U.S. Route 201
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 201 is a spur of U.S. Route 1
in the U.S. state
of Maine
. US 201 begins in Brunswick
. It follows the Kennebec River
from Gardiner, Maine
, to The Forks
where it pulls away from the town and runs into the north woods. Route 201 ends in Sandy Bay Township, where it enters Quebec
, Canada
at the Armstrong-Jackman Border Crossing
, and becomes Route 173
. An alternate route, U.S. Route 201A
, runs through the towns of Madison and Norridgewock.
to State Route 27
from Gardiner
to Augusta
(a distance of 6 miles), State Route 100 from Augusta to Fairfield
(about 22 miles), State Route 16 in Bingham (1 mile), and State Route 6
from Jackman
to Sandy Bay Township
(16 miles).
US 201 used to be New England Interstate Route 20 (NE-20) in the 1920s. The original 1922 plan had NE-20 starting in Portland
. The southern half was later shifted east to start in Brunswick
. (The realignment may have been done prior to actual signing of the route.) The southern end of the original Route 20 is now State Route 100
from Portland to Augusta.
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. US 201 begins in Brunswick
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
. It follows the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
from Gardiner, Maine
Gardiner, Maine
Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,198 at the 2000 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture.-History:...
, to The Forks
The Forks, Maine
The Forks is a plantation in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 35 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the plantation has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
where it pulls away from the town and runs into the north woods. Route 201 ends in Sandy Bay Township, where it enters Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at the Armstrong-Jackman Border Crossing
Armstrong-Jackman Border Crossing
The Armstrong-Jackman Border Crossing is a border crossing on the Canada-United States border, located southeast of Saint-Théophile, Quebec and northwest of Jackman, Maine. The border crossing is the northern terminus of U.S...
, and becomes Route 173
Quebec route 173
Route 173 is a major north/south highway on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. Its southern terminus is at the Armstrong-Jackman Border Crossing in Saint-Théophile in the hamlet of Armstrong, at the border with Maine , and its northern terminus is in Lévis at the...
. An alternate route, U.S. Route 201A
U.S. Route 201A
U.S. Route 201 Alternate, signed as U.S. Route 201A, is a long alternate route of U.S. Route 201. The route, itself a former alignment of its parent, connects to US-201 in the towns of Skowhegan and Solon, running a loop to the west of its parent...
, runs through the towns of Madison and Norridgewock.
Route description
US 201 is concurrentConcurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
to State Route 27
Maine State Route 27
State Route 27 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the village of Newagen in Southport to the Canadian Border in Coburn Gore...
from Gardiner
Gardiner, Maine
Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,198 at the 2000 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture.-History:...
to Augusta
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
(a distance of 6 miles), State Route 100 from Augusta to Fairfield
Fairfield, Maine
Fairfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,735 at the 2010 census. The town includes Fairfield Center, Fairfield village and Hinckley...
(about 22 miles), State Route 16 in Bingham (1 mile), and State Route 6
Maine State Route 6
State Route 6 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the Quebec border in Sandy Bay Township, to the New Brunswick border in Vanceboro. Route 6 is long and is the only highway in the state to both begin and end at the Canadian border.Most of Route 6 runs concurrently...
from Jackman
Jackman, Maine
Jackman is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 718 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
to Sandy Bay Township
Seboomook Lake, Maine
Seboomook Lake is an unorganized territory in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 45 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the unorganized territory has a total area of 3,715.8 km²...
(16 miles).
History
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. The southern half was later shifted east to start in Brunswick
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
. (The realignment may have been done prior to actual signing of the route.) The southern end of the original Route 20 is now State Route 100
State Route 100 (Maine)
State Route 100 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maine, running from Portland to Bangor.The south end of State Route 100 is at the intersection of Forest Avenue and Park Avenue in downtown Portland, the same place U.S. Route 302 ends. Both US 302 and State Route 100 pass under U.S. Route 1...
from Portland to Augusta.