New Hampshire Route 101

New Hampshire Route 101 is a major 92.86-mile (149.45 km) east–west state highway spanning southern New Hampshire from the Vermont border to the Atlantic Ocean. It serves as a primary arterial route connecting the cities of Keene, Peterborough, Milford, and Manchester to the Seacoast Region at Hampton Beach. The highway is a critical component of the state's transportation network, facilitating commerce and travel between the Monadnock Region, the Merrimack Valley, and coastal Rockingham County.

Route description

Beginning at the western terminus on the Connecticut River in Keene, the route proceeds eastward concurrent with NH 12 and NH 9 through the city's commercial center. East of Keene State College, it diverges to follow a generally rural course through Troy and Fitzwilliam before entering the Contoocook River valley near Rindge. The highway passes south of Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey and continues through Peterborough, where it intersects NH 202. From Milford eastward, the route becomes a heavily traveled four-lane divided expressway, bypassing the downtowns of Amherst and Bedford before meeting the Everett Turnpike and Interstate 293 in Manchester. East of the Queen City Bridge over the Merrimack River, it continues as a limited-access highway through Auburn and Candia, eventually transitioning to a surface arterial through Raymond, Epping, and Exeter before terminating at a cloverleaf interchange with I-95 and US 1 just inland from Hampton Beach State Park.

History

The western segments of the route follow early turnpike corridors, including the historic Ashuelot Turnpike between Keene and Fitzwilliam. The eastern alignment through Exeter was part of the Lafayette Road, a major stagecoach route. The modern highway's development accelerated in the mid-20th century to improve connections between Manchester and the coast. A significant project was the construction of the Bedford bypass and the expressway section through Amherst in the 1960s and 1970s. The final limited-access segment east of Manchester to Candia was completed in the late 1980s, culminating a decades-long effort to create a high-speed corridor across southern New Hampshire.

Major intersections

Major junctions from west to east include the western terminus at Vermont Route 101 in Keene, an intersection with NH 124 in Fitzwilliam, and a junction with NH 119 in Rindge. In Peterborough, it meets NH 202. The route intersects the Everett Turnpike and Interstate 293 in Manchester. Farther east, it has interchanges with NH 28 in Auburn and NH 43 in Raymond. The eastern terminus is a major interchange with I-95 and US 1 in Hampton.

Auxiliary routes

The primary auxiliary route is NH 101A, a business loop running 4.35 miles (7.00 km) through downtown Bedford and Manchester, providing local access bypassed by the main expressway. Historically, other suffixed routes like NH 101B in Exeter have existed but have since been decommissioned or reassigned.

See also

* List of state highways in New Hampshire * New Hampshire Department of Transportation * Transportation in New England

Category:State highways in New Hampshire