(Redirected from U.S. Route 1 (Massachusetts))
| Major cities |
|---|
★ Miami, Florida ★ Jacksonville, Florida ★ Augusta, Georgia ★ Columbia, South Carolina ★ Raleigh, North Carolina ★ Richmond, Virginia ★ Washington, D.C. ★ Baltimore, Maryland ★ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ★ Newark, New Jersey ★ New York City ★ Providence, Rhode Island ★ Boston, Massachusetts ★ Portland, Maine |
'U.S. Route 1' (also called 'U.S. Highway 1', and abbreviated 'US 1') is a
United States highway which parallels the east coast of the
United States. It runs from
Key West, Florida in the south, to
Fort Kent, Maine at the
Canadian border in the north. US 1 generally parallels
Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther inland (west) between
Jacksonville, Florida and
Petersburg, Virginia. It connects the major cities of the east coast, including:
Miami, Florida;
Jacksonville, Florida;
Augusta, Georgia;
Columbia, South Carolina;
Raleigh, North Carolina;
Richmond, Virginia;
Washington, DC;
Baltimore, Maryland;
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
Newark, New Jersey;
New York, New York;
New Haven, Connecticut;
Providence, Rhode Island;
Boston, Massachusetts and
Portland, Maine.
Theoretically, the highway is numbered US 1 because it is the farthest east U.S. Route, and north-south highways are numbered east to west; however, several higher-numbered U.S. Routes run east of US 1, such as
U.S. Route 13, the southern portion of
U.S. Route 9, and most of
U.S. Route 17, partly because the routes ending in 1 were intended as major routes. The location of the road was influenced by the location of the
fall line between the
Piedmont and the
Atlantic Coastal Plain.
[1]
US 1 largely follows the route of the Atlantic Highway and originally shared the same termini of
Fort Kent, Maine and
Miami, Florida. The only major difference was between
Augusta, Georgia and
Jacksonville, Florida, where a more inland route was selected (the Atlantic Highway ran via
Savannah). Early auto trails often overlapped; as a result, in Virginia, it was also known as
Jefferson Davis Highway. The section from
Miami, Florida to
Jacksonville, Florida duplicates the
Dixie Highway; that from
New York City to
Providence, Rhode Island duplicates the
Boston Post Road. The names of the old auto trails are still used locally in many places. In the
New England region, US 1 replaced the pre-existing 'New England Interstate Route 1' of the
New England Interstate Highway System instituted in 1922.
As of 2005, the highway's northern terminus is in
Fort Kent, Maine at the
Canadian border, where it crosses the
Saint John River and intersects Provincial Highway 205. Its southern terminus was originally
Miami, Florida and was later extended to
Key West,
Florida, the southwesternmost
island in the
Florida Keys, where it is known as the '
Overseas Highway'.
Route description
|-
|
FL
|545.96
|878.64
|-
|
GA
|224.64
|361.52
|-
|
SC
|170.11
|273.77
|-
|
NC
|174.63
|281.04
|-
|
VA
|197.35
|317.60
|-
|
DC
|7.01
|11.28
|-
|
MD
|80.82
|130.07
|-
|
PA
|81.13
|130.57
|-
|
NJ
|66.06
[2]
|106.31
|-
|
NY
|21.69
[3]
|34.91
|-
|
CT
|117.37
[4]
|188.89
|-
|
RI
|57.17
|92.01
|-
|
MA
|85.61
[5]
|137.78
|-
|
NH
|16.88
[6]
|27.17
|-
|
ME
|526.14
|846.74
|-
|Total
|2372.57
|3818.28
|}
Florida

One of the last remaining colored-shield US 1 signs, in Boca Raton
In
Florida, where signs for U.S. Highways formerly had different colors for each highway, the "shield" for US 1 was red. Florida began using the colored shields in
1956, but during the 1980s the
MUTCD was revised to specify only a black and white color scheme for
U.S. Highway shields. As such, Federal funds were no longer available to maintain the colored signs. On
August 27,
1993, the decision was made to no longer produce colored signs. Since then, the remaining colored signs have gradually been replaced by black-and-white signs; at present, there are a few rare colored ones still in place.
US 1 is a designated
Blue Star Memorial Highway along its entire route through the state. Markers are placed at various locations, including one in
Rockledge, Florida and
Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As is the case with all Florida roads with Federal designations, the entirety of US 1 has a hidden
Florida Department of Transportation designation:
State Road 5 south of
Callahan (except for as
SR 805 in
Palm Beach County);
State Road 15 north of Callahan.
US 1 begins in Key West as a local road (at the intersection of Fleming Street and Whitehead Street, turning onto Truman Avenue which itself becomes Roosevelt Boulevard) then becoming the
Overseas Highway, the main highway serving the Florida Keys. The highway goes up to Florida City, becoming the
Dixie Highway on the mainland. The Dixie Highway continues to
Miami, with junctions to the termini of several Florida freeways along the way (
Florida's Turnpike,
Palmetto Expressway,
Snapper Creek Expressway, and
Interstate 95). In Miami, US 1 becomes
Brickell Avenue and then
Biscayne Boulevard as it continues near the shoreline of
Biscayne Bay.
In Fort Lauderdale, there is a complex interchange with
Interstate 595 at the
Ft. Lauderdale International Airport. US 1 continues north as ''Federal Highway'' (also signed as SE 6th Avenue or NE 6th Avenue until merging with Sunrise Boulevard) or ''Dixie Highway'' serving the beach communities along the eastern coast. It has a junction with the
Beachline Expressway in Brevard County. In mainland
Daytona Beach it is called Ridgewood Avenue. US 1 eventually reaches the city of Jacksonville as the ''Philips Highway''. US 1 then travels through downtown Jacksonville along ''Main Street'', crossing
St. Johns River on the
Main Street Bridge until it reaches the ''20th Street Expressway''. US 1 then goes along the route of
State Road 15, traveling much farther inland than Interstate 95 as it heads into the state of Georgia. US 1 will not meet up with Interstate 95 again until it reaches the state of Virginia.
A freeway alternate route in Jacksonville that bypasses the downtown area goes along the
Hart Bridge Expressway, then along the
Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, which becomes the 20th Street Expressway.
State Road A1A runs next to the
Atlantic Ocean, roughly parallel to US 1 for much of its path through Florida.
Georgia
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in Georgia
In
Georgia, US 1 is generally a very rural highway, running through historical
plantation areas. It also passes by the
Fort Gordon Army installation and the
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. US 1 is also signed as
State Route 4 for its entire length in the state. There is an interchange with
Interstate 520 in
Augusta and with
Interstate 16 in
Emanuel County. US 1 enters the state from Florida at
Folkston and exits the state into South Carolina at Augusta.
South Carolina
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in South Carolina
US 1 enters South Carolina in
North Augusta. From North Augusta to
Aiken, US 1 is a divided four lane highway. It goes through the historic district of Aiken, heading north through
Batesburg-Leesville,
Lexington, into
Columbia up to
Camden. US 1 parallels
Interstate 20, crossing it several times until it branches northeast at Camden. It also has junctions with
Interstate 26 and
Interstate 77 in Columbia. From Camden, it continues northeast as a two-lane road to the town of
Cheraw and
Cheraw State Park before entering the state of North Carolina. In Richland County, US 1 is known as ''Two Notch'' since the road used to be marked by posts into which two notches were carved. In downtown
Columbia, US 1 is known as Gervais Street and passes directly in front of the State Capitol building. South Carolina state route 421 in Aiken County was formerly US 1 until the expressway was built in the early 1950s. There are several Jefferson Davis Memorial highway stone markers along US 1 in South Carolina.
North Carolina
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in North Carolina
From the South Carolina state line, US 1 passes through
Rockingham,
Southern Pines and
Sanford. In stretches in
Aberdeen and
Sanford, the highway shares its route with
U.S. 15-501. This stretch of U.S. 1 is known as the '
Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway' and is at least four lanes with
superstreet crossings. From Sanford to
Raleigh, U.S. 1 becomes a freeway with controlled intersections, and is known as the 'Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway'. It overlaps a portion of
Interstate 440 in Raleigh, then heads north along
Capital Boulevard. U.S. 1 travels north to
Henderson, where the highway then parallels
Interstate 85 into Virginia. It generally follows the
fall line between the
Piedmont and the
Atlantic Coastal Plain on its course through the state. US 1 runs for in the state.
Virginia
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in Virginia
From the North Carolina state line to
Petersburg, US 1 parallels
Interstate 85 and is known as ''VA One'' and ''Boydton Plank Road''. From Petersburg northward, US 1 parallels
Interstate 95 and is known in most places as the
Jefferson Davis Highway. In
Richmond, Route 1 changes from Jefferson Davis Highway to Cowardin Avenue to Belvedere Street to Chamberlayne Avenue and finally Brook Road. There is a portion of Route 1 that changes names to Richmond Highway along portions north of
Dale City and ending at the
Capital Beltway at
Alexandria, becoming Henry/Patrick streets, then changing back to Jefferson Davis Highway beside the high-rise
Crystal City office complex in
Arlington. In the city of
Fredericksburg, between Richmond and the District of Columbia, it borders the western edge of the
University of Mary Washington campus. Just before entering the District of Columbia, it runs along the
Southwest Freeway at the
14th Street Bridge.
District of Columbia
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in the District of Columbia
From
Arlington, Virginia, US 1 enters
Washington, D.C., running parallel to
I-395. It follows 14th Street to Constitution Avenue, where it runs concurrently with
US 50 beside the
National Mall and its many museums and monuments. This
concurrency continues up 6th and 9th Streets before ending at
New York Avenue, where US 50 turns east towards
Annapolis, Maryland. US 1 continues its solo route up 6th Street, and finally crosses from the District into the Maryland suburbs via
Rhode Island Avenue.
Maryland
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
From
Washington, D.C., U.S. Route 1 (a.k.a. Rhode Island Avenue) enters Maryland in the community of
Mount Rainier. From there, it passes through
Brentwood,
North Brentwood,
Hyattsville (where it merges with Baltimore Avenue),
Riverdale Park,
College Park (including the
University of Maryland campus),
Beltsville,
Muirkirk,
Laurel,
Savage,
Jessup,
Dorsey, and
Elkridge, before entering
Baltimore, where it follows Southwestern Boulevard, Wilkens Avenue, Monroe Street, Fulton Street, and North Avenue (the old northern boundary of Baltimore). It exits Baltimore to the northeast along Bel Air Road, which it follows until
Fallston, where Route 1 becomes the
Bel Air Bypass. Finally, it becomes Conowingo Road after crossing MD Route 543. From that point north, the highway travels through rural areas to the
Pennsylvania border, on a stretch which includes crossing the
Susquehanna River atop the
Conowingo Dam, which in 1928 was the first dam to have a highway routed on its top.
The part of US 1 between Washington and Baltimore was designated 'State Road 1' in 1908.
[7]
Pennsylvania
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania
US 1 travels from southwest to northeast in Pennsylvania, beginning at the Maryland border as an expressway past
Oxford, then as a divided highway called Baltimore Pike passing the famous
Longwood Gardens,
Chadds Ford,
Concordville, and the town of
Media, eventually becoming the border between
Philadelphia(county) and Montgomery County or
Bala Cynwyd as City Line Avenue.
It crosses the
Schuylkill River and merges for about a half mile with the
Schuylkill Expressway south to near Hunting Park Avenue where it turns northeast as the
Roosevelt Expressway for about 5 miles.
After going under one of Philadelphia's main streets,
Broad Street, it settles into being
Roosevelt Boulevard, an extremely wide road with a main road section of 3 lanes in each direction, and 3 more lanes in each direction in an outer roadway for a total of 12 lanes and 3 wide landscaped islands, and frequent left turn and right turn lanes. There are many slip lanes to allow cars to change from the inner roadway to the outer roadway and vice versa.
After crossing into
Bucks County north of
Northeast Philadelphia Airport and near the
Pennsylvania Turnpike, it becomes a divided 6-lane road again. It soon becomes a freeway passing near
Sesame Place (an amusement park) and crosses the
Delaware River into
Trenton, New Jersey on a small toll bridge. Currently the toll is only collected southbound.
New Jersey
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey
In
New Jersey, US 1 starts in
Trenton after crossing the
Trenton-Morrisville Toll Bridge from
Pennsylvania. It then parallels
Interstate 95 and the
New Jersey Turnpike while heading northeast before going over the
George Washington Bridge into
New York City. The route is
concurrent with
U.S. Route 9 north of
Woodbridge, and the two routes together serve a major local artery along the I-95 corridor in northern New Jersey.
New York
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in New York
US 1 is in New York. US 1 enters
Manhattan on the
George Washington Bridge together with
US 9 and
Interstate 95. US 9 separates from the New Jersey state line heading north on
Broadway, while US 1 and Interstate 95 continue for another to the
Bronx. US 1 then leaves Interstate 95 (at Exit 2B) traveling for another in the Bronx before entering
Westchester County. US 1 travels for in Westchester County, going through the villages/cities of Pelham Manor, New Rochelle, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye and Port Chester before entering the state of
Connecticut. From the Bronx to the Connecticut state line, the road is known as
Boston Post Road or Boston Road, in reference to a major roadway used to deliver mail between New York and Boston dating back to the 17th Century.
'List of major junctions:'
★ Manhattan
★
★ NY 9A
★
★ US 9 (northbound)
★
★ Harlem River Drive
★ Bronx
★
★ Interstate 87
★
★ Interstate 95 (northbound)
★
★ Bronx River Parkway
★ Westchester County
★
★ Hutchinson River Parkway
★
★ Interstate 95 (New Rochelle)
★
★ Interstate 95 and Interstate 287 (Rye)
Connecticut
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in Connecticut
US 1 runs in Connecticut. US 1 in Connecticut stays close to Interstate 95 throughout the state and has many junctions with it. It goes through the following towns as the roads listed below. From
Greenwich to
Branford, US 1 is mostly a 4-lane or 6-lane principal arterial road (with some 2-lane sections in dense areas). From Branford to
Stonington, US 1 becomes a 2-lane or 4-lane minor arterial road (it is classified as a principal arterial road within
Waterford town). One note of interest is that Route 1 in Connecticut has almost a direct east-west route. Because of this, in some places, signs may say Route 1 East or West, and only a short distance away, another sign may say Route 1 North or South. This can make it confusing for those who are not familiar with the area. Most of US 1 through Connecticut encompasses its predecessor, the
Boston Post Road, and much of it is still locally named Boston Post Road.
Route
Greenwich: ;
New York State line to
Stamford city line
★ West Putnam Avenue and East Putnam Avenue
Stamford: ;
Greenwich town line to
Darien town line
★ West Main Street, Tresser Boulevard and East Main Street
Darien: ;
Stamford city line to
Norwalk city line
★ Boston Post Road
Norwalk: ;
Darien town line to
Westport town line
★ Connecticut Avenue, Van Buren Avenue, Belden Avenue, Cross Street, North Avenue and Westport Avenue
Westport: ;
Norwalk city line to
Fairfield town line
★ Post Road West and Post Road East
Fairfield: ;
Westport town line to
Bridgeport city line
★ Post Road, Kings Highway Cutoff and Kings Highway East
Bridgeport: ;
Fairfield town line to
Stratford town line
★ North Avenue and Boston Avenue
Stratford: ;
Bridgeport city line to
Milford city line
★ Boston Avenue and Barnum Avenue
Milford: ;
Stratford town line to
Orange town line
★ Bridgeport Avenue and Boston Post Road
Orange: ;
Milford city line to
West Haven city line
★ Boston Post Road
West Haven: ;
Orange town line to
New Haven city line
★ Boston Post Road
New Haven: ;
West Haven city line to
East Haven town line
★ Orange Avenue, Columbus Avenue, Church Street South, Columbus Plaza, Water Street and Forbes Avenue
East Haven: ;
New Haven city line to
Branford town line
★ Saltonstall Parkway
Branford: ;
East Haven town line to
North Branford town line
★ West Main Street, North Main Street and East Main Street
North Branford: ;
Branford town line to
Guilford town line
★ Boston Post Road
Guilford: ;
North Branford town line to
Madison town line
★ Boston Post Road
Madison: ;
Guilford town line to
Clinton town line
★ Boston Post Road
Clinton: ;
Madison town line to
Westbrook town line
★ West Main Street and East Main Street
Westbrook: ;
Clinton town line to
Old Saybrook town line
★ Boston Post Road
Old Saybrook: ;
Westbrook town line to
Old Lyme town line
★ Boston Post Road and Interstate 95 (
Raymond E. Baldwin Bridge)
Old Lyme: ;
Old Saybrook town line to
East Lyme town line
★ Interstate 95, Neck Road, Halls Road and Boston Post Road
East Lyme: ;
Old Lyme town line to
Waterford town line
★ Boston Post Road
Waterford: ;
East Lyme town line to
New London city line
★ Boston Post Road
New London: ;
Waterford town line to
Groton town line
★ Bank Street, [Bank Street, Jefferson Avenue] (Colman Street), Colman Street, [South Frontage Road] (North Frontage Road) and Interstate 95 (
Gold Star Memorial Bridge)
Groton: ;
New London city line to
Stonington town line
★ Interstate 95, [I-95 ramp] (Long Hill Road, Gold Star Highway), Long Hill Road, Poquonnock Road, Fort Hill Road, New London Road and West Main Street
Stonington: ;
Groton town line to
Rhode Island State line
★ East Main Street, Broadway, Roosevelt Street, Williams Avenue, Stonington-Westerly Road, South Broad Street and West Broad Street
Rhode Island
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in Rhode Island
US 1 runs in the
U.S. state of
Rhode Island. It has a business/bypass split in
Warwick where US 1 Business runs along Post Road and US 1 Bypass runs along Post Road Bypass. The business route is officially recognized by the
Rhode Island Department of Transportation as US 1.
Route
US 1 takes the following route through the State (South to North):
★
Westerly: ;
Connecticut State line to
Charlestown town line
★
★ Broad Street, [Main Street, Union Street] (Broad Street), Broad Street, Granite Street, Franklin Street, Post Road and Shore Road
★
Charlestown: ;
Westerly city line to
South Kingstown town line
★
★ Post Road
★
South Kingstown: ;
Charlestown town line to
Narragansett town line
★
★ Commander Perry Memorial Highway
★
Narragansett: ;
South Kingstown town line to
South Kingstown town line
★
★ Commander Perry Memorial Highway
★
South Kingstown: ;
Narragansett town line to
North Kingstown town line
★
★ Commander Perry Memorial Highway and Tower Hill Road
★
North Kingstown: ;
South Kingstown line to
East Greenwich town line
★
★ Tower Hill Road and Post Road
★
East Greenwich: ;
North Kingstown town line to
Warwick city line
★
★ Post Road and Main Street
★
Warwick: ;
East Greenwich town line to
Cranston city line
★
★ Post Road, [Post Road, West Shore Road] (Greenwich Avenue, Veterans Memorial Drive), Post Road and Elmwood Avenue
★
Cranston: ;
Warwick city line to
Providence city line
★
★ Elmwood Avenue
★
Providence: ;
Cranston city line to
Pawtucket city line
★
★ Elmwood Avenue, Broad Street, [Broad Street, Franklin Street, Service Road #8] (Service Road #7, Broadway), Broadway, [Fountain Street] (Sabin Street), Francis Street, Gaspee Street, Smith Street and North Main Street
★
Pawtucket: ;
Providence city line to
Massachusetts State line
★
★ Pawtucket Avenue, George Street, [East Avenue] (Park Place West, Dexter Street, Goff Avenue, Summer Street, High Street), Main Street, [Main Street, Walcott Street, North-South Expressway] (Walcott Street, Broadway) and Broadway
Massachusetts
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts
US 1 enters the state from Rhode Island at
Attleboro. It closely parallels
Interstate 95 as it goes through the towns of
North Attleboro,
Plainville,
Wrentham,
Foxborough,
Walpole,
Sharon,
Norwood (where a segment is known as the Norwood Automile due to the many car dealerships that line the road), and
Westwood. US 1 then has a
wrong-way concurrency with Interstate 95 up to the junction with
Interstate 93 then travels along Interstate 93 from
Canton through downtown
Boston separating from the Interstate just after passing through the
Central Artery tunnel. The route crosses the
Tobin Bridge traveling over
Chelsea and
Revere as a freeway known as Boston's ''Northeast Expressway'', then as a traditional six lane expressway (surface road without at-grade intersections or traffic lights) through
Malden,
Melrose,
Saugus and
Lynnfield. From Lynnfield, US 1 again closely parallels Interstate 95 going through the towns of
Peabody,
Danvers,
Topsfield,
Ipswich,
Rowley,
Newbury,
Newburyport, and
Salisbury, before it enters the state of New Hampshire.
Route 1A runs alongside Route 1 in four parts of the state.
New Hampshire
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in New Hampshire
Route
US 1 takes the following route through the state (South to North):
★
Seabrook: ;
Massachusetts state line (
Salisbury) to
Hampton Falls town line
★
★ Lafayette Road, [Lafayette Road] (Smith Lane, Main Street), and Lafayette Road
★
Hampton Falls: ;
Seabrook town line to
Hampton town line
★
★ Lafayette Road
★
Hampton: ;
Hampton Falls town line to
North Hampton town line
★
★ Lafayette Road
★
North Hampton: ;
Hampton town line to
Rye town line
★
★ Lafayette Road
★
Rye: ;
North Hampton town line to
Portsmouth city line
★
Portsmouth: X.X miles;
Rye town line to
Maine state line (
Kittery) at
Memorial Bridge
★
★ Lafayette Road, Middle Street, [State Street] (Middle Street, Congress Street, Market Square, Daniel Street), and State Street
Maine
Main articles: U.S. Route 1 in Maine
In Maine US Route 1 skirts the Maine coast line, then heads north, hugging the border with
New Brunswick. A total of lies in Maine, with spurs in
York,
Portland,
Rockland,
Bangor,
Milbridge,
Machias, and
Aroostook County.
Cultural references
In 1938, modernist poet
Muriel Rukeyser published a collection titled ''U.S. 1'', containing "The Book of the Dead," a documentary poem sequence about the
Hawk's Nest incident, an industrial disaster in which hundreds of miners working out of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia died of
silicosis due to company negligence. The poem and book took inspiration from the Federal Writers' Project ''American Guide'' series, and the ''U.S. One: Maine to Florida'' volume (also published in 1938) in particular.
In 1953,
Andy Griffith recorded a comedy monologue, "'Number One Street'" about the misadventures of a rural family travelling to Florida on the highway. A sample: "The sign said 'Free Picnic Tables' so we took us one."
See also
Bannered routes
★
U.S. Route 1 Business (Trenton, New Jersey)
★
U.S. Route 1 Business (Jersey City, New Jersey)
★
U.S. Route 1 Bypass (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)
★
U.S. Route 1 Truck (Jersey City, New Jersey)
Related U.S. Routes
★
U.S. Route 201
★
U.S. Route 301
★
U.S. Route 401
★
U.S. Route 501
★
U.S. Route 601
★
U.S. Route 701
Related state highways
★
Florida State Road A1A
★
New York State Route 1A
References
1. E. W. James on designating the Federal-aid system and developing the U.S. numbered highway plan
2. New Jersey Department of Transportation, 2005 Straight Line Diagrams
3. New York State Department of Transportation Traffic Volumes - Routes 1 to 9
4. Connecticut State Numbered Routes and Roads as of December 31, 2004 (PDF)
5. Executive Office of Transportation - Office of Transportation Planning Roads
6. New Hampshire DOT Route Logs (Free registration required)
7. Archives of Maryland, Volume 377, Page 767, from 1908, ch. 304, sec. 1
External links
★
End of U.S. Highway 1
★
National Auto Trails - Atlantic Highway
★
An enlarged view of road jurisdiction in Trenton, New Jersey at the confluence of US 1, US 206, NJ 29, NJ 33 and NJ 129
★
Penns Neck Bypass Study