Interstate 95 in Massachusetts

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This article is about the section of Interstate 95 in Massachusetts. For the entire route, see Interstate 95.

Interstate 95 marker

Interstate 95
<mapframe frameless="1" width="290" height="290" align="center">{{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Interstate 95 in Massachusetts}}</mapframe>
I-95 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MassDOT
Length: 91 mi (146 km)
Existed: 1957 – present
Major junctions
South end: I‑95 in Pawtucket, RI
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North end: I‑95 in Seabrook, NH
Location
Counties: Bristol, Norfolk, Middlesex, Essex
Highway system
← I‑93 I‑195 →

Interstate 95 (I-95) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that parallels the East Coast of the United States from Miami, Florida in the south to Houlton, Maine, in the north.[1] In the U.S. state of Massachusetts, it spans 91 miles (146 km) along a north–south axis. It is the third-longest Interstate Highway in Massachusetts, behind I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) and I-495, while I-95 in full is the longest north–south Interstate, and sixth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States.

Its southern terminus within the state is located in Attleboro, where I-95 enters from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It intersects with U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and the northern terminus of I-295 within Attleboro, I-495 in Mansfield, and US 1 in Sharon before arriving at an interchange with I-93, US 1, and Route 128 in Canton. At this interchange, I-95 begins running concurrently with US 1 and Route 128 along a beltway roughly 15 miles (24 km) outside of Boston.

While its concurrency with US 1 ends in Dedham, its concurrency with Route 128 continues as it meets with expressways including the Massachusetts Turnpike in Weston, US 20 in Waltham, Route 2 in Lexington, US 3 in Burlington (with which it runs concurrently within the town), and I-93 and US 1 in Reading and Lynnfield, respectively. I-95 and Route 128 split in Peabody, as Route 128 travels north-east towards its northern terminus in Gloucester, I-95 continues north and crosses US 1 in Peabody and Danvers. Within Salisbury, it intersects the northern terminus of I-495 and arrives at its own northern terminus, where I-95 continues into Seabrook, New Hampshire as the Blue Star Turnpike.

Route description

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Attleboro to Canton

File:Massachusetts I-93 branches off from I-95.jpg
To continue on I-95 northbound, motorists must make a sharp clockwise curve at exit 12 in Canton

I-95 crosses the state border from Pawtucket, Rhode Island into Attleboro as a six-lane highway, with the first northbound exits, 2A and 2B, providing access to Route 1A and nearby US 1 near the border. (There is an exit 1, but it is a southbound-only exit connecting to US 1 south into Rhode Island). Exits 3–5 also serve the Attleboro area, with exit 4 at the northern terminus of I-295.

Exits 6A and 6B in Mansfield provide access to I-495, the "outer circumferential" beltway around metro Boston. I-495 provides northbound connections to Worcester, the Massachusetts Turnpike, and the western part of the state, and southbound connections to Cape Cod. Mansfield is home to the Comcast Center, a Live Nation-owned amphitheatre that hosts numerous concert events, and the TPC Boston, a PGA player's club that hosts the Deutsche Bank Championship yearly. The two venues are located near I-95's interchanges with Route 140.

I-95 continues northward into Foxborough, home of Gillette Stadium, located on US 1 and accessible from exit 9. The Interstate continues through Sharon, it then enters the metro Boston area and the towns of Walpole, and Norwood, before entering Canton, where it meets I-93 at its southern terminus, and I-93 continues as exit 12 to the right of I-95, while I-95 traffic is routed in a single lane to a sharp clockwise curve where it meets US 1 in a wrong-way concurrency.

Canton to Peabody (Route 128)

Upon interchanging with I-93, I-95 loops around to the west, taking over the roadbed from I-93 and joining US 1 southbound in a wrong-way concurrency. Route 128 begins here as well. The highway enters Westwood next, with US 1 leaving the freeway near the Dedham town line to parallel I-95 back to the south. I-95 and Route 128 makes its way around metro Boston, passing through Dedham, Needham, and Wellesley, where the freeway has an interchange with Route 9 (near where the transmitter for WSBK-TV is located), and the freeway widens to eight lanes. Then the highway passes through Newton, then enters Weston and has a large interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) that provides connections to nearby Route 30. There is a fourth lane after the interchange with Route 9. Exits 23, 24, and 25 are one combined exit northbound.

I-95 and Route 128 are due west of Boston at this point and begin to turn to the northeast, serving the city of Waltham and the town of Lexington along the way. The freeway has an interchange with Route 2 (Concord Turnpike) at exit 29. Upon entering the town of Burlington, I-95 and Route 128 have an interchange with US 3, the Northwestern Expressway, at exit 32A. US 3 provides a direct freeway connection with the Lowell, Massachusetts–Nashua, New Hampshire metro area. Access to the Middlesex Turnpike and Burlington retail district is facilitated at this interchange as well. US 3 south briefly joins the freeway in another wrong-way multiplex in order to connect with its old alignment, leaving at exit 33A. I-95 and Route 128 continue northeast through the city of Woburn and into Reading.

In Reading, I-95 and Route 128 once again have an interchange with I-93. After crossing, I-93, the now six-lane highway continues to the northeast, serving the towns of Wakefield, Lynnfield, and Lynn before crossing into Peabody, where Route 128 leaves I-95 at exit 45 via the three left-most lanes as its own freeway towards Gloucester, while I-95 continues as the two right-most lanes in a somewhat sharp counter-clockwise (albeit the fact that it contains two lanes) loop. Here, six lanes are designated for Route 128, while four lanes are designated for I-95.

Peabody to Salisbury

After leaving Route 128, I-95 expands back to six lanes and then to eight lanes at the partial interchange with US 1 (exit 46) about one mile (1.6 km) north of Route 128 and heads north through the less densely populated northeastern portion of the state. The freeway serves the communities of Danvers, Boxford, Topsfield, Georgetown, Rowley, Newbury, West Newbury, Newburyport, Amesbury, and Salisbury. Traffic density is generally low on this 25-mile (40 km) stretch of freeway.

I-495 has its northern terminus at I-95 exit 59 just south of the New Hampshire state line, a Y-interchange that merges I-495 onto I-95. Northbound access to I-495 south is possible via exit 58 for Route 110 westbound, which leads to I-495's exit 55 (I-495's last exit before I-95). The northernmost exit in Massachusetts is exit 60, providing access to Main Street towards Amesbury and Route 286 towards Salisbury Beach and Hampton Beach (the southbound ramp starts in New Hampshire). After crossing underneath the connecting roads, I-95 crosses the state line into Seabrook, New Hampshire.

Rest areas and service plazas

This is a list of rest areas on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts.

  • Mansfield Rest Area — MP 10 - Northbound only between exits 5 and 6 -portable restrooms, phones, picnic area.
  • North Attleborough Parking Area — MP 10 - Southbound only between exits 6 and 5 - Parking area, phones.
  • Westwood Rest area — MP 29 - Southbound only between exits 14 and 13 - Rest rooms, Phones, Picnic Area.
  • Dedham Truck turnout — Southbound only between exits 17 and 16 - Parking only, no facilities.
  • Newton Service Plaza — Southbound only near exit 21; 24-hour food and fuel with McDonald's, & Honey Dew Donuts.
  • Lexington Service Plaza — Northbound only near exit 30 - 24-hour food and fuel with McDonald's, Honey Dew Donuts, & Original Pizza of Boston.
  • Massachusetts Visitor Center — MP 90 - Southbound only at the New Hampshire state line (exit 60)- Tourist info, restrooms, phones.

Weigh stations

Weigh Stations are located on the northbound and southbound sides of the highway at the following locations:[citation needed]

  • In Attleboro between exits 2 and 3.
  • In Rowley between exits 53 and 54.

Speed limits

Between the Rhode Island state line and I-93 in Canton, and again between the northern end of the beltway and the New Hampshire state line, the speed limit is 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). The sharp transition curve from I-95 north onto the Route 128 beltway in Canton is posted for 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). Along the beltway the speed limit is 55 miles per hour (89 km/h), and the speed limit on the transition ramps at exit 45 at the I-95/Route 128 split in Peabody is 45 miles per hour (72 km/h).

History

The original plans called for I-95 to run through downtown Boston. The highway would have progressed from Route 128 and Readville, followed the Southwest Corridor, joined the Inner Belt in Roxbury, heading east, and joining the Southeast Expressway at South Bay, then north to the Central Artery at the South Station interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90, and connecting with the Northeast Expressway at the Charlestown banks of the Charles River.

However, due to pressure from local residents, all proposed Interstate Highways within Route 128 were canceled in 1972 by Governor Francis Sargent with the exception of I-93 to Boston. The only sections of I-95 completed within the Route 128 beltway by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) were the segment known as the Northeast Expressway north from Charlestown to Saugus, which is now part of US 1, and the Central Artery, which cut the North End neighborhood from downtown Boston proper until the Big Dig essentially submerged the old Central Artery's traffic load below ground level in 2003. The Southwest Expressway and the Inner Belt highways were among the Sargent-canceled highways.

Original 1955 Yellow Book plan showing the southwestern routing of I-95 to the Inner Belt. The modern I-95 follows the outer belt shown on this map (now considered the "inner" Route 128 compared to the "outer" I-495 which is not shown, and which started construction two years after the study).

Between 1972 and 1974, plans were to extend I-95 along a northerly extension of the Northeast Expressway to Route 128 in northwestern Danvers. During this time, I-95 was officially routed along Route 128 from Canton to Braintree and north along the Southeast Expressway (also designated Route 3), from Braintree to Boston, then following the Central Artery, and continuing along the Northeast Expressway in Boston, Chelsea and Revere.

When the Northeast Expressway extension (between Saugus and Danvers) was canceled in 1974, I-95's route shifted to its current routing along the perimeter highway (Route 128) and I-93 was extended to meet I-95 in Canton. For several decades, plans for the abandoned roadways could still be seen going from the end of the Northeast Expressway to the Saugus River in Saugus in the form of a graded but unpaved roadbed. Much of this was removed during the early 2000s. At the US 1/Route 60 interchange, one can still see unused bridges and ghost ramps that were originally intended to carry I-95.[2]

MassDOT's Add-A-Lane project added a fourth lane in each direction along Route 128/I-95 from the I-93 interchange in Canton to the Route 9 interchange in Wellesley, where the rush-hour traffic has been for some time permitted to use the breakdown lanes on the highway shoulder. The section south of Route 9 was completed by late 2015, and the last section, from Needham to Wellesley, where construction started in 2015, was completed in 2019.[3] Outside of Route 128, the state began a $285 million project in 2012 to replace the John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge over the Merrimack River which included widening the highway to eight lanes (four in each direction) from the bridge to I-495. This project was substantially completed, and the full eight lanes opened in mid-2018. [4]

Add-A-Lane project

The $315 million MassDOT Highway Division project widened the 14.3-mile (23.0 km), six-lane section of highway to eight lanes from north of Route 9 in Wellesley to Route 24 in Randolph. The project consisted of adding a lane on the inside of each carriageway, complete with a 10-foot (3.0 m) inside shoulder. The existing 1950s bridges, 22 in total, were replaced. The project included construction of a new two-lane ramp from Route 128 to I-95 in Canton and installation of a new interchange at Kendrick Street in Needham, designated as exit 19A with the ramps to Highland Avenue as exits 19B and 19C.

During the initial construction of I-95, a provision had already been made for a fourth lane within the widely spaced median along the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) length of I-95 running from just north of the US 1 interchange in Dedham, Massachusetts, northwestwards to the Route 109 interchange, and this will finally be used for the Add-A-Lane project.

Construction on phase 1 was officially completed in October 2009. Construction of phase 2 of the project began in mid-2006. This phase of the project consisted of the replacement of the US 1 and Route 1A bridges over I-95 in Dedham along with the road widening between exits 13 and 15. Construction of four sound barriers between the US 1 and I-93 interchanges were also included. This phase was completed in the Spring of 2011.

Exit list

All interchanges were to be renumbered to mileage-based numbers under a project scheduled to start in 2016, however this project was indefinitely postponed until November 18, 2019 MassDOT confirmed that beginning in late summer 2020 the exit renumbering project will begin.[5][6]

County Location[7] mi[7] km Old exit
 		 New exit
[8][9][10]		 Destinations[8][9][10] Notes
Bristol Attleboro 0.000 0.000 — — I‑95 south – Providence Continuation into Rhode Island
0.499 0.803 — 1 US 1 south (Broadway) – Pawtucket Southbound exit and northbound entrance
1.199 1.930 — 2A Route 1A south (Newport Avenue) – Pawtucket
1.213 1.952 — 2B Route 1A north to US 1 – South Attleboro
4.197 6.754 3 4 Route 123 – South Attleboro, Attleboro, Norton Signed as exits 3A (4A, east) and 3B (4B, west) southbound
5.860 9.431 4 6 I‑295 south – Woonsocket, Warwick Northern terminus of I-295, exit 2 (4)
North Attleborough 6.918 11.133 5 7 To Route 152 – North Attleboro, Attleboro Partially in Attleboro
Mansfield 11.562 18.607 6A 12A I‑495 south – Cape Cod Partially in Foxborough
11.604 18.675 6B 12B I‑495 north – Worcester Access to Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place; partially in Foxborough
Norfolk Foxborough 12.944 20.831 7 13 Route 140 – Mansfield, Foxboro Signed as exits 7A (13A, south) and 7B (13B, north)
Sharon 16.626 26.757 8 17 South Main Street – Sharon Northbound signage
Mechanic Street – Foxboro Southbound signage
19.215 30.924 9 19 US 1 to Route 27 – Walpole Northbound signage
US 1 – Foxboro, Wrentham Southbound signage; access to Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place
Walpole 21.096 33.951 10 21 Coney Street – Walpole, Sharon Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Norwood 23.269 37.448 11A–B 23A–B Neponset Street – Canton, Norwood Signed as exits 11A (23A, east) and 11B (23B, west)
Canton 24.8 39.9 11C 25 Dedham Street – Canton, Westwood Exit currently under construction
26.740 43.034 63, 12 26 I‑93 north / US 1 north – Boston
Route 128		 Southern end of US 1 wrong-way concurrency; left exit southbound; southern terminus of I-93; exit 1 on I-93; southern terminus of Route 128
Dedham 27.352 44.019 62, 13 27 University Avenue – MBTA / Amtrak station
Westwood 28.627 46.071 61, 14 28 East Street / Canton Street
Dedham 29.300 47.154 60, 15 29A To Route 1A – Dedham
29.316 47.180 15B 29B US 1 south – Norwood Northern end of US 1 wrong-way concurrency
30.823 49.605 59, 16 31 Route 109 – Dedham, Westwood Signed as exits 16A (31A, east) and 16B (31B, west)
32.388 52.123 58, 17 32 Route 135 – Needham, Natick Norfolk County Correctional Center is in the median of Route 128, access from Route 135; eastern terminus of Route 135
Needham 32.873 52.904 57, 18 33 Great Plain Avenue – West Roxbury
35.730 57.502 19A 35A Kendrick Street – Needham Opened on December 1, 2017, as part of the Add-A-Lane project
37.730 60.721 56, 19B–C 35B–C Highland Avenue – Newton Highlands, Needham Signed as exits 19B (35B, Newton Highlands) and 19C (35C, Needham); formerly signed as exits 19A and 19B)
Wellesley 36.798 59.221 55, 20 36 Route 9 – Brookline, Boston, Framingham, Worcester Signed as exits 20A (36A, east) and 20B (36B, west)
Middlesex Newton 38.175 61.437 54, 21 37A–B Route 16 – Newton, Wellesley Signed as exits 21A (37A, east) and 21B (37B, west, with exit 22 [38]) southbound
38.519 61.990 53, 22 38 Grove Street – MBTA Station
Weston 38.977 62.727 52, 23 — Recreation Road Northbound exit and entrance only
39.240 63.151 51, 24 39A Route 30 – Newton, Weston Interchange located after exit 25 (39B) northbound
39.406 63.418 50, 25 39B I‑90 / Mass Pike – Boston, Albany, New York Exits 14-15 on I-90
Waltham 41.406 66.636 49, 26 41 US 20 – Waltham, Weston
43.270 69.636 48, 27 43A Third Avenue – Waltham Northbound signage
43.283 69.657 Totten Pond Road / Third Avenue / Wyman Street[11] Southbound signage
43.273 69.641 27B 43B Totten Pond Road / Winter Street / Wyman Street[12] Northbound signage
43.288 69.665 Winter Street Southbound signage
44.543 71.685 47, 28 44 Trapelo Road – Belmont, Lincoln Signed as exits 28A (44A, Belmont) and 28B (44B, Lincoln) northbound
Lexington 45.412 73.084 46, 29 45A Route 2 east – Cambridge, Boston Exit 52 on Route 2
45.445 73.137 29B 45B Route 2 west – Acton, Fitchburg
46.492 74.822 45, 30 46 Route 2A – East Lexington, Hanscom Field, Concord Signed as exits 30A (46A, east) and 30B (46B, west)
48.716 78.401 44, 31 49 Route 4 / Route 225 – Lexington, Bedford Signed as exits 31A (49A, south/east) and 31B (49B, north/west)
Burlington 50.079 80.594 43, 32A 50A US 3 north – Lowell, Nashua NH Southern end of US 3 wrong-way concurrency; exit 25A on US 3
50.341 81.016 42, 32B 50B Middlesex Turnpike – Burlington
51.767 83.311 41, 33 51A US 3 south – Winchester Northern end of US 3 wrong-way concurrency
51.778 83.329 51B Route 3A north – Burlington Southern terminus of Route 3A
52.639 84.714 40, 34 52 Winn Street – Woburn, Burlington
Woburn 53.735 86.478 39, 35 53 Route 38 – Woburn, Wilmington
55.128 88.720 38, 36 54 Washington Street – Woburn, Reading
Reading 55.704 89.647 37 55A I‑93 south – Boston
55.729 89.687 55B I‑93 north – Concord, NH
56.561 91.026 36, 38 56 Route 28 – Stoneham, Reading Signed as exits 38A (56A, south) and 38B (56B, north)
Wakefield 57.779 92.986 35, 39 57 North Avenue – Reading, Wakefield
58.532 94.198 34, 40 58 Route 129 – Wakefield Center, Wilmington
Essex Lynnfield 59.296 95.428 33, 41 59 Main Street – Lynnfield Center, Wakefield
Middlesex Wakefield 60.859 97.943 33, 42 60 Salem Street – Wakefield
Essex Lynnfield 61.510 98.991 31, 43 61 Walnut Street – Saugus, Lynnfield
62.899 101.226 30, 44 63 US 1 / Route 129 – Boston, Danvers Signed as exits 44A (63A, south/west) and 44B (63B, north/east) northbound; no Route 129 signage southbound
Peabody 64.625 104.004 45 64 Route 128 north – Gloucester Left exit northbound; northern end of concurrency with Route 128; exit 29 on Route 128
66.098 106.374 46 66 US 1 south – Boston Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Danvers 67.329 108.356 47 67 Route 114 – Peabody, Middleton No southbound exit; signed as exits 47A (67A, east) and 47B (67B, west)
68.226 109.799 48 68 Centre Street – Danvers Southbound exit and entrance only
68.979 111.011 49 69 Route 62 – Danvers, Middleton Northbound exit and southbound entrance
69.867 112.440 50 70 US 1 – Topsfield Northbound signage
69.851 112.414 US 1 to Route 62 / Route 114 – Topsfield, Danvers Southbound signage
Boxford 72.277 116.319 51 72 Endicott Road – Topsfield, Middleton
73.979 119.058 52 74 Topsfield Road – Topsfield, Boxford
76.201 122.634 53 76 Route 97 – Topsfield, Georgetown Signed as exits 53A (76A, south) and 53B (76B, north)
Georgetown 78.051 125.611 54 78 Route 133 – Georgetown, Rowley Signed as exits 54A (78A, east) and 54B (78B, west) northbound
Newbury 81.542 131.229 55 81 Central Street – Byfield, Newbury
West Newbury 83.362 134.158 56 83 Scotland Road – Newbury, West Newbury
Newburyport 86.044 138.474 57 86 Route 113 – West Newbury, Newburyport
Merrimack River 87.189–
87.377		 140.317–
140.620		 John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge
Amesbury 88.124 141.822 58 88 Route 110 to I‑495 – Salisbury, Amesbury[13] Signed as exits 58A (88A, east) and 58B (88B, west) northbound; no I-495 signage southbound
Salisbury 89.367 143.822 59 89 I‑495 south – Worcester Southbound exit and northbound entrance; northern terminus of I-495
Massachusetts–New Hampshire line 90.239–
90.82		 145.226–
146.16		 60 90 Route 286 – Beaches, Salisbury Southbound exit originates in New Hampshire
— — I‑95 north – Portsmouth Continuation into New Hampshire
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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External links

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Interstate 95
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New Hampshire
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