New Hampshire Route 123

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

NH Route 123

Length:

62.95 mi^[1] (101.31 km)

South end:

MA state line in Mason

North end:

VT 123 near Walpole

New Hampshire Routes
< NH 122		NH 123A >

New Hampshire Route 123 (abbreviated NH 123) is a 62.95 mile long secondary north–south state highway in southwestern New Hampshire. The southern terminus of the route is at the Massachusetts state line in Mason where, as Valley Road, the road continues as an unnumbered local road in the town of Townsend. The northern terminus, as signed, is at the Vermont border, where NH 123 continues west for a half-mile to U.S. Route 5 as Vermont Route 123. Route logs, however, place the terminus at New Hampshire Route 12 in Walpole.

In Walpole, NH 123 departs Whitcomb Road and turns south onto NH 12 to run north–south alongside the Connecticut River, the water body that represents the border between New Hampshire and Vermont. One point of interest is that for the entire length of the NH 12/NH 123 concurrency, NH 123 south is, in reality, heading north on the compass while NH 123 north is traveling to the south.

[edit] History

In October 2005, heavy flooding in the New Hampshire area forced the closure of NH 123 in two different spots, one of which has since reopened. The first is at the intersection of NH 123 and Cold River Road, approximately five miles from the beginning of NH 123 in New Hampshire, where a bridge was destroyed from high water in the Cold River. The marked detour for this closure is to take Upper Walpole Road, which connects back to NH 123 just after the closure. The second spot that was closed was approximately three miles from New Hampshire Route 123A in the town of Alstead where a section of roadway was completely washed away by the water. This section has since been rebuilt and reopened.