South end: Route 8 in Stamford Counties: Bennington | North end: VT 9 in Searsburg Length 21.17 km | |
 | ||
County Bennington County, Vermont | ||
Vermont Route 8 (VT 8) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs 13.155 miles (21.171 km) from the Massachusetts state line in Stamford, where it continues south as Massachusetts Route 8, to VT 9 in Searsburg. VT 8 connects the southeastern Bennington County towns of Stamford, Readsboro, and Searsburg.
Contents
Map of VT-8, Vermont, USA
Route description
VT 8 begins at the Massachusetts state line in the town of Stamford. The highway continues south as Massachusetts Route 8 toward North Adams. The state line is also the southern terminus of VT 100; the two routes head north along two-lane Main Road parallel to the North Branch of the Hoosic River through the town center of Stamford. VT 8 and VT 100 enter the town of Readsboro just before reaching the source of the river. The highways curve east to the headwaters of the West Branch of the Deerfield River at Heartwellville. There, VT 100 continues southeast along that river. VT 8 turns north along an unnamed tributary of the river, which the highway follows to its source at the Readsboro–Searsburg town line. The highway continues north to the town center of Searsburg, where it reaches its northern terminus at VT 9 (Molly Stark Highway) between Bennington to the west and Brattleboro to the east.
History
Much of Route 8 follows the course of the 1920s era New England Interstate Route 8, a part of the New England road marking system that ran from Bridgeport, Connecticut, through Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Wilmington, Vermont.
VT 8 was formerly aligned along what is now VT 100 and VT 155 from the Massachusetts state line to VT 103 in Wallingford.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Bennington County.