U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south highway extending from southern Connecticut to the northernmost part of Vermont. In Vermont, the route extends for 176 miles (283 km) along the western side of the state as a mostly two-lane rural road, with the exception of an expressway section between Bennington and East Dorset. US 7 is known as the Ethan Allen Highway for its entire length through the state, named after the US Revolutionary War general.^[1] US 7 ends at an interchange with Interstate 89 (I-89) in the town of Highgate, just south of the Canada–United States border. I-89 continues to the border crossing.

Quick Facts Route information, Length ...

U.S. Route 7
Ethan Allen Highway[1]
Map of Vermont with US 7 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by VTrans
Length	176.328 mi[2] (283.772 km)
Existed	1926[3]–present
Major junctions
South end	US 7 at the Massachusetts state line in Pownal
Major intersections	VT 9 in Bennington US 4 in Rutland VT 30 / VT 125 in Middlebury VT 22A in Vergennes I-189 in South Burlington US 2 in Burlington I-89 in Winooski I-89 / US 2 in Colchester I-89 / VT 104A in Georgia I-89 / VT 104 in St Albans I-89 / VT 207 in St Albans
North end	I-89 near Highgate
Location
Country	United States
State	Vermont
Counties	Bennington, Rutland, Addison, Chittenden, Franklin
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided State highways in Vermont
← VT 5A → VT 7A

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Original-style Vermont US 7 shield

Original-style Vermont US 7 shield with embossed features

US 7 northbound at Historic VT 7A in Bennington

US 7 northbound at exit 1 in Bennington

Split of US 7 northbound and VT 279 westbound in Bennington

US 7 northbound at exit 2 to VT 7A in Bennington

US 7 northbound at exit 3 in Sunderland

View north along "Super" US 7 in Sunderland

US 7 northbound at exit 4 in Manchester

US 7 crosses the Massachusetts–Vermont state line at Pownal, from where the road heads north to Bennington as a rural two-lane highway. Just north of downtown Bennington, the highway transitions into a limited-access highway. For three miles (4.8 km), US 7 is a true expressway with divided carriageways and multiple lanes. The road subsequently narrows down to an undivided two-lane freeway; however, many stretches have passing lanes. This continues to a point just south of East Dorset, where US 7 reverts to a surface road.

Most of US 7 between East Dorset and the Canada–United States border is an undivided, uncontrolled road varying in width from two to four lanes. Two divided highway sections also exist: a 10-mile (16 km) section south of Rutland and a three-mile (4.8 km) stretch with numerous traffic signals between Shelburne and South Burlington known as Shelburne Road. There is overhead signage at the junction with I-189 in South Burlington that directs northbound trucks onto I-189. While US 7 heads directly into Burlington, I-189 bypasses the city to the south and east and leads directly to I-89, which runs close to US 7 north of Winooski.

Near downtown Burlington, US 7 intersects with US 2; the latter route joins US 7 for more than nine miles (14 km) to Colchester. From here, US 7 and I-89 run through northern Vermont to Highgate, where US 7 ends at the northernmost exit on I-89.

US 7 was assigned in 1926.^[3] I-89 was originally envisioned to parallel US 7 from the Canadian frontier to the Massachusetts border.^{[disputed – discuss]} This plan was ultimately canceled, and I-89 was shifted to its current alignment, turning southeast at Burlington toward Montpelier and White River Junction. Prior to the cancelation of the original I-89 routing, approximately 25 miles (40 km) of freeway (mostly super two with some four-lane sections) was built in the US 7 corridor between Bennington and Manchester, plus an additional seven miles (11 km) of four-lane highway between Wallingford and Rutland were completed.

US 7 has two suffixed routes, both of which are old alignments of US 7.

• VT 7A (27.820 mi or 44.772 km) is an alternate route of US 7 between Bennington and Dorset.^[2] The route is signed as "Historic VT 7A" to distinguish it, the original routing of US 7, from the modern US 7 limited-access highway.
• VT 7B (6.786 mi or 10.921 km) is an alternate route of US 7 through the towns of Wallingford and Clarendon.^[2] VT 7B was the original alignment of US 7 prior to the construction of the current US 7 divided highway through the area.^{[citation needed]} The route intersects US 7 five times (including the terminuses) and overlaps it for 0.716 miles (1.152 km) in Clarendon.^[2]

U.S. Route 7 Alternate (US 7 Alt.) is an alternate route of US 7 in Burlington. The southbound-only US 7 Alt. begins at the intersection of Hyde Street and Riverside Avenue (US 2 and US 7) and runs for a distance of 2.107 miles (3.391 km)^[2] in the following manner: west on Riverside Avenue, south on North and South Winooski avenues, south on St. Paul Street, and south on Shelburne Street to its end at US 7 at a roundabout intersection with South Willard Street (US 7) and Locust Street. Mainline US 7 travels over Hyde Street and North and South Willard streets until the aforementioned intersection.

As of July 2016, there are three US 7 Alt. assemblies along the route. The original one is located on Saint Paul Street in Burlington, just south of the intersection with South Winooski Avenue and Howard Street, with the newer two on South Winooski Avenue, with one at the intersection with Pearl Street, and the other at Main Street.

As of November 2022^[update], in conjunction with the reconstruction of the rotary-style intersection where US 7 Alt. terminates, there is a new directional US 7 Alt. sign installed in the rotary, along with a lone reassurance US 7 Alt. marker installed just to the north.^[4]