Byways
Connecticut River Byway
The Connecticut River National Scenic Byway runs on the Vermont and New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River from Massachusetts to the Canadian border. In southern Windsor County it follows U.S. Route 5, running through Springfield, Weathersfield and Windsor, with spurs on VT Routes 44 and 44A to Brownsville and VT Route 11 to downtown Springfield. SWCRPC has been involved with the Byway since before its designation in 1998. SWCRPC is currently coordinating an effort to create travel itineraries along the Connecticut River Byway in Vermont and New Hampshire from Brattleboro to Colebrook.
For more information about the latest projects of the Connecticut River Byway, check out the November 2012 River Byway News.
Connecticut River Byway Itineraries Project
SWCRPC is coordinating an effort to create travel itineraries along the Connecticut River Byway in Vermont and New Hampshire from the Massachusetts border to the Quebec border. These itineraries will be published in a paper brochure and on the Connecticut River Byway website.
Draft outline of itineraries
Below is a summary of the draft itineraries which have been developed. Links are provided for the itineraries which have already been reviewed and refined at a meeting of local stakeholders and interest groups. These drafts are stored here to allow everyone who has been involved along the Byway to see how all the itineraries fit together. Please email Katharine if you have any comments or changes.
| Type | Major stops | Theme | Local meeting date | Link for draft itinerary | Link for google map | |
| Brattleboro | Car | Putney, Westminster, Chesterfield | Cultural hubs and small villages | 4/16 | Nov 2012 | July 2012 (route unchanged) |
| Bellows Falls | Car | Walpole, Charlestown, Springfield | Canals, art and industry | 5/8 and 5/10 | Nov 2012 | July 2012 (route unchanged) |
| Windsor/ Claremont | Car | Claremont, Hartland, Plainfield | Precision Valley and Cornish Colony | 5/30 | Nov 2012 | July 2012 (route unchanged) |
| WRJ | Car | Norwich, East Thetford, Hanover | Food and the Upper Valley | 6/21 | Nov 2012 | July 2012 (route unchanged) |
| Haverhill/ Wells River | Car | Wells River, Bradford, Orford | Working Farm Landscape | 6/18 | Dec 2012 | Dec 2012 (route added Bath) |
| St Johnsbury | Car | Barnet, Littleton, Lower Waterford | Rivers of Industry | 6/26 | Feb 2013 | July 2012 (route unchanged) |
| Lancaster | Car | Groveton, Guildhall, Lunenburg | Winding river with the mountains | 7/31 | Nov 2012 | August 2012 (route unchanged) |
| Colebrook | Car | Third Connecticut Lake, Canaan, North Stratford | Forest legacy and where it all begins | 7/31 | Feb 2013 | Sept 2012 with NH145 downhill |
| Southern | Bicycle | Easy Loop – Brattleboro to Pond Road Loop extension – Brattleboro to Bellows Falls |
N/A | 9/25 | January 2013 | Oct 2012 |
| Central | Bicycle | Easy Loop – Wells River to Bradford Loop Extension – Bradford to Hanover |
N/A | 9/25 | January 2013 | Oct 2012 |
| Northeast Kingdom | Bicycle | Easy Loop – Barnet to Woodsville Loop Extension – Barnet to Waterford to St Johnsbury to Barnet |
N/A | 9/24 | January 2013 | Oct 2012 |
| Northeast Kingdom | Kayak | Canaan/West Stewartstown to Colebrook | N/A | 9/24 | January 2013 | Nov 2012 |
Please email Katharine if you would like to be involved in any future work on this Itinerary project.
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Scenic Route 100 Byway
SWCRPC is also involved with a Vermont Byway along Route 100 in the region. The Scenic Route 100 Byway was originally designated on April 20, 2011 as the 8th Vermont Byway and was officially extended on April 18, 2013. It is now Vermont’s second largest Byway at 138 miles, behind the Connecticut River Byway, crisscrossing along the spine of the Green Mountain from the Mad River Byway to the Massachusetts’s border. The Byway includes Route 100 and small sections of 100A and 103 through the towns of Granville, Hancock, Rochester, Stockbridge, Pittsfield, Killington, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Ludlow, Andover, Cavendish, Weston, Londonderry, Jamaica, Wardsboro, Stratton, Dover, Wilmington, Whitingham and Stamford. The Byway Committee, which includes representatives of towns, business, chambers of commerce and RPC’s from along Route 100, is now re-organizing to add the new towns and will be starting on several new projects soon.
If anyone would like more information or is interested in joining the Byway Committee, please contact Katharine.
Below are some documents relating to the Scenic Route 100 Byway:
- 2013 Scenic Route 100 Byway CMP Update (Revised final version complete submitted 03/08/2013 and approved on 4/18/2013) (10Mb)
- Public Hearing Notice for Vermont Byways Council on March 13, 2013 in Londonderry (added 2/26/2013)
- Public Hearing Notice for Vermont Transportation Board on April 2, 2013 in Plymouth (added 3/14/2013)
- Scenic Route 100 Byway Bylaws (2011) – to be amended soon
Some maps of the expanded Byway:
- Map of Scenic Route 100 Byway (2/26/2013) (5.5Mb)
- Scenic Route 100 Byway expansion in relation to existing Vermont Byways (2/26/2013) (5Mb)
- Basic Map with villages – Northern and Southern Section Maps
- Natural resources – Northern and Southern Section Maps
- Recreational resources – Northern and Southern Section Maps
- Historic, cultural and archaeological resources – Northern and Southern Section Maps
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Scenic Highways
Southern Windsor County also has a state scenic highway – Route 131 in Cavendish – which means that any construction or maintenance work on that section of road must be consistent with the standards established by VTrans pursuant to 10 VSA §425.
For more information on scenic byways and roads see Chapter 4 of the 2009 Regional Transportation Plan or contact Katharine.
