Maine State Route 26

State Route 26
Route information
Maintained by MaineDOT
Length	96.7 mi (155.6 km)
Existed	1925, 1934 (current alignment)–present
Major junctions
South end	Congress Street in Portland
Major intersections	I-295/U.S. Route 1 in Portland State Route 9 in Portland I-95/Maine Turnpike in Falmouth U.S. Route 202 in Gray State Route 11 in Poland US-2/State Route 5 in Bethel
North end	NH Route 26 near Errol, NH
Location
Country	United States
State	Maine
Counties	Cumberland, Androscoggin, Oxford
Highway system
Maine State Highway System
← SR 25 → SR 26A

State Route 26 is a 96.7 mile-long state highway in southwestern Maine. It was first commissioned in 1925, as part of the New England road marking system. Route 26 in Maine, as well as New Hampshire and the short stub in Vermont, covers the route of the old New England Interstate Route 26. In the state of Maine, Route 26 runs from Portland in the southeast to the New Hampshire border near Upton, where it continues as New Hampshire Route 26.

Route description

Route 26 begins in Portland. State route logs show its southern terminus at State Route 77 in the western end of the city center at the intersection of Cumberland Avenue and State Street (southbound SR 77). From there it heads northeast along Cumberland Avenue, then turns north onto Washington Avenue. In the field, Route 26's southern end is signed at the intersection of Congress Street, Washington Avenue, and Mountfort Street in the eastern end of the city center one block south of the Cumberland Avenue intersection with Washington Avenue. From here, it follows Washington Avenue northward and joins with Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 1 over Tukey's Bridge, splitting off from that Interstate immediately on the other side of the bridge to continue northwest on Washington Avenue. Route 100 joins at Allen Avenue, and the combined Routes 26 and 100 immediately angle northward onto Auburn Street and continue together as far as the town of Gray.

From Portland, Route 26 generally parallels Interstate 95 (the Maine Turnpike) as far as Gray where it intersects with State Routes 115, 4, and US Route 202 and State Route 100 again splits off. The Turnpike begins to turn northeast at Gray, as does Route 100, but Route 26 continues north and then northwest. It crosses into New Hampshire near Upton. In Maine, Route 26 passes through Cumberland, Androscoggin and Oxford Counties.

History

Main article: Maine State Route 26A

On November 16, 2006, a new bypass, Route 26A, was completed and put into service to alleviate congestion in the center of Gray village where State Routes 26, 100, 115, 4, and U.S. Route 202 intersect. Much of the traffic congestion at this village center intersection was due to traffic on Route 26 being forced to pass through this central intersection when accessing and leaving the nearby I-95 Maine Turnpike Exit 63. One end of Route 26A begins at this intersection when it branches from Route 26 and runs west along U.S. Route 202 past the nearby turnpike exit before making a right-hand turn northward and running parallel to the turnpike on its opposite side until its other end where it rejoins Route 26 just south of the Gray-New Gloucester High School. In recognition of the heavy traffic flow of turnpike access, it is Route 26 which must yield at this junction, while traffic flow onto and from the new bypass Route 26A continues smoothly and unimpeded here.