Length 467.4 km | ||
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Existed: 1925, 2007 (current alignment) – present West end: NH 9 / NH 236 in Somersworth, NH East end: Ferry Point International Bridge to Route 170 in St. Stephen, NB, Canada Counties York County, Maine, Cumberland County, Maine Major cities Portland, Bangor, Augusta, Saco, Biddeford, Kennebunkport | ||
State Route 9 is a numbered state highway in Maine, running from the New Hampshire border at Berwick in the west to the Canada–US border with New Brunswick at Calais in the east. State Route 9 runs a total of 290 miles (470 km).
Contents
Map of State Rte 9, Maine, USA
Route description
State Route 9 is a meandering highway that works its way from New Hampshire to Canada. It frequently runs concurrent with other highways listed below and also frequently changes direction. For instance, in Kennebunk, State Route 9 travels in a westerly direction even though it is signed as eastbound. State Route 9 runs through most of Maine's major cities including Biddeford, Saco, South Portland, Portland, Augusta, and Bangor. Its leg from Bangor to Calais is often referred to as "The Airline" commonly thought to be due to its shorter route than the older U.S. 1. (Before the coming of air travel, the term airline often referred to such a shortcut.) Although anecdotes about unexploded ordnance deriving from bombers flying from the former Dow Air Force Base (now Bangor International Airport) using a number of towers and landmarks along "The Airline", in fact the term goes back to the early 1850s as a contrast to the shoreline route. The last section of "The Airline" was paved in 1973 in Crawford and many old sections of the road are visible to the side of the present roadway. The "Whale's Back", a 2-mile stretch built atop an esker in Hancock County was one of the most notable features of the highway until it was rebuilt.
Over the years, a number of improvements have been made by the Route 9 Committee, a partnership of local government officials and business interests in the Baileyville-Calais area.