 U.S. Route 7 | ||||||||||||||||
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 US 7 highlighted in red | ||||||||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||||||||
| Length | 308.36 mi[1][2][3] (496.26 km) | |||||||||||||||
| Existed | 1926[4]–present | |||||||||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||||||||
| South end |  I-95 inNorwalk, CT | |||||||||||||||
| Major intersections | ||||||||||||||||
| North end |  I-89 nearHighgate Springs, VT | |||||||||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||||
| States | Connecticut,Massachusetts,Vermont | |||||||||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||||||||
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U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–southUnited States Numbered Highway in westernNew England that runs for 308 miles (496 km) throughConnecticut,Massachusetts, andVermont. The highway's southern terminus is atInterstate 95 (I-95) exit 15 inNorwalk, Connecticut. Its northern terminus is atI-89 exit 22 near the village ofHighgate Springs, Vermont, immediately south of theCanada–United States border.
| mi[1][2][3] | km | |
|---|---|---|
| CT | 78.22 | 125.88 |
| MA | 53.85 | 86.66 |
| VT | 176.29 | 283.71 |
| Total | 308.36 | 496.26 |
US 7 inConnecticut (also known as Route 7, Ethan Allen Highway, and Super 7) is mostly a surface road but has two short expressway sections in theNorwalk andDanbury areas. US 7 begins in Norwalk with a four-mile (6.4 km) expressway to nearly theWilton town line. There are three exits on this short section, signed as "The Forty Third Infantry Division Memorial Highway", named after the43rd Infantry Division. Exit 1, just pastI-95 (the southern terminus), leads to the Central Norwalk Business District andUS 1. Exit 2 leads toRoute 123 which extends from US 1 in Norwalk to theNew York state line, passing through the town ofNew Canaan. After exit 2, the expressway reduces to four lanes from six. Exit 3 leads toRoute 15 southbound, also known as theMerritt Parkway. This interchange was half built and only allows southbound access from the expressway; northbound access is gained via Route 123 at exit 2. The expressway section ends at Grist Mill Road in Norwalk, about one-half mile (0.80 km) past exit 3. US 7 then passes throughWilton as a four-lane highway until just afterCannondale, where it becomes a two-lane highway. It continues throughRidgefield as a two-lane highway.
Near Danbury, another expressway section was built beginning one mile (1.6 km) south ofI-84 nearDanbury Municipal Airport. This section is also signed as "The Forty Third Infantry Division Memorial Highway". Through Danbury proper, US 7 overlaps with I-84 for about four miles (6.4 km). Through this section of expressway, I-84, US 7,US 6, andUS 202 are concurrent. US 7 and Route 202 then leave I-84 at exit 7 and travel on their own expressway for approximately eight miles (13 km) to just south of theNew Milford town line. On this section there are two exits. At exit 11 (Federal Road), US 202 exits the expressway and at exit 12, US 202 crosses back over US 7. On southbound US 7, the exit for I-84 eastbound is signed as exit 10. There is no exit number for I-84 west because of the concurrency. The US 7 expressway then bypassesBrookfield to the west and terminates at an intersection with US 202 at theFairfield–Litchfield county line. Construction on the section between I-84 and exit 12 began in 1974 and completed in 1976. The Brookfield bypass segment between exit 12 and the current expressway terminus opened in November 2009, after two years of construction. The former US 7 route through Brookfield is now signed solely as US 202.
US 7 is cosigned with US 202 until central New Milford, where US 202 turns east withRoute 67 while US 7 continues north. Recent construction has also made large parts of US 7 between the terminus of the expressway and New Milford a four-lane divided highway with at-grade intersections. North of New Milford center, US 7 remains a two-lane road through the rest of Connecticut and leaves Connecticut in the town ofNorth Canaan.
US 7 enters Massachusetts in the town ofSheffield and remains a two-lane road untilLenox. There, a four-lane bypass of Lenox was built in two pieces, and the old US 7 is nowRoute 7A. US 7 continues on as a four-lane road toPittsfield, where it is then a three-lane road, narrowing to two lanes for a short time, then widening to four lanes in downtown Pittsfield. US 7 leaves downtown Pittsfield as a two-lane surface arterial and continues as a rural highway with occasional three-lane stretches for climbing the grades along theBerkshires. It passes west ofMount Greylock before passing throughWilliamstown, connecting theTaconic Trail with theMohawk Trail. The road passesWilliams College before enteringVermont.
Like Connecticut, Massachusetts planned a US 7 expressway from the existing bypass in Lenox all the way toLanesborough. This plan was never initiated, although land takings occurred. The highway was ultimately canceled due to environmental and community opposition.
In Massachusetts, US 7 passes through the towns of Sheffield,Great Barrington,Stockbridge,Lee, Lenox, Pittsfield, Lanesborough,New Ashford, and Williamstown, before crossing intoPownal, Vermont.
US 7 remains a rural two-lane highway from the Massachusetts line toBennington, where it becomes a grade separated freeway a mile (1.6 km) north of Bennington. Once complete, US 7 will utilize this new bypass, while the existing two-lane road into town will become part ofVermont Route 7A (VT 7A). North of town, the highway then again returns to expressway status. For three miles (4.8 km), it is a four-lane freeway with a grass median. US 7 then narrows down to an undividedtwo-lane freeway, with brief passing lanes in each direction. Just north ofManchester, the expressway ends. From Manchester toWallingford, the road is two lanes and rural. North of Wallingford, US 7 becomes a four-lane divided highway with at-grade intersections, until its southern junction withUS 4, south of the city ofRutland. From Rutland north, the road is either two-lane or four-lane undivided, uncontrolled road all the way to the Canada–United States border, except betweenShelburne andBurlington, which is a four-lane divided highway. US 7 andUS 2 run concurrently from Burlington to Chimney Corners inColchester. It is known as the Ethan Allen Highway for much of the path through Vermont.
In Vermont, it passes through the towns ofPownal, Bennington,Shaftsbury,Glastenbury,Arlington,Sunderland, Manchester,Dorset,Danby,Mount Tabor,Wallingford,Clarendon, andRutland; the city of Rutland; the towns ofPittsford,Brandon,Leicester,Salisbury,Middlebury,New Haven,Waltham,Ferrisburg,Charlotte, and Shelburne; the cities ofSouth Burlington (at which pointI-89 begins to parallel it), Burlington, andWinooski; the towns of Colchester,Milton,Georgia, andSt. Albans; the city ofSt. Albans; and the towns ofSwanton andHighgate before ending at I-89 just south of the customs offices at the Canada–United States border.
Prior to the U.S. Numbered Highway System, the alignment of US 7 fromGreat Barrington, Massachusetts, to the Canada–United States border north ofHighgate Springs, Vermont, was part of theNew England road marking system's Route 4. When first commissioned in 1927, US 7 ran along the entire length of Route 4, continuing south from Great Barrington along currentRoute 41.Route 41 continues into Connecticut up to the town ofSharon. Route 4 then went west alongRoute 343 to the New York state line, where the road continues alongNew York State Route 343 (NY 343) toAmenia. US 7 originally extended further south of Amenia all the way toNew York City alongNY 22 but was never signed within the city. By 1929, the southern terminus had been shifted toNorwalk, Connecticut. The previous designations of the new alignment south of Great Barrington were:Route 17 toNorth Canaan, State Highway 134 toNew Milford, State Highway 128 to Danbury,Route 3 toRidgefield, and State Highway 126 to Norwalk.
Until the 1970s, US 7 reached the Canada–United States border, with the road continuing as provincial route 7. US 7 was then cut back to the I-89 interchange mentioned above, with I-89 continuing to the Canada–US border and becomingRoute 133.
I-95 inNorwalk
US 1 inNorwalk
I-84 inDanbury. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 6 /US 202 inDanbury. US 6/US 7 travel concurrently through the city. US 7/US 202 travel concurrently toBrookfield.US 202 inBrookfieldUS 202 inBrookfield. The highways travel concurrently toNew Milford.
US 44 inNorth Canaan. The highways travel concurrently through the town.
US 20 inLenox. The highways travel concurrently toPittsfield.
US 4 in theTown of Rutland. The highways travel concurrently to theCity of Rutland.
I-189 on theSouth Burlington–Burlington city line
US 2 inBurlington. The highways travel concurrently toColchester.I-89 inColchesterI-89 inGeorgiaI-89 inHighgate
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system. |
