New Hampshire Route 9

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New Hampshire Route 9

Map of southern New Hampshire with NH 9 highlighted in red and NH 9A in blue
Route information
Maintained by NHDOT
Length109.910 mi[1] (176.883 km)
Existed1925–present
Major junctions
West end VT 9 in Brattleboro, VT
Major intersections
East end SR 9 in Berwick, ME
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Hampshire
CountiesCheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford
Highway system
NH 4 NH 10
Route 8N.E. Route 10

New Hampshire Route 9 (abbreviated NH 9 and also known as the Franklin Pierce Highway[2]) is a 109.910-mile-long (176.883 km) state highway located in southern New Hampshire. It runs across the state from west to east and is a multi-state route with Vermont and Maine, part of 1920s-era New England Interstate Route 9.

The western terminus of NH 9 is at the Vermont state line in Chesterfield, where it connects to Vermont Route 9. Its eastern terminus is at the Maine state line in Somersworth, where it connects to Maine State Route 9.

Two large sections of NH 9, totaling 44.438 miles (71.516 km), are cosigned with U.S. Route 202. By combined mileage of the two sections, US 202 and NH 9 share the longest concurrency in New Hampshire.

Route description

Straight-line map of NH 9 indicating the communities it passes through

Chesterfield to Concord

NH 9 westbound near West Chesterfield

NH 9 begins in the west where VT 9 crosses the Connecticut River from Brattleboro, Vermont, into Chesterfield, New Hampshire on the United States Navy Seabees Bridge. The highway meanders its way through the large town (by area) en route to Keene, home of Keene State College. NH 9 enters the southern part of the city and intersects with the triplex of NH 10, NH 12, and NH 101, the latter of which has its western terminus here. NH 9 joins NH 10 and NH 12, bypassing downtown Keene to the west. After about a mile, NH 12 splits off to the northwest. Two miles later, NH 10 follows suit and NH 9 continues northeast, crossing through parts of Roxbury, Sullivan, and Nelson en route to Stoddard, where NH 9 intersects with NH 123. The two routes overlap for about a mile before NH 123 splits northwest, while NH 9 continues east. The highway passes along the northern edge of Antrim, intersecting and overlapping with NH 31. The two routes cross into the town of Hillsborough, where NH 31 splits off to the northwest and NH 9 becomes a semi-limited access highway (not quite up to super-two standards due to a number of at-grade intersections). One mile (1.6 km) to the east, NH 9 interchanges with US 202 and the two routes form the first of two lengthy concurrencies. US 202 and NH 9 bypass downtown Hillsborough to the north, as well as the neighboring town of Henniker, before entering Hopkinton. US 202 and NH 9 intersect NH 127 near the town line and continue east to one of two partial interchanges with I-89. The first interchange allows the following movements: US 202/NH 9 east to I-89 south, US 202/NH 9 west to I-89 north, I-89 north to US 202/NH 9 west, and I-89 south to both directions of US 202/NH 9. The highway continues into town, intersecting the southern terminus of NH 103 (a secondary highway paralleling I-89 north) before intersecting I-89 again, with southbound-only access to the Interstate highway. US 202 and NH 9 enter the city of Concord from the west and roughly parallel I-89 until reaching downtown. The two highways intersect the northern terminus of NH 13 before meeting US 3 downtown. US 202 and NH 9 turn north onto US 3 for about six blocks before NH 9 turns east onto Loudon Road, intersecting with I-93 (US 202 continues along US 3 to meet I-393 just to the north). NH 9 runs as Loudon Road parallel to I-393 (which also carries US 4 and US 202), with access possible via NH 132 (East Side Drive) and NH 106 (Sheep Davis Road - NH 106 is also the route to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which lies 9.5 miles (15 km) to the north). NH 9 crosses underneath I-393 and enters the extreme northern tip of Pembroke.

Pembroke to Somersworth

Upon crossing into Pembroke, I-393 ends and merges with NH 9. US 202 rejoins NH 9 at this point, as does US 4, and the triplex of routes immediately crosses into Chichester, followed by Epsom. The highway intersects with NH 28 at the Epsom Traffic Circle and continues eastward. Just feet before crossing into Northwood, NH 107 intersects with US 4, US 202, and NH 9, forming a four-route concurrency. After two miles, NH 107 splits off to the north while US 4, US 202, and NH 9 continue into Northwood. In the eastern part of town, the highway reaches an intersection with NH 43. At this intersection, US 202 and NH 9 split off US 4 towards Rochester, with US 4 continuing southeast towards Durham and Portsmouth. US 202 and NH 9 meet the western terminus of NH 202A (an alternate of US 202 toward Rochester), nick the extreme northwestern corner of Nottingham, and enter Barrington. In Barrington, US 202 and NH 9 split again; US 202 heads northeast towards Rochester, and NH 9 turns southeast, crossing NH 125 en route to Dover. NH 9 enters Dover from the southwest and intersects the northern terminus of NH 155, then turns northeast and immediately interchanges with the Spaulding Turnpike (NH 16) at exit 8. NH 9 continues into the heart of Dover as Silver Street and meets up with NH 108 (Central Avenue). NH 4 has its western terminus here. NH 9 and NH 108 traverse downtown Dover, with NH 4 splitting off towards Rollinsford along the way. The two routes split at the end of Central Avenue, north of downtown. Access to the Spaulding Turnpike exit 9 is available at this intersection NH 9 turns northeast and enters Somersworth. The road continues towards the Salmon Falls River at the heart of the city and intersects NH 236. NH 9 and NH 236 are cosigned along High and Market Streets in the downtown area. NH 9 crosses the Salmon Falls River into Berwick, Maine, and becomes Maine State Route 9. NH 236 ends at the border and is not directly connected to Maine State Route 236, but the two are linked via SR 9.

History

New England 9.svg

New England Interstate Routes

Modern NH 9 was originally conceived as part of the New England Interstate system. It was first designated as New England Interstate Route 9 (NEI 9) in 1922, a designation which covered all of modern Vermont Route 9, NH 9, and Maine State Route 9 as far as Wells (SR 9 was extended in 1934), a distance of 167 miles (269 km). The New England Interstate system declined in the mid-1920s in favor of the modern U.S. Numbered Highways and all of NEI 9 was redesignated as state highways bearing the number 9. The three modern state routes now form one of the longest highways in New England to retain a single number, stretching from the New York state border in Bennington, Vermont to the Canadian border in Calais, Maine, a total distance of 447.3 miles (719.9 km).

New England 32.svg New England 32A.svg

The section of NH 9 cosigned with US 202 between Hillsborough and Henniker is part of former New England Interstate Route 32. NEI 32 was superseded in the mid-1930s by US 202 west of Henniker, and by sections of modern NH 114 and NH 103 north of Henniker. The section between Henniker and Hopkinton is concurrent with part of former New England Interstate Route 32A. NEI 32A, as originally designated, split from NEI 32 in Henniker (where modern NH 114 interchanges with US 202/NH 9) east along modern US 202/NH 9 to Hopkinton, then northwest along modern NH 103 to Mount Sunapee, then north along modern NH 103B to terminate at NEI 11 (modern NH 11).

Junction list

CountyLocation[1][3]mi[1][3]kmDestinationsNotes
CheshireChesterfield0.0000.000
VT 9 west (Chesterfield Road) – Brattleboro
Continuation from Vermont
5.4008.690 NH 63 – Westmoreland, Chesterfield
5.9569.585
NH 9A east (South Shore Road) – Spofford
Western terminus of NH 9A
8.09613.029
NH 9A west – Spofford
Eastern terminus of NH 9A
Keene14.39423.165


NH 10 south / NH 12 south / NH 101 east – Peterborough, Winchester
Western end of concurrency with NH 10 / NH 12; western terminus of NH 101
15.13924.364West Street - KeeneInterchange
15.59425.096
NH 12 north – Walpole
Interchange; eastern end of concurrency with NH 12
18.33529.507
NH 10 north – Gilsum, Newport
Eastern end of concurrency with NH 10
Nelson24.90140.074Granite Lake Road – Nelson, HarrisvilleInterchange
Stoddard30.44949.003
NH 123 south – Hancock, Peterborough
Western end of concurrency with NH 123
31.56950.805
NH 123 north – Stoddard, Marlow
Eastern end of concurrency with NH 123
HillsboroughAntrim37.55260.434
NH 31 south (Clinton Road) – Antrim
Western end of concurrency with NH 31
Hillsborough41.25466.392
NH 31 north (2nd New Hampshire Turnpike) – Hillsborough Upper Village, Washington
Eastern end of concurrency with NH 31
43.30269.688

US 202 west (Antrim Road) to NH 149 – Hillsborough, Peterborough
Interchange; western end of concurrency with US 202
45.25572.831Henniker Street to West Main Street – HillsboroughInterchange
MerrimackHenniker49.55079.743 NH 114 (Bradford Road/Maple Street) – Henniker, BradfordInterchange
Hopkinton53.70186.423
NH 127 north (Maple Street) – West Hopkinton, Contoocook
Southern terminus of NH 127
54.15087.146Hatfield Road / Country Club RoadInterchange
56.939–
57.610
91.634–
92.714


I-89 to I-93 / US 4 – Concord, Seacoast, Contoocook, Warner, Lebanon
Exit 5 on I-89; no westbound exit to I-89 south; no eastbound entrance from I-89 north
58.52094.179
NH 103 west (Hopkinton Road) – Contoocook, Warner
Eastern terminus of NH 103
59.31695.460
I-89 south – Bow
Exit 4 on I-89; no exit to I-89 north; no entrance from I-89 south
Concord65.835105.951
NH 13 south (South Street)
Northern terminus of NH 13
65.996106.210
US 3 south (South Main Street)
Western end of concurrency with US 3
66.291106.685

US 3 north / US 202 east (North Main Street)
Eastern end of concurrency with US 3 / US 202
66.463–
66.552
106.962–
107.105


I-93 (Everett Turnpike/Styles Bridges Highway) to I-89 / I-393 – Manchester, Lebanon, Plymouth, Portsmouth
Exit 14 on I-93; northern terminus of Everett Turnpike
67.997109.431
NH 132 north (East Side Drive)
Southern terminus of NH 132
70.140112.879
NH 106 (Sheep Davis Road) to I-393 – Loudon, Pembroke
Pembroke71.319114.777


I-393 / US 4 / US 202 west to I-93 / I-89 – Concord
Eastern terminus of I-393; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western end of concurrency with US 4 / US 202
Epsom76.399122.952 NH 28 (Suncook Valley Highway) – Pittsfield, AllenstownEpsom Traffic Circle
80.059128.842
NH 107 south (North Road) – Deerfield, Raymond
Western end of concurrency with NH 107
RockinghamNorthwood81.968131.915
NH 107 north (School Street) – Pittsfield
Eastern end of concurrency with NH 107
87.812141.320
US 4 east (1st New Hampshire Turnpike) – Lee, Durham, Portsmouth

NH 43 south (Mountain Avenue) – Deerfield, Candia
Eastern end of concurrency with US 4; northern terminus of NH 43
88.161141.881
NH 202A east (Strafford Road) – Bow Lake, Strafford
Western terminus of NH 202A
StraffordBarrington92.768149.296
US 202 east – Rochester
Eastern end of concurrency with US 202
94.073151.396
NH 126 west (Church Street) – Center Strafford, Barnstead
Eastern terminus of NH 126
96.803155.789 NH 125 (Calef Highway) – Rochester, Epping
Dover102.742165.347
NH 155 south (Knox Marsh Road) – Madbury, Durham
Northern terminus of NH 155
102.804–
103.241
165.447–
166.150
Spaulding Turnpike / NH 16 – Portsmouth, Somersworth, RochesterExit 8 on Spaulding Turnpike
103.918167.240
NH 108 south (Central Avenue)

NH 4 begins
Western end of concurrency with NH 4 / NH 108; western terminus of NH 4
104.446168.090
NH 4 east (Portland Avenue) – Rollinsford
Eastern end of concurrency with NH 4
106.620171.588
NH 108 north (New Rochester Road) – Rochester
Indian Brook Drive to NH 16 / Spaulding Turnpike / Sixth Street
Eastern end of concurrency with NH 108
Somersworth109.392176.049
NH 236 west (West High Street) – Rochester
Western end of concurrency with NH 236
109.910176.883

SR 9 east to SR 236 – Berwick

NH 236 ends
Continuation into Maine; eastern terminus of NH 236
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Suffixed routes

New Hampshire Route 9A

New Hampshire Route 9A

LocationChesterfield
Length2.320 mi[1] (3.734 km)

New Hampshire Route 9A is a 2.320-mile-long (3.734 km) secondary road in Chesterfield, not far from the Vermont border, and is the lone auxiliary route of NH 9. Signed east-west, the short highway terminates at NH 9 at both ends and provides access to Spofford Lake.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (February 20, 2015). "NH Public Roads". Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  2. ^ http://franklinpierce.ws/highway.pdf All articles with bare URLs for citations[bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ a b Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (April 3, 2015). "Nodal Reference 2015, State of New Hampshire". New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 7, 2015.[permanent dead link]

External links