New Hampshire Route 101
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Map of southern New Hampshire with NH 101 highlighted in red | ||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||
| Maintained by NHDOT | ||||||||||
| Length: | 95.189 mi[1] (153.192 km) | |||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| West end: |
   NH 9 / NH 10 / NH 12 in Keene | |||||||||
| East end: |
 NH 1A in Hampton Beach | |||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||
| Counties: | Cheshire, Hillsborough, Rockingham | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
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New Hampshire Route 101 is a state-maintained highway in southern New Hampshire extending from Keene to Hampton Beach. It is the major east–west highway in the southern portion of the state.
The western terminus of NH 101 is in Keene at the junction with New Hampshire Routes 9, 10 and 12. The eastern terminus is in Hampton Beach at the junction with Ocean Boulevard (NH 1A). The total length of NH 101 is approximately 95 miles (153 km). However, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has installed mileposts on the freeway section east of Interstate 93 that begin at mile 100.
NH 101 travels through the following municipalities (west to east): Keene, Marlborough, Dublin, Peterborough, Temple, Wilton, Milford, Amherst, Bedford, Manchester, Auburn, Candia, Raymond, Epping, Brentwood, Exeter, Stratham, and Hampton.
Between Exeter and Hampton, NH 101 is known as the Exeter–Hampton Expressway.
Route description
NH 101 is a two-lane surface road from its western terminus in Keene to the western terminus of New Hampshire Route 101A in Milford. From there, NH 101 splits off to the south and becomes a two-lane limited-access highway that bypasses Milford and Amherst, becoming a two-lane surface road just north of Amherst. At the eastern terminus of New Hampshire Route 114 in Bedford, NH 101 becomes a four-lane limited-access highway. It expands to six lanes upon merging with Interstate 293 in Manchester, and eight lanes upon merging with Interstate 93. East of I-93, NH 101 narrows to four lanes. The route remains a four-lane expressway until exit 12 (Interstate 95) in Hampton, where NH 101 becomes a two-lane freeway at exit 13. At an interchange with U.S. Route 1, it becomes a two-lane surface road to its terminus in Hampton Beach.
History
Most of the eastern section of NH 101 was originally going to be part of the cancelled New England East–West Highway from Albany, New York, to Portsmouth. Because of the cancellation, NH 101 remained a two-lane freeway until the mid-1990s. This highly traveled road had numerous accidents, prominently advertised on large signs at the start of the two-lane freeway segment between exits 5 and 6 in Raymond, which read, "XX Highway Deaths next XX miles." Locally, this road was known as the Highway of Death for the unusually high number of accidents and the sign advertising.[2] In the mid-1990s, the two-lane freeway segment was dualized over much of the swampland it traversed in Rockingham County, creating a full divided controlled access freeway between Manchester and I-95. The old Highway of Death nickname and the signs have disappeared from use.
In 1991, an overpass was constructed over North Road in Brentwood near the Rockingham County Jail Farm for the future routing of NH 101. However, the NH 101 expressway was not built in this area until 2000, giving the bridge the nickname the Overpass to Nowhere.
NH 101 between New Hampshire Route 108 in Stratham, just east of the Exeter town line, to New Hampshire Route 1A in Hampton Beach was at its construction named the Exeter-Hampton Expressway, which was marked with seemingly unique round shields featuring the highway's name and was later designated New Hampshire Route 51 during the 1980s until 1994.
During this time, NH 101 exited the expressway at NH 108 (exit 11) and formed a concurrency with NH 108 north to the community of Stratham. After traversing a traffic circle, NH 101 split from NH 108 and followed the current alignment of New Hampshire Route 33 into downtown Portsmouth, where NH 101 terminated at U.S. Route 1.
On NH 51, there were two traffic lights located on the limited access two-lane highway: the east-end lights at the terminus of New Hampshire Route 88 southeast of exit 11 and the west-end lights west of the Newfields (then-New Hampshire Route 85) exit with what is now New Hampshire Route 27. While NH 88 was rerouted on a new stretch of road to intersect with NH 108 just south of the NH 101/108 SPUI interchange at exit 11, the Newfields exit was upgraded to a full diamond interchange. NH 27 west of Stratham was formerly NH 101 prior to the completion of the four-lane bypass.
In the fall of 1994, the eastern terminus of NH 101 was shifted eight miles (13 km) south from Portsmouth to its current terminus in Hampton Beach, replacing NH 51 along the Super-2 between Exeter and Hampton Beach. Old NH 101 between Stratham and downtown Portsmouth became NH 33 and the NH 51 designation was eliminated.
Major intersections
| County | Location[1][3] | mi[1][3] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
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| Cheshire | Keene | 0.000 | 0.000 | NH 9 / NH 10 north / NH 12 north – Brattleboro VT, Concord, Walpole | Western end of concurrency with NH 10 / NH 12 | |
| 0.459 | 0.739 | NH 10 south – Winchester | Eastern end of concurrency with NH 10 | |||
| 1.240 | 1.996 | NH 12 south – Troy | Eastern end of concurrency with NH 12 | |||
| Marlborough | 5.362 | 8.629 |  NH 124 – Jaffrey | Western terminus of NH 124 | ||
| Dublin | 15.626 | 25.148 |  NH 137 – Hancock, Jaffrey | |||
| Hillsborough | Peterborough | 20.094 | 32.338 |  US 202 south – Jaffrey | Western end of concurrency with US 202 | |
| 20.290 | 32.654 |  US 202 north / NH 123 north – Hancock, Concord | Eastern end of concurrency with US 202; western end of concurrency with NH 123 | |||
| 21.154 | 34.044 | NH 123 south – Sharon, New Ipswich | Eastern end of concurrency with NH 123 | |||
| Temple | 25.812 | 41.540 |  NH 45 – Temple, Greenville | Northern terminus of NH 45 | ||
| Wilton | 30.743 | 49.476 |  NH 31 south – Greenville, Mason, New Ipswich | Western end of concurrency with NH 31 | ||
| 32.737 | 52.685 | NH 31 north – Wilton, Greenfield | Eastern end of concurrency with NH 31 | |||
| Milford | 34.794 | 55.996 |  NH 101A – Milford | Western terminus of NH 101A | ||
| 38.349 | 61.717 |  NH 13 – Milford, Brookline | Interchange | |||
| 39.997 | 64.369 | NH 101A – Milford, Nashua | Interchange | |||
| Amherst | 41.110 | 66.160 |  NH 122 (Ponemah Road) | Interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| 42.974 | 69.160 | NH 122 – Amherst | Interchange | |||
| Bedford | 52.419 | 84.360 |  NH 114 north / Boynton Street – Goffstown | At-grade intersection; western end of limited-access segment | ||
| 53.847 | 86.658 | – |  US 3 (Daniel Webster Highway) | |||
| 54.119 | 87.096 | – |   Everett Turnpike / I‑293 north – Merrimack, Nashua, Manchester, Concord | Western end of concurrency with I-293 | ||
| Manchester | 55.160 | 88.771 | 2 |  NH 3A (Brown Avenue) – Litchfield | Serves Manchester–Boston Regional Airport | |
| 55.787 | 89.780 | 1 |  NH 28 (South Willow Street) – Mall of New Hampshire | |||
| 57.972 | 93.297 | – |  I‑93 south / I‑293 – Boston | Southern terminus of I-293; eastern end of concurrency with I-293; western end of concurrency with I-93 | ||
| 58.900 | 94.790 | 6 |  To NH 28A (Hanover Street / Candia Road) | |||
| 59.275 | 95.394 | – | I‑93 north – Concord | Western end of concurrency with I-93; Exit 7 on I-93 | ||
| 60.994 | 98.160 | 1 |  NH 28 Bypass (Londonderry Turnpike) – Auburn, Hooksett | |||
| Rockingham | Auburn | 62.521 | 100.618 | 2 |  To NH 121 / Hooksett Road – Auburn, Candia | |
| Candia | 65.980 | 106.185 | 3 |  NH 43 – Candia, Deerfield | Trumpet interchange | |
| Raymond | 71.979 | 115.839 | 4 | Old Manchester Road | Local traffic only | |
| 73.875 | 118.890 | 5 |    NH 102 / NH 107 to NH 156 – Raymond, Fremont | Though NH 102 is marked on the guide signs, it officially ends a short distance south of NH 101. | ||
| Epping | 76.021 | 122.344 | 6 | Depot Road / Beede Hill Road | ||
| 78.288 | 125.992 | 7 |  NH 125 – Epping, Kingston | |||
| Brentwood | 80.479 | 129.518 | 8 |  To NH 27 / North Road | ||
| Exeter | 83.586 | 134.519 | 9 | NH 27 (Epping Road) – Exeter | ||
| 85.101 | 136.957 | 10 |  NH 85 (Newfields Road) – Exeter, Newfields | |||
| Stratham | 86.236 | 138.783 | 11 |  NH 108 (Portsmouth Avenue) – Stratham, Exeter | ||
| Exeter | 88.942 | 143.138 | 12 |  NH 111 (Exeter Road) – Exeter, North Hampton | ||
| Hampton | 90.566 | 145.752 | – |  I‑95 – Portsmouth, Boston | Trumpet interchange; Exit 2 on I-95 | |
| 91.276 | 146.894 | 13 | NH 27 (Exeter Road) – Hampton | |||
| 92.884 | 149.482 | – |  US 1 (Lafayette Road) – Hampton, Seabrook | |||
| 93.731 | 150.845 | Eastern end of limited-access segment | ||||
| 95.189 | 153.192 | NH 1A (Ocean Boulevard) | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Suffixed routes
New Hampshire Route 101A
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| Location: | Milford–Nashua |
| Length: | 13.819 mi[1] (22.240 km) |
New Hampshire Route 101A (abbreviated NH 101A) is a 13.819-mile-long (22.240 km) east–west highway in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, connecting Milford and Nashua. It also runs through Merrimack and Amherst, and very briefly touches Hollis.
The western terminus of NH 101A is in western Milford at the intersection with NH 101. The eastern terminus is in the center of Nashua, when it meets New Hampshire Route 111 at the Merrimack River. Most of it is two lanes in each direction, sometimes with a central turning lane.
Route 101A is quite busy by southern New Hampshire standards, with traffic ranging from 26,000 vehicles per weekday in Nashua to 9,000 in western Milford.
The road carries a number of names. In Milford it is Elm Street and then Nashua Street; in Amherst and Merrimack it is the Milford Road or, more commonly, just 101A; in Nashua it is Amherst Street, then Canal Street and finally Bridge Street.
New Hampshire Route 101B
New Hampshire Route 101B was a designation once held by two separate state highways in New Hampshire. Although the two segments did not directly connect, they were linked at the time by their parent route, New Hampshire Route 101.
Western segment
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| Location: | Hooksett–Candia |
The western segment of NH 101B was a roughly 8.5-mile-long (13.7 km) east–west road in the Manchester area. The western terminus of the route was at U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 28 in Hooksett, the current western terminus of New Hampshire Route 27. The eastern terminus was at NH 101 near Candia.
All of the western segment of NH 101B was renumbered NH 27 at an unknown time.[4]
Eastern segment
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| Location: | Portsmouth |
The eastern segment of NH 101B was a short east–west road in downtown Portsmouth. The western terminus was at the intersection of Islington Street and Middle Road, where NH 101, which followed the present alignment of New Hampshire Route 33 into Portsmouth, departed the routing of NH 33 and followed Islington Street to U.S. Route 1. NH 101B continued east on Middle Road and South Street, following the modern alignment of NH 33 to the present eastern terminus of NH 33 at US 1. At US 1, NH 101B continued east on South Street, running along the local street to its eastern terminus at New Hampshire Route 1B.
Prior to 1971, NH 101B from Islington Street east to US 1 became NH 101 while Islington Street and the portion of NH101B east of US 1 reverted to city maintenance. This section of NH 101 was renumbered to NH 33 in 1994.[4]
New Hampshire Route 101C
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| Location: | Hampton Beach |
New Hampshire Route 101C ran from NH 108 east along what is now NH 27 to NH 1A in Hampton Beach.
New Hampshire Route 101D
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| Location: | Hampton–Hampton Beach |
The portion of NH 111 between New Hampshire Route 27 in Hampton and NH 1A in Hampton Beach was once designated New Hampshire Route 101D.[4]
New Hampshire Route 101E
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| Location: | Hampton |
| Length: | 2.357 mi[1] (3.793 km) |
New Hampshire Route 101E is a short stretch of urban road 2.357 miles (3.793 km) in length in Hampton, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. This road connects Lafayette Road (U.S. Route 1) with Ocean Boulevard (New Hampshire Route 1A). NH 101E is locally named Winnacunnet Road. Oddly, this highway has never connected with NH 101, its "parent", or any of its spurs. The entire route is maintained by the town of Hampton.
NH 101E is very poorly signed. There exists one sign on southbound U.S. Route 1 using an old state-highway logo (without the Old Man of the Mountain), and green guide signs at the eastern terminus at NH 1A, but along the road itself, there is no signage to indicate the route's number. It is not known as "Route 101E" to local residents; they refer to it as "Winnacunnet Road."
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (February 20, 2015). "NH Public Roads". Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑
- 1 2 Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (April 3, 2015). "Nodal Reference 2015, State of New Hampshire". New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- City of Keene, Cheshire County
- Town of Marlborough, Cheshire County
- Town of Dublin, Cheshire County
- Town of Peterborough, Hillsborough County
- Town of Temple, Hillsborough County
- Town of Wilton, Hillsborough County
- Town of Milford, Hillsborough County
- Town of Amherst, Hillsborough County
- Town of Bedford, Hillsborough County
- City of Manchester, Hillsborough County
- Town of Auburn, Rockingham County
- Town of Candia, Rockingham County
- Town of Raymond, Rockingham County
- Town of Epping, Rockingham County
- Town of Brentwood, Rockingham County
- Town of Exeter, Rockingham County
- Town of Stratham, Rockingham County
- Town of Hampton, Rockingham County
- 1 2 3 New Hampshire Routes 101-125