U.S. Route 302 - History

History

The southern end of US 302 follows city streets from Longfellow Square in the 17th century colonial seaport of Portland, Maine. The highway follows a 19th century stagecoach road from Portland through Windham to Bridgton. The portion from Windham to Bridgton was built about 1785. Stagecoach service began in 1803, and the route became a post road for the United States Postal Service in 1814. Transportation over this route was augmented by the Cumberland and Oxford Canal from 1832 to 1932, and by the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad from 1883 to 1941. The highway through Crawford Notch follows the Tenth New Hampshire Turnpike built in 1803 and parallels the Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division built in 1877. The highway eliminated railway passenger travel over the route from Portland by 1958 and railroad freight service through Crawford Notch was discontinued in 1983.

From 1922 until 1935, much of what is now US 302 was a part of the New England Interstate road system, designated as New England Interstate Route 18 (NE-18) from Portland, Maine, northwest to Littleton, New Hampshire (roughly 112 miles). From Littleton west to Montpelier in Vermont, US 302 and NE-18 took different paths. NE-18 took a more northerly route, along present-day New Hampshire Route 18 and Vermont Route 18 to St. Johnsbury, Vermont (closely paralleling I-93), then along present-day US 2 up to Montpelier.

Current US 302 runs along a more southerly route using other former sections of New England Interstate Routes. From Littleton, it went along former NE-10 to Woodsville, New Hampshire, then along former NE-25 to Montpelier.