U.S. Route 44

U.S. Route 44
Route information
Length:	236.7 mi (380.9 km)
Existed:	1935[1] – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 209 / NY 55 in Kerhonkson, NY
	US 9 in Poughkeepsie, NY I-84 / US 6 / I-91 in Hartford, CT I-84 / I-291 in Manchester, CT I-384 / US 6 in Bolton, CT I-395 in Putnam, CT I‑295 in Smithfield, RI I‑95 / US 1 / US 1A in Providence, RI I‑195 / US 6 in Providence, RI I‑495 in Middleborough, MA
East end:	Route 3A in Plymouth, MA
Location
States:	New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced

U.S. Route 44 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 237 miles (381 km) through four states in the Northeastern region of the United States. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 209 and New York State Route 55 in Kerhonkson, a hamlet in the Hudson Valley region of New York. The eastern terminus is at Massachusetts Route 3A in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Route description

New York

US 44 begins at US 209/NY 55 in the hamlet of Kerhonkson in Ulster County. Route 44 is about 66 miles (106 km) long in the state, progressing through Ulster and Dutchess Counties. The route crosses into Connecticut after intersecting with New York State Route 22 in Millerton.

Hairpin turn on US 44 and NY 55 near Mohonk Preserve in New York's Shawangunk Mountains.

Connecticut

From the New York state line at Salisbury to the Rhode Island state line at Putnam, US 44 runs for a total of 106.03 miles (170.64 km) in Connecticut. Most of US 44 is known in the state as the Jonathan Trumbull Highway. It begins as rural arterial road in Litchfield county, going through the towns of North Canaan, Norfolk, Colebrook, Winchester, Barkhamsted, and New Hartford. It is a 2-lane road with 4-lane sections in Winchester.^[5]

In Canton, US 44 is joined by US 202 and becomes a mostly 4-lane principal arterial road serving the Hartford metro area. US 44 continues through Simsbury, Avon, and West Hartford. US 202 splits from US 44 in Avon following the route of Route 10 after overlapping for 5.3 miles (8.5 km). US 44 then enters the city of Hartford along Albany Avenue, then goes up onto I-84/US 6 to cross the Connecticut River on the Bulkeley Bridge. In East Hartford, US 44 then returns to surface roads right after crossing the river. It becomes a 2-lane minor arterial road through Manchester, Bolton, Coventry, and Mansfield, then becomes a rural road through Willington, Ashford, Eastford, Pomfret, and Putnam. In Manchester, US 44 overlaps with US 6 for 6.9 miles (11.1 km) up to Bolton until just after the eastern terminus of I-384. This segment of US 44 up to Willington is known as the Boston Turnpike while the segment approaching Rhode Island is called Providence Pike.

Rhode Island

Signs for US 6 and US 44 in Providence

US 44 runs 26.2 miles (42.2 km) in Rhode Island. During this part of the road, Route 44 is often referred to locally as "Putnam Pike" as the road runs through Rhode Island and into Putnam, Connecticut. US 44 enters the state at Glocester, traveling through Chepachet and Harmony, villages of Glocester, as it heads towards the village of Greenville in the town of Smithfield. US 44 has a junction with I-295 in Smithfield at a cloverleaf interchange. Soon after the I-295 junction, US 44 enters the town of North Providence along Smith Street, then enters the city proper of Providence after another 1.7 miles (2.7 km). In downtown Providence, US 44 separates into one-way pairs. Eastbound US 44 runs along Canal Street and South Water Street (via a section of Memorial Boulevard). Westbound US 44 runs along South Main Street and North Main Street. US 44 joins I-195/US 6 at Exit 2 as they cross the Seekonk River into East Providence. US 44 leaves I-195/US 6 at Exit 4 just after crossing the river and continues east towards the Massachusetts state line along Taunton Avenue.

Massachusetts

Looking east on the new US 44 freeway at Route 3 in Plymouth.

US 44 runs for 38.4 miles (61.8 km) in Massachusetts. It enters the state in the town of Seekonk along Taunton Avenue. It goes to the city of Taunton passing through the towns of Rehoboth and Dighton along the way. It continues eastward from Taunton through the towns of Raynham, Lakeville, Middleborough, Carver, Plympton and Kingston before reaching its eastern terminus at Plymouth. US 44 has interchanges with Route 24 in Raynham and with Interstate 495 in Middleborough. East of the Middleborough Rotary, US 44 becomes an arterial highway for five miles (8 km) until just past the intersection with Route 105, where it turns into a two-lane freeway with a guard rail acting as a median divider for three miles (5 km) until just before the intersection with Route 58. After that, it becomes a newly built, 7.5-mile-long (12.1 km) freeway section to Route 3 which bypasses the congested business district in Plymouth. (The old section of US 44 appeared on some maps starting in 2005 as Route 44A; however, Route 44A signs were not put up after the bypass was built, and the route has not appeared in the official route log of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.) Near its eastern terminus, Route 44 overlaps Route 3 for about 1.0-mile (1.6 km), then exits and continues as a surface road for approximately another half mile, ending at Route 3A.

In Rehoboth, Route 44 passes near Anawan Rock, site of the capture of Anawan, the War Chief of the Pocasset People, in 1676. His capture marked the end of King Philip's War. In Middleborough, it passes by Oliver Mill Park, site of Judge Peter Oliver's 18th-century industrial complex. Ancient stone-walled waterways still remain here on the banks of the Nemasket River.

History

New York

US 44 was designated along its modern alignment at the beginning of 1935. West of the Hudson, it was overlaid on already existing NY 55, with US 44 officially beginning at US 209, which was extended into New York in 1935. East of the Hudson, US 44 was assigned to the original Dutchess Turnpike main line to Amenia and to the short piece of NY 199 between NY 22 and the Connecticut line. The two sections were connected via an overlap with NY 22.

Connecticut

Most of the alignment of modern US 44 in Connecticut was at one time part of an early network of turnpikes in the state during the 19th century. From the New York state line at Salisbury to the village of Lakeville, the route was the westernmost section of the Salisbury and Canaan Turnpike. Between North Canaan and New Hartford, modern US 44 was known as the Greenwoods Turnpike. The southeastward continuation of the Greenwoods road to the West Hartford-Hartford line was known as the Talcott Mountain Turnpike. From East Hartford to Eastford, the Boston Turnpike was chartered mostly along modern US 44 as the direct route from Hartford to Boston. The Boston Turnpike differed from modern US 44 by using a more direct route between Eastford and Pomfret Center along modern Route 244, while US 44 runs via the village of Abington. Past Pomfret Center, the Boston Turnpike diverged from modern US 44 heading northeast across the town of Thompson. The route through Putnam to the Rhode Island state line was a different turnpike road known as the Pomfret and Killingly Turnpike.

In 1922, the New England states designated route numbers on its main roads. Route 101 was assigned as the route used by the Pomfret and Killingly Turnpike (modern US 44) to Pomfret Center, then modern US 44 to Phoenixville via Abington (short portions of two other turnpike roads), then a road southward from Phoenixville to South Chaplin (modern Route 198), ending at New England Route 3. The direct road connecting Phoenixville to Bolton Notch was designated as Route 109. From Hartford to Bolton Notch, modern US 44 was at the time known as New England Route 3. West of Hartford, modern US 44 was designated as part of New England Route 17, which stretched in Connecticut from North Canaan to Stonington (via modern Route 2). Between the New York state line at Salisbury and North Canaan, the road was known as Route 121.

In 1926, most of New England Route 3 became U.S. Route 6. In the 1932 state highway renumbering, New England Route 17 was broken up into two newly assigned routes: modern Route 2 east of Hartford, and part of Route 101 west of Hartford. Route 101 was reconfigured in 1932 from its 1920s alignment to continue west of Phoenixville along former Route 109, then overlapping with US 6 to Hartford. Route 101 then used the western half of former New England Route 17 to North Canaan where it ended. The road from North Canaan to Salisbury was renumbered in 1932 to Route 199 to match the route number in New York at the time. In 1935, US 44 was designated and utilized Route 101 across the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Route 199 was also incorporated into the new route, connecting with the New York state line.

In the 1940s, US 44 was relocated along a portion of the Wilbur Cross Highway for several years with the former surface alignment becoming US 44A. The change was later reversed. US 6 was also relocated in East Hartford and Manchester to use I-84 and the overlap between US 6 and US 44 is now only between Manchester and Bolton Notch.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts

Stagecoach on Route 44 in Glocester around the start of the 20th century.

In the 19th century, almost all of the alignment of modern US 44 in Rhode Island was part of an early turnpike route. From the Connecticut line in Putnam to the Smithfield town line, what is now the Putnam Pike was part of the West Glocester Turnpike (Connecticut line to Chepachet) and the Glocester Turnpike (Chepachet to Smithfield line). The continuation of the road in Smithfield and North Providence was another turnpike road known as the Powder Hill Turnpike, running along the alignment of modern Smith Street. Between East Providence and Taunton, the road was part of yet another turnpike, the Taunton and Providence Turnpike, running along modern Taunton Avenue and Winthrop Street.

In 1922, when the New England states first assigned route numbers to its main thoroughfares, the route from Putnam through Providence and Taunton to Plymouth was designated as Route 101. Route 101 extended across Rhode Island and Massachusetts along modern US 44, with an extension into Connecticut along an alignment different from US 44. In 1932, Connecticut relocated its Route 101 to the modern US 44 alignment, with the route now extending across the three states from North Canaan in Connecticut to Plymouth in Massachusetts. In 1935, the multi-state Route 101 was incorporated into newly designated US 44. Connecticut and Rhode Island reassigned the Route 101 designation to a much shorter but parallel alignment between the two states.

On 14 December 2005, a freeway realignment opened to the north of the original surface alignment US 44 in the towns of Carver and Plymouth.^[6] US 44 was rerouted onto the new expressway and now runs concurrent with Route 3 from the latter freeway's exit 7, where the new freeway ends, south to exit 6, where US 44 rejoins its former alignment.

Major intersections

A directional assembly showing the US 9W/US 44/NY 55 concurrency west of the Mid-Hudson Bridge.

New York

US 209 in Kerhonkson

US 9W in Highland. The highways travel concurrently through the hamlet.

US 9 in Poughkeepsie

Connecticut

US 7 in North Canaan

US 202 in Canton. The highways travel concurrently to Avon.

I-84 / US 6 in Hartford. The highways travel concurrently to East Hartford.

US 5 in East Hartford. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

I-84 / US 6 in Manchester. US 6/US 44 travels concurrently to Bolton.

I-384 in Bolton

I-395 in Putnam

Rhode Island

The entire route is in Providence County.

Location	mi[7]	km	Destinations	Notes
Chepachet	0.00	0.00	US 44 west – Putnam	Continuation into Connecticut
	1.60	2.57	Route 94 south (Reynolds Road)	North end of Route 94
	6.80	10.94	Route 100 north (Money Hill Road)	West end of concurrency with Route 100
	7.40	11.91	Route 100 south (Chopmist Hill Road)	East end of concurrency with Route 100
Greenville	14.10	22.69	Route 116 south (Smith Avenue)	West end of concurrency with Route 116
	14.20	22.85	Route 116 north (Pleasant View Avenue)	East end of concurrency with Route 116
	15.20	24.46	Route 5 (Cedar Swamp Road)
Smithfield	16.00	25.75	I‑295 – Warwick, New York City, Lincoln, Boston	Exit 7 on I-295
North Providence	17.60	28.32	Route 128 south (George Waterman Road)	North end of Route 128
	17.80	28.65	Route 104 north (Waterman Avenue)	South end of Route 104
	17.85	28.73	Route 15 east (Mineral Spring Avenue)	West end of Route 15
Providence	22.00	35.41	US 1 south (Gaspee Street)	West end of concurrency with US 1
	22.10	35.57	Francis Street Bridge over the Woonasquatucket River
	22.12	35.60	US 1 north (Canal Street / North Main Street)	East end of concurrency with US 1
	23.20	37.34	US 1A south (Point Street)	West end of concurrency with US 1A
	23.80	38.30	I‑195 west / US 6 west to I‑95	Exit 2, west end of concurrency with I-195 / US 6, westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	24.00	38.62	Gano Street – India Point, Fox Point	Exit 3, Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Seekonk River	24.10	38.79	Washington Bridge
East Providence	24.20	38.95	I‑195 east / US 6 east / US 1A north	Exit 4, east end of concurrency with I-195 / US 6 / US 1A, eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	24.40	39.27	Veterans Parkway / Warren Avenue – Riverside	Interchange, no entrance ramps
	25.90	41.68	US 1A / Route 114 (Pawtucket Avenue)
	26.30	42.33	US 44 east – Seekonk	Continuation into Massachusetts
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Massachusetts

County	Location	mi[8]	km	Destinations	Notes
Bristol	Seekonk	0.00	0.00	US 44 west – East Providence	Continuation into Rhode Island
		0.30	0.48	Route 114A – Barrington, RI, Rumford, RI
	Rehoboth	6.00	9.66	Route 118 – Swansea, Attleboro
	Taunton	14.40	23.17	Route 138 / Route 140 north – Raynham, Somerset, Norton	Taunton Green, west end of concurrency with Route 140
		14.50	23.34	Route 140 south – New Bedford, Cape Cod	East end of concurrency with Route 140
		15.70	25.27	Route 104 east – Raynham, Bridgewater
	Raynham	17.10	27.52	Route 24 – Boston, Fall River	Exit 13 on Route 24
Plymouth	Middleborough	21.10	33.96	I‑495 to Route 24 – Wareham, Marlboro	Exit 6 on I-495
		21.40	34.44	Route 18 / Route 28 – Lakeville, Middleboro, Bridgewater	Rotary
		25.40	40.88	Route 105 – Lakeville, Middleboro	West end of freeway
	Carver	29.50	47.48	Route 58 – Carver, Plympton	Interchange
		31.80	51.18	Spring Street – Carver, Plympton	Interchange
	Plymouth	35.40	56.97	To Route 80 / Cherry Street – North Plymouth, Kingston	To Colony Place
		36.00	57.94	Route 3 north – Boston	Exit 7, west end of concurrency with Route 3
		37.20	59.87	Route 3 south / Samoset Street – Cape Cod, Carver	Exit 6, east end of concurrency with Route 3
		38.30	61.64	Route 3A (Court Street)	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to U.S. Route 44.

Route map: Bing / Google

• US 44 Expressway-Massachusetts on Bostonroads.com

Browse numbered routes
← Route 43	CT	Route 45 →
← Route 37	RI	Route 51 →
← Route 43	MA	Route 45 →

United States Numbered Highways 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 87 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 101 163 400 412 425 All Bannered Divided Replaced Routes in italics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system.