New England Interstate Route 26

New England Route 26
Route information
Length:	127.6 mi (205.4 km) Maine: 96.7 mi[1] (155.6 km) New Hampshire: 30.84 mi (49.62 km) Vermont: 0.013 mi (0.021 km)
Existed:	1922 – 1930s
Major junctions
South end:	Route 1 in Portland, ME
	US 1A in Portland, ME Route 15 in Bethel, ME Route 6 in Colebrook, NH
North end:	VT 102 in Lemington, VT
Highway system
New England road marking system

New England Route 26 was a multi-state state highway in the New England region of the United States. It ran from Portland, Maine, north and northwest via Errol, New Hampshire, to Lemington, Vermont. The number was assigned in 1922 as part of the New England Interstate Routes (also known as the Dixville Notch Way), and, other than being extended from U.S. Route 3 into Vermont, the route has changed little since then. The system was disbanded in the 1930s, and Route 26 was replaced by individual state highways, each retaining the original highway number.

Route description

Maine

Maine State Route 26 begins in Portland, Maine. State route logs show its southern terminus at State Route 77 in the western end of the city center at the intersection of Cumberland Avenue and State Street (southbound SR 77).^[1] From there it heads northeast along Cumberland Avenue, then turns north onto Washington Avenue.^[2] In the field, Route 26's southern end is signed at the intersection of Congress Street, Washington Avenue, and Mountfort Street in the eastern end of the city center one block south of the Cumberland Avenue intersection with Washington Avenue.^[1] From here, it follows Washington Avenue northward and joins with Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 1 over Tukey's Bridge, splitting off from that Interstate immediately on the other side of the bridge to continue northwest on Washington Avenue. Route 100 joins at Allen Avenue, and the combined Routes 26 and 100 immediately angle northward onto Auburn Street and continue together as far as the town of Gray.

From Portland, Route 26 generally parallels Interstate 95 (the Maine Turnpike) as far as Gray where it intersects with State Routes 115, 4, and US Route 202 and State Route 100 again splits off. The Turnpike begins to turn northeast at Gray, as does Route 100, but Route 26 continues north and then northwest. It crosses into New Hampshire near Upton. In Maine, Route 26 passes through Cumberland, Androscoggin and Oxford counties.

Route 26 at Dixville Notch

New Hampshire

From the Maine-New Hampshire border, New Hampshire Route 26 continues to head northwest, then turns more east–west. It runs through the mountainous area of northern New Hampshire and is entirely within Coos County. It meets Route 16 in Errol and crosses into Vermont at the bridge over the Connecticut River in Colebrook, just after crossing U.S. Route 3.

In Errol the road provides access to Umbagog Lake and Umbagog Lake State Park. It also passes through Dixville Notch, a popular skiing area and home of Dixville Notch State Park and The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel.

Vermont

Vermont Route 26 runs only 0.013 miles (about 69 feet (21 m)),^[3] and is the shortest state highway in Vermont. It runs from the west bank of the Connecticut River to Route 102, which runs along the riverbank, in Lemington.

References

See also

• New England road marking system

Browse numbered routes
← SR 25	ME	SR 26A →
← NH 25C	NH	NH 27 →
← VT 25	VT	VT 30 →
← Route 25A	N.E.	Route 28 →