Editing Interstate 89 (section)

==Route description==
{{lengths table|length_ref=<ref name="fhwa" />}}
|-
|NH
|{{convert|60.87|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|VT
|{{convert|130.25|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|Total
|{{convert|191.12|mi|km|disp=table}}
|}

===New Hampshire===
[[File:MontcalmNH.jpg|thumb|300px|right|New Hampshire exit&nbsp;15 ([[Montcalm, New Hampshire|Montcalm]]), looking south]]
I-89 runs for about {{convert|61|mi|km}} in the state of New Hampshire and is the major freeway corridor through the western part of the state. Despite being signed as a north–south freeway, its first {{convert|8|mi|km|spell=in}} actually run east–west before shifting to the northwest. The two major population centers along I-89's length in New Hampshire are [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]], at its southern terminus, and [[Lebanon, New Hampshire|Lebanon]], on the Vermont state line. Mileage signs along I-89 in each direction consistently list one of the two cities. Also located along I-89 in New Hampshire are the towns of [[Grantham, New Hampshire|Grantham]], [[New London, New Hampshire|New London]], and [[Warner, New Hampshire|Warner]].

Starting at an interchange with [[Interstate 93|I-93]] and [[New Hampshire Route 3A]] (NH 3A) in the town of [[Bow, New Hampshire|Bow]], just south of the [[New Hampshire]] capital city of Concord, the highway runs a northwest path through the [[Dartmouth–Lake Sunapee Region]]. One exit directly serves Concord (exit 2) before the highway enters the neighboring town of [[Hopkinton, New Hampshire|Hopkinton]]. East–west [[New Hampshire Route 11|NH 11]] joins I-89 at exit 11 and runs concurrently with it for about {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} before departing at exit 12. At exit 13 in Grantham, [[New Hampshire Route 10|NH 10]] enters I-89, and the pair of highways form another concurrency, this one for about {{convert|15|mi|km}}.

Southeast of Lebanon, signs for exit 15 display the name "Montcalm", while exit 16 directs travelers to "Purmort". Neither place name existed at the time of construction of the Interstate. Exits 15 and 16 were built to access portions of the town of [[Enfield, New Hampshire|Enfield]] that were otherwise cut off by the new highway. The names were chosen by Enfield's [[selectpeople]] in 1960; the Purmorts were a prominent local family in the early history of Enfield, and Montcalm was a nearby settlement that had once had its own school and post office.<ref>Janice Aitkin, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wqUrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0PwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5358%2C4653065 "The towns that can't be found: Exits say Purmort and Montcalm -- but where are they?"], ''The Nashua Telegraph'', 5/22/82 p. 2</ref> While the Purmort exit does allow access to the state road network (specifically to [[U.S. Route 4|US&nbsp;4]] via Eastman Hill Road), the Montcalm exit provides access to an otherwise isolated community; every public road from the exit is a dead-end, and leaving the Montcalm area by car requires getting back on I-89 at exit&nbsp;15. However, a [[bicycle path]] parallels I-89 between exits&nbsp;14 and 16 along the path of Old Route&nbsp;10, allowing foot or bicycle access to the community.

The highway continues northwest, passing through Lebanon, in which the [[Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center]] is located. A few miles north of this point is [[Dartmouth College]]. US&nbsp;4 parallels I-89 through Lebanon. Exits&nbsp;17 through 20 serve the city of Lebanon and are passed in quick succession. At exit&nbsp;19, northbound [[New Hampshire Route 10|NH&nbsp;10]] separates from I-89 and joins westbound US&nbsp;4 to pass through [[West Lebanon, New Hampshire|West Lebanon]]. The final exit in New Hampshire is exit&nbsp;20, providing access to West Lebanon's large retail district along [[New Hampshire Route 12A|NH&nbsp;12A]]. Just after this interchange, the highway crosses the [[Connecticut River]] and enters [[Vermont]], where it remains for the rest of its run northwest to the Canadian border.

===Vermont===
[[Image:I-89 Vermont.jpg|thumb|right|I-89 northbound in Vermont, approaching exit 2 in [[Sharon, Vermont|Sharon]]]]
[[File:I-89 Exit 17.JPG|thumb|right|I-89 exit&nbsp;17 in [[Colchester, Vermont|Colchester]] (June 5, 2015), Chittenden County]]

I-89 is one of Vermont's most important roads, as it is the only Interstate Highway to directly serve both Vermont's capital city ([[Montpelier, Vermont|Montpelier]]) and largest city ([[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]]). Other important cities and towns located along I-89 are [[Barre (city), Vermont|Barre]], [[Waterbury, Vermont|Waterbury]], and [[St. Albans (town), Vermont|St. Albans]]. [[Williston, Vermont|Williston]], which has become Burlington's [[big-box store|big-box]] retail center (and one of the fastest-growing towns in the state) over the past decade, also has an interchange along I-89.

Crossing the [[Connecticut River]] into Vermont, I-89 continues the northwesterly direction it carried in New Hampshire. The Interstate intersects [[Interstate 91|I-91]] at a previously unnumbered interchange (now exit 1) immediately upon entering Vermont. Shortly afterward, another interchange with [[U.S. Route 4|US 4]] occurs. The highway begins to enter the scenic rolling hills of Vermont, turning almost due northward about {{convert|20|mi|km}} from the New Hampshire state line, and continues through the high country of central Vermont. The Interstate passes through the towns of [[Sharon, Vermont|Sharon]], [[Royalton, Vermont|Royalton]], [[Bethel, Vermont|Bethel]], [[Randolph, Vermont|Randolph]], [[Brookfield, Vermont|Brookfield]], and [[Williamstown, Vermont|Williamstown]] before reaching the "twin cities" of Barre and Montpelier in the middle of Vermont. The Interstate's highest point was said to be in the town of Brookfield, although the sign that made the declaration was taken down in the late 1990s.

Another directional shift, again to the northwest, occurs while passing the interchange for Montpelier. For the next {{convert|40|mi|km}}, I-89's path is not so much chosen as it is logical: paralleling the [[Winooski River]] and [[U.S. Route 2|US 2]], the highway cuts through the section of the [[Appalachian Mountains]] known as the [[Green Mountains]], and is surrounded by peaks of over {{convert|4000|ft|m}}: [[Camel's Hump]] to the south and [[Mount Mansfield]] to the north. US 2 crosses the Interstate frequently, and has several interchanges with it, en route to Burlington.

I-89 was unique due to one instance of its signage. Between (Vermont) exits 9 and 10, a sign showing the distance to the next control cities in each direction was completely in metric. While there are many instances of signs being in both miles and kilometers, this was the only case of solely metric in the entire Interstate System.<ref>{{cite web|work=Steve Alpert's Miscellanea|url=http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/vt/i-89/|department=Vermont Roads |title= I-89|access-date=September 12, 2006}}</ref> Both signs were replaced in 2010 and show distances in miles only. ([[Interstate 19|I-19]] in [[Arizona]] used to be the other "only signed in metric" Interstate in the US, but has been changed over in recent years as the last {{Convert|2|km|mi|sp=us|spell=in}} have been changed.) Speed limit signs have always been posted in miles per hour.

[[Image:ReverenceWhaleTailsSBVT 20140916 (22891703100).jpg|thumb|left|[[Reverence (sculpture)|Reverence]] along I-89 northbound in [[South Burlington, Vermont|South Burlington]], just west of exit&nbsp;12]]
After exit 11 in [[Richmond, Vermont|Richmond]], I-89 leaves the Green Mountains to enter the [[Champlain Valley]], and a notable shift in the landscape is visible. Here, just outside [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]], the highway turns northward once again. Also, at this turn is where the only ''official'' auxiliary highway starts, [[Interstate 189|I-189]]. A second highway, [[Interstate 289|I-289]], was proposed as a beltway through Burlington's northeastern suburbs in the 1980s; amid controversy, the highway has only been partially completed as [[Vermont Route 289]] (VT 289), a [[super two]] roadway. It has yet to directly meet its parent.

Passing I-189 at exit 13, I-89 sees the busiest freeway interchange in the entire state, exit 14. A full [[cloverleaf interchange]] at this exit provides access to downtown Burlington, the [[University of Vermont]], and the retail-heavy Dorset Street, via US 2. Heading north from Burlington, the landscape quickly fades from suburban development into rolling hills more characteristic of northern New England, providing a vista overlooking [[Lake Champlain]]. I-89 passes through [[Milton, Vermont|Milton]], [[Georgia, Vermont|Georgia]], [[St. Albans (town), Vermont|St. Albans]], [[Swanton (town), Vermont|Swanton]], and finally the border town of Highgate Springs. The highway ends at the Canada–United States border at the [[Highgate Springs–St. Armand/Philipsburg Border Crossing]] in [[Highgate Springs, Vermont|Highgate Springs]]. Its final exit, which northbound motorists can use to reverse direction onto I-89 south without crossing the border, is exit 22—the highest exit number along the route. [[U.S. Route 7|US 7]] has its northern terminus at this interchange as well.

Although the divided highway continues about {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} into [[Philipsburg, Quebec]], as [[Quebec Route 133|Route 133]], this changes back to a two-lane road, through to [[Quebec Autoroute 35|Autoroute 35]]'s current southern terminus in [[Saint-Sébastien, Montérégie, Quebec|Saint-Sébastien]], some {{Convert|9|mi|km}} north of the United States border, and continues to [[Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu]] and [[Chambly, Quebec|Chambly]] before it meets [[Quebec Autoroute 10|Autoroute 10]], which goes to [[Montreal]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Autoroute 35 - Extension |url=http://www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/portal/page/portal/grands_projets_en/trouver_grand_projet/parachevement_a35 |publisher=Transports-Quebec |access-date=25 February 2012 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804165959/http://www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/portal/page/portal/grands_projets_en/trouver_grand_projet/parachevement_a35 |archive-date=4 August 2012 }}</ref> The I-89 border crossing is the only instance where an Interstate entering Quebec does not become an [[Autoroutes of Quebec|Autoroute]] upon entry. There are plans to complete the extension of Autoroute 35 from Saint-Sébastien to the border crossing at I-89's northern terminus by 2025, creating a freeway-to-freeway connection.<ref>{{cite web|title=L'autoroute 35 sera complétée d'ici 2023|date=October 9, 2019 |publisher=Agence QMI|access-date=3 June 2020|language=fr |url=https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2019/10/09/lautoroute-35-sera-completee-dici-2023}}</ref>