New Hampshire Roads - NH 11/NH 12/NH 103/US 202

, NH 11/103, NH 11/US 202

Above are two assemblies from the NH 11/12 multiplex. Yeah, NH 12 is dropped from the first assembly (and that's not the only one), but that's made up for by the ancient assembly that predates the Man in the Mountain. It also seems to be in error, since NH 11 is an east-west route.


Here's another WB shield lacking a 12. It's just after a signal pole, and with the sun to the west, it was a nearly impossible photograph. I tried.


The First Congregational Church of Claremont on Pine St., NH 11/12.


While I'm in Claremont, let me throw some more buildings at you. NH 11, NH 12, and NH 103 all meet and change hands at Opera House Square, so of course I offer photos of the Opera House, along with the 1864 Claremont National Bank to its west.


NH 11 WB comes in the top of the square and out the bottom. NH 12 SB comes in from the west on NH 103 and joins it. NH 103 EB continues straight here and picks up NH 11 EB/NH 12 NB. On the east side at Broad St., NH 11/103 EB leave the square and NH 12 NB continues around to the left.


Thanks to one-way streets, Claremont gets a little interesting with its routings. NH 11 EB comes north into Opera House Square, turns south along Broad St. Park, then turns sharply north at this photo, essentially a U-turn on Broad St. (which has no number ahead). NH 11 WB carries NH 103 WB directly into Opera House Square on Tremont St., bypassing Broad St. Park entirely. The north side of Broad St. Park therefore also carries no number and functions as a U-turn from NH 11/103 EB to NH 11/103 EB. NH 120 hasn't begun yet, so ignore it. Broad St. SB is signed as a back way to NH 12, perhaps via Summer St., but I'm having trouble figuring out how traffic is getting to this point instead of finding NH 12 SB in Opera House Square. For the few cars who've parked along the square or enter from Barber St., is a detour needed?


Congratulations, you've navigated Claremont! This old signal is your reward as you head straight on Broad St. NB away from the park.


NH 11 has three spurs in the Laconia area, and this is the only one signed with a hyphenated route marker, here EB.

Wheeeeeeeeee!!!


Extraordinarily old signage on the 11 WB side of the NH 11/NH 28 circle - squares went out of fashion decades ago.


The NH 16 shield has a green background, and thus was meant for a BGS. The LGS is quite old, and I believe it lacks a 16 because once upon a time, NH 16 was the old route and the Spaulding Turnpike stood alone, much like US 3 and the Everett Turnpike still do south of Manchester. NH 11 continues on to NH 16 NB and picks up US 202 EB, leaving with it an exit later.


Another strange shield after NH 11 joins NH 16/US 202. This had been an NH 16 shield for a reason I'm going to explain in the next caption, and it's still up in 2009.


A diagrammatic sign showing the left exit from US 202/NH 11 EB to NH 125 NB (also allowing an awkward left turn to 125 SB, hence the lack of direction on the last sign). The short super-2 freeway that 11 and 202 share is one of the old termini of the Spaulding Turnpike when it stopped after bypassing Rochester. Later on, NH 16 came along and exited the Spaulding Tpk. at this very exit to join what is now NH 125, leaving the Spaulding unnumbered north of Exit 16. Now that 16 has been left on the Spaulding, 11 and 202 exit from themselves and the main through movement just leads into a modified trumpet.


This is a sign facing WB 202/11 traffic. Notice that while the first sign had a white-on-white NH shield (11), this sign has a white-on-black shield (125), which is the older motif, although white-on-white was used a few decades ago as well. Notice also that 125 and 16 are signed on the same BGS, though they are two separate exits and NH 125 definitely comes first.


Narrow US 202 shield atop white-on-black NH shield. NH still refuses to use a wide shield for any 3-digit route. US 202 and NH 11 are both E-W routes in NH, but upon crossing the border, ME 11 is suddenly N-S.

Onto NH 12 alone
Onto NH 103 alone
Onto US 202 alone
US 3 and NH 11/US 3


Into Vermont on 11
Into Maine on 11
Onto NH 28
Onto NH 16, the Spaulding Turnpike
Onto NH 125
Back to NH Roads
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