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Pennsylvania Route 1 redirects here. For the short-lived Pennsylvania Traffic Route, now U.S. Route 30, see Pennsylvania Route 1 (1920s). 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 2,390 miles (3,846 km) 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 further inland (west) between Jacksonville, Florida and Petersburg, Virginia. It connects the major cities of the east coast, including: Miami, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; Columbia, South Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Washington, DC; Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 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 furthest east U.S. Route, and north-south highways are numbered east to west; however, several two-digit 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 at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. US 1 replaced the pre-existing "NE 1" of the New England Interstate Highway System instituted in 1922. 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. Termini |- |FL | | |- |GA | | |- |SC | | |- |NC | | |- |VA | | |- |DC | | |- |MD | | |- |PA | | |- |NJ |66.06 |106.31 |- |NY | | |- |CT |117.37 |188.89 |- |RI | | |- |MA | | |- |NH | | |- |ME | | |- | | | |} 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. States traversed Florida 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 1980's 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 11 miles 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 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 Bee Line Expressway in Brevard. 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 further 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 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 Toombs County. US 1 enters the state from Florida at Folkston and exits the state into South Carolina at Augusta. 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-laned 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. South Carolina state route 421 in Aiken County was formerly US 1 until the expressway was built in the early 1950's. There are several Jefferson Davis Memorial highway stone markers along US 1 in South Carolina. North Carolina From the South Carolina state line, US 1 passes through the towns/cities of Rockingham, Southern Pines and Sanford. In stretches in Southern Pines and Sanford, the highway shares it route with US Hwy 15-501. This stretch of US 1 is known as the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway. From Sanford to Raleigh, US 1 becomes a freeway, traveling on the Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway. It overlaps a portion of Interstate 440 in Raleigh, then heads north out of the city on Capital Boulevard. US 1 travels north to Henderson, where the highway then parallels Interstate 85 into the state of Virginia. US 1 is known as the "Fall Line Highway", since it generally follows the fall line between the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain on its course through central North Carolina. US 1 runs for 208 miles in the state. 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 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. District of Columbia From Arlington, Virginia, US 1 enters Washington, DC, running parallel to I-395. It follows 14th Street to Constitution Avenue, where it runs concurrently with US 50. 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 From Washington, D.C., U.S. Route 1 (a.k.a. Baltimore Avenue) enters Maryland in the community of Mount Rainier. From there, it passes through Hyattsville, College Park (including the University of Maryland campus), Beltsville, Muirkirk, Laurel, Savage, Jessup, 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. Pennsylvania Route 1 enters Pennsylvania in southwest Chester County. At the border it becomes the John H. Ware III Memorial Highway (formerly Kennet-Oxford Bypass) and widens to a 4 lane divided highway. A mile into Pennsylvania, the Ware Highway diverts north of Baltimore Pike (formerly US 1) and becomes a 4 lane limited access highway. At Kennett Square it rejoins Baltimore Pike and becomes a 4 lane divided highway. It then passes by Longwood Gardens, a year-round botanical garden, and Brandywine Battlefield before intersecting with U.S. Highway 202 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania (at an intersection commonly known as "Painter's Crossing"). The road winds through Chadds Ford and Wawa, Pennsylvania, wherein it provides an address to the Wawa Dairy Farms, which went on to create Wawa Food Markets, one of the most successful local convenience store chains in the United States. Before arriving in Media, Pennsylvania, it turns left and becomes the "Media Bypass," a freeway that runs to the north of busy downtown Media. Baltimore Pike, meanwhile, becomes a local road, running parallel to, and south of, Route 1 through Media and Springfield, Pennsylvania before terminating in West Philadelphia as Route 13 near the University of Pennsylvania. After providing drivers access to Interstate 476 (this interchange is one of the busiest on I-476), the route becomes a local road again, first dubbed "State Road", then turns and becomes "Township Line Road" (after splitting with State Road), as it continues north through towns such as Springfield, Drexel Hill, and Upper Darby. For a long time, this portion of Route 1 was the only place in all of Delaware County, Pennsylvania containing a Subway restaurant. After intersecting PA Route 3 (West Chester Pike) in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, not too far from the SEPTA transit system's 69th Street Terminal, Route 1 drops the "Township Line Road" moniker at Cobbs Creek, which separates Philadelphia and Delaware counties. It is now "City Avenue" (locally known as "City Line Avenue") and acts as a border between the city of Philadelphia and the suburbs of Montgomery County. St. Joseph's University makes its home on this particular stretch of the route, as do Philadelphia television stations WPVI-TV and WCAU-TV, whose studios happen to be on opposite sides of the roadway. Many of the city's radio stations are located just off of City Avenue, mainly in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. As City Avenue, Route 1 crosses US 30 before reaching St. Jose, the two television stations, and the Schuylkill River. At the Schuylkill, Route 1 interchanges (and is even a temporary part of) Interstate 76 (the Schuylkill Expressway portion). This, too, is one of the busiest interchanges in the region, witnessing traffic backups in all directions during morning and afternoon rush hours. Now completely within the Philadelphia city limits, it becomes the Roosevelt Expressway over the river and finally just Roosevelt Boulevard. This portion of Route 1 is the proverbial lifeline of those wishing to access Northeast Philadelphia and regularly sees traffic tie-ups at all of its major intersections. The Roosevelt Boulevard portion of Route 1 is separated into two sections in each direction (a superhighway "inner drive" portion and a local road "outer drive" portion) and is home to the intersections of Northeast Philadelphia streets Red Lion Road and Grant Avenue, two of the top three most dangerous intersections in the United States. Riders will also pass by the large outdoor Roosevelt Mall and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport before Route 1 junctions with the Pennsylvania Turnpike (at the toll road's "Philadelphia" interchange) just across the Philadelphia/Bucks county line. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Route 1 becomes Lincoln Highway, an accident-prone freeway that ferries motorists to and from southeastern Bucks County towns such as Bensalem and Langhorne. The latter suburb is home to suburban Philadelphia landmarks Oxford Valley Mall and the Sesame Place amusement park, based on characters from PBS' Sesame Street program. Crossing Interstate 95, it proceeds through Morrisville, Pennsylvania before crossing the Delaware River on the Trenton-Morrisville Toll Bridge into Trenton, New Jersey. On this stretch of road, there are many Route 1 signs mistakenly bearing the Pennsylvania Route shield, and not the US highway shield. List of major junctions New Jersey US 1 is 66.1 miles in New Jersey. Upon crossing the bridge into New Jersey from Pennsylvania, the famous "Trenton Makes" Bridge is seen parallel to US 1 on the west side. US 1 begins as the 5.5-mile long Trenton Freeway from the Pennsylvania state line through the city of Trenton up to Lawrence Township in Mercer County. It then alternates between a 4-lane and 6-lane (mostly due to old bridges that weren't reconstructed when the highway was widened) principal arterial highway traveling through the Lawrence and West Windsor townships in Mercer County, the Plainsboro, South Brunswick, North Brunswick townships, the city of New Brunswick, and Edison and Woodbridge townships in Middlesex County, and the cities of Rahway, Linden, and Elizabeth in Union County. This segment is also known as the Herbert Highway and is 40.0 miles in length. By the 1990s, the section of US 1 running through West Windsor and Plainsboro became one of the most traffic-congested corridors in the Northeast. A movement to eliminate many traffic lights and replace them with exit ramps and overpasses was put in place. As a result, the traffic lights at Scudders Mill Road, Plainsboro Road, Alexander Road, and Meadow Road were eliminated. While this effort hasn't eliminated the congestion, it has helped to alleviate it. This was followed by building ramps to replace the traffic light at US 130 and US 1 located in North Brunswick. There is currently a proposal to convert Route 1 into a depressed freeway through the Penns Neck area, and effectively eliminate the notorious Penns Neck Circle where Route 1 meets Washington Ave. The project is not slated to begin yet, but it has been in planning for several years now and will likely get the green light in the next couple of years. In this section, in Woodbridge, is the southern end of the portion of US 1 that is concurrent with US 9. The two routes run together between this point and just east of the George Washington Bridge in the city of New York. Some signage on this joint portion has a typical US route marker with a "1-9" designation. In Newark (Essex County), US 1 becomes a freeway for 3.5 miles and then continues as the General Pulaski Skyway (freeway) after the junction with Interstate 78. The Pulaski Skyway continues for another 5.6 miles into Kearny and Jersey City in Hudson County. Trucks, prohibited from the Skyway, must use the parallel Truck 1-9 between the eastern end of Newark and Tonnele Circle in Jersey City. In Jersey City, US 1 leaves the Pulaski Skyway and heads north as a 4-lane principal arterial road (Tonelle Avenue and Broad Avenue) into North Bergen township in Hudson County and Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park and Fort Lee in Bergen County. This section is 10.3 miles long. US 1 then joins US 46 for a short distance and then joins Interstate 95 for about 1.2 miles before crossing the New York state line on the George Washington Bridge. US 46 terminates at the state line while US 1 and US 9 continue into New York City. (US 1, US 9, and US 46 are all concurrent over this section, and Interstate 95 is concurrent with the three highways over the final mile.) List of major junctions: New York US 1 is 21.7 miles in New York. US 1 enters Manhattan on the George Washington Bridge together with US 9 and Interstate 95. US 9 separates 0.8 miles from the New Jersey state line heading north on Broadway, while US 1 and Interstate 95 continue for another 1.8 miles to the Bronx. US 1 then leaves Interstate 95 (at Exit 2B) traveling for another 6.3 miles in the Bronx before entering Westchester County. US 1 travels for 12.7 miles 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: Connecticut US 1 runs 117.37 miles 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). Route Greenwich: 5.67 miles; New York State line to Stamford city line Stamford: 3.30 miles; Greenwich town line to Darien town line Darien: 3.91 miles; Stamford city line to Norwalk city line Norwalk: 5.11 miles; Darien town line to Westport town line Westport: 4.78 miles; Norwalk city line to Fairfield town line Fairfield: 5.43 miles; Westport town line to Bridgeport city line Bridgeport: 4.73 miles; Fairfield town line to Stratford town line Stratford: 2.41 miles; Bridgeport city line to Milford city line Milford: 6.26 miles; Stratford town line to Orange town line Orange: 2.86 miles; Milford city line to West Haven city line West Haven: 2.07 miles; Orange town line to New Haven city line New Haven: 4.08 miles; West Haven city line to East Haven town line East Haven: 1.55 miles; New Haven city line to Branford town line Branford: 6.96 miles; East Haven town line to North Branford town line North Branford: 0.06 miles; Branford town line to Guilford town line Guilford: 5.83 miles; North Branford town line to Madison town line Madison: 5.65 miles; Guilford town line to Clinton town line Clinton: 3.30 miles; Madison town line to Westbrook town line Westbrook: 3.91 miles; Clinton town line to Old Saybrook town line Old Saybrook: 4.99 miles; Westbrook town line to Old Lyme town line Old Lyme: 5.78 miles; Old Saybrook town line to East Lyme town line East Lyme: 4.83 miles; Old Lyme town line to Waterford town line Waterford: 4.78 miles; East Lyme town line to New London city line New London: 3.62 miles; Waterford town line to Groton town line Groton: 7.23 miles; New London city line to Stonington town line Stonington: 8.27 miles; Groton town line to Rhode Island State line Rhode Island US 1 runs 56.8 miles 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): 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, Foxboro, 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 travelling 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 Route US 1 takes the following route through the State (South to North): Maine In Maine US Route 1 skirts the Maine coast line, then heads north, hugging the border with New Brunswick. A total of 529 miles lies in Maine, with spurs in York, Portland, Rockland, Bangor, Millbridge, Machias, and Aroostook County. See also | |||||||
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