U.S. Route 7 in Vermont
U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south highway extending from southern Connecticut to the northernmost part of Vermont. In Vermont, the route extends for 176 miles (283 km) along the western side of the state as a mostly two-lane rural road, with the exception of an expressway section between Bennington and East Dorset. US 7 is known as the Ethan Allen Highway for its entire length through the state.[1] US 7 ends at an interchange with Interstate 89 (I-89) in the town of Highgate, just south of the Canadian border. I-89 continues to the border crossing.
U.S. Route 7 | |
|---|---|
| Ethan Allen Highway[1] | |
Map of Vermont with US 7 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by VTrans | |
| Length | 176.328 mi[2] (283.772 km) |
| Existed | 1926[3]–present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end | US 7 at the Massachusetts state line in Pownal |
| North end | I-89 near Highgate |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Vermont |
| Counties | Bennington, Rutland, Addison, Chittenden, Franklin |
| Highway system | |
Route description
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US 7 crosses the Massachusetts–Vermont state line at Pownal, from where the road heads north to Bennington as a rural two-lane highway. Just north of downtown Bennington, the highway transitions into a limited-access highway. For 3 miles (4.8 km), US 7 is a true expressway with divided carriageways and multiple lanes. The road subsequently narrows down to an undivided two-lane freeway; however, many stretches have passing lanes. This continues to a point just south of East Dorset, where US 7 reverts to a surface road.
Most of US 7 between East Dorset and the Canadian border is an undivided, uncontrolled road varying in width from two to four lanes. Two divided highway sections also exist: a 10-mile (16 km) section south of Rutland, and a 3-mile (4.8 km) stretch with numerous traffic signals between Shelburne and South Burlington known as Shelburne Road. There is overhead signage at the junction with I-189 in South Burlington that directs northbound trucks onto I-189. While US 7 heads directly into Burlington, I-189 bypasses the city to the south and east and leads directly to I-89, which runs close to US 7 north of Winooski.
Near downtown Burlington, US 7 intersects with US 2; the latter route joins US 7 for more than 9 miles (14 km) to Colchester. From here, US 7 and I-89 run through northern Vermont to Highgate, where US 7 ends at the northernmost exit on I-89.
History
US 7 was assigned in 1926.[3] Interstate 89 was originally envisioned to parallel US 7 from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian frontier.[disputed ] This plan was ultimately cancelled, and I-89 was shifted to its current alignment, turning southeast at Burlington toward Montpelier and White River Junction. Prior to the cancellation of the original I-89 routing, approximately 25 miles (40 km) of freeway (mostly "Super 2" with some four-lane sections) was built in the US 7 corridor between Bennington and Manchester, plus an additional seven miles (11 km) of four-lane highway between Wallingford and Rutland were completed.
Major intersections
| County | Location[2] | mi[2] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennington | Pownal | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 7 south – Williamstown | Continuation into Massachusetts | |
| 1.863 | 2.998 | VT 346 west – Pownal, North Pownal | Eastern terminus of VT 346 | |||
| Community of Bennington | 10.957 | 17.634 | VT 9 (Main Street) | |||
| Town of Bennington | 12.140 | 19.537 | VT 7A north (Northside Drive) to VT 67A / Kocher Drive – Welcome Center | Southern terminus of VT 7A | ||
| 12.236 | 19.692 | South end of freeway section | ||||
| 13.153 | 21.168 | 13 | VT 279 to VT 9 east – Brattleboro, Troy | Also serves Vermont Welcome Center; brief concurrency with VT 279 on outer ramps; old exit 1 | ||
| 14.393 | 23.163 | 14 | VT 7A – Shaftsbury | Access via Bennington North State Highway (VT 9025); old exit 2 | ||
| Sunderland | 24.224 | 38.985 | 24 | VT 313 to VT 7A – Arlington, Sunderland, Shaftsbury | Eastern terminus of VT 313; old exit 3 | |
| Manchester Center | 34.501 | 55.524 | 34 | VT 11 / VT 30 to VT 7A – Manchester Center, Manchester | Also serves Dorset and Peru; old exit 4 | |
| Dorset | 38.897 | 62.599 | North end of freeway section | |||
| VT 7A south – Manchester Center | Northern terminus of VT 7A | |||||
| Rutland | Wallingford | 56.165 | 90.389 | VT 140 west / VT 140 east – Tinmouth, East Wallingford | ||
| 57.054 | 91.820 | VT 7B north (Clarendon Road) | Southern terminus of VT 7B | |||
| Clarendon | 58.581 | 94.277 | VT 7B south | Southern terminus of unsigned VT 7B concurrency | ||
| 59.297 | 95.429 | VT 7B north – Clarendon | Northern terminus of unsigned VT 7B concurrency | |||
| 61.169 | 98.442 | VT 103 south – Airport, Ludlow | Northern terminus of VT 103 | |||
| 62.591 | 100.730 | VT 7B – North Clarendon | ||||
| 63.393 | 102.021 | VT 7B south | Northern terminus of VT 7B | |||
| Town of Rutland | 63.844 | 102.747 | US 4 west – Fair Haven | Southern terminus of US 4 concurrency | ||
| City of Rutland | 65.944 | 106.127 | US 4 Bus. west – Downtown Rutland | Eastern terminus of BR US 4 | ||
| 66.081 | 106.347 | US 4 east | Northern terminus of US 4 concurrency | |||
| Pittsford | 73.057 | 117.574 | VT 3 south – Proctor | Northern terminus of VT 3 | ||
| Community of Brandon | 81.656 | 131.413 | VT 73 east (Park Street) | Eastern terminus of VT 73 concurrency | ||
| 82.072 | 132.082 | VT 73 west (Champlain Street) | Western terminus of VT 73 concurrency | |||
| Addison | Salisbury | 91.315 | 146.957 | VT 53 south – Lake Dunmore, Forestdale | Northern terminus of VT 53 | |
| Middlebury | 94.157 | 151.531 | VT 116 north to VT 125 east – East Middlebury, Snow Bowl Ski Area, Bristol | Southern terminus of VT 116 | ||
| 94.431 | 151.972 | VT 125 east – East Middlebury, Airport, Ripton | Southern terminus of VT 125 concurrency | |||
| 97.067 | 156.214 | VT 125 west – Cornwall, Bridport | Western terminus of VT 125 concurrency | |||
| 98.285 | 158.174 | VT 30 south to VT 125 west / VT 23 – Cornwall, Hospital | Northern terminus of VT 30 | |||
| New Haven | 106.034 | 170.645 | VT 17 east – New Haven, Bristol | Western terminus of VT 17 concurrency | ||
| 106.148 | 170.829 | VT 17 west – Waltham, Bridge to N.Y. State | Eastern terminus of VT 17 concurrency | |||
| Ferrisburgh | 111.511 | 179.460 | VT 22A south – Vergennes | Northern terminus of VT 22A | ||
| Chittenden | Charlotte | 120.723 | 194.285 | VT F5 west – Charlotte, Ferry to N.Y. State | Eastern terminus of VT F-5 | |
| South Burlington–Burlington line | 130.350– 130.626 | 209.778– 210.222 | I-189 east to I-89 – Montpelier, St. Albans | Current western terminus of I-189 | ||
| Burlington | 131.627 | 211.833 | US 7 Alt. north (Shelburne Street at South Willard Street) | Southern terminus of ALT US 7 | ||
| 132.550 | 213.319 | US 2 east | Southern terminus of US 2 concurrency | |||
| 133.490 | 214.831 | US 7 Alt. south (Riverside Avenue at Hyde Street) | Northern terminus of ALT US 7 | |||
| Winooski | 134.793 | 216.928 | VT 15 east to I-89 south – Essex Junction | Western terminus of VT 15; Roundabout | ||
| Colchester | 135.804– 135.876 | 218.555– 218.671 | I-89 – Burlington, St. Albans, Champlain Islands | Exit 16 on I-89 | ||
| 137.620 | 221.478 | VT 127 south | Northern terminus of VT 127 | |||
| 139.067 | 223.807 | To VT 2A south – Essex Junction | Access via unsigned VT 127 | |||
| 139.261 | 224.119 | VT 2A south – Essex Junction | Northern terminus of VT 2A | |||
| 142.151 | 228.770 | US 2 west to I-89 – Lake Champlain Islands, New York State | Northern terminus of US 2 concurrency | |||
| Franklin | Georgia | 151.526 | 243.857 | VT 104A east – Fairfax | Northern terminus of VT 104A | |
| 151.689– 152.011 | 244.120– 244.638 | I-89 – St. Albans, Montreal, Burlington | Exit 18 on I-89 | |||
| City of St. Albans | 160.373 | 258.095 | VT 36 east (Fairfield Street) | Southern terminus of VT 36 concurrency | ||
| 160.401 | 258.140 | VT 36 west (Lake Street) – St. Albans Bay | Northern terminus of VT 36 concurrency | |||
| 160.952 | 259.027 | VT 38 (Lower Newton Street) | Eastern terminus of VT 38 | |||
| 161.363 | 259.689 | VT 105 east – Sheldon Junction, Enosburg Falls | Western terminus of VT 105 | |||
| Town of St. Albans | 162.514 | 261.541 | VT 207 north to I-89 – Burlington, Highgate Center, Swanton, Montreal Que. | Southern terminus of VT 207 | ||
| Village of Swanton | 168.951 | 271.900 | VT 78 east to I-89 – Highgate Center, East Highgate | Southern terminus of VT 78 concurrency | ||
| 169.033 | 272.032 | VT 78 west to VT 36 – Alburg, New York State | Northern terminus of VT 78 concurrency | |||
| Highgate | 175.963– 176.328 | 283.185– 283.772 | I-89 – Montreal, Swanton, St. Albans | Exit 22 on I-89 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| ||||||
Suffixed routes
US 7 has two suffixed routes, both of which are old alignments of US 7.
- VT 7A (27.820 miles or 44.772 kilometres) is an alternate route of US 7 between Bennington and Dorset.[2] The route is signed as "Historic VT 7A" to distinguish it, the original routing of US 7, from the modern US 7 limited-access highway.
- VT 7B (6.786 miles or 10.921 kilometres) is an alternate route of US 7 through the towns of Wallingford and Clarendon.[2] VT 7B was the original alignment of US 7 prior to the construction of the current US 7 divided highway through the area.[citation needed] The route intersects US 7 five times (including the termini) and overlaps it for 0.716 miles (1.152 km) in Clarendon.[2]
US 7 Alternate
U.S. Route 7 Alternate | |
|---|---|
| Location | Burlington |
| Length | 2.107 mi[2] (3.391 km) |
U.S. Route 7 Alternate (ALT US 7) is an alternate route of US 7 in Burlington. The southbound-only US 7 Alternate begins at the intersection of North Willard Street and Riverside Avenue (US 2 and US 7) and runs for a distance of 2.107 miles (3.391 km)[2] in the following manner: west on Riverside Avenue, south on North and South Winooski avenues, south on St. Paul Street, and south on Shelburne Road to its end at US 7 at the rotary-style intersection with South Willard Street (US 7), Locust Street and Ledge Road. Mainline US 7 travels over Hyde Street and North and South Willard streets until the aforementioned intersection.
As of July 2016, there are three "Alternate US 7" assemblies along the route. The original one is located on Saint Paul Street in Burlington, just south of the intersection with South Winooski Avenue and Howard Street, with the newer two on South Winooski Avenue, with one at the intersection with Pearl Street, and the other at Main Street.
References
- ^ a b State of Vermont Board of Libraries (April 28, 2008). "Vermont Named State Highways and Bridges" (PDF). Department of Libraries, State of Vermont. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Traffic Research Unit (May 2013). "2012 (Route Log) AADTs for State Highways" (PDF). Policy, Planning and Intermodal Development Division, Vermont Agency of Transportation. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ a b Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons.
External links
- Media related to U.S. Route 7 in Vermont at Wikimedia Commons