Massachusetts Route 79

Route 79
Map of Southeastern Massachusetts with Route 79 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MassDOT
Length:	18.47 mi[1] (29.72 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I‑195 / Route 138 in Fall River
	US 6 in Fall River Route 24 from Fall River to Assonet Route 140 in Taunton
North end:	Route 105 in Middleborough
Location
Counties:	Bristol, Plymouth
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State ← Route 78 Route 80 →

Massachusetts Route 79 is a state highway in southeastern Massachusetts. The route begins as a highway in Fall River also known as the Fall River Viaduct and Western Fall River Expressway before becoming a more rural route.

Route description

Route 79 began as the Fall River Viaduct, a double-decked elevated highway that began just south of the Braga Bridge, at the point where the road split between ramps to Route 138 and I-195. The road continued northward under the Braga Bridge for a third of a mile before splitting into a single four-lane highway surface, elevated on embankments. It had two exits northbound and southbound to Davol Street, the road which traveled in two one-way routes on either side of the highway, and also provides access to Route 6 between President Avenue and the Brightman Street Bridge, where that route and Route 138 formerly crossed the Taunton River. The Veterans Memorial Bridge, completed in 2011, now connects to Route 79 just north of the old Brightman Street Bridge, with both northbound and southbound ramps. As of early summer 2015, the viaduct has been torn down. The nine ramps connecting Route 79 to I-195 will be rebuilt. A new roadway will be built that will combine Route 79 and Davol St. and two new connector roads will be constructed also. The project is part of many others across the state to rebuild or fix bridges that are currently in disrepair.

The route continues northward, passing under North Main Street with exit access to that street. It then connects to Route 24 at that route's Exit 7. There is no access between Route 79 north and Route 24 south, or vice versa. The route continues concurrently along Route 24 into the Assonet section of the town of Freetown, where it leaves its concurrency at Exit 9, turning on to South Main Street. (South Main Street southbound in Assonet connects to North Main Street in Fall River.) The route passes through the village before turning eastward along Elm Street, intertwining with the Assonet River as both make their way into Berkley.

In Berkley, Route 79 passes through the village of Myricks, in the far eastern end of the town. It crosses the Old Colony Railroad lines and County Road, the former alignment of Route 140, before crossing the current route at Exit 10 just over the Taunton line. In Taunton, the route follows along the Taunton-Lakeville town line before leaving Taunton completely. In Lakeville, the route heads through the northern part of the town, crossing Route 18 and passing the former Lakeville Hospital, before ending at a 4-way intersection with Route 105 and Commercial Drive, the main road which leads to the Middleboro/Lakeville MBTA Station.

Improvements

In 2012, the Route 79 Relocation Project in Lakeville and Middleboro was completed. Before the project, the terminus of Route 79 still ended at Route 105, and only 1/10 of a mile north of its current terminus, however it was too close of proximity to the southbound ramps for Interstate 495. Also, by relocating Route 79 to the 4-way intersection with Route 105 and Commercial Drive, traffic was eased during rush hour. Instead of Route 79 traffic looping onto Route 105 to get to the MBTA station, the new intersection was constructed to provide an easier access to the MBTA station from areas such as North Lakeville, East Taunton, Berkley and Freetown.

In 2013, following the completion of the Veterans Memorial Bridge project, the route's highway section will be repaved in Fall River.

Future

As part of a $3 billion effort to replace structurally deficient bridges in Massachusetts, MassDOT is currently rebuilding the Fall River Viaduct and its connections to/from I-195, Water Street, and Milliken Boulevard. All traffic on Route 79 has been diverted onto the Davol Street service roads in this area until fall 2016, when the road will reopen.^[2]

Major intersections

All interchanges south of Route 24 are unnumbered.

County	Location	mi[1][3]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Bristol	Fall River	0.000	0.000	–	Route 138 south – South Fall River, Tiverton, RI	Continuation beyond I-195; closed until fall 2016[2]
				–	I‑195 – Providence, RI, New Bedford, Cape Cod	Exit 5 on I-195; closed until fall 2016[2]
		0.936	1.506	–	US 6 / Davol Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; temporary southern terminus[2]
		1.356	2.182	–	US 6 / Route 138 north – North Fall River, Somerset	To Veterans Memorial Bridge
		2.303	3.706	–	North Main Street – North Fall River
		3.769	6.066	7	Route 24 south to I‑195 – Newport, RI	Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 24
	Freetown	4.356	7.010	8A	Airport Road / North Main Street
		5.756	9.263	8B	Innovation Way	Formerly Executive Park Drive; opened January 2012
	Assonet	7.585	12.207	9	Route 24 north to I‑495 – Boston	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 24; northern terminus of freeway section
	Berkley	12.972	20.876		County Street	Former Route 140
	Taunton	13.229– 13.392	21.290– 21.552		Route 140 – East Freetown, New Bedford, Taunton, Boston	Exit 10 on Route 140
Plymouth	Lakeville	17.070	27.472		Route 18 – Lakeville, Bridgewater, Brockton
	Middleborough	18.730	30.143		Route 105 – Lakeville, Rochester, Middleboro Center	To exit 4 on I-495
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Unopened

References

Route map: Bing / Google

External links

Route 79/Braga Bridge Improvements Project