Massachusetts Route 88

Route 88
Route information
Length:	11.30 mi[1] (18.19 km)
Major junctions
South end:	John Reed Road in Westport
	Route 177 in Westport US 6 in Westport
North end:	Interstate 195 in Westport
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway Routes ← Route 85 I-90 →

Route 88, is a north–south state highway in the town of Westport insoutheastern Massachusetts. At just over 11 miles, it is the longest Massachusetts state route to be situated in only one town.

Route description

The southern terminus of Route 88.

The Fontaine Bridge from Westport Point.

The Fontaine Bridge from Horseneck Beach State Reservation.

Near Mile Marker 2 looking northbound.

Route 88 begins at the northern end of the Horseneck Beach State Reservation lands, on a peninsula dividing the East Branch of the Westport River from Buzzards Bay. After just 0.3 miles (0.48 km), it crosses the Normand Edward Fontaine Bridge over that river into the Westport Point section of town.

The road has five at-grade intersections with stoplights and two ramped overpass intersections. They are:

• Mile 1.2 - Drift Road (at-grade) - Drift Road parallels Route 88 to the east, and Main Road (which is accessible just west of this intersection) parallels it to the west, with both ending at Old County Road (see below).
• Mile 4.2 - Hix Bridge Road (at-grade) - This intersection is the closest to the town center from the south. A new fire station was completed in 2010 just northwest of this intersection.
• Mile 6.3 - Charlotte White Road Extension (at-grade) - This intersection is the closest to the town center from the north.
• Mile 7.8 - Old County Road (at-grade) - Provides access to Westport High School to the west, and the Elementary & Middle Schools, the Head of Westport, and eventually the Westport Fair grounds and UMass Dartmouth to the east.
• Mile 8.6 - Route 177 - Access provided by straight rampage north and south. This exit provides the nearest access to Route 6 in Dartmouth.
• Mile 10.3 - Briggs Road (at-grade) - regarded as a short-cut to Route 6 Eastbound via nearby Gifford Road. To the west of this intersection is the North Westport fire station.
• Mile 11.0 - U.S. Route 6 - a half-cloverleaf intersection.

Route 88 ends just north of Route 6 and the abandoned Old Colony Rail lines with an interchange with I-195, where westbound entrance and exit fly on separate overpasses over the interstate, and eastbound entrance and exit are direct ramps with no flyovers.

Route 88 is peculiar in its design in that, while it has at-grade intersections with town roads and is not divided by barriers or grass median between the Fontaine Bridge and Old County Road (except at intersections), there is no development of any kind that abuts the route directly; the only property that comes close is an ice cream stand on the southeast corner of Route 88 and Hix Bridge Road, but even this only has a driveway from Hix Bridge Road.

References

1. ^ Executive Office of Transportation, Office of Transportation Planning - 2005 Road Inventory

External links

• Steve Anderson's BostonRoads.com: Horseneck Beach Connector (MA 88)