State Route 26A is Maine's newest state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

, designated in 2006. It is a short bypass of State Route 26

Maine State Route 26

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...

, running 1.6 miles (2.6 km) in the town of Gray

Gray, Maine

Gray is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,820 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. Gray is home to regional headquarters for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and...

. It was built to alleviate congestion in the downtown area from traffic bound north on Route 26 from the nearby Maine Turnpike Exit 63 interchange.

Concurrency with US-202, Route 4, and Route 115

Route 26A officially begins at a notoriously confusing and congested intersection in the town center of Gray. With the recent addition of 26A, six routes converge at this intersection, with switch-overs of concurrencies necessitating confusing signage and numerous traffic problems. The first quarter-mile of Route 26A runs west on West Gray Road, which is an existing concurrency signed as U.S. Route 202 west, Route 4

Maine State Route 4

State Route 4 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the New Hampshire border in South Berwick to Haines Landing on Mooselookmeguntic Lake in the town of Rangeley...

 south, and Route 115

Maine State Route 115

State Route 115 is a state highway in southern Maine, United States. It runs west to east for just over miles, from U.S. Route 302/State Route 35 in North Windham to State Route 88 in Yarmouth.-Route:...

 west (this is now also signed as Route 26A north, causing a wrong-way concurrency). Just west of downtown are the exit/entry ramps from Exit 63 of the Maine Turnpike, where new signage diverts motorists bound for Route 26 north left onto the Route 26A bypass (instead of right towards downtown, which had previously been the case). After crossing over the Turnpike, Route 26A leaves the existing roadway and turns northward onto the newly constructed bypass.

Bypass of Route 26

The bypass runs parallel to the west of the Turnpike for just over a mile, the lone intersecting road providing access to the Northbrook Business & Technology Park near downtown. The bypass meets Route 26 north of town, with a seamless transition in both directions between Route 26A and Route 26 north of the bypass, in recognition of the traffic flow to and from the Turnpike and traffic wishing to bypass downtown Gray.

As such:

• Northbound Route 26 traffic from downtown Gray must now yield to traffic on the Route 26A bypass.
• Southbound Route 26 traffic must yield to bypass traffic and make a left hand turn to continue on 26 towards downtown Gray.

Signage on Route 26 southbound directs motorists destined for the Maine Turnpike, or US-202 west/Route 4 south/Route 115 west onto the Route 26A bypass.

Junction list

County	Location	Mile	Roads intersected	Notes
Cumberland Cumberland County, Maine Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 281,674. Its county seat is Portland, and is the most populous of the sixteen Maine counties, as well as the most affluent. Cumberland County has the deepest and second largest body of water in the...	Gray Gray, Maine Gray is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,820 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. Gray is home to regional headquarters for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and...	0.0	U.S. Route 202 State Route 4 Maine State Route 4 State Route 4 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the New Hampshire border in South Berwick to Haines Landing on Mooselookmeguntic Lake in the town of Rangeley... State Route 26 Maine State Route 26 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... State Route 100 State Route 115 Maine State Route 115 State Route 115 is a state highway in southern Maine, United States. It runs west to east for just over miles, from U.S. Route 302/State Route 35 in North Windham to State Route 88 in Yarmouth.-Route:...	Southern terminus of State Route 26A. Eastern terminus of US-202/State Route 4/26A/115 concurrency.
		0.2	I-95/Maine Turnpike	Maine Turnpike Exit 63.
		0.4	U.S. Route 202 West State Route 4 Maine State Route 4 State Route 4 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the New Hampshire border in South Berwick to Haines Landing on Mooselookmeguntic Lake in the town of Rangeley...  South State Route 115 Maine State Route 115 State Route 115 is a state highway in southern Maine, United States. It runs west to east for just over miles, from U.S. Route 302/State Route 35 in North Windham to State Route 88 in Yarmouth.-Route:...  West	Western terminus of US-202/State Route 4/26A/115 concurrency.
		1.6	State Route 26 Maine State Route 26 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...	Northern terminus of State Route 26A.

From the southern end of Route 26A, which is overlapped with US-202, Route 4, and Route 115, there are four different paths to take which carry numbered routes, causing confusion. Here is the general layout of the intersection from this point:

-A right turn puts the motorist on Portland Road, which carries Routes 26 and 100 south.

-Continuing straight transitions onto Yarmouth Road, which carries Route 115 east.

-Bearing to the left and continuing straight puts the motorist on Main Street, which carries US-202 east, Route 4 north, and Route 100 north.

-A bear to the left followed by a left turn puts the motorist on Shaker Road, which carries Route 26 north.