Maine State Route 178
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MaineDOT | ||||
| Length: | 13.27 mi[1] (21.36 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1925 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: |
 SR 9 / State Street in Brewer | |||
|
SR 9 in Eddington | ||||
| North end: |
 US 2 in Milford | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Penobscot | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Route 178 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, located along the Penobscot River northeast of Bangor. It runs from State Street in Brewer (where it is overlapped with State Route 9) north to Milford, where it terminates at U.S Route 2 just east of Old Town.
Route description
SR 178 begins in the south in Brewer, at the intersection of North Main Street (SR 9) and State Street. It begins overlapped with SR 9. The two routes proceed concurrently along the Penobscot River for 4 miles (6.4 km) towards Eddington. After crossing the town line, SR 178 splits to the north while SR 9 (also known as the "Airline" on this stretch) begins its long journey to US 1 in Baileyville (near Calais), located 83 miles (134 km) to the northeast.
SR 178 continues northward along the river, passing through the town of Bradley before reaching Milford - where it terminates at US 2 (which crosses the river from Old Town, just to the west).
History
Southern terminus in Brewer
The southern terminus of SR 178 is somewhat strange in that it is not located at an intersection with another numbered route; SR 178 instead ends at State Street, while SR 9 continues on North Main Street for one block towards modern US 1A.
State Street was, in the past, part of a numbered highway - US 1A Business. This business route, which has since been decommissioned, was designated in 1955 over what used to be US 1 Business, and US 1A before that, meaning SR 178 has historically terminated at one of these routes. When these historical designation(s) were removed, SR 178's terminus was never moved, and thus it now terminates along SR 9 one block north of its terminus with US 1A.
Major junctions
The entire route is in Penobscot County.
| Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewer | 0.00 | 0.00 | State Street /  SR 9 west (North Main Street) to US 1A – Bangor, Holden | Southern terminus of SR 178 | |
| Eddington | 4.0 | 6.4 | SR 9 east (Airline Road) – Amherst, Calais | Eastern terminus of SR 9/178 concurrency | |
| Bradley | No major junctions | ||||
| Milford | 13.27 | 21.36 |   US 2 (Main Road) to US 2A / SR 43 – Old Town, Lincoln | Northern terminus of SR 178 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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