Massachusetts Route 2

Route 2
Route information
Length:	142.29 mi[1] (228.99 km)
Existed:	1927, 1971 (current alignment) – present
Major junctions
West end:	NY Route 2 in Petersburgh, NY
	I-91 in Greenfield US 202 in Athol I-190 in Leominster I-495 in Littleton I-95/Route 128 in Lexington US 3/Route 16 in Cambridge US 20 in Boston
East end:	Route 28 in Boston
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway Routes ← Route 1A Route 2A → ← Route 6B N.E. Route 8 →

Route 2 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts, parts of which are sometimes known as the Cambridge and Concord Turnpike. Along with Route 9 and U.S. Route 20 to the south, these highways are the main alternatives to the Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 toll highway. Route 2 runs the entire length of the northern tier of Massachusetts, beginning at the New York border, where it connects with New York State Route 2, and ending near Boston Common in Boston.

Route description

Route 2 proceeds east from the New York state line on a winding, scenic path in Williamstown. It serves the Williams College area and North Adams. East of North Adams, Route 2 ascends via a hairpin turn into the Berkshire Mountains along the old Mohawk Trail.

It then goes from Berkshire County into Franklin County, Massachusetts, running into Interstate 91 at an interchange in Greenfield and briefly runs concurrent with the interstate highway. At this point the old Route 2 becomes Route 2A and goes through downtown Greenfield. Route 2, however, exits off I-91, becoming a expressway briefly before becoming a two-lane freeway. Outside of Greenfield, Route 2A temporarily ends and merges with Route 2. Route 2 then becomes a regular two-lane surface road in Gill and through Erving though it has some grade-separated interchanges in Millers Falls at its intersection with Route 63. There is another gap in the two-lane freeway in the Erving area. Recently, the road in Erving was routed to the north and straightened to avoid the paper mill next to the river. This rerouting led to the road being shortened by less than a tenth of a mile.

Once the road enters the Town of Orange, Route 2A resumes and breaks off Route 2. At this point Route 2 again becomes a two-lane freeway. In Orange, Route 2 runs concurrent with U.S. Route 202. The road at this point enters the town of Athol in Worcester County, Massachusetts. After its eastern interchange in Phillipston when US 202 breaks off to the north, Route 2 becomes a full four-lane freeway, though not to Interstate standards in most points. It continues through Gardner and Leominster, where Interstate 190 begins, heading south to Worcester. In Leominster, Route 2 has several at-grade intersections with Oak Hill Road, Palmer Road, Mt. Elam Road, and Abbott Avenue. At the intersection with Mt. Elam Road, a traffic light remains in use on the eastbound side.

Route 2 continues east to Middlesex County, Massachusetts. At this point it enters Boston's outer loop at the interchange with Interstate 495 in Littleton. It continues as a expressway until it goes into Acton, where it runs into Piper Road and Taylor Road at a traffic light (Exit 44). At this point the freeway ends and Route 2 becomes a regular divided highway at most points and just a four-lane highway at other points. At the Concord Rotary, a major traffic choke point, Route 2 intersects with Route 2A and the beginning of Route 119 (which is overlapped with 2A at that point). After the rotary the road loses its dividing wall as it passes past the State Police (who have an emergency-only traffic light) and over the Assabet River. Route 2A used to then break away from Route 2 at the next traffic light to go left into Concord but is now overlaid with Route 2. At Crosby's Corner, the sixth intersection after the rotary, Route 2A goes straight while Route 2 veers right (but still heads east). The highway loses its dividing wall until the Bedford St intersection in Lincoln where it becomes divided again. MassHighway currently expects to rebuild the Crosby Corner intersection and create a dividing wall from there to Bedford St in 2011-2013.^[2]

At this point Route 2 enters Lexington and still is a divided 4-lane road with surface intersections. It then heads to Boston's inner belt, crossing Interstate 95/Route 128. From there, Route 2 is a six-lane and then eight-lane limited access highway until Exit 60, where it narrows with little warning to six lanes and then to four lanes. This section of freeway actually meets the standards of an interstate highway. The final off-ramp leads directly to the large parking garage at the MBTA Alewife Station. At this point the road heads into Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Convergence of Routes 2, 3, and 16 at Alewife.

The limited access freeway portion ends at a signalized intersection, where it merges with U.S. Route 3 south and Route 16 west in Cambridge and continues as a four-lane surface road to the Boston Public Garden. Route 2 follows Alewife Brook Parkway, Fresh Pond Parkway, Gerry's Landing Road, and Memorial Drive (all parkways maintained by the Department of Conservation and Recreation) through Cambridge. It crosses into Boston on the Boston University Bridge. After crossing Commonwealth Avenue (U.S. Route 20), it follows Montfort Street and Beacon Street into Kenmore Square which is the eastern terminus of US Route 20. From Kenmore Square, Route 2 follows Commonwealth Avenue to Arlington Street. It circles the Public Garden in Boston, using Arlington Street to Boylston Street to Charles Street. Route 2 ends at Route 28 at the intersection of Charles Street and Beacon Street between Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden.

History

In the early 1920s, Route 2 was known as New England Interstate Route 7 (NE-7), a major road connecting Boston with Troy, New York. NE-7 ran roughly where Route 2A (the original surface alignment of Route 2) does now except near the New York state line. NE-7 used current Massachusetts Route 43, New York State Route 43 and New York State Route 66 to reach Troy. Current Route 2 from Williamstown to Petersburgh was previously numbered as Route 96.

Route 2 connected as a highway in its current right-of-way at Alewife Brook Parkway at some point before 1937.^[3]

An upgraded Route 2 was originally planned to continue as Boston's Northwest Expressway (merging with a re-routed U.S. Route 3 at the Arlington-Lexington or Arlington-Cambridge border) to a junction with Interstate 695, the Inner Beltway, but this, along with the Inner Beltway itself, was cancelled in 1970, accounting for the abrupt narrowing at Alewife.^[4][5] In place of the highway project, the MBTA Red Line was extended from Harvard to Alewife in the 1980s.

Highway Improvements

2002

• In 2002 a $1.5 million project constructed a new concrete median barrier on Route 2 in Lincoln.

2004

• A $4.3 million project completed in 2004 replaced the bridge that carried Route 2 over the Minuteman Bikeway in Arlington.

2006

• In 2006 a $6.7 million project that reconstructed 1.1 miles of Route 2 through Concord was completed.

2008

• In 2008 a $925,160 project was completed that cleaned and painted the Spring Street overpass in Lexington.

2009

• In 2009 a $3.7 million project that resurfaced Route 2 through Lexington was completed.
• A $1.5 million stimulus project completed in Fall 2009 resurfaced Route 2 in Lincoln from the Lexington line to Bedford Street in Lincoln.
• In 2009 a $2.1 million project was completed that replaced traffic signs from the Concord Rotary to Exit 38 in Harvard.

2010 and future

• A $2 million project expected for completion in 2011 is replacing traffic signs on Route 2 from Route 16 in Cambridge to Bedford Road in Lincoln.
• A $422,758 project expected to begin in Fall 2010 is Installing a cable median barrier on Route 2 in Lexington. The new cable barrier will prevent traffic from crossing the median.
• A $4 million stimulus project planned for completion in November 2010 is resurfacing two sections of Route 2 in Concord.
• A $4.4 million project expected for completion in December 2010 is resurfacing 3 miles of Route 2 Cambridge to Belmont.
• The Route 2 bridge over the Charles River in Boston (Boston University Bridge) is undergoing a $19.6 million bridge deck replacement project. The project funded by the Accelerated Bridge Program is expected for completion in November 2011.
• In 2010 a $11.3 Million project began to Replace the route 2 bridges over Route 140 in Westminster.
• In 2011 a $6.3 Million project will resurface the highway through Fitchburg,Lancaster & Leominster.
• In 2011 a $3.4 Million project will replace the superstructure of two bridges in Athol.
• In 2012 a $4.6 Million project will resurface route 2 through Acton,Boxborough & Littleton.
• In 2015 a $1.9 million project will rebuild the intersection of Route 16 and Route 2 in Cambridge.
• In 2015 a $31 million project will replace the 2 bridges over I-95 in Lexington.
• In 2015 a $9.8 million project will replace the existing Route 2 bridge over the Sudbury River in Concord. The existing bridge was built in 1934.
• In 2015 a $20 Million project will replace the concord rotary with a highway interchange.

Crosbys Corner Improvement Project

This major project has been in planning since 1999. The intersection sees an average of 90 accidents a year. The project will solve the traffic and safety problems at the very dangerous Crosby's Corner intersection (junction of Route 2 and 2A) in Concord. The project, expected to cost $71.9 million, will widen Route 2 from Bedford Road in Lincoln to 300FT west of Sandy Pond Road in Concord. The project will eliminate the at grade intersection and realign it and construct new on & off ramps along with constructing new service roads next to Route 2. The project is expected to begin in 2011. The state has recently spent between $25 & $35 million for property takings in the path of the new alignment of Route 2. In January 2010 a speeding tanker truck carrying liquid asphalt flipped over on Route 2 and crushed three cars. The truck driver was med-flighted to a Boston hospital with serious injuries. The highway was shutdown for five hours causing traffic delays for the 46,000 commuters daily. The accident put the spotlight back on the Crosby Corner project.

The full project includes Building a new overpass bridge Over Route 2 and building multiple service roads next to Route 2. 14 Retaining Walls will be built to accommodate the new interchange ramp construction. Work also consists of a new signalized intersection. The project was put out to bid for contractors on September 19th 2011. A contractor is expected to be chosen over the winter and Construction is expected to begin in Spring 2012 on the estimated $55 Million project.

Further information: Freeway and expressway revolts

Exit list

County	Location	Mile	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Berkshire	Williamstown	0.00		NY 2 west	Eastern terminus of NY Route 2; western terminus of MA Route 2
		3.9		US 7 south	Southern end of US 7 concurrency
		6.2		US 7 north	Northern end of US 7 concurrency
		6.7		Route 43 south	Northern terminus of Route 43
	North Adams	11.6		Route 8 west	Western end of Route 8 concurrency
		11.7		Route 8A south	Northern end of Route 8A "U" segment
		12.4		Route 8 east	Eastern end of Route 8 concurrency
Franklin	Charlemont	29.8		Route 8A west	Western end of Route 8A concurrency
		30.4		Route 8A east	Eastern end of Route 8A concurrency
	Buckland	37.4		Route 112 south	Western end of Route 112 concurrency
	Shelburne	38.1		Route 112 north	Eastern end of Route 112 concurrency
	Greenfield	47.5	26	I-91 south / Route 2A east	Southern end of I-91 concurrency; western terminus of Route 2A
		50.0	27	I-91 north	Northern end of I-91 concurrency
		50.7		US 5 / Route 10	Interchange
		51.3	Freeway ends
		52.1		Route 2A	Western terminus of Route 2A concurrency
	Erving	57.3		Route 63 north	Forest St to Rte. 63 North
		57.7		Route 63 south	Prospect St. to Rte. 63 South
		64.8		Route 2A east	Eastern terminus of Route 2A concurrency; Super-2 freeway begins
	Orange	66.5	14	West River Street – Orange Center	Last numbered exit on Route 2 West
		69.5	15	Route 122 – Orange, Worcester
		70.6	16	US 202 south – Belchertown Daniel Shays Highway – Athol	Western end of US 202 concurrency
Worcester	Athol	74.6	17	Route 32 – Athol, Petersham
	Phillipston	76.5	18	Route 2A – Athol, Phillipston
		78.9	19	US 202 north / Route 2A – Phillipston, Winchendon	Eastern end of US 202 concurrency
	Templeton	81.5	20	Baldwinville Road – Templeton, Baldwinville
		83.4	21	Route 2A / Route 101 – Templeton, Ashburnham
	Gardner	86.2	22	Route 68 – Gardner, Hubbardston
		86.9	23	Gardner, South Gardner
	Westminster	89.3	24	Route 140 north / West Main Street – Ashburnham, Winchendon	Western end of Route 140 concurrency; signed as exits 24B-A westbound
		91.7	25	Route 2A / Route 140 south – Fitchburg, Princeton	Eastern end of Route 140 concurrency
		92.2	26	Willard Road, Village Inn Road	Eastbound exit only
		93.0	27	Narrows Road, Depot Road
	Fitchburg	94.0	28	Route 31 – Fitchburg, Princeton
		96.0	(29)	Mount Elam Road	At-grade intersection with barrier in the middle of the road and flashing light
	Leominster	98.0	30	Merriam Avenue, South Street – Leominster, Fitchburg
		99.1	31	Route 12 – Leominster, Fitchburg
		100.4	32	Route 13 – Leominster, Lunenburg
		101.1	33	I-190 south – Leominster, Worcester	Northern terminus of I-190
	Lancaster	102.6	34	Mechanic Street, Harvard Street
		103.4	35	Route 70 south – Lancaster, Lunenburg	Northern terminus of Route 70
		104.8	36	Shirley Road – Shirley
		105.9	37B	Jackson Road – Devens Reserve Forces Training Area	No public access to Exit 37A (westbound)
	Harvard	109.2	38	Route 110 / Route 111 – Harvard, Worcester, Ayer, Groton	Signed as exits 34A and 34B
Middlesex	Littleton	112.7	39	Taylor Street – Littleton, Boxboro
		113.0	40	I-495 – Marlboro, Cape Cod, Lowell, Lawrence	Signed as exits 40A and 40B
	Boxborough	115.2	41	Newtown Road, Central Street – West Acton, Littleton
	Acton	117.4	42	Route 27 – Acton, Maynard
		118.0	43	Route 111 north – West Acton	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only; left exit
		118.1		Piper Road, Taylor Road	Freeway resumes east of traffic light
	Concord	120.60		Route 2A Route 119 north	Western terminus of Route 2A concurrency; southern terminus of Route 119
		121.60		Route 62
		124.00		Route 126 south	Northern terminus of Route 126
		124.9		Route 2A east	Eastern terminus of Route 2A concurrency
	Lexington	128.0	Freeway resumes just east of Lincoln–Lexington line
		128.70	52	I-95 – Attleboro, Peabody	Signed as exits 52A and 52B
		129.0	53	Spring Street – Lexington, Waltham	No westbound exit
		129.9	54	Waltham Street – Lexington, Waltham	Signed as exits 54A and 54B; westbound exits and eastbound entrances only
		130.6	55	Pleasant Street – Lexington, Waltham	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		131.60	56	Route 4 north / Route 225 west – Lexington, Bedford Winter Street – Waverly	Southern terminus of Route 4; eastern terminus of Route 225
	Arlington	131.70	57	Dow Avenue – Arlmont, Arlington, Belmont
	Arlington–Belmont	132.3	58	Park Avenue – Belmont, Arlington Heights
		133.90	59	Route 60 – Arlington Center, Belmont Center
	Arlington	135.00	60	Lake Street – East Arlington, Belmont
	Cambridge	134.6		Alewife T Station	Eastbound exit only
		134.9		US 3 north / Route 16 north (Alewife Brook Parkway north)	Northern terminus of US 3/Route 16 concurrency; freeway ends
		136.3		Route 16 south (Huron Avenue)	Southern terminus of Route 16 concurrency
		139.3		US 3 south (Memorial Drive)	Southern terminus of US 3; Route 2 exits Memorial Drive via the Boston University Bridge eastbound
Suffolk	Boston	140.4		US 20 west (Commonwealth Avenue)	Eastern terminus of US 20 at Kenmore Square; Route 2 leaves Beacon Street for Commonwealth Avenue eastbound
		140.9		Route 2A west (Massachusetts Avenue)	Eastern terminus of Route 2A
		142.29		Arlington Street	Eastern terminus of Route 2
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

Photos

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  Westbound in Shelburne

• 

  Eastbound at Whitcomb Summit in Florida

References

1. ^ Executive Office of Transportation, Office of Transportation Planning - 2005 Road Inventory
2. ^ Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Project Information
3. ^ http://www.schlichtman.org/mahighways/bosmap37.gif
4. ^ http://www.brorson.com/maps/BostonHighwayPlan_1965_Detail/BostonHPDetailLevel1.jpg
5. ^ User: BigRock (April 9, 2007). "Boston's Cancelled Highways". Google Maps. http://www.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&q=boston,+ma&layer=&ie=UTF8&om=1&msid=107473683068810985281.00000111d8c10d821a3b2&msa=0&ll=42.388346,-71.119137&spn=0.057435,0.174408&z=13. Retrieved December 30, 2010.