Maine State Route 223

State Route 223 is a state highway located in Aroostook County in extreme northeastern Maine. It begins at SR 89 in Caribou and runs east to U.S. Route 1A in Limestone. SR 223 parallels SR 89 running east into the town of Limestone, but bypasses the downtown area to the south. For the entire length, the route is known as Noyes Road.

Route description

SR 223 begins at SR 89 in the Caribou settlement of Madawaska. It first heads northeast but curves to the south to cross the Little Madawaska River. It passes a few houses before curving to the east where it passes more houses. After exiting the city of Caribou towards the town of Limestone, SR 223 curves to the southeast before returning to an easterly heading. The highway passes through a mix of farmland and wooded areas; some houses are found along this stretch of the highway, more so as it enters the settlement of Four Corners. Just east of Four Corners, SR 223 ends at US 1A, west of the Canadian border.
The road continues east as unnumbered Blake Road, which bypasses downtown Limestone to the east, connecting to SR 229 near the Gillespie Portage Border Crossing.

History

When first designated in 1931, the western terminus of SR 223 was at US 1 in downtown Caribou at the intersection of High Street and Main Street. The highway followed entirely new routing from downtown to the current terminus at US 1A. In 1953, SR 89 was extended west to downtown Caribou along existing SR 223. The latter highway was truncated to its current terminus and its alignment has not changed since.