U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts

U.S. Route 1
Route information
Length: 85.61 mi[1] (137.78 km)
Existed: 1926 – present
Major junctions
South end: US 1 in Pawtucket, RI
  I-295 in North Attleboro
I-495 in Plainville
I-95 / Route 128 in Dedham
I-90 in Boston
Route 16 in Chelsea
Route 60 in Revere
Route 99 in Saugus
I-95 / Route 128 in Peabody
North end: US 1 in Seabrook, NH
Highway system

United States Numbered Highways
List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced

Massachusetts State Highway Routes

← I-495 Route 1A →

In the U.S. state of Massachusetts, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway through Boston. The portion of US 1 south of Boston is also known as the Boston-Providence Turnpike, and portions north of the city are known as the Northeast Expressway and the Newburyport Turnpike.

Contents

Route description

US 1 enters the state from Rhode Island at Attleboro. It closely parallels Interstate 95 as it goes through the towns of North Attleboro, Plainville, Wrentham, Foxborough, Walpole, Sharon, Norwood (where a segment is known as the Norwood Automile due to the many car dealerships that line the road), and Westwood. US 1 then has a wrong-way concurrency with Interstate 95 up to the junction with Interstate 93 then travels along Interstate 93 from Canton through downtown Boston, separating from the Interstate just after passing through the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel and crossing the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. The route crosses the Tobin Bridge traveling over Chelsea and Revere as a freeway known as Boston's Northeast Expressway, then as a four to six lane RIRO expressway (surface road without at-grade intersections or traffic lights) through Malden, Melrose, Saugus and Lynnfield. From Lynnfield, US 1 again closely parallels Interstate 95 going through the towns of Peabody, Danvers, Topsfield, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury, before it enters the state of New Hampshire.

Route 1A runs alongside Route 1 in four parts of the state.

Junction list

County Location Mile Roads intersected Notes
Bristol Attleboro 0.0 US 1 enters Massachusetts
0.3 I-95 Exit 1: Southbound exit/Northbound entrance
1.8 Route 123
2.0 Route 1A South Begin silent concurrency
North Attleborough 4.0 I-295 Exit 1
5.2 Route 120 Eastern end of Route 120.
7.4 Route 1A North End silent concurrency
Norfolk Plainville 8.4 Route 106
10.0 Route 152 Northern end of Route 152.
10.6 I-495 Exit 14
Foxborough 13.6 To Route 140 No direct connection between Rte. 140 & US-1.
Sharon 18.3 I-95 Exit 9 – Northbound onramp, southbound offramp
18.4 I-95 Exit 9 – Southbound onramp, northbound offramp
Walpole 19.1 Route 27
Dedham 25.9 I-95/Route 128 Route 1 joins I-95/Route 128 at Exits 15A-B
See I-95 for junctions off of US-1 between Exits 15 and 12
Norfolk Canton 28.0 I-93/I-95/Route 128 US-1 joins I-93.
I-95 turns southward; Route 128 ends at junction.
See I-93 for junctions off of US-1 between Exits 1 and 26
Suffolk Boston 46.5 I-93 US-1 leaves I-93 at Exit 26
Tobin Bridge crosses the Mystic River
Suffolk Chelsea 48.4 Beacon Street
Everett Avenue		 Northbound exit to Beacon St.
Southbound onramp from Everett Ave.
49.0 Fourth Street Norhtbound exit only
49.3 Fifth Street Southbound onramp only
49.7 Sixth Street Northbound onramp only
49.9 Carter Street Southbound offramp/onramp
50.1 Route 16 West Route 16 westbound onramp to US-1 southbound
50.3 Webster Street Northbound exit only
50.5 Route 16 Northbound exit/entrance
Revere 50.8 Route 16 Southbound exit/entrance
51.8 Sargent Street Northbound exit/Southbound entrance
52.4 Route 60 Northbound exit to Copeland Circle
52.8 Route 60 Southbound exit to Copeland Circle
53.1 Salem Street No northbound entrance
Essex Saugus 54.5 Route 99 Northern end of Route 99.
54.8 Essex Street
55.3 Main Street
56.5 Lynn Fells Parkway Eastern end of parkway.
57.1 Route 129 West Begin concurrency with Route 129.
Lynnfield 58.8 Route 129 East End concurrency with Route 129 at Lynnfield Tunnel.
Peabody 59.5 To I-95/Route 128 Northbound exit only
60.1 To I-95/Route 128 Southbound exit/Northbound onramp
61.0 I-95 Exit 46: Southbound exit/Northbound onramp
61.6 Lowell Street
Danvers 62.5 Route 114 Eastbound to I-95
63.2 Centre Street Eastbound to I-95
64.2 Route 62 Eastbound to I-95
65.0 I-95 Last direction junction between I-95 and US-1 in Massachusetts.
Divided highway ends.
Topsfield 68.1 Route 97
69.3 Ipswich Road
Ipswich 71.8 Linebrook Road
Rowley 73.1 Route 133
Newburyport 80.0 Traffic circle Divided highway begins.
80.9 Summer Street
Winter Street		 Northbound exit to Summer Street
Southbound entrance from Winter Street
81.1 Route 1A Route 1A joins as silent concurrency
Southbound exit: To Route 113 West
Salisbury 81.6 Friedenfels Street Divided highway ends.
83.0 Route 110 Eastern end of Route 110
83.1 Route 1A Route 1A leaves US-1
To Salisbury Beach
84.6 Toll Road To I-95 Exit 60.
85.3 Route 286 Eastbound to Hampton Beach, NH
85.61 US 1 enters New Hampshire

History

Lower Boston Post Road

Turnpike era

Most of US 1 consists of two former turnpike roads — the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike and the Newburyport Turnpike. The older roads that these turnpikes were meant to bypass are now mostly Route 1A.

Designation of Route 1

Massachusetts Route C1

In the early 1930s, Route C1 was designated as an alternate route of US 1 through downtown Boston. The "C" indicated a city route. The C designation was apparently distinct to the Boston area. Route C1 ran along Brookline Avenue, Beacon Street, Embankment Road (modern Route 28), Charles Street, Lowell Street, Merrimac Street, and Cross Street to the west end of the Sumner Tunnel. In East Boston, it went via Porter Street to Chelsea Street then shifted to the William McClellan Highway (modern Route 1A). As Storrow Drive and the Central Artery opened in the 1950s, Route C1 was rerouted to follow portions of these highways. The Route C1 designation was removed in 1971, with US 1 taking over most of the alignment south of the Charles River, and Route 1A taking over most of the alignment north of the river. US 1 was later moved onto the Southeast Expressway leaving most of the former alignment of C1 south of the river as having no number.

Relocation in Boston

US 1 replaced the cancelled I-95 on the Northeast Expressway, north of downtown Boston, in the 1970s.[2] In the late 1980s, in anticipation of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, US 1 was moved onto I-93 south of and through Boston, leaving the old route - VFW Parkway, Jamaicaway, Riverway, and Storrow Drive through Dedham, Brookline, West Roxbury and several other Boston neighborhoods - without a number. There are still some street signs incorrectly indicating the former alignment as US 1, and many local residents still refer to parts of VFW Parkway and Jamaicaway as "Route 1", as if it still runs along its old trajectory.

Widening project

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is proposing a $137 million project to widen the existing 2.4-mile four-lane highway section to six lanes, from north of Route 99 in Saugus to south of Route 60 in Revere. The project consists of adding a twelve-foot travel lane and ten-foot shoulder in each direction. Work also will include reconstruction of the Copeland Circle interchange by eliminating the existing rotary, and demolition of the existing 1957 bridges from the never-built highway extension. The Lynn Street/Salem Street interchange in Malden, and the Route 99 interchange in Saugus, will be reconstructed. Major rock blasting will be required for the project due to a massive ledge next to the highway. Seven bridges will be replaced and three others upgraded to handle the new lanes. The project is expected to begin in 2012 with completion in 2015.

References

  1. ^ Executive Office of Transportation - Office of Transportation Planning Roads
  2. ^ http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/northeast/
U.S. Route 1
Previous state:
Rhode Island		 Massachusetts Next state:
New Hampshire