Massachusetts Route 24

Route 24
AMVETS Memorial Highway Fall River Expressway
Route information
Length:	40.91 mi[1] (65.84 km)
Existed:	1951 – present
Major junctions
South end:	Route 24 in Tiverton, RI
	Interstate 195 in Fall River Route 79 in Fall River Route 140 in Taunton Interstate 495 in Bridgewater
North end:	I-93/US-1 in Randolph
Location
Counties:	Bristol, Plymouth, Norfolk
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway Routes ← Route 23 Route 25 →

View of Route 24 from Stafford Road overpass, Fall River, Massachusetts

Route 24 is a freeway south of I-93 in southeastern Massachusetts, linking Fall River with the Boston metropolitan area. It begins in the south in Fall River at the border with Tiverton, Rhode Island where it connects with Rhode Island Route 24, and runs north to an interchange with Interstate 93/U.S. Route 1 in Randolph. Route 24 is also known as the Fall River Expressway, and officially as the Amvets Highway. Route 24 has a total of 21 interchanges (including the split at its northern terminus with Interstate 93.)

Route 24 connects many of the major cities of Massachusetts with Boston: Brockton, Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford (via the junction with Route 140).

Route description

The highway starts at the Rhode Island border as a continuation of Rhode Island Route 24 and meets Interstate 195 in Fall River. It briefly runs concurrently with I-195 east (for less than a mile), then exits the interstate and travels north, merging with Route 79 at Exit 7 in northern Fall River. Routes 24 and 79 run concurrently northward until Exit 9 (Assonet). At this point, Route 79 exits the freeway and heads northeast. Route 24 continues north, intersecting the northern end of the Taunton-New Bedford Expressway (Route 140) in Taunton, and Interstate 495 in Raynham. The highway continues north through the city of Brockton and into Randolph, where Route 24 ends at a split junction with Interstate 93. This section of I-93 from Braintree to its junction with I-95 is frequently referred to by its former designation of Route 128. This designation was removed from I-93 in 1989, when the roadway obtained the additional designation of U.S. Route 1, although this is not shown on exit signs from Route 24. The route is officially 40.9 miles in length, however, mileposts continue up to 41.2 on the Exit 21B ramp to I-93 south.

The speed limit on Route 24 is 55 mph (89 km/h) from the Rhode Island border to the exit from Interstate 195. North of I-195, the speed limit is 65 mph (105 km/h).

History

Route 24, along with Route 138, are both built parallel to an old Indian trail that went along the same north/south route from south of the Boston area into Boston. Route 124 on Cape Cod was originally designated Route 24 before 1951, and its number was changed to 124 upon the completion of the initial stretch of the Route 24 freeway.

The original portion of Route 24 opened in 1951, and brought commuters from Exit 10 in Assonet to Raynham. Route 24 is currently 40 miles (65 km) in length and has 21 interchanges from Fall River to Randolph.

Possible upgrades to Interstate standards

There have been calls over the years for Route 24 to be upgraded to an interstate highway. In April 2007 the Old Colony Regional Planning Council included this proposal in its 25-year regional transportation plan draft. The Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) endorsed a similar proposal the month before. In 1997, a study was initiated by the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) and the SRPEDD on what improvements were necessary in order to convert the route to an Interstate highway. The project would require major upgrades to 11 interchanges and minor work on 6 others. The proposal was tabled due to high costs projected for reconstruction of part of the highway south of Interstate 495. The current proposal seeks to have the route improved to interstate standards by 2020, the cost for the Stoughton to Bridgewater portion alone is estimated at $224 million.^{[citation needed]}

According to MassHighway, it will be an extension of I-93. The portion south of I-195 will remain MA-24 and then RI-24. There is no word on the designation of I-93/US-1 between exits 1 and 4.^[2]

The state is expected to begin work in 2015. The US 44 bridge will be replaced, and two other bridges will be widened.

This is an early estimate of the project of the highway widening and Interstate upgrade project. They are not final.

- Phase I: Randolph I-93 Interchange Reconstruction ($30 million)

- Phase II: Randolph to Stoughton ($56 million)

- Phase III: Canton to Bridgewater ($224 million)

- Phase IV: Bridgewater to I-495 ($175 million)

- Phase V: I-495 to US 44 ($35 million)

- Phase VI: US 44 to Fall River ($357 million)

Total cost is expected to be $877 million, which makes the entire project more expensive than the Route 128 Add-a-lane or the US 3 Add-a-lane projects.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile[3]	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Bristol	Fall River	0.0		Route 24	Rhode Island state line
		0.22	1	Route 81 – Fall River, Adamsville, RI	Signed as exits 1A (North) and 1B (South)
		1.71	2	Brayton Avenue / Eastern Avenue
		1.89	3	I-195 west – Providence, RI	Northbound exit/southbound entrance only; access to Route 24 north via I-195 Exit 8B; western end of I-195 overlap
		2.53	4	I-195 east – New Bedford	Southbound exit/northbound entrance only; access to Route 24 south via I-195 Exit 8A; eastern end of I-195 overlap
		5.03	5	US 6 (President Avenue, Eastern Avenue)
		7.45	6	Highland Avenue	Southbound exit/northbound entrance only
		7.61	7	Route 79 south – North Fall River, Somerset	Southbound exit/northbound entrance only; southern end of Route 79 overlap
		7.91	8	North Main Street
	Assonet	10.87	9	Route 79 north – Freetown, Middleborough	Northern end of Route 79 overlap
		12.19	10	North Main Street – Assonet, Dighton
	Berkley	15.30	11	Padelford Street – Berkley, Dighton
	Taunton	17.00	12	Route 140 – Lakeville, Taunton	Signed as exits 12A (South) and 12B (North) northbound
	Raynham	19.47	13	US 44 – Middleborough, Taunton	Signed as exits 13A (East) and 13B (West)
Plymouth	Bridgewater	22.49	14	I-495 – Cape Cod, Worcester	Signed as exits 14A (South) and 14B (North)
			Service Area - Food and Gas
		23.88	15	Route 104 – Bridgewater, Raynham
	West Bridgewater	27.45	16	Route 106 – West Bridgewater, Mansfield	Signed as exits 16A (East) and 16B (West)
	Brockton	30.85	17	Route 123 – Brockton, Easton	Signed as exits 17A (East) and 17B (West)
		33.08	18	Route 27 – Brockton, Stoughton	Signed as exits 18A (South) and 18B (North)
Norfolk	Avon	35.27	19	Harrison Boulevard / Central Street	Signed as exits 19A (East) and 19B (West)
	Stoughton	37.50	20	Route 139 – Randolph, Stoughton	Signed as exits 20A (East) and 20B (West)
	Randolph	40.39	21	I-93 / US 1 to I-95 – Boston	Northbound exit only; signed as exit 21A (North) and left exit 21B (South, To I-95)
		40.91		I-93 / US 1	Northern terminus

References

1. ^ "Office of Transportation Planning - 2005 Road Inventory". Executive Office of Transportation. 2005. http://www.eot.state.ma.us/default.asp?pgid=content/plan02&sid=about. 
2. ^ Timmins, Steve. "personal correspondence" (Microsoft Word DOC). Mass Highway. http://cacademy.info/alevitt/MHD.doc. 
3. ^ Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. 2007. "Interchange Listings (MA 24)" Downloaded from:http://www.eot.state.ma.us/default.asp?pgid=planning/disc/interchanges&sid=dtable August 7, 2011

• "Fall River Expressway (Amvets Highway)". The Roads of Metro Boston. http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/MA-24/. Retrieved May 5, 2010. 
• Coleman, Sandy (October 15, 2006). "Route 24 Crashes Raise Call for Study". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/15/route_24_crashes_raise_call_for_study/. 
• Tocci, Kevin (April 17, 2007). "Old Colony Planning Council Backs Interstate Status for Route 24". The Brockton Enterprise.