 6, 2011). "Lake Champlain Bridge set to open". Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved November 7, 2011. 

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