Traffic Note - 93 south (Lincoln/Thornton), route 2 Gorham <--> Gilead

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bikehikeskifish

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If you are heading north and/or northeast this weekend, note that:

Route 2 from Gorham through Gilead (Maine) has several sections without pavement and/or down to 1 lane, one of which has temporary traffic lights, and during the week there were flagmen on some other sections.

More importantly on 93 South, there is a single lane squeeze just south of exit 31 (Tripoli Road), AND there are about 1000 cones at the usual spot just north of exit 30 which strongly implies the border patrol will be there this weekend.

Tim
 
Thanks for the timely tip.

Side note: it's going to be odd, all these hikers on the mountains again. Was kind of getting used to the relative solitude of "off-season" hiking.
 
A nice way to miss the Route 2 work is to take the North road. It doesnt save any time but is a nice country road. Take the bridge in Gilead Maine across the river by turning off Rt 2 at the Androscoggin Canoe Trail sign and turning right at the end of the bridge (left brings you back to NH). Follow North road all the way to Bethel Me where it comes out on Rt 2 immediately north of the bridge over the river (across the street from the campground and next to the big adventure cetner)
 
Una_dogger reported to me that the Border Patrol is indeed set up on I-93. It's easy to avoid, of course, on back roads. Idjits.
 
Sheesh. Remove the trail marker, remove a bridge, now the roads? What's next?
 
Una_dogger reported to me that the Border Patrol is indeed set up on I-93. It's easy to avoid, of course, on back roads. Idjits.

This was between exit 31 (Tripoli Rd.) and 30 in the southbound lane Friday. I saw them with a good sized camp set up at 10:00 on my way to hike Cannon, stopping everybody.

The speed trap Una-Dogger refers to is after exit 29, going north, on one of the long cut-throughs. I usually see them looking at southbound traffic there on my way home from points north of Thornton.
 
I was stopped by the border patrol today. Waited in line for 3-4 minutes and was immediately sent on my way after assuring the officer that I and my passenger were U.S. citizens. Creepy, but not a day-changer.

Assuming that the checkpoint is going to exist somewhere, does anybody know why they set up shop south of Franconia Notch? Wouldn't any traffic from Quebec also have to pass through, say, Littleton? Seems like they'd have to deal with a lot fewer dayhikers and other tourists if the checkpoint was north of the notch.
 
Assuming that the checkpoint is going to exist somewhere, does anybody know why they set up shop south of Franconia Notch? Wouldn't any traffic from Quebec also have to pass through, say, Littleton? Seems like they'd have to deal with a lot fewer dayhikers and other tourists if the checkpoint was north of the notch.
They have been there for months. 87 south had a similar Border Patrol checkpoint that didn't move for many years. Maybe they know something we don't.
 
They were there near the 95 mile post (S side) early Sat when we were N bound - complete with a radar gun armed State Cop a bit south of there on the N bound side. BP also there on Mon on our S bound trip. Many cars/trucks parked on the rather wide median along with the Immigration Service pie wagon.
 
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