Highway in the United States
U.S. Route 4 (US 4 ) is a 253-mile-long (407 km) United States Numbered Highway that runs from East Greenbush, New York , in the west to Portsmouth, New Hampshire , in the east, traversing Vermont .
In New York , US 4 is signed north–south to reflect its alignment in the state. In Vermont and New Hampshire , the route is signed east–west, the conventional direction for even-numbered U.S. Routes.
Route description
US 4's western terminus at US 9 and US 20 in East Greenbush, New York, a suburb of Albany
New York
In the state of New York , US 4 begins at the concurrency of US 9 and US 20 in East Greenbush . Heading northward, it has an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90), continuing northward into Troy . In Troy, it passes by Hudson Valley Community College as well as the headquarters of the 42nd Infantry Division . US 4 then heads downhill, passing the historic South End Tavern as Burden Avenue, named for the historic Burden Iron Works . Later, US 4 assumes Fourth Street, which splits into parallel one-way streets (Third Street handles southbound traffic). Once through Troy's historic downtown , the streets meet and pass by the Green Island Bridge , later passing under the Collar City Bridge and into Lansingburgh .
After Lansingburgh, US 4 turns left to cross the Hudson River on the Troy–Waterford Bridge , entering Waterford , joining with New York State Route 32 (NY 32) to head north together west of the Hudson. After Mechanicville , US 4 and NY 32 split, and US 4 passes by the Battles of Saratoga and Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery . NY 32 joins again to pass through Schuylerville , after which US 4 splits off to cross the Hudson River one last time.
Running parallel to the Champlain Canal , US 4 passes through villages including Fort Edward , Hudson Falls , Fort Ann , and Whitehall . After a concurrency with NY 22 , US 4 heads eastward into Vermont .
Vermont
In the state of Vermont , US 4 immediately becomes a four-lane divided expressway. The historic routing of US 4 runs nearby as Vermont Route 4A (VT 4A), which later becomes US 4 Business as it enters Rutland . South of Rutland, US 4 meets US 7 and overlaps it into downtown, meeting the east end of its business route. East of Rutland, US 4 is a two-lane highway, meandering through the Green Mountains , passing by Killington , going through Woodstock and Quechee , crossing the Quechee Gorge , and meeting US 5 , I-89 , and I-91 at White River Junction . Crossing the Connecticut River , US 4 enters New Hampshire.
New Hampshire
In the state of New Hampshire , US 4 passes through Lebanon , meeting I-89 again. It then heads southeast to Boscawen , where it briefly overlaps US 3 before joining I-93 into Concord . Turning east, US 4 briefly overlaps I-393 and for a longer stretch with US 202 . Passing through Durham , US 4 joins the Spaulding Turnpike at Dover Point and travels southeast to its eastern terminus in Portsmouth at the Portsmouth Traffic Circle .
History
Prior to being designated US 4, the road from Whitehall, New York , eastward through Vermont was New England Route 13 (Route 13). From the Vermont–New Hampshire state line to Franklin, New Hampshire , it was the eastern extension of Route 14 . From Franklin to Concord, New Hampshire , it used Route 6 (now US 3 ), and, from Concord to Northwood, New Hampshire , it used Route 9 (now New Hampshire Route 9 [NH 9]). Between Northwood and Dover, New Hampshire , it used a road that was previously not numbered. From Dover to its eastern terminus at Portsmouth, New Hampshire , the road used to be known as Route 16 (now NH 16 ).
History of the terminuses
1926–1930: Glens Falls, New York , at the point where US 9 split into US 9W and US 9E , to Portsmouth, New Hampshire .[2] 1930–: East Greenbush, New York , following former US 9E, through its former west terminus, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.[3] [4]
Major intersections
New York
US 9 / US 20 in East Greenbush
I-90 north of East Greenbush
Vermont
US 7 in the Town of Rutland . The highways travel concurrently to the City of Rutland .
I-89 in Hartford
US 5 in Hartford. The highways travel concurrently to White River Junction .
New Hampshire
I-89 in Lebanon
I-89 in Lebanon
US 3 in Boscawen . The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-93 in Concord . The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-93 / I-393 / US 202 in Concord. I-393/US 4 travel concurrently to Pembroke . US 3/US 202 travel concurrently to Northwood .
I-95 in Portsmouth
See also
Special routes
References
^ Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey . OCLC 32889555 . Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons .
^ Automobile Blue Book . Vol. 1 (1927 ed.). Chicago: Automobile Blue Book, Inc. 1927. This edition shows U.S. Routes as they were first officially signed in 1927.
^ Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book , 1930–31 and 1931–32 editions, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930 and 1931). The 1930–31 edition shows New York state routes prior to the 1930 renumbering
^ Dickinson, Leon A. (January 12, 1930). "New Signs for State Highways". The New York Times . p. 136.
External links
KML is from Wikidata
Routes in italics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system.