Maine State Route 103

State Route 103
Route information
Maintained by MaineDOT
Length:	16.33 mi[1] (26.28 km)
Existed:	1929, 1957 (current alignment) – present
Major junctions
West end:	SR 236 near Eliot
	US 1 in Kittery SR 236 in Kittery
North end:	U.S. Route 1A in York
Location
Counties:	York
Highway system
State Routes in Maine ← SR 102A SR 104 →

State Route 103 is a 16.3-mile (26.2 km) long state highway in extreme southern Maine. The route is signed east–west, but forms a half-loop, with most of its eastern segment skirting the Piscataqua River and the state border with New Hampshire.

Route description

Route 103 begins in the west at an intersection with State Route 236 (which is itself a former alignment of Route 103) west of Eliot, near its intersection with State Route 101 just southwest of the border between South Berwick and Dover, New Hampshire. On the initial stretch, for about three-quarters of a mile, a driver on Route 103 East is actually heading south-southwest. The route meets the Piscataqua River, where it turns southeast to parallel the river south through Eliot and into Kittery. In Kittery, Route 103 finds its first intersection at Dennett Road, a local road which provides a connection to Interstate 95 southbound into New Hampshire (Exit 1 is a partial interchange, with a northbound exit from and southbound entrance to I-95). Route 103 passes underneath U.S. Route 1 Bypass without a direct interchange, although the bypass is accessible via local roads near Oak Terrace. Route 103 continues east, intersecting U.S. Route 1 just north of the Memorial Bridge. Continuing to the east, Route 103 meets the southern end of its former alignment, Route 236. Access to I-95 North is possible using any of these three routes, as they converge just south of I-95's Exit 2 and 3 interchanges. As the Piscataqua River empties into the Atlantic Ocean to the south, Route 103 turns northeast, heading out of Kittery and towards York. Route 103 enters the town from the south, crossing the York River, near York Harbor, and ending at U.S. Route 1A.

History

Route 103 has existed since the New England road marking system was in place, as early as 1929. It ran from Route 9 in Berwick (along what is now Route 236) to its current alignment and on to York. In 1940 it was extended into York Village to, what was at the time, State Route 1 (a designation that was removed in 1949).^[1] Once stretching over 26 miles (42 km), Route 103 was truncated in 1957 to its current alignment, with the old 103 north of Eliot designated as Route 236. Route 236 was itself routed parallel to Route 103 south of the intersection, and terminates at Route 103 in Kittery.

Major intersections

The entire route is in York County.

Location	Mile	Destinations	Notes
	0.00	SR 236
Kittery		To US 1 Byp. / Bridge Street
		US 1 (State Road)
		SR 236 north (Shapleigh Road)
York Harbor	16.33	US 1A (York Street)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Floodgap Roadgap's RoadsAroundME: Maine State Route 103