U.S. Route 2 Truck (St. Johnsbury, Vermont)
Encyclopedia
Route Description
U.S. Route 2 (Truck) is designated as a bypassBypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
around St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
, USA. Its eastern terminus is at the junction
Junction (road)
A road junction is a location where vehicular traffic going in different directions can proceed in a controlled manner designed to minimize accidents. In some cases, vehicles can change between different routes or directions of travel.-Origins:...
of U.S. Route 2 and VT 18 east of the town of St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Eastbound, it follows Vermont 18 south for .3 miles to Interstate 93, north on I-93 to Interstate 91 north just south of St. Johnsbury.
The truck route then follows I-91 north to its western terminus at the intersection of I-91 and U.S. 2 west of St. Johnsbury.
Truck Weight Originally Limited to 80,000 Pounds
Since the truck route utilizes two interstate highwayInterstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
s, the maximum weight limit allowed was the same as the interstates in Vermont, which was 80,000 pounds. This posed a problem for local trucks loaded with logs and wood chips. Their weight typically exceeds interstate limits, but is still within the limits for state and federal highways. This created a situation where the most dangerous and difficult to handle trucks were forced to use the main U.S. 2 route through downtown St. Johnsbury.
Signs at the junctions of Truck Route 2 and U.S. 2 warned commercial drivers that the weight limits were limited to those on the Interstate Highway System.
Downtown St. Johnsbury via U.S. 2
Navigating a tractor trailer through downtown St. Johnsbury via U.S. 2 is tricky at best and dangerous at worst, with several sharp turns on narrow, downtown streets with one very steep grade involved on Eastern Avenue. The truck route was designated in an attempt to alleviate the truck traffic in the congested downtown area, which includes the campus of St. Johnsbury Academy, a private secondary school."St. Johnsbury officials still hope to persuade the state to increase weight limits on interstates in an effort to keep 18-wheelers away from St. Johnsbury Academy. Selectmen contend heavy trucks passing through the Academy campus present a danger to students, and a nuisance for drivers."