U.S. Route 5 in Vermont

U.S. Route 5 (US 5) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from New Haven, Connecticut to the Canada–United States border at Derby Line, Vermont. In Vermont, the road runs south–north from the Massachusetts state line near Guilford to the international border. The 192.316 miles (309.503 km) that lie in Vermont are maintained by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and run largely parallel to Interstate 91. US 5 also follows the path of the Connecticut River from the Massachusetts border to St. Johnsbury, where the river turns northeast while US 5 continues north. The highway serves the major towns of Brattleboro, Hartford, and St. Johnsbury, along with the city of Newport near the Canadian border.

U.S. Route 5
Calvin Coolidge Memorial Highway[1]
Map of Vermont with US 5 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by VTrans
Length	192.317 mi[2] (309.503 km)
Existed	1926–present
Major junctions
South end	US 5 at the Massachusetts state line
	US 4 in Hartford US 302 in Newbury US 2 in St. Johnsbury
North end	Route 143 at the Canada–United States border
Location
Counties	Windham, Windsor, Orange, Caledonia, Orleans
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided State highways in Vermont ← US 4 → VT 5A

Before the development of the Numbered Highway System, US 5 was designated Route 2 and was part of the New England road marking system that existed from 1922 to 1927. When the Highway System was formed in November 1926, the former Route 2 was commissioned as US 5. At this point, the road was not paved. It was not paved until the state of Vermont started overseeing the maintenance of the highway in 1931. The road was completely paved by 1933.

Route description

US 5 winds through the far eastern part of Vermont, passing through many small towns and villages. The road runs through a fairly rural, wooded area throughout much of its path in Vermont.

Southern Vermont

US 5 enters the southern end of Vermont in Windham County at the Massachusetts–Vermont state line just north of Bernardston and just south of Guilford, Vermont.[3] The route is known as the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Highway from the Massachusetts border to the junction of Vermont Route 103 in Rockingham.[1] The road winds through wooded land along the west side of Interstate 91 for its first 8 miles in Vermont. In Brattleboro, Vermont's fourth largest town, US 5 crosses under the interstate and winds through Brattleboro's business district.[4] US 5 also starts a brief concurrency with Vermont Route 9 that continues for 2.3 miles.[5] North of Brattleboro, after VT 9 turns east, US 5 crosses back over the interstate to the west side.[4]

US 5 continues north from Brattleboro, passing near the small towns of Dummerston and Putney.[6][7] North of Putney, it crosses over I-91 to serve the towns of Westminster, Bellows Falls, and Rockingham.[8][9] Near Rockingham, US 5 intersects Vermont Route 103, which picks up the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Highway.[10] US 5 continues north on the east side of the interstate, crossing into Windsor County, for 6.6 miles to Springfield, where it crosses to the west side for just under a mile.[11] Here, it picks up a 0.8 mile concurrency with Vermont Route 11 and US 5 crosses back to the east side of Interstate 91 with Route 11.

Sign at junction of US 4, US 5, and VT 14 in White River Junction

Route 5 continues along the east side of Interstate 91 for 20 miles after its concurrency with Route 11. Along this stretch, US 5 passes through Wilgus State Park in Ascutney and the town of Windsor.[12] In Ascutney, US 5 picks up Vermont Route 12 for a 10-mile long concurrency. Route 12 winds along with US 5 through Windsor and across the interstate to Hartland, where it turns northwest away from US 5. North of Hartland, US 5 crosses Interstate 89 in White River Junction and intersects I-91 again.[13][14] Now on the east side of I-91, US 5 winds around the northwest edge of White River Junction, where it hooks up with U.S. Route 4. Routes 4 and 5 run concurrent for half a mile, crossing the White River. US 5 continues north to the town of Wilder, where it forms the main road of the town.[14] North of Wilder, US 5 crosses Interstate 91 twice. Just north of Norwich, US 5 crosses into Orange County and the town of Thetford. US 5 continues north, following the Connecticut River closely for 23 miles until it reaches the town of Bradford, passing through the small towns of North Thetford and Ely.[15]

Northern Vermont

For around 11 miles north of Bradford, US 5 passes through rural country along the Connecticut River before reaching the village of Wells River.[16] Here, US 5 has a very brief concurrency with U.S. Route 302. Continuing north, US 5 crosses into Caledonia County, then travels 11 miles before crossing to the west side of Interstate 91, passing through East Ryegate and Barnet.[17] US 5 crosses back and forth across the interstate a couple of times north of Barnet before US 5 and I-91 split at the Passumpsic River, about 2 miles north of Barnet. US 5 winds along the west bank of the Passumpsic, traveling through the town of Passumpsic. US 5 and I-91 meet up again 2 miles north of Passumpsic in the town of St. Johnsbury.[18] It is here in St. Johnsbury that the Connecticut River turns east away from US 5.

US 5 during its concurrency with VT 105 in Newport

US 5 continues north along the Passumpsic River from St. Johnsbury for about 7.5 miles until it reaches the city of Lyndon.[19] In Lyndon, US 5 splits to the east away from Interstate 91. US 5 passes through West Burke, the Willoughby State Forest, and Barton before reaching the town of Orleans, 25 miles north of Lyndon.[20][21] Along this stretch, US 5 reaches Orleans County. In the town of Orleans, US 5 crosses to the west side of the interstate, concurrent with Vermont Route 58 for half a mile.[22] Route 5 continues north for 10 miles before reaching Newport.[23] Along this 10 mile stretch, the road passes through Coventry.[24] In Newport, US 5 picks up a 5-mile long concurrency with Vermont Route 105 that takes Route 5 across I-91 and into the village of Derby Center.[23][25] US 5 continues north, crossing I-91 for the last time 2.5 miles north of Derby Center. 6.5 miles north of Derby Center, in the village of Derby Line, US 5 reaches its northern terminus at the international border, across the border from Stanstead, Quebec.[26] US 5 continues past the Derby Line–Stanstead Border Crossing into Quebec as Quebec Route 143.

History

In 1922, before the United States Numbered Highway System's creation, US 5 traversed through Vermont as New England Route 2, the Connecticut River Way. 5 years later in 1927, at the creation of the highway system, Route 2 was almost completely overtaken by the new U.S. Route 5. At its original designation, US 5 mostly followed Route 2's path, except for a temporary routing into New Hampshire. From 1927 to 1929, US 5 crossed the Connecticut River at Bellows Falls, VT into North Walpole, NH and wound along the river to Charlestown, NH where it crossed back into Vermont.

US 5 was not maintained by the state of Vermont until the creation of the state highway system in 1931.[27] At this point, US 5 was not paved. The state of Vermont started paving the route in 1931 and it was completed by 1933.

Major intersections

County	Location[2]	mi[2]	km	Destinations	Notes
Windham	Guilford	0.000	0.000	US 5 south – Bernardston, Springfield	Continuation into Massachusetts
	Brattleboro	7.709– 8.038	12.406– 12.936	I-91 – Bernardston MA, Putney, White River Junction	Interchange, Exit 1 on I-91
		9.105	14.653	VT 142 south / VT 119 east	Northern terminus of VT 142; western terminus of VT 119
		9.282	14.938	VT 9 west to I-91	South end of VT 9 concurrency
		9.443	15.197	VT 30 north – Newfane, Townshend, Manchester	Southern terminus of VT 30
		11.591	18.654	VT 9 east / I-91 – Keene NH, Bellows Falls, Massachusetts	Roundabout; north end of VT 9 concurrency; eastern terminus of connector (VT 9090) to exit 3 on I-91
	Dummerston	17.650	28.405	I-91 – Brattleboro	Interchange, Exit 4 on I-91
	Putney	18.431	29.662	Westminster Road
	Westminster	28.431	45.755	VT 123 east – Walpole NH	Western terminus of VT 123; to NH 12
		29.237	47.052	Westminster Street	To Exit 5, I-91 – Brattleboro, White River Junction
	Rockingham	31.839	51.240	VT 121 west – Saxtons River, Grafton	Eastern terminus of VT 121
		32.671	52.579	Rockingham Street	To NH 12
		35.470	57.083	VT 103 north / I-91 – Rockingham, Springfield, White River Junction, Brattleboro	Southern terminus of VT 103; exit 6 on I-91
Windsor	Springfield	42.675	68.679	VT 11 west – Springfield	West end of VT 11 concurrency
		42.734– 43.101	68.774– 69.364	I-91 – Brattleboro, White River Junction	Interchange, Exit 7 on I-91
		43.479	69.973	VT 11 east – Charlestown NH, Fort at No. 4	East end of VT 11 concurrency To NH 12
		49.017	78.885	VT 143 west – Springfield	Eastern terminus of VT 143
	Weathersfield	54.673	87.988	VT 131 west to I-91 – Cavendish / VT 12 south – Claremont NH	Eastern terminus of VT 131; to I-91 Exit 8; South end of VT 12 concurrency
		55.823	89.838	VT 44A north – Brownsville	Southern terminus of VT 44A
	Windsor	59.691	96.063	VT 44 west – Brownsville	Eastern terminus of VT 44
	Hartland	63.738	102.576	I-91 – White River Junction, Ascutney, Springfield	Interchange; exit 9 on I-91
		64.777	104.248	VT 12 north – Woodstock	North end of VT 12 concurrency
	Hartford			I-89	No access between US 5 and I-89
		73.654– 73.842	118.535– 118.837	I-91 to I-89 – Barre, Concord NH, Brattleboro, St. Johnsbury	Interchange; Exit 11 on I-91
		74.382	119.706	US 4 west – Woodstock	West end of US 4 concurrency
		74.943	120.609	US 4 east / VT 14 north	East end of US 4 concurrency; southern terminus of VT 14
	Norwich	79.413	127.803	I-91 south / VT 10A east to I-91 north – Thetford, St. Johnsbury, Wilder, White River Junction, Hanover NH	Western terminus of VT 10A; exit 13 on I-91; partial cloverleaf interchange
				River Road (VT 9540)	Northern terminus of unsigned VT 9540
		85.130	137.003	VT 132 west – South Strafford	Eastern terminus of VT 132
Orange	Thetford	89.674	144.316	VT 113 east – Lyme NH	South end of VT 113 concurrency
		89.729	144.405	VT 113 west to I-91 – West Fairlee, Chelsea	North end of VT 113 concurrency
	Fairlee	94.662	152.344	VT 244 west – Lake Fairlee, Post Mills	Eastern terminus of VT 244
		97.599	157.070	VT 25A east – Orford NH	Western terminus of VT 25A
	Bradford	103.065	165.867	VT 25 to I-91 – Wells River, Piermont NH
		104.035	167.428	VT 25B west	Eastern terminus of VT 25B
	Town of Newbury	116.874	188.090	US 302 east – Woodsville NH	South end of US 302 concurrency
		117.003	188.298	US 302 west to I-91 – South Ryegate, Groton, Barre	North end of US 302 concurrency
Caledonia	Barnet	127.227	204.752	North Monroe Road	To NH 135
		127.407	205.042	To I-91 via Bimson Drive (VT 9020) – West Barnet	Eastern terminus of unsigned VT 9020
	St. Johnsbury	136.437– 136.657	219.574– 219.928	I-91 to I-93 – Barnet, White River Junction, Lyndonville, Newport (city)	Interchange, Exit 20 on I-91
		137.449	221.203	US 2 west	South end of US 2 concurrency
		137.563	221.386	US 2 east	North end of US 2 concurrency
	Lyndon	144.865– 144.973	233.138– 233.311	I-91 – St. Johnsbury, Newport (city)	Interchange, Exit 23 on I-91
		147.193	236.884	VT 114 north – East Burke, Burke Mountain Ski Area, Island Pond / VT 122 north to I-91 – Wheelock, Sheffield, Airport	Southern terminus of VT 114; southern terminus of VT 122
	Burke	154.491	248.629	VT 5A north – Westmore, Willoughby Lake	Southern terminus of VT 5A
Orleans	Barton	167.477	269.528	VT 16 east – Crystal Lake, Willoughby Lake	South end of VT 16 concurrency
		167.767	269.995	VT 16 south	North end of VT 16 concurrency
		172.548	277.689	VT 58 east – Orleans	East end of VT 58 concurrency
		172.588– 172.886	277.753– 278.233	I-91 – Newport (city), Barton, St. Johnsbury	Interchange, Exit 26 on I-91
	Irasburg	173.057	278.508	VT 58 west – Irasburg	West end of VT 58 concurrency
	Coventry	177.710	285.997	VT 14 south – Irasburg, Hardwick	South end of VT 14 concurrency
		178.254	286.872	VT 14 north – Troy, Jay	North end of VT 14 concurrency
	Newport (city)	183.385	295.130	VT 105 west	West end of VT 105 concurrency
		184.484	296.898	VT 191 to I-91
	Derby	187.285– 187.502	301.406– 301.755	I-91 – St. Johnsbury, Canada	Interchange, Exit 28 on I-91
		188.389	303.183	VT 105 east to VT 111 – West Charleston	East end of VT 105 concurrency
		192.317	309.504	Route 143	Continuation into Quebec, Canada
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus

See also

•  U.S. Roads portal

References

1. "Named Highways and Bridges" (PDF). VTrans. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
2. 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 8, 2015.
3. "Vermont General Highway Map - Guilford" (PDF). VTrans. 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
4. "Vermont General Highway Map - Brattleboro" (PDF). VTrans. 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
5. Overview Map of U.S. Route 5 Distances Between Intersections (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
6. "Vermont General Highway Map - Dummerston" (PDF). VTrans. 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
7. "Vermont General Highway Map - Putney" (PDF). VTrans. 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
8. "Vermont General Highway Map - Westminster" (PDF). VTrans. 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
9. "Vermont General Highway Map - Bellows Falls Village" (PDF). VTrans. 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
10. "Vermont General Highway Map - Rockingham" (PDF). VTrans. 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
11. "Vermont General Highway Map - Springfield" (PDF). VTrans. 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
12. "Vermont General Highway Map - Windsor" (PDF). VTrans. 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
13. "Vermont General Highway Map - Hartland" (PDF). VTrans. 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
14. "Vermont General Highway Map - White River Junction" (PDF). VTrans. 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
15. "Vermont General Highway Map - Bradford" (PDF). VTrans. 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
16. "Vermont General Highway Map - Wells River" (PDF). VTrans. 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
17. "Vermont General Highway Map - Barnet" (PDF). VTrans. 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
18. "Vermont General Highway Map - St. Johnsbury" (PDF). VTrans. 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
19. "Vermont General Highway Map - Lyndon" (PDF). VTrans. 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
20. "Vermont General Highway Map - West Burke" (PDF). VTrans. 2006. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
21. "Vermont General Highway Map - Barton" (PDF). VTrans. 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
22. "Vermont General Highway Map - Orleans" (PDF). VTrans. 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
23. "Vermont General Highway Map - Newport City" (PDF). VTrans. 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
24. "Vermont General Highway Map - Coventry" (PDF). VTrans. 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
25. "Vermont General Highway Map - Derby Center" (PDF). VTrans. 2004. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
26. "Vermont General Highway Map - Derby Line" (PDF). VTrans. 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
27. "Outline History of Vermont State Highways" (PDF). Vermont Dept. of Highways. 1965. p. 3. Retrieved April 1, 2012.

External links