U.S. Route 7 in Vermont

U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south highway extending from southern Connecticut to the northernmost part of Vermont. In Vermont, the route extends for 176 miles (283 km) along the western side of the state as a mostly two-lane rural road, with the exception of an expressway section between Bennington and East Dorset. US 7 is known as the Ethan Allen Highway for its entire length through the state, named after the US Revolutionary War general.[1] US 7 ends at an interchange with Interstate 89 (I-89) in the town of Highgate, just south of the Canada–United States border. I-89 continues to the border crossing.

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 7 in Vermont. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 7.

U.S. Route 7 marker

U.S. Route 7

Ethan Allen Highway[1]
Map of Vermont with US 7 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by VTrans
Length176.328 mi[2] (283.772 km)
Existed1926[3]–present
Major junctions
South end US 7 at the Massachusetts state line in Pownal
Major intersections
North end I-89 near Highgate
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVermont
CountiesBennington, Rutland, Addison, Chittenden, Franklin
Highway system
← VT 5A→ VT 7A

Route description
Original-style Vermont US 7 shield
Original-style Vermont US 7 shield with embossed features
US 7 northbound at Historic VT 7A in Bennington
US 7 northbound at exit 1 in Bennington
Split of US 7 northbound and VT 279 westbound in Bennington
US 7 northbound at exit 2 to VT 7A in Bennington
US 7 northbound at exit 3 in Sunderland
View north along "Super" US 7 in Sunderland
US 7 northbound at exit 4 in Manchester

US 7 crosses the Massachusetts–Vermont state line at Pownal, from where the road heads north to Bennington as a rural two-lane highway. Just north of downtown Bennington, the highway transitions into a limited-access highway. For three miles (4.8 km), US 7 is a true expressway with divided carriageways and multiple lanes. The road subsequently narrows down to an undivided two-lane freeway; however, many stretches have passing lanes. This continues to a point just south of East Dorset, where US 7 reverts to a surface road.

Most of US 7 between East Dorset and the Canada–United States border is an undivided, uncontrolled road varying in width from two to four lanes. Two divided highway sections also exist: a 10-mile (16 km) section south of Rutland and a three-mile (4.8 km) stretch with numerous traffic signals between Shelburne and South Burlington known as Shelburne Road. There is overhead signage at the junction with I-189 in South Burlington that directs northbound trucks onto I-189. While US 7 heads directly into Burlington, I-189 bypasses the city to the south and east and leads directly to I-89, which runs close to US 7 north of Winooski.

Near downtown Burlington, US 7 intersects with US 2; the latter route joins US 7 for more than nine miles (14 km) to Colchester. From here, US 7 and I-89 run through northern Vermont to Highgate, where US 7 ends at the northernmost exit on I-89.

History

US 7 was assigned in 1926.[3] I-89 was originally envisioned to parallel US 7 from the Canadian frontier to the Massachusetts border. This plan was ultimately canceled, and I-89 was shifted to its current alignment, turning southeast at Burlington toward Montpelier and White River Junction. Prior to the cancelation of the original I-89 routing, approximately 25 miles (40 km) of freeway (mostly super two with some four-lane sections) was built in the US 7 corridor between Bennington and Manchester, plus an additional seven miles (11 km) of four-lane highway between Wallingford and Rutland were completed.

Major intersections
CountyLocation[2]mi[2]kmExitDestinationsNotes
BenningtonPownal0.0000.000
 US 7 south – Williamstown		Continuation into Massachusetts
1.8632.998
 VT 346 west – Pownal, North Pownal		Eastern terminus of VT 346
Community of Bennington10.95717.634 VT 9 (Main Street)
Town of Bennington12.14019.537

 VT 7A north (Northside Drive) to VT 67A / Kocher Drive – Welcome Center		Southern terminus of VT 7A
12.23619.692South end of freeway section
13.15321.16813

 VT 279 to VT 9 east – Brattleboro, Troy		Also serves Vermont Welcome Center; brief concurrency with VT 279 on outer ramps; old exit 1
14.39323.16314 VT 7A – ShaftsburyAccess via Bennington North State Highway (VT 9025); old exit 2
Sunderland24.22438.98524
 VT 313 to VT 7A – Arlington, Sunderland, Shaftsbury		Eastern terminus of VT 313; old exit 3
Manchester Center34.50155.52434
 VT 11 / VT 30 to VT 7A – Manchester Center, Manchester		Also serves Dorset and Peru; old exit 4
Dorset38.89762.599North end of freeway section

 VT 7A south – Manchester Center		Northern terminus of VT 7A
RutlandWallingford56.16590.389

 VT 140 west / VT 140 east – Tinmouth, East Wallingford
57.05491.820
 VT 7B north (Clarendon Road)		Southern terminus of VT 7B
Clarendon58.58194.277
 VT 7B south		Southern terminus of unsigned VT 7B concurrency
59.29795.429
 VT 7B north – Clarendon		Northern terminus of unsigned VT 7B concurrency
61.16998.442
 VT 103 south – Airport, Ludlow		Northern terminus of VT 103
62.591100.730 VT 7B – North Clarendon
63.393102.021
 VT 7B south		Northern terminus of VT 7B
Town of Rutland63.844102.747
 US 4 west – Fair Haven		Southern terminus of US 4 concurrency
City of Rutland65.944106.127

 US 4 Bus. west – Downtown Rutland		Eastern terminus of BR US 4
66.081106.347
 US 4 east		Northern terminus of US 4 concurrency
Pittsford73.057117.574
 VT 3 south – Proctor		Northern terminus of VT 3
Community of Brandon81.656131.413
 VT 73 east (Park Street)		Eastern terminus of VT 73 concurrency
82.072132.082
 VT 73 west (Champlain Street)		Western terminus of VT 73 concurrency
AddisonSalisbury91.315146.957
 VT 53 south – Lake Dunmore, Forestdale		Northern terminus of VT 53
Middlebury94.157151.531


 VT 116 north to VT 125 east – East Middlebury, Snow Bowl Ski Area, Bristol		Southern terminus of VT 116
94.431151.972
 VT 125 east – East Middlebury, Airport, Ripton		Southern terminus of VT 125 concurrency
97.067156.214
 VT 125 west – Cornwall, Bridport		Western terminus of VT 125 concurrency
98.285158.174



 VT 30 south to VT 125 west / VT 23 – Cornwall, Hospital		Northern terminus of VT 30
New Haven106.034170.645
 VT 17 east – New Haven, Bristol		Western terminus of VT 17 concurrency
106.148170.829
 VT 17 west – Waltham, Bridge to N.Y. State		Eastern terminus of VT 17 concurrency
Ferrisburgh111.511179.460
 VT 22A south – Vergennes		Northern terminus of VT 22A
ChittendenCharlotte120.723194.285
 VT F5 west – Charlotte, Ferry to N.Y. State		Eastern terminus of VT F-5
South Burlington–Burlington line130.350–
130.626		209.778–
210.222

 I-189 east to I-89 – Montpelier, St. Albans		Current western terminus of I-189
Burlington131.627211.833

 US 7 Alt. north (Shelburne Street at South Willard Street)		Southern terminus of ALT US 7
132.550213.319
 US 2 east		Southern terminus of US 2 concurrency
133.490214.831

 US 7 Alt. south (Riverside Avenue at Hyde Street)		Northern terminus of ALT US 7
Winooski134.793216.928


 VT 15 east to I-89 south – Essex Junction		Western terminus of VT 15; Roundabout
Colchester135.804–
135.876		218.555–
218.671		 I-89 – Burlington, St. Albans, Champlain IslandsExit 16 on I-89
137.620221.478
 VT 127 south		Northern terminus of VT 127
139.067223.807

 To VT 2A south – Essex Junction		Access via unsigned VT 127
139.261224.119
 VT 2A south – Essex Junction		Northern terminus of VT 2A
142.151228.770

 US 2 west to I-89 – Lake Champlain Islands, New York State		Northern terminus of US 2 concurrency
FranklinGeorgia151.526243.857
 VT 104A east – Fairfax		Northern terminus of VT 104A
151.689–
152.011		244.120–
244.638		 I-89 – St. Albans, Montreal, BurlingtonExit 18 on I-89
City of St. Albans160.373258.095
 VT 36 east (Fairfield Street)		Southern terminus of VT 36 concurrency
160.401258.140
 VT 36 west (Lake Street) – St. Albans Bay		Northern terminus of VT 36 concurrency
160.952259.027
 VT 38 west (Lower Newton Street)		Eastern terminus of VT 38
161.363259.689
 VT 105 east – Sheldon Junction, Enosburg Falls		Western terminus of VT 105
Town of St. Albans162.514261.541

 VT 207 north to I-89 – Burlington, Highgate Center, Swanton, Montreal Que.		Southern terminus of VT 207
Village of Swanton168.951271.900

 VT 78 east to I-89 – Highgate Center, East Highgate		Southern terminus of VT 78 concurrency
169.033272.032

 VT 78 west to VT 36 – Alburg, New York State		Northern terminus of VT 78 concurrency
Highgate175.963–
176.328		283.185–
283.772		 I-89 – Montreal, Swanton, St. AlbansExit 22 on I-89
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Suffixed routes

US 7 has two suffixed routes, both of which are old alignments of US 7.

  • VT 7A (27.820 mi or 44.772 km) is an alternate route of US 7 between Bennington and Dorset.[2] The route is signed as "Historic VT 7A" to distinguish it, the original routing of US 7, from the modern US 7 limited-access highway.
  • VT 7B (6.786 mi or 10.921 km) is an alternate route of US 7 through the towns of Wallingford and Clarendon.[2] VT 7B was the original alignment of US 7 prior to the construction of the current US 7 divided highway through the area. The route intersects US 7 five times (including the terminuses) and overlaps it for 0.716 miles (1.152 km) in Clarendon.[2]

US 7 Alternate

Alternate plate.svg

U.S. Route 7 Alternate marker

U.S. Route 7 Alternate

LocationBurlington
Length2.107 mi[2] (3.391 km)
The original US 7 Alt. assembly along the short route.

U.S. Route 7 Alternate (US 7 Alt.) is an alternate route of US 7 in Burlington. The southbound-only US 7 Alt. begins at the intersection of Hyde Street and Riverside Avenue (US 2 and US 7) and runs for a distance of 2.107 miles (3.391 km)[2] in the following manner: west on Riverside Avenue, south on North and South Winooski avenues, south on St. Paul Street, and south on Shelburne Street to its end at US 7 at a roundabout intersection with South Willard Street (US 7) and Locust Street. Mainline US 7 travels over Hyde Street and North and South Willard streets until the aforementioned intersection.

As of July 2016, there are three US 7 Alt. assemblies along the route. The original one is located on Saint Paul Street in Burlington, just south of the intersection with South Winooski Avenue and Howard Street, with the newer two on South Winooski Avenue, with one at the intersection with Pearl Street, and the other at Main Street.

As of November 2022, in conjunction with the reconstruction of the rotary-style intersection where US 7 Alt. terminates, there is a new directional US 7 Alt. sign installed in the rotary, along with a lone reassurance US 7 Alt. marker installed just to the north.[4]

References
  1. State of Vermont Board of Libraries (April 28, 2008). "Vermont Named State Highways and Bridges" (PDF). Department of Libraries, State of Vermont. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  2. Traffic Research Unit (May 2013). "2012 (Route Log) AADTs for State Highways" (PDF). Policy, Planning and Intermodal Development Division, Vermont Agency of Transportation. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  3. 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.
  4. Huntley, Katharine (November 17, 2022). "Burlington officials celebrate early completion of roundabout". WCAX3. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
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