New Hampshire Route 16 - Route Description

Route Description

From the south headed north, Route 16 begins in Portsmouth at the western exit from the Portsmouth Circle, where the Spaulding Turnpike also begins, and US 4 reaches its eastern terminus. The US 4/NH 16/Spaulding Turnpike concurrency leaves the circle as two lanes. A short distance north, the right lane leaves as local traffic, and through traffic merges down to one lane which then merges with two lanes of traffic from I-95 North to become a three lane freeway. The road then travels north through Newington past Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (formerly the Pease Air Force Base), then merges from three to two lanes before turning northwest to cross the Little Bay Bridge over the confluence of Great Bay and the Piscataqua River. North of the bridge, US 4 leaves NH 16 and travels west towards Concord.

Shortly after the US 4 interchange is the Dover toll plaza, with a toll of 75¢ for passenger cars in either direction. The road continues north, passing to the west of the downtown areas of Dover, Somersworth, and Rochester, known locally as the "tri-city area". After the Rochester tolls, also 75¢, the road merges down to a super two highway, becoming an undivided two lane road, but retaining limited access. US 202 joins the concurrency for a short distance in Rochester on its way to Maine. Two exits later, NH 11 joins the concurrency, entering eastbound with traffic from the southern Lake Winnipesaukee area, and leaves NH 16 along with US 202 at the next exit. Traveling north into Milton, the Spaulding Turnpike ends at an intersection that marks the northern terminus of NH 125. Route 16 continues north, no longer a limited access road, and now with the moniker of the White Mountain Highway.

From Milton, Route 16 continues to roughly parallel the Maine border. In Wakefield, the road takes a turn to the northwest heading towards Ossipee. Route 16 turns back to a northerly heading near Tamworth, then makes a turn eastward in Albany to reach Conway. Route 16 turns north again in Conway, entering the region known as the Mount Washington valley, and begins a concurrency with US 302 between the center of Conway and the village of North Conway. North of North Conway, in Bartlett, the southern Route 16A loop departs and rejoins NH 16/US 302 before the road makes a westward hook.

In Glen, Route 16 turns north from US 302 and heads toward Jackson, where the northern NH 16A loop is located, as well as NH 16B, which is a loop that begins and ends at NH 16A. Continuing north, NH 16 passes through Pinkham Notch, to the east of Mount Washington, New Hampshire's highest peak, and intersecting with the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road. Route 16 meets US 2 in Gorham, sharing a short concurrency along Gorham's Main Street. Leaving US 2, Route 16 continues north along the Androscoggin River to the city of Berlin, and then turns northeast toward the town of Errol. From Errol NH 16 continues northeast to Wentworth's Location and the Maine border. After crossing the border the road becomes ME 16 and heads east toward Rangeley. From there, the road continues for approximately 200 miles (320 km) until its terminus in Orono, Maine. Between the New Hampshire and Maine segments of Route 16, the route stretches for approximately 350 miles (560 km).