Massachusetts Route 2A

Route 2A
Route information
Length: 98.46 mi[1] (158.46 km)
Major junctions
West end: I-91/Route 2 in Greenfield
  
Route 2 in Greenfield

Route 2 in Erving
 US 202 in Phillipston
 I-495 in Littleton
 Route 2 in Concord
 I-95/Route 128 in Lexington
 US 3 in Arlington
US 3/Route 16 in Cambridge
US 3/Route 3 in Cambridge
East end: Route 2 in Boston
Highway system

Massachusetts State Highway Routes

← Route 2 US 3 →

Route 2A exists in several sections of Massachusetts, mainly as parts of former Route 2 that have been moved or upgraded. Route 2A runs from Greenfield in the west to Boston in the east. Route 2A used to extend all the way to Shelburne Falls in Buckland in the west, but as of 2007, the route now terminates at Interstate 91 in Greenfield.

Contents

Route description

Route 2A begins at the rotary intersection of Route 2 at Interstate 91 in Greenfield. It passes through downtown Greenfield before reconnecting to its parent route just west of the Greenfield-Gill town line. After a 12.6-mile silent concurrency, Route 2A leaves its parent road once more, passing through Orange and Athol. In Athol it passes the former northern terminus of Route 21, which was truncated to Belchertown after the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir. From Phillipston through Westminster, Route 2A weaves around its parent route, crossing it a total of six times with five exits of access off of Route 2. In Fitchburg the road is shared with several other routes as it passes through the northern half of town. Once in Lunenburg it has another short concurrency with Route 13 just north of the former Whalom Park before crossing into Middlesex County at Shirley.

In Shirley, Route 2 passes north of Fort Devens into Ayer before heading into Littleton before crossing Interstate 495 at Exit 30. It then turns south through Acton and into Concord before Route 2A rejoins its parent route once more. As a silent concurrency it passes south of the historic center of town and north of Walden Pond before splitting again. Route 2A then passes through the Minuteman National Historical Park along the Great Road, the route taken by British troops between the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It then leaves the park, intersecting with I-95/Route 128 at Exits 30 A-B. The road passes south of Lexington's town center before winding into Arlington. In Arlington, the road begins a concurrency with U.S. Route 3 which eventually joins the route to Massachusetts Avenue. After US 3 leaves Mass Ave. at the Alewife Brook Parkway, Route 2A continues through the city of Cambridge, passing through Harvard Yard and by MIT. It intersects the junction of US 3 and Massachusetts Route 3 at Memorial Drive before crossing the Harvard Bridge (also known as the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge) before crossing into Boston, finally ending at Route 2 and U.S. Route 20 at Commonwealth Avenue.

Junction list

County Location Mile Roads intersected Notes
Franklin Greenfield 0.0 Interstate 91
Route 2		 Western terminus of Route 2 at I-91 Exit 26
1.1 US 5/Route 10 Court Square
4.1 Route 2 Begin western silent concurrency with Route 2
Gill 8.0 Connecticut River French King Bridge
Erving 9.1 Route 62 Silent junction
16.7 Route 2 End western silent concurrency with Route 2
Orange 18.9 Route 78 Southern terminus of Route 78
20.2 Route 122 Northern terminus of Route 122
Worcester Athol 25.2 Route 32 Western end of concurrency with Route 32
25.9 Route 21 Former northern terminus of Route 21
26.6 Route 32 Eastern end of concurrency with Route 32
27.7 Route 2/US 202 Exit 18, westbound entrance and exit only
Phillipston 28.4 Route 2/US 202 Exit 18, eastbound entrance and exit only
30.7 Route 2/US 202 Route 2 Exit 19; begin concurrency with US 202
Templeton 31.5 US 202 Eastern end of concurrency with US 202
34.5 Route 101 Western end of concurrency with Route 101
35.5 Route 2 Route 2 Exit 21
36.2 Route 101 Eastern end of concurrency with Route 101
Gardner 38.6 Route 68 Access to Route 2 Exit 22
Westminster 43.8 Route 140
Route 2		 Western end of concurrency with Route 140
Route 2 Exit 25 Eastbound exit and entrance only
44.0 Route 140
Route 2		 Eastern end of concurrency with Route 140
Route 2 Exit 25 Westbound exit and entrance only
Begin concurrency with Routes 2 & 140
Fitchburg 47.7 Route 31 Western end of concurrency with Route 31
48.8 Route 12 Western end of triple concurrency
49.6 Route 12 Eastern end of triple concurrency; continue concurrency with Route 31
50.6 Route 31 Eastern end of concurrency with Route 31
Lunenburg 53.4 Route 13 Western end of concurrency with Route 13
53.7 Route 13 Eastern end of concurrency with Route 13
58.0 Route 225 Western terminus of Route 225
Middlesex Ayer 63.0 Route 111 Western end of concurrency with Route 111
64.7 Route 111
Route 110		 Eastern end of concurrency with Route 111
Western end of concurrency with Route 110
Littleton 69.2 I-495 Exit 30
69.8 Route 110
Route 119		 Eastern end of concurrency with Route 110
Western end of concurrency with Route 119
Acton 74.8 Route 27
Concord 77.6 Route 119
Route 2		 Eastern end of concurrency with Route 119
Begin eastern silent concurrency with Route 2
78.9 Route 62 Silent intersection
81.1 Route 126 Silent intersection
82.2 Route 2 End eastern silent concurrency with Route 2
Lincoln 82.6 Bypass Road Minuteman National Historical Park entrance
Lexington 85.3 Marrett Road Minutemen National Historical Park exit
85.6 I-95 / Route 128 Exit 30
88.3 Route 4/Route 225 Western end of concurrency with Routes 4/225
88.4 Route 4/Route 225 Eastern end of concurrency with Routes 4/225
Arlington 92.0 U.S. Route 3 Western end of concurrency with US 3
92.2 Route 60 Western end of triple concurrency
92.3 Route 60 Eastern end of triple concurrency
Route 2A & US 3 join Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge 93.7 U.S. Route 3 Eastern end of concurrency with US 3 at Alewife Brook Parkway
95.9 Harvard Yard Route 2A passes through Harvard University
97.8 U.S. Route 3/Route 3 Memorial Drive intersection at Harvard Bridge
Northern terminus of Massachusetts Route 3
Southern terminus of U.S. Route 3
Suffolk Boston 98.5 Route 2 / U.S. Route 20 Eastern terminus of Route 2A at Route 2 (Commonwealth Avenue)

References

  1. ^ Executive Office of Transportation, Office of Transportation Planning - 2007 Road Inventory

See also