U.S. Route 5 (US 5) is a north–south

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

running through the

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

states of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, and

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. Significant cities along the route include

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

;

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

; and

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

. From Hartford northward to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, the road closely follows the route of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

. The entire route of US 5 is closely paralleled by

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...

(I-91). US 5 now serves as the local business route and alternate route for the Interstate Highway. The northern terminus of US 5 is in Derby Line, Vermont, at the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

, where it continues past the

Derby Line–Stanstead Border Crossing The Derby Line–Stanstead Border Crossing is a border crossing station on the Canada–United States border, connecting the towns of Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont. It connects Main Street ( U.S. Route 5) in Derby Line with Q ...

into

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

as Route 143, which was Route 5 until renumbered in the mid-1970s. Its southern terminus is in

, at an intersection with I-91.

Route description

, - , CT , , - , MA , , - , VT , , - , Total , US 5 runs through three states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont, with the latter containing over half of US 5's total distance. Throughout nearly all of US 5's entire length, it remains its own road entirely separate from I-91, which has largely replaced it as a through route (and now carries most of the traffic). It is only cosigned onto I-91 for less than half of a mile () in Springfield, Massachusetts, before splitting off alone again.

Connecticut

US 5 begins in the city of

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

, heading north through

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

to Massachusetts. It generally parallels

I-91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, ...

. From Meriden northward through Wethersfield, it runs concurrent with Route 15 and is known locally as the Berlin Turnpike. Much commerce is located there resulting in high traffic. The Berlin Turnpike leaves the roadway south of the Hartford city line. After an interchange in Hartford with I-91, US 5/Route 15 travels over the

Charter Oak Bridge The Charter Oak Bridge is one of the three highway bridges over the Connecticut River between Hartford, Connecticut, and East Hartford, Connecticut. The twin steel stringer bridge carries the Wilbur Cross Highway (U.S. Route 5 in Connecticut, U ...

, which spans the Connecticut River, into East Hartford. US 5 then splits off to head toward downtown East Hartford. It then has a short overlap with US 44, which joins it from the west as Connecticut Boulevard. US 44 continues to the east along Burnside Avenue as US 5 continues northward into South Windsor, East Windsor, and Enfield. It leaves the state soon after a junction with I-91, heading into Longmeadow, Massachusetts (a part of the Springfield metropolitan area).

Massachusetts

US 5 stays very close to the

. It enters the state at the town of Longmeadow on the east bank of the river going up to Springfield. In Springfield, US 5 then overlaps with I-91 for about , then separates as its own freeway crossing the Connecticut River on the South End Bridge into Agawam. The freeway portion runs for about up to West Springfield. From the town of

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

up to Bernardston, US 5 overlaps Route 10 (for ). US 5 also passes through

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

, Hatfield, Whately, Deerfield, and Greenfield. As in Connecticut, US 5 has many interchanges with the parallel I-91.

Vermont

US 5 follows the

valley from the southern border of Vermont, traveling along the west bank of that river until it reaches St. Johnsbury. US 5 enters the state at the town of Guilford. It passes through the counties of (from south to north) Windham, Windsor, Orange,

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the forested region in the central and western Scottish Highlands, particularly stretching through parts of what are now Lochaber, Badenoch, Strathspey, and possibly as ...

, and Orleans. Near the town of St. Johnsbury, US 5 continues northward, following the Passumpsic River valley until it reaches Sheffield Heights. After crossing the heights, it follows the Barton River valley until it reaches Orleans. It then turns north-northwest and crosses the divide near the Airport Road in Irasburg and follows the Black River valley into Newport. US 5 ends at the Canada–United States border in the village of Derby Line, where the roadway continues into Canada as Route 143. As in Connecticut and Massachusetts, US 5 has many interchanges with I-91, with a total of 22 junctions over its length in the state.

History

Prior to the U.S. Numbered Highway System, the route was designated as Route 2 of the New England road marking system that existed between 1922 and 1927. When US 5 was first commissioned, it took over the entirety of Route 2. In 1927, US 5 had still not been paved in Vermont. Paving in Vermont was completed by 1933.

Connecticut

Originally, the route began at the

New Haven Green The New Haven Green is a privately owned park and recreation area located in the downtown New Haven, downtown district of the city of New Haven, Connecticut, United States. It comprises the central square of the nine-square settlement plan of t ...

in downtown

(at US 1). Between New Haven and North Haven, it originally ran east of the

Quinnipiac River The Quinnipiac River ( ) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 long river in the New England region of the United States, located entirely in the state of ...

along modern-day Middletown Avenue (part of Route 17) and Route 103 (the modern alignment was then designated as US 5A). In

, US 5 passed by Central Row in the downtown area, entering the city via Maple Avenue and exiting on the Bulkeley Bridge with US 6. The southern terminus of US 5 has been realigned several times. By 1938, US 5 bypassed downtown New Haven via the Prospect Hill, Dixwell, and West River neighborhoods, ending at Davenport and Columbus Avenues. In the mid-1950s, US 5 was instead routed through the Mill River neighborhood ending at East Street and Forbes Avenue. The modern New Haven to North Haven designation was also in place around this time. When

opened in 1967, the alignment was truncated to its current terminus at exit 5 of I-91.

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Highway Commission noted in 1912 that between Longmeadow and Agawam, the traffic between the

Pioneer Valley The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial and promotional name for the portion of the Connecticut River Valley that is in Massachusetts in the United States. It is generally taken to comprise the three counties of Hampden County, Massachusetts, Ha ...

and Connecticut was heavier on the east side. The western route from Hartford to West Springfield, via what is now River Road in Agawam and Route 159 in Connecticut, was designated US 5 Alternate. The main route, US 5, was originally designated to run on the east side of the river from Hartford into downtown Springfield, over the Memorial Bridge, along Memorial Avenue, up a four-lane Main Street, and then to Park Street (and Park Avenue going in the opposite direction), and up what is now Elm Street, to Riverdale Street. Riverdale Street at that time followed the northern part of the current Elm Street and ended at Witch Path. In 1938, due to congestion in the West Springfield town center, US 5 was moved to a newly constructed bypass from the North End Bridge to East Elm Street, where it continued north along the modern Elm Street and Riverdale Road. In 1941–1942, a four-lane highway was built from East Elm Street to the current Elm Street fork just south of Morgan Road. The designations of both Riverdale Road and US 5 were moved to the new more easterly route. In 1952–1953, construction was started on the modern four-lane highway from the new South End Bridge in Agawam to the existing bypass at the North End Bridge. Tunnels were built under the rotaries at the Memorial and North End bridges so US 5 traffic and local traffic would not intersect. In 1971, the Riverdale Road portion of US 5 was upgraded to a divided highway, with the installation of a steel median, and in 1987–1988, a new lane was added to accommodate the new Riverdale Shops at Daggett Drive. The 1953 Massachusetts Department of Public Works Master Plan would have relocated US 5 between Morgan Road in West Springfield and Mount Tom in

to a right-of-way similar to the current path of

, but this was never implemented.

Vermont

US 5 in Vermont mostly followed the Route 2 alignment when it was first designated. Minor deviations from the current route are found in the urban compacts of White River Junction,

Burke Burke (; ) is a Normans in Ireland, Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (''circa'' 1160–1206) had the surname'' de B ...

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, and Derby Center. From 1927 to 1929, US 5 was temporarily routed into

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

along part of what is now New Hampshire Route 12 between North Walpole and Charlestown. The US 5 designation was removed when the road opposite the Connecticut River in Vermont had been improved. In 1931, US 5 in Vermont was taken over by the state, which began paving the road. Over the years a few minor reroutings within populated centers have taken place. The current alignment was in place by 1975.

Major intersections

;Connecticut : in

: in North Haven : in North Haven : in Meriden : in

: in East Hartford : in East Hartford. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in South Windsor : in East Windsor : in Enfield : in Enfield ;Massachusetts : in Springfield. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in West Springfield : in West Springfield : in West Springfield : in

: in

: in Northampton : in Northampton : in Hatfield : in Whately : in Whately ;Vermont : in Brattleboro : in Dummerston : southeast of Springfield : in Hartland : in

: in White River Junction. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

: in Newbury. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in St. Johnsbury : in St. Johnsbury. The highways travel concurrently for one block. : in

Lyndon Lyndon may refer to: Places * Lyndon, Alberta, Canada * Lyndon, Rutland, East Midlands, England * Lyndon, Solihull, West Midlands, England United States * Lyndon, Illinois * Lyndon, Kansas * Lyndon, Kentucky * Lyndon, New York * Lyndon, Ohio * L ...

: in Orleans : in

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

: at the

in Derby Line