Interstate 391

Interstate 391
Route information
Maintained by MassHighway
Length:	4.86 mi[1] (7.82 km)
Existed:	1970 – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-91 in Chicopee, MA
North end:	High Street (near ) in Holyoke, MA
Highway system
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Massachusetts State Highway Routes ← Route 295 I-395 →

Interstate 391 (abbreviated I-391) is an Auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. State of Massachusetts. It runs from the I-91/I-391 interchange in Chicopee to the center of Holyoke, a distance of about 4.86 mi (7.82 km). It runs near the Connecticut River throughout its journey in Chicopee, and crosses into Holyoke and abruptly ends at High Street 0.4 miles (0.64 km) south of U.S. Route 202.^[1]

Route description

Interstate 391 begins at an interchange with I-91 (at Exit 12) in southern Chicopee, just north of the Atwater Park and the Calvary Cemetery. Initially running parallel to the Connecticut River, it intersects with Route 116 in Chicopee center and crosses the Chicopee River. I-391 then has another junction with Route 116 in the Sandy Hill section of town, and in less than one mile (1.6 km), it crosses underneath the Massachusetts Turnpike without an interchange. I-391 continues north through the rest of northern Chicopee, intersecting Route 141 along the way and then passing just east of Rivers Park. I-391 then crosses the Connecticut River into the city of Holyoke, where it has two closely spaced exits for local streets in the town. I-391 officially comes to an end at High Street in Holyoke, with the road continuing as Resnic Boulevard, which connects to US 202 after 0.4 miles (0.64 km).^[2]

History

Plans for the highway originated from the Master Highway Plan for the Springfield Metropolitan Area in 1953, which planned for a "major street improvement" to Route 116. By the 1960s, freeway access was needed between Chicopee and Holyoke to improve traffic flow which prompted a spur route of Interstate 91 to be built. I-391's planned six lanes were built to handle up to 50,000 vehicles every day, and the total cost of the proposed highway was estimated at about $35 million dollars. In 1965, an alignment of the highway had been set, along with two alternative alignments. Construction for Interstate 391 began in 1967 with a short 0.75 mi (1.21 km) long highway, which was completed in 1970. After years of no progress, construction started again in 1978. The highway was completed in 1982 after about 15 years of planning and construction.^[3]

Exit list

Just before the Route 141 interchange

Location	Exit #	Mile[4]	Destinations	Notes
Chicopee	1A-B	0.20	I-91 – Springfield, Greenfield, Hartford	Southbound junction only.
	2	0.65	Route 116 (Chicopee Center)	Elms College
	3	1.60	Route 116 – Westover, Willimansett	Westover Air Reserve Base
	4	3.56	Route 141 – Chicopee Falls, Willimansett	Split into 4A-B southbound.
Holyoke	5	4.55	Main Street	Northbound exit/southbound entrance only.
	6	4.78	Commercial Street	Northbound exit/southbound entrance only. Mainline continues to High St./Resnic Blvd.
		4.86	High Street and Resnic Boulevard.	At-grade intersection

External links

• I-391 Historical Overview from bostonroads.com

References

1. ^ ^{a b} MassGIS EOT-OTP Roads data layer
2. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – overview map of I-391 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=from:+Unknown%20road%20@42.134196,%20-72.608717+to:+Unknown%20road%20@42.195836,%20-72.616133. Retrieved 2008-05-26. 
3. ^ Bostonroads.com. "Interstate 391 (Massachusetts)". http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/I-391_MA/. Retrieved 2008-05-26. 
4. ^ Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. 2007. "Interchange Exit Listings (I-391)." Downloaded from:http://www.eot.state.ma.us/default.asp?pgid=planning/disc/interchanges&sid=dtable August 7, 2011.