New York US 44 begins at an intersection with
US 209 and
NY 55 west of the hamlet of
Kerhonkson in the town of
Wawarsing in
Ulster County. NY 55,
concurrent with US 209 southwest of this point, turns east onto US 44, forming an overlap as the two routes proceed eastward across Ulster County. Midway between Kerhonkson and
Gardiner and just north of
NY 299, US 44 and NY 55 traverse a
hairpin turn made necessary by the surrounding
Shawangunk Ridge. Just inside of Gardiner, the highway passes through
Minnewaska State Park, a large state park in the
Hudson Valley. Farther east, the road passes through the hamlets of
Clintondale and
Modena where it crosses
NY 32, and then meets
US 9W in the hamlet of
Highland. US 44 and NY 55 join US 9W for roughly a half-mile southward along the western bank of the
Hudson River before separating at a
trumpet interchange south of Highland. One mile east of US 9W, US 44 and NY 55 cross the Hudson on the
Mid-Hudson Bridge. Past CR 38, Main Street becomes
CR 114. From Arlington, US 44 bends first to the north, then after 1.5 miles northeast, through intermittently developed areas,
woodlots, and farms to the next settlement along its route,
Pleasant Valley. In its commercial center the road widens to include a
center turn lane. After crossing
Wappinger Creek, it returns to two lanes. The road returns to a more easterly course for two miles, then straightens out as it climbs steadily past the
Newcomb–Brown Estate. It crests just before the interchange with the
Taconic State Parkway. A mile past it, at the
state police Troop K barracks,
NY 82 joins from the north and the two roads overlap. This concurrency ends after another mile, when US 44 diverges along the route of the former NY 44A, going around the village of
Millbrook past the
Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum, home to the
Institute of Ecosystem Studies. The highway returns to a more due-east orientation as it passes north of the village, then gradually curves to the northeast again as it passes through a heavily farmed area. US 44 gradually descends into the upper Harlem Valley, with a sharp
hairpin turn providing a panoramic view to the south. A gradual descent takes it into downtown
Amenia. At the center of town, the highway turns north and replaces
NY 343 as
NY 22's overlap. A seven-mile (11 km) journey over increasingly rolling and open terrain takes the two highways into the town of
North East and towards
Millerton. Just south of the village,
NY 199 reaches its eastern terminus. The road enters Millerton on South Elm Street, making a sharp turn north that necessitates a concrete barrier and a lower speed limit just south of downtown. At the traffic light just north of that bend, US 44 leaves NY 22 and turns right through Millerton's historic downtown. Maple Avenue on the south marks the former northern terminus of
NY 361. After that junction, US 44 leaves the village. It passes some strip development on the south, bends slightly to the north and crosses the
Connecticut state line just past a car dealership on the south.
Connecticut For most of its journey through Connecticut, US 44 is known as the Jonathan Trumbull Highway. It is also known by more local names, including Albany Turnpike in Canton, West/East Main Street and Avon Mountain Road in Avon, Albany Avenue through West Hartford into Hartford, Boston Turnpike from Bolton Notch to Ashford, and Providence Pike near the Rhode Island border. After entering the state from the town of
North East, New York just east of the village of
Millerton, US 44 is a rural arterial road. It is briefly duplexed with
Route 41 for through the center of Salisbury. After crossing into
North Canaan, it is duplexed with
US 7 for through the village of
Canaan. After leaving the village, it enters
Norfolk, where it has a brief () concurrency with
Route 272 in the center of town. After passing through the western part of
Colebrook it enters the town of
Winchester. As US 44 enters the village of
Winsted, it begins a concurrency with
Route 183, of which is joined by
Route 8 in a triplex. At the east end of the village, Route 8 leaves to the south on an expressway, while Route 183 leaves to the south about 100 yards later. US 44 continues southeast through the towns of
Barkhamsted, and
New Hartford before entering
Canton. In Canton, US 44 becomes a four-lane primary suburban arterial road as it is joined by
US 202 for a concurrency to the center of
Avon. As US 202 leaves to the north, US 44 is joined for the next by
Route 10. After climbing
Avon Mountain, it enters
West Hartford, passing along the northern part of the town and becoming an urban street as it entes the northern part of
Hartford. After passing along Albany Avenue, and Main Street, US 44 turns east onto a pair of one-way streets (Morgan Street North and Morgan Street South) that straddle
I-84 and
US 6 and cross under
I-91 with the only direct access being from Morgan Street South to I-91 South. US 44 then joins I-84 and US 6 for about to cross the
Connecticut River on the
Bulkeley Bridge into
East Hartford before exiting almost immediately onto Connecticut Boulevard. It briefly duplexes with
US 5 on Main Street in East Hartford center before turning east onto Burnside Avenue. After entering
Manchester, it meets I-84 once again at exit 60, and is joined in a concurrency for the next by US 6, which leaves its I-84 concurrency at this point. The road then enters
Bolton, where it meets the eastern terminus of
I-384 at Bolton Notch. US 44 and US 6 briefly join the stub end of the expressway before US 6 splits off to the southeast. US 44 becomes more of a secondary rural road as it enters
Coventry, where it briefly overlaps with
Route 31. It then enters Mansfield, where it meets
Route 195 at the "Four Corners", which provides access to the village of
Storrs and the main campus of the
University of Connecticut. After passing through
Ashford, and
Eastford, it turns north at
Route 101 in
Pomfret, which provides a more direct route to
Providence. Shortly thereafter,
Route 169 joins for a concurrency to the center of town. US 44 once again turns east, and then enters the town of
Putnam. After a concurrency with
Route 12, it meets
I-395 at exit 47. to the east, US 44 crosses the
Rhode Island state line into the town of
Glocester.
Rhode Island by
Pietro Montana and the former East Providence High School. US 44 runs in
Rhode Island. During this part of the road, US 44 is often referred to locally as "Putnam Pike" as the road runs through Rhode Island and into
Putnam, Connecticut. US 44 enters the state at
Glocester, traveling through Chepachet and Harmony, villages of Glocester, as it heads through the
Waterman Reservoir towards the village of
Greenville in the town of
Smithfield. US 44 has a junction with
I-295 in Smithfield at a
cloverleaf interchange. Soon after the I-295 junction, US 44 enters the town of
North Providence along Smith Street, then enters the city proper of
Providence after another . In downtown Providence, US 44 separates into
one-way pairs. Eastbound US 44 runs along Canal Street and South Water Street (via a section of Memorial Boulevard). Westbound US 44 runs along South Main Street and North Main Street. US 1A joins US 44 at an intersection with Point Street and Wickenden Street. US 44 and US 1A join
I-195/
US 6 at Exit 1B (eastbound; old Exit 2 eastbound; the corresponding westbound exit was also formerly numbered Exit 2 but is now Exit 1C) as they cross the
Seekonk River into
East Providence. US 44 leaves I-195/US 6 at Exit 1C (eastbound; old Exit 4 eastbound) just after crossing the river and continues east towards the Massachusetts state line along Taunton Avenue.
Massachusetts US 44 runs for in Massachusetts. It enters the state in the town of
Seekonk along Taunton Avenue. It continues through the towns of
Rehoboth and
Dighton along the way to the city of
Taunton. It continues eastward from Taunton through the towns of
Raynham,
Lakeville,
Middleborough,
Carver,
Plympton and
Kingston before reaching its eastern terminus at
Plymouth. US 44 has interchanges with
Route 24 in Raynham and with
Interstate 495 in Middleborough. East of the Middleborough Rotary, US 44 becomes an arterial highway for five miles (8 km) until just past the intersection with
Route 105, where it turns into a
two-lane freeway with a
guard rail acting as a median divider for three miles (5 km) until just before the intersection with
Route 58. After that, it becomes a newly built, freeway section to
Route 3 which bypasses the congested business district in Plymouth. US 44 has no access from
Route 80 on the new bypass highway. (The old section of US 44 appeared on some maps starting in 2005 as
Route 44A; however, Route 44A signs were not put up after the bypass was built, and the route has not appeared in the official route log of the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation.) Near its eastern terminus, US 44 overlaps Route 3 for about , then exits and continues as a surface road for approximately another half mile, ending at
Route 3A. In
Rehoboth, US 44 passes near
Anawan Rock, site of the capture of Anawan, the War Chief of the Pocasset People, in 1676. His capture marked the end of
King Philip's War. In
Middleborough, it passes by
Oliver Mill Park, site of Judge Peter Oliver's 18th-century industrial complex. Ancient stone-walled waterways still remain here on the banks of the
Nemasket River. In Taunton, US 44 takes on a more urban character as it cuts through the heart of the city. The route runs along the south side of
Taunton Green, flanked by shops, businesses, and government buildings. ==History==