Northern Expressway (Massachusetts)

Northern Expressway
Route information
Length:	27.9 mi (44.9 km)
Major junctions
South end:	Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in Boston
	Route 28 / Route 38 in Somerville Route 16 / Route 60 / Route 28 in Medford Route 28 in Stoneham I-95 / Route 128 in Woburn Route 129 / Route 62 / Route 125 in Wilmington Route 133 / I-495 in Andover Route 110 / Route 113 / Route 213 in Methuen
North end:	Interstate 93 in Salem, New Hampshire
Highway system
Main route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Massachusetts State Highway Routes

The Northern Expressway is an expressway located north of Boston, Massachusetts. One terminus is at the end of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge.

History

The Northern Expressway was constructed from Medford to the New Hampshire border between 1956 and 1963. It was extended through Somerville and Charlestown to the Central Artery, U.S. Route 1, and the planned route of the Inner Belt between 1965 and 1973. Because it was already under construction, the highway was granted an exception to the moratorium on highway expansion inside Route 128 which was announced in 1970.^[1]

I-93's original southern terminus was in Cambridge (just north of Boston) where it was to meet the Inner Belt (I-695). However, when that route was canceled, and the I-95 section into Boston was canceled and rerouted along Route 128 in the mid-1970s, I-93's route was extended an additional 18 miles (29 km) down the Central Artery (which had been signed as a concurrency of I-95/MA-3 before I-95 was rerouted) and the Southeast Expressway (what was then just Route 3) from Boston to Braintree and then west along former Route 128 to its intersection with I-95 in Canton.

In an attempt to alleviate rush-hour traffic jams, travel in the breakdown lane of I-93 is permitted on a small stretch between Exit 41 and Exit 47/48. This extra travel is permitted on the southbound side on weekdays between 6AM and 10AM, and on the northbound side between 3PM and 7PM. However, on most busy days this fails to prevent traffic delays. The Massachusetts State Police is displeased with this arrangement, citing that traffic in the breakdown lanes interferes with the ability of emergency vehicles to respond to accidents.

References

1. ^ http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/northern/