Massachusetts Route 9

Route 9, also known as Boylston Street is a 135.310-mile-long (217.760 km) major eastwest state highway in Massachusetts. Along with U.S. Route 20 (US 20), Route 2, and Interstate 90, Route 9 is one of the major east–west routes of Massachusetts, and like the others its eastern terminus is in Boston. Starting at Copley Square and passing along Huntington Avenue, Route 9 is a limited access route through the MetroWest suburbs to Worcester, and is also a major alternative to the Pike's toll road west of the city. After passing along major city streets in Worcester, the road becomes a country route, passing through the central Worcester Hills, the Pioneer Valley, and the city of Northampton, and into The Berkshires. The road ends near the center of the city of Pittsfield.

Route 9
Kneeland Street
Worcester-Boston Turnpike
Ted Williams Highway
United Spanish War Veterans Highway
Route 9 highlighted in red
Route information
Length135.310 mi[1] (217.760 km)
Existedby 1933–present
Major junctions
West end US 20 in Pittsfield
 
East end Route 28 in Boston
Location
CountiesBerkshire, Hampshire, Worcester, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk
Highway system
Route 8A Route C9

Route description

Route 9 passes through six counties and twenty-eight cities and towns. It begins in the western Massachusetts city of Pittsfield, at U.S. Route 20. After separating from US-20, it has a brief .2 mile concurrency with U.S. Route 7 through the center of that city, then continues east, passing through the towns of Dalton and Windsor, wherein the route reaches its highest point at 2033 ft, in Berkshire County. It continues its winding pass through the small towns of The Berkshires in Berkshire and western Hampshire Counties before passing through the center of Northampton, passing Smith College before its first interstate junction, at Interstate 91. It then crosses the Connecticut River at the Calvin Coolidge Bridge, just downstream from Elwell Island. It goes past the retail area of Hadley before passing the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Amherst College. From Amherst, it winds its way into western Worcester County, south of the Quabbin Reservoir, through small towns until it makes its way into the city of Worcester.

Once in Worcester, Route 9 becomes a major thoroughfare through the city, as Park Avenue, Highland Street (which passes Major Taylor Boulevard), before passing over Interstate 290 and Belmont Street, where University of Massachusetts Medical School and the former Worcester State Hospital are located. At its intersection with McRae Ct., it becomes a divided highway with raised median. From Worcester, it crosses Lake Quinsigamond into Shrewsbury. At this point, Route 9 becomes the main retail artery of the MetroWest region. Several plazas and chain stores are located along the route as it makes its way towards Northborough, where it crosses U.S. Route 20; Westborough, where it crosses Interstate 495; and eventually in the Golden Triangle retail area of Framingham and Natick, after crossing the Massachusetts Turnpike. It passes Shopper's World and the Natick Mall, New England's largest mall.

Beginning in the Golden Triangle, Route 9 becomes one of the major routes into Boston, serving as a valuable bypass to the Mass Pike and its tolls. It crosses Interstate 95 (also known as Massachusetts Route 128) in Wellesley before crossing the Charles River into Newton and Brookline as Boylston Street. It enters the city of Boston by crossing over Brookline's former namesake, the Muddy River, part of the Emerald Necklace. at this point it becomes Huntington Avenue, also known as "Avenue of the Arts." It loses its raised median briefly between its intersection with S. Huntington Ave. and Brigham Circle. It passes the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, which includes Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and other hospitals; the Museum of Fine Arts; and several colleges and universities, including Northeastern University. This stretch is also a major site of baseball history; the first game of the 1903 World Series, baseball's first true World Series, was played at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, the original home of the Boston Red Sox. (The site is now part of Northeastern's campus.) The E branch of the MBTA Green Line roughly follows Huntington Avenue underground from Copley Square until it rises above ground at the Northeastern portal. It then operates in a dedicated median of Huntington Avenue between Northeastern University and the Brigham Circle stop, where trains begin street running in mixed traffic to a terminus at Heath Street. Route 9 continues past Symphony Hall and The First Church of Christ, Scientist, which is the mother church of Christian Science. It then passes Copley Place and the Prudential Center complex, before splitting, the eastbound half onto Stuart Street, the westbound onto Saint James Street, past Copley Square; both the eastbound and westbound segments of Route 9 end at Route 28.

History

Route 9 was established in 1933. It took over the alignment of what was Route 115 from Kenmore Square in Boston to Route 22 in North Grafton, part of the original route of US 20 between North Grafton and West Brookfield and the original Route 109 between West Brookfield and US 7 in Pittsfield. Route 9's original route in Boston was along Brookline Avenue from Kenmore Square turning west onto its current path along Boylston Street.[2] Between Worcester and Boston, Route 9 follows the path of the 19th-century Worcester Turnpike, opened in 1810. This route originally included a floating bridge over Lake Quinsigamond in Shrewsbury. From Dalton to Goshen in the Berkshires, the road follows the old Berkshire Trail. The massive expansion of the University of Massachusetts Amherst transformed that part of Route 9 in the late 20th century; this otherwise rural part of the route now has several shops, restaurants, and the mid-sized Hampshire Mall. In the 20th century, Route 9 became the focus for urban sprawl in towns like Newton and Wellesley. Further west, in Framingham, Route 9 was home to one of the first modern shopping malls, the aptly named Shoppers' World.

In Natick, Route 9 is officially the "Ted Williams Highway", named after the Red Sox sports legend Ted Williams, who sported that number.[3] In Newton, it is officially the "United Spanish War Veterans Highway".

From 1903 to 1932, the Boston and Worcester Street Railway ran mostly via Route 9. Today the E branch of the MBTA's Green Line follows Route 9 along Huntington Avenue.

Major intersections

CountyLocation[1]mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
BerkshirePittsfield0.0000.000 US 20 Lenox, Richmond, Albany, NYWestern terminus
0.3880.624 US 7 south to US 20 east Lenox, LeeWestern terminus of concurrency with US 7
0.5550.893 US 7 north Lanesborough, WilliamstownEastern terminus of concurrency with US 7
3.5925.781 Route 8 north Cheshire, AdamsWestern terminus of concurrency with Route 8
Dalton5.9599.590 Route 8 south / Route 8A Hinsdale, BecketEastern terminus of Route 8 concurrency; southern terminus of Route 8A; western terminus of Route 8A concurrency
Windsor12.21619.660 Route 8A north SavoyEastern terminus of Route 8A concurrency
HampshireCummington21.87435.203 Route 112 south WorthingtonWestern terminus of Route 112 concurrency
Goshen28.85046.430 Route 112 north Ashfield, BucklandEastern terminus of Route 112 concurrency
Williamsburg34.13854.940 Route 143 west Chesterfield, WorthingtonEastern terminus of Route 143
Northampton42.34568.148 Route 66 west WesthamptonEastern terminus of Route 66
42.38068.204 Route 10 south Easthampton, WestfieldWestern terminus of Route 10 concurrency
42.65968.653 US 5 / Route 10 north Holyoke, Springfield, GreenfieldEastern terminus of Route 10 concurrency
43.72770.372 I91 south Holyoke, SpringfieldExit 19 on I-91 north
Connecticut River44.04070.876Calvin Coolidge Bridge
Hadley45.59773.381 Route 47 South Hadley, Sunderland, Montague
48.35577.820 Route 116 north University of Massachusetts, Sunderland, South DeerfieldWestern terminus of Route 116 concurrency
Amherst49.77480.103 Route 116 south South Hadley, HolyokeEastern terminus of Route 116 concurrency
Belchertown58.70394.473 US 202 Pelham, Athol, Belchertown Ctr
59.63195.967 Route 21 south Ludlow, Springfield, Belchertown, HolyokeNorthern terminus of Route 21; road formerly went north before construction of the Quabbin Reservoir
Ware68.966110.990 Route 32 south Palmer, MonsonWestern terminus of Route 32 concurrency
70.565113.563 Route 32 north Gilbertville, BarreEastern terminus of Route 32 concurrency
WorcesterWest Brookfield74.790120.363 Route 19 south / Route 67 south Warren, PalmerNorthern terminus of Route 19; western terminus of Route 67 concurrency
75.888122.130 Route 67 north North BrookfieldEastern terminus of Route 67 concurrency
Brookfield78.564–
78.596
126.437–
126.488
Route 148 Fiskdale, Sturbridge, North Brookfield, Barre30 yards (27 m) concurrency on Route 9
Spencer83.443134.288 Route 49 south to US 20 SturbridgeNorthern terminus of Route 49
85.004136.801 Route 31 north Paxton, FitchburgWestern terminus of Route 31 concurrency
85.145137.028 Route 31 south Charlton, DudleyEastern terminus of Route 31 concurrency
Leicester90.004144.847 Route 56 Oxford, Paxton, Rutland
Worcester94.286151.739 Route 12 south Auburn, WebsterWestern terminus of Route 12 concurrency
95.465153.636 Route 122 / Route 122A south Millbury, Grafton, Paxton, BarreWestern terminus of Route 122A concurrency
96.114154.680 Route 12 north / Route 122A north West Boylston, HoldenEastern terminus of Routes 12 / 122A concurrency
96.983156.079 Route 70 north to I290 east Boylston, Clinton, Shrewsbury, MarlboroSouthern terminus of Route 70
97.229156.475 I290 west AuburnExit 17 on I-290
Lake Quinsigamond99.298159.805Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge
Western terminus of the Boston–Worcester Turnpike
Shrewsbury101.571163.463 Route 140 Shrewsbury, GraftonInterchange via Grafton Street
Northborough103.702166.892 US 20 Auburn, NorthboroCloverleaf interchange
Westborough105.585169.923 Route 135 Westboro, Hopkinton, NorthboroInterchange
107.537173.064 Route 30 Westboro, Southboro, North GraftonInterchange
108.116173.996Computer Drive / Research DriveInterchange
109.070175.531 I495 to I90 / Mass Pike Cape Cod, LowellExits 23A-B on I-495
Southborough111.121178.832 Route 85 Hopkinton, Milford, Southboro, MarlboroCloverleaf interchange
MiddlesexFramingham112.949181.774 To Route 30 Worcester, SouthboroInterchange via Pleasant Street Connector
113.759183.077 I90 / Mass Pike Springfield, BostonExit 111 on I-90 / Mass Pike
113.60182.82Eastern terminus of the Boston–Worcester Turnpike; western terminus of Worcester Street
116.096186.838 Route 30 west (Edgell Road) / Main Street Framingham, SouthboroughInterchange; western terminus of Route 30 concurrency
117.122188.490 Route 30 eastInterchange; eastern terminus of Route 30 concurrency (westbound)
117.441189.003 Route 30 east / Route 126 Framingham, Milford, Wayland, WestonInterchange; eastern terminus of Route 30 concurrency (eastbound)
118.097190.059Ring RoadShoppers World entrance; eastbound left exit and westbound entrance
Natick118.307190.397Shoppers World DriveShoppers World entrance; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
118.944191.422 Speen Street to I90 / Mass Pike / Route 30 NatickInterchange
119.957193.052 Route 27 Natick Center, Sherborn, Cochituate, Wayland, ConcordCloverleaf interchange
NorfolkWellesley122.360196.919Weston Road Needham, WestonInterchange
124.551200.445 Route 16 Wellesley Hills, NatickPartial interchange
125.896202.610Cedar Street Newton Lower Falls, W. Newton, Needham, DoverInterchange
126.545203.654 I95 / Route 128 Canton, Providence RI, Peabody, Portsmouth NHExits 20A-B on I-95 / Route 128
Charles River126.867204.173Bridge; eastern terminus of Worcester Street; western terminus of Boylston Street
MiddlesexNewton126.984204.361Chestnut Street Upper Falls, WabanInterchange
127.956205.925Centre Street Needham, Dedham, Newton CentreInterchange
128.609206.976Parker Street Newton Centre, West RoxburyInterchange
129.748208.809Hammond Pond Parkway West Roxbury, Hyde ParkInterchange
SuffolkBoston132.936213.940Jamaicaway south / Riverway north Dedham, Providence RI
134.599216.616 Route 2A (Massachusetts Avenue) Cambridge, Roxbury
135.028217.307Exeter StreetSplit of eastbound and westbound lanes into Stuart Avenue and Avenue of the Arts
135.055217.350 I90 / Mass Pike west New YorkEastbound exit and westbound entrance; Exit 22 on I-90 / Mass Pike
135.310217.760 Route 28 south (Clarendon Street)Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. MassDOT Planning Division. "Massachusetts Route Log Application". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  2. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Public Works, 1932 Road Map and Detour Bulletin.
  3. "Route 9 through the years". Retrieved 2012-08-12.

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