⁴ᴷ Road Trip

Road Trip #1043 - I-89 South - New Hampshire Mile 27-0 - Warner/Hopkinton/Contoocook/Concord/Bow

We drive the last 27 miles of I-89 in New Hampshire, through Merrimack County. Along the way, we pass through the state capital of Concord.

Interstate 89 (I-89) is a major highway in the New England region, running from Bow, New Hampshire, to the Canada–United States border between Highgate Springs, Vermont, and Saint-Armand, Quebec. Despite being marked as a north-south route, I-89 actually follows a northwest-southeast path. The highway serves as a key connection between Montreal, Canada, and Boston, U.S., with Quebec's Route 133 continuing northward into Canada. When Quebec completes Autoroute 35, there will be a nonstop freeway between these two cities.

The largest cities directly served by I-89 include Concord in New Hampshire, and Montpelier and Burlington in Vermont. I-89 is one of three major Interstates located entirely in New England, along with I-91 and I-93. Unlike other highways, I-89 doesn’t intersect any east-west Interstates, but it parallels several U.S. routes like US Route 4, US Route 2, and US Route 7, overlapping with them in certain sections.

In Vermont’s Chittenden County, I-89 has an auxiliary route, I-189, which connects South Burlington to downtown Burlington. Construction is underway to further link this route with the Champlain Parkway.

In New Hampshire, I-89 spans about 61 miles, primarily serving the western part of the state. The highway begins at an interchange with I-93 near Concord, running northwest through rural towns like Hopkinton, Grantham, and Warner, before reaching Lebanon at the Vermont state line. Notable population centers along the route include Concord and Lebanon. The towns of Grantham and Enfield, which are less populated, were affected by the highway’s construction, and unique exit names like “Montcalm” and “Purmort” were selected by local officials to reflect the history of the area.

Crossing into Vermont, I-89 continues its journey northwest. It intersects I-91 near White River Junction and continues through scenic areas such as the Green Mountains and Vermont’s capital, Montpelier. Important towns along the way include Barre, Waterbury, and St. Albans. The highway eventually reaches Burlington, where it transitions from the mountainous regions into the Champlain Valley. The busy exit 14 near Burlington connects to downtown, the University of Vermont, and retail areas.

I-89’s northern stretch passes through small towns like Milton, Georgia, and Swanton before ending at the Canada-U.S. border in Highgate Springs. At the border, I-89 transitions into Quebec’s Route 133, though this route is not a freeway. Plans to complete Autoroute 35, connecting I-89 directly with Montreal, are expected to be finished by 2025.

Historically, I-89 was part of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, originally planned to run from Norwalk, Connecticut, to the Canadian border. However, opposition led to a shift in its route, creating a connection between Boston and Montreal. The first sections opened in the early 1960s, with the highway being fully completed by 1982. Some parts of the original I-89 plan were built in Connecticut and Vermont and are now part of U.S. Route 7.

Future developments on I-89 include several infrastructure projects, such as reconstructing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge between Vermont and New Hampshire and building Vermont’s first diverging diamond interchange at exit 16 in Colchester. Additionally, improvements are planned for exit 17 in Colchester to reduce traffic congestion. These projects are expected to be completed by 2026.

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1 #Kazuya - Wow - Instrumental Version
2 Dimitrix - Party Favor
3 Rex Banner - Cosmic Sunset
4 DJ Taz Rashid - Believe in You - Instrumental Version

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