New Brunswick Route 102
 Route 102 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by New Brunswick Department of Transportation | ||||
| Length | 156.96 km[1] (97.53 mi) | |||
| Existed | 1965–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| North end |  Route 2 (TCH) in Pokiok | |||
 Route 101 in Fredericton Route 2 (TCH) in Upper Gagetown Route 124 in Evandale Route 177 in Westfield | ||||
| South end |  Route 7 in Westfield | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Canada | |||
| Province | New Brunswick | |||
| Major cities | Fredericton, Oromocto, Gagetown | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route 102 is a highway that follows the west bank of the Saint John River for 157 kilometres from Pokiok to Westfield. Most of the route is colloquially (but not officially) known as the Old River Road, as it was the original road connecting Fredericton and Saint John.
The section from Pokiok to Fredericton, a former alignment of the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 2), became part of Route 102 in stages between 2000 and 2006, as sections of the new 4-lane Trans-Canada Highway were opened. This section begins at the interchange of Route 2 and Route 102 in Pokiok, following a newly-built access road for a short distance to an interchange with the Pokiok Road (formerly part of Route 2). The highway then progresses along the Saint John River, passing Kings Landing and an interchange with Route 3, following the river past Woolastook Park and the Mactaquac Dam through Kingsclear. The route enters Fredericton on the Woodstock Road, then follows Brunswick Street or a riverfront parkway known as St. Anne's Point Drive (depending on direction) through the downtown area, leaving on Waterloo Row. Route 102 continues to follow the river along Lincoln Road, passing the Fredericton International Airport and reaching the town of Oromocto.
Route 102 continues along the river through Burton, Gagetown, Hampstead, Evandale, Oak Point and Browns Flat, then crosses the Nerepis River to reach Westfield on the west side. An extension of the route was built in the 1980s to meet with Route 7. The Gagetown, Hampstead and Evandale ferries, small, toll-free, cable ferries connect Route 102 to the other side of the river.
As the River Road, the present-day Route 102 (then a part of Route 2) was the first road connecting Fredericton and Saint John to be paved, ahead of the Broad Road (the present-day Route 7). With the alignment of the Trans-Canada Highway bypassing Saint John, and the upgrades of the Broad Road in the 1950s taking most traffic off the River Road, its importance as a major traffic route diminished. The River Road became Route 102 in 1965.
See also
References
- ^ New Brunswick Department of Transportation: Designated Provincial Highways, 2003