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Massachusetts Turnpike

March 04, 2023

"Interstate 90 in Massachusetts" redirects here. For the entire length of the highway, see Interstate 90.

The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike"[3]) is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state line in West Stockbridge, linking with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway. Spanning 138 miles (222 km) along an east–west axis, the turnpike constitutes the Massachusetts section of Interstate 90 (I-90). The turnpike is the longest Interstate Highway in Massachusetts, while I-90, in full (which begins in Seattle, Washington), is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States.

Massachusetts Turnpike

Interstate 90
Massachusetts Turnpike highlighted in green
Route information
Maintained by MassDOT
Length138.1 mi[1] (222.3 km)
Existed1957 (Western), 1965 (Boston Extension), 2003 (Ted Williams Tunnel)–present
RestrictionsNo hazardous goods and cargo tankers east of exit 131[2]
Major junctions
West end
Major intersections
East end Route 1A/Logan International Airport in Boston
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountiesBerkshire, Hampden, Worcester, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk
Highway system
← Route 88I-90→ I-91

The turnpike opened in 1957, and it was designated as part of the Interstate Highway System in 1959. The original western terminus of the turnpike was located at Route 102 in West Stockbridge before I-90 had been completed in New York state. The turnpike intersects with several Interstate Highways as it traverses the state, including I-91 in West Springfield; I-291 in Chicopee; I-84 in Sturbridge; the junction of I-290 and I-395 in Auburn; and I-495 in Hopkinton. The eastern terminus of the turnpike was originally at I-95 in Weston, it has been extended several times: to Allston in 1964, to the Central Artery (designated as I-93, US Route 1 (US 1), and Route 3) in Downtown Boston in 1965, and to East Boston as a route to Logan International Airport in 2003 as part of the "Big Dig" megaproject. There are two auxiliary Interstate Highways in Massachusetts for I-90, those being I-190 and I-290.

The turnpike was maintained by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA) until the department was replaced by the Highway Division of MassDOT in 2009. The implementation and removal of tolls in some stretches of the turnpike have been controversial; travel between most, but not all, exits requires payment. The Fast Lane electronic toll collection system was introduced alongside cash payment in 1998; it was later folded into the E-ZPass branding in 2012. The original toll booths were demolished and replaced by toll gantries with the transition to open road tolling in 2016, which replaced cash payment with "pay-by-plate" billing.

Route description

The Massachusetts Turnpike is informally divided into two sections by MassDOT: the original 123-mile (198 km) "Western Turnpike" extending from the New York state border through the interchange with I-95 and Route 128 at exit 123 in Weston, and the 15-mile (24 km) "Boston Extension" that continues beyond exit 123 through Boston.[4] It is a four-lane highway from the New York state border through its interchange with I-84 at exit 78 in Sturbridge; it expands to six lanes beyond this interchange and briefly travels with eight lanes from exit 127 in Newton through exit 133 by the Prudential Center in Boston.[4] The 0.75-mile (1.21 km) underwater section of the Ted Williams Tunnel, which carries the turnpike under Boston Harbor to its eastern terminus at Route 1A by Logan International Airport, is reduced to four lanes.[5] The turnpike is the longest Interstate Highway in Massachusetts,[6] while I-90 in full (which begins nationally in Seattle, Washington) is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States.[7]

Western Turnpike

 
Approaching the former West Stockbridge toll plaza traveling eastbound, January 2008
 
The "Weston tolls" that separated the Western Turnpike from the Boston Extension, October 2006

In the west, the turnpike begins in Berkshire County at the Massachusetts state line in West Stockbridge, where I-90 (routed through the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway) enters from Canaan, New York.[8] Most toll plazas were located on the entrance/exit ramps before entering the turnpike itself. An exception was the mainline West Stockbridge toll plaza, designed for toll collection from inbound traffic from New York; it existed shortly after exit 3, an eastbound-only entrance and westbound-only exit in Massachusetts.[9] The turnpike crosses the Williams River later in West Stockbridge and passes over the Housatonic River in Lee.[10] The 30-mile (48 km) gap between exit 10 to US 20 in Lee and exit 41 to US 202 and Route 10 in Westfield (the first in Hampden County) is the longest gap between exits on the turnpike,[11] and the fifth-longest gap between exits in the entire Interstate Highway System.[12] The highest elevation on the turnpike exists in the Berkshires, reaching 1,724 feet (525 m) above sea level in Becket; this point is also the highest elevation on I-90 east of South Dakota.[13] Beyond the peak elevation and between the exits, an eastbound runaway truck ramp exists in Russell.[14]

After almost 50 miles (80 km) of relative ruralness, I-90 has an interchange that leads to the separate routes of I-91 and US 5 at exit 45 in West Springfield;[9] it passes over the Connecticut River before reaching Route 33 at exit 49 and I-291 at exit 51, both in Chicopee. The turnpike passes through Ludlow at exit 54 before crossing the Quaboag River to exit 63 in Palmer.[9][10] The turnpike first enters Worcester County in Sturbridge, where exit 78 serves as the eastern terminus of I-84.[15] In Auburn, exit 90 has a two-Interstate interchange with I-395 traveling southbound and I-290 traveling eastbound.[15] The Blackstone River flows underneath the turnpike in Millbury,[10] where it has an interchange with Route 146 and a second direct connection to US 20 at exit 94.[9] Entering Middlesex County in Hopkinton, it has an interchange with I-495 at exit 106.[9] The turnpike crosses the Sudbury River between exit 111 at Route 9 and exit 117 at Route 30, all located within Framingham.[10][9] The last connection with another Interstate Highway on the Western Turnpike is located in Weston, at the I-95 and Route 128 concurrency.[9] This multipiece interchange is collectively referred to as the "Weston tolls".[16] Before being renumbered exit 123 in both directions, exit 14 was an eastbound exit and westbound entrance, and exit 15 was a westbound exit and eastbound entrance; prior to demolition, a mainline toll plaza existed for through traffic.[9] Following the removal of the toll plazas, exit 15 was reconfigured into exit 15A (now exit 123A) for I-95 and Route 128, and exit 15B (now exit 123B) toward Route 30.[17] At this junction, the turnpike crosses over the Charles River.[10]

Boston Extension

 
The eastern terminus of the turnpike in the state, and I-90 nationally, at Route 1A in Boston

The first exit of the Boston Extension, exit 125, is an eastbound entrance and westbound exit at Route 16 in Newton.[18] The turnpike enters Suffolk County in Boston before reaching the "Allston–Brighton tolls", depositing traffic toward the Boston neighborhoods of Allston and Brighton and the nearby city of Cambridge.[4] Before being renumbered exit 131 in both directions, exit 18 was a left-hand eastbound exit and westbound entrance, and exit 20 was a westbound exit and eastbound entrance; a mainline toll plaza was previously placed in between them for through traffic and was classified as "exit 19".[18] Compensating for the sparsity of eastbound entrances and westbound exits in Back Bay and Downtown Boston, a westbound U-turn ramp heading eastbound was opened in Allston in 2007;[19] while unsigned with an exit number, it was recognized as exit 20A for administrative purposes.[4] Past the tolls, the turnpike reduces to six lanes, heads through the campus of Boston University and passes Fenway Park before crossing over the Muddy River as it approaches the city’s central neighborhoods.[10]

Exit 133 and the now-closed Clarendon Street onramp are located within the Prudential Tunnel, which takes the turnpike underneath the Prudential Center;[20] the former is an eastbound exit towards the Prudential Center and Copley Square, while the latter is a westbound-only entrance from Clarendon Street.[18] Beyond the Prudential Tunnel, exit 134 is labeled as a singular exit traveling westbound, but splits into three ramps for eastbound travel; exit 134A is a left-hand exit toward South Station, while exits 134B and 134C are directed toward I-93 northbound and southbound, respectively.[18] The turnpike travels under the Fort Point Channel before reaching South Boston at exit 135,[18] after which it enters the Ted Williams Tunnel to pass beneath Boston Harbor.[21] Exit 137 to Logan International Airport is the sole exit within the Ted Williams Tunnel, before the turnpike exits the tunnel and meets its eastern terminus at Route 1A northbound toward Revere.[18]

Service plazas

  •  

    Ludlow Service Plaza westbound

  •  

    Lee Service Plaza eastbound

Location Direction mi (km) Services[22]
Lee Eastbound 8.5 miles (13.7 km)
Westbound
  • EV charging stations
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • McDonald's
Blandford Eastbound 29 miles (47 km)
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • McDonald's
Westbound
  • Gifford's Famous Ice Cream
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • Honey Dew Donuts
  • McDonald's
  • Original Pizza of Boston
Ludlow Eastbound 55.6 miles (89.5 km)
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • McDonald's
  • Original Pizza of Boston
Westbound
Charlton Eastbound 80.3 miles (129.2 km)
  • D'Angelo
  • Fresh City
  • Gifford's Famous Ice Cream
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • Izone
  • McDonald's
  • Papa Gino's
Westbound 83.8 miles (134.9 km)
  • Auntie Anne's
  • D'Angelo
  • Fresh City
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • Izone
  • McDonald's
  • Papa Gino's
Westborough Westbound 104.6 miles (168.3 km)
  • Auntie Anne's
  • Boston Market
  • Cheesy Street Grill
  • D'Angelo
  • Dunkin' Donuts
  • Fresh City
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • Papa Gino's
Framingham Westbound 114.4 miles (184.1 km)
  • Boston Market
  • Edy's Ice Cream
  • Fresh City
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • Honey Dew Donuts
  • Izone
  • McDonald's
  • Original Pizza of Boston
  • Starbucks
Natick Eastbound 117.6 miles (189.3 km)
  • Cheesy Street Grill
  • D'Angelo
  • Dunkin' Donuts
  • EV charging stations
  • E-ZPass MA walk-in service center
  • Gulf
  • Gulf Express
  • Izone
  • McDonald's
  • Papa Gino's
  • Registry of Motor Vehicles Express

Tolls

As of 2009, toll revenue generated from the Massachusetts Turnpike is to be spent in the section in which it was collected, either the Western Turnpike or the Boston Extension (alternatively named the "Metropolitan Highway System" for administrative purposes).[23] Tolls from exit 3 (former exit 1) in West Stockbridge through exit 51 (former exit 6) in Chicopee were removed by then-Governor Bill Weld in 1996, following complaints that the tolls collected in Western Massachusetts were financing the Big Dig in Boston;[24] they were ultimately reinstated in October 2013.[25]

At the recommendation of former secretary of administration and finance Eric Kriss, who recommended that tolls be eliminated along the entire turnpike except for the tunnels leading to Logan International Airport,[26] the MTA voted to remove all tolls west of Route 128 in Weston in October 2006.[27] Members of the Massachusetts Legislature Transportation Committee cited the potential need to amend state law and the uncertainty of how the turnpike would be maintained as setbacks to the toll removal, which ultimately never came to fruition.[28]

The issue of the removal of the tolls is highly charged politically. Several members of the state Democratic Party declared this as a political maneuver to bolster the gubernatorial campaign of Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, a Republican, who was behind in the polls at the time of the announcement. Also, because the MTA Board is composed of Romney appointees, Kriss's former association with the Romney administration and the ongoing election at the time, the issue was clouded by accusations of partiality and political agendas from both sides of the aisle.

In the November 9, 2006, edition of The Boston Globe, Romney announced his intention to try to remove the tolls before Governor-elect Deval Patrick, a Democrat, was inaugurated in January 2007, but this did not occur. As of November 2008, Patrick's plan was to remove all tolls west of I-95, except at the West Stockbridge and Sturbridge tolls,[29] but this also did not occur before the end of his term in January 2015. State law requires tolls to be removed west of Route 128 when its debt is paid and the road is in "good condition", but MassDOT plans to continue tolls after the bonds are paid off in January 2017, because the road will still need $135 million per year for repairs and maintenance.[30][needs update]

At a January 22, 2009, board meeting, the turnpike decided to stop charging a one-time $25.95 fee for the acquisition of a Fast Lane toll transponder, replacing it with a 50-cent monthly recurring service fee.[31] The implementation of the 50-cent monthly fee was canceled after long delays at toll plazas on Easter Sunday.[32][33]

Toll plazas

 
Now-demolished toll plaza on an exit ramp, January 2016
 
Toll ticket used prior to conversion to open road tolling

The turnpike traditionally utilized the ticket system for toll collection; a driver would obtain a ticket from an onramp, which they would surrender to an offramp and pay a toll based on traveled distance.[34] While most toll plazas were located on the entrance/exit ramps by the turnpike, exceptions included the mainline toll plazas in West Stockbridge, Weston, and Allston–Brighton.[4] Electronic toll collection was introduced as an alternative to cash payment with Fast Lane transponders in 1998; when installed in the inner windshield of a vehicle, the equipment would be recognized automatically in special lanes at toll plazas and would withdraw the toll amount from the motorist's account.[35] It was first sponsored by BankBoston, and later FleetBoston Financial, before sponsorship was assumed by Citizens Bank in 2003.[36] Motorists were previously charged $27.50 (equivalent to $40.51 in 2021[37]) for the hardware itself,[36] although this fee has since been removed.[38] Citing federal highway regulations that prohibit sponsorship of toll plaza signage, the contract with Citizens Bank was not renewed upon expiration; the Fast Lane name was replaced with the E-ZPass branding, with which Fast Lane was interoperable, in 2012.[39]

Open road tolling

 
Fare collection gantry in Newton

In 2014, Raytheon won a $130-million (equivalent to $148 million in 2021[37]) contract to convert the Massachusetts Turnpike to all-electronic open road tolling.[40] The stated goal of the change was to "make vehicle travel safer and more efficient".[41] Additional changes included the elimination of toll booth operators, as well as the demolition of existing toll plazas and reconfiguration of surrounding roadways.[30][42][43] Overhead gantries between most exits read E-ZPass transponders. Drivers without a transponder use pay-by-plate, having their license plate photographed and an invoice sent to the registered owner. This method of payment adds a $0.60 surcharge per invoice, with payment made online, or in cash at a local retail location.[44][45] Installation of gantries began in January 2016, and open road tolling began on October 28, 2016.[42] The inner segments of the toll booths were demolished 30 days after this date, which allowed traffic speeds to be raised. Complete demolition of toll booths and reconstruction was completed by the end of 2017.[42][46]

As there are no gantries between exits 45 and 54 (former exits 4 and 7) or between exits 90 and 96 (former exits 10 and 11), the Massachusetts Turnpike is essentially free between those pairs of exits. Otherwise, the transition to open road tolling is revenue neutral, meaning the tolls between any other pair of exits only saw small adjustments. Tolls are slightly higher for out-of-state residents without an E-ZPassMA transponder, and no-transponder tolls are higher.[47]

When all-electronic tolling went live on the Mass Pike, the Tobin Bridge, Callahan Tunnel, Sumner Tunnel, and Ted Williams Tunnel joined the system and were converted to charging a single toll in both directions, rather than a double toll in one direction. The Tobin Bridge was converted to all-electronic tolling for southbound only in July 2014.[42]

In addition to license plate information, the gantries also collect vehicle speed data; a MassDOT spokesperson said that the agency "will not be using the AET [all-electronic tolling] system to issue speeding violations".[48] Toll data is not a public record and is not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests, and MassDOT states that "All data collected will remain secure and kept confidential."[42] It can however be obtained by subpena, and law enforcement will be able to specify license-plate numbers that will generate an immediate email if detected by the system.[49]

History

Background and construction

 
A map of the proposed highway put forth in the 1948 Massachusetts Highway Master Plan. These proposed roadways would become some of the state's most important transportation routes in the eastern portion of the state.

In the period following World War II, Boston had fallen into a deep period of stagnant growth. Its former maritime industries had closed as traffic in the harbor declined, the textile mills that had provided a large portion of the city's wealth had migrated out of the region seeking new locations that would allow them to maximize revenues, and property development had ground to a halt with virtually no new construction of any impact occurring since the beginning of the Great Depression.[50] Boston retail stalwarts such as Filene's and Jordan Marsh had decided to focus their energies and growth into the suburbs; Boston's citizens had begun to flee to the same suburban pastures as property taxes in the city skyrocketed. As U.S. News & World Report stated, Boston was "dying on the vine".[51]

After the end of the war, Massachusetts entered into a period of new highway projects planning that sought to help end the economic malaise the state was suffering from. It was in 1947 that Republican Governor Robert F. Bradford realized that the commonwealth needed to implement a standard framework to properly guide the planning and construction of these new roadways. He commissioned a study to produce a new Highway Master Plan for the eastern region, and, by 1948, it had been completed. Seeking the political benefits that a major public works project would bring, Bradford sent his plan to the Democratic-controlled Massachusetts General Court for approval; however, the Democrats sat on the project until their candidate, newly elected Democratic Governor Paul A. Dever, took office in January 1949.[52]

It was instead Dever who initiated the program to implement the Highway Master Plan for the city shortly after taking office in 1949. Enjoying a Democratic majority within the State House coupled with a Democratic governor for the first time in the commonwealth's history, he pushed through a series of highway bills with associated gas tax increases totaling over $400 million (equivalent to $3.32 billion in 2021[37]) between 1949 and 1952.[53] To oversee this undertaking, Dever brought in the former commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, William F. Callahan, to once again head the agency he had helmed from 1934 to 1939. Known for his strong personality and drive to get projects completed,[53] Callahan immediately set out to construct three of the proposed highways (not including what would become I-495, which had been included in the 1947 plan): the "original outer" circumferential highway which became Route 128, the Southeast Expressway, and the Central Artery through the heart of the Boston's downtown. These three projects, totaling more than $92 million (equivalent to $888 million in 2021[37]), were seen as being essential to the growth of the city in the future. However, the construction of these roads took such a large portion of funds that the commonwealth was unable to provide funds for the Western Expressway project. However, before Callahan could oversee the completion of the southern leg of Route 128, he was appointed by Dever to run the newly formed MTA.[54][55]

 
Billboard advertising the construction of the turnpike, c. 1959

Because of the financial strain created by the bond issues used to construct these other highways, the commonwealth was unable to afford the costs of floating more bonds to fund the expenditures required to construct the Western Expressway along the Western Approach corridor of Boston. Callahan suggested creating a strong, independent, and semipublic transportation authority that could fund the new expressway by floating its own bond issues and financing them through tolls along the highway while having its own powers of eminent domain to secure the land needed to build it. Utilizing the political goodwill he accrued during his tenure as public works commissioner, primarily through extensive patronage hires,[53] Callahan was able to push his idea for the new authority through the State House with ease.[56] The authority was formed in early 1952, and, by 1955, it had issued the required bonds needed to construct a 123-mile (198 km) highway from the New York–Massachusetts border to the recently completed Route 128 in Weston. Despite being completed in 1957, many within the commonwealth quickly realized that the local routes used to get into Boston were still insufficient for the automotive traffic burdens placed upon them.[57]

Expansion into Boston

While the highway construction boom proved to be fortunate for the suburban communities these new roadways passed through, the economy of Boston was still in a fragile state.[58] Realizing that Boston still needed to be connected to the turnpike to help reverse its flagging economy and reputation as a municipal has-been, Callahan was tasked in 1955 by the legislature to create an extension into the city designed to facilitate a turnaround of the city's fortunes. This new highway would connect the Massachusetts Turnpike to the heart of the city with a 12.3-mile (19.8 km) extension of the Interstate. It was his plan to bring the tolled turnpike from its terminus at Route 128 in West Newton into the city along the path of the Boston and Albany Railroad and connect it to the Southeast Expressway. This plan was in line with the 1948 Master Highway Plan for the city, which had always called for a Western Expressway to be built into the city. However, with the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, the federal government provided sufficient funds to the states to construct new highways with a 90-percent subsidy, rendering the need for a toll road into the city obsolete.[59]

 
New York Central Railroad (Boston and Albany parent company) employee magazine Headlights from February 1965 showing an aerial photograph of the completed Boston Extension of the Massachusetts Turnpike

Complicating the matter, Callahan's planned extension route was not universally accepted by others within the state, such as newly elected Governor John A. Volpe and Newton Mayor Donald Gibbs, who sought to construct a freeway that would follow a different route between the Borders of Newton, Waltham, and Watertown along the Charles River and US 20 and be constructed using the funds now being provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).[60] Additionally, residents of the city of Newton, who would see significant demolition of neighborhoods within the city along with large portions of its central business district to make way for the turnpike extension, were adamantly against the proposed Boston and Albany routing of the road.[61] Newton, through the terms of two mayors, set about fighting the turnpike proposal through a series of increasingly futile legislative maneuvers in the General Court. Realizing that the needs and wants of the smaller city could not overcome the influence of Callahan within the state capitol, the smaller city would instead redirect its efforts to blocking the highway at the federal level through the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and federal courts.[62] Affected property owners within Boston who were also looking at the possibility of losing their homes and business followed Newton's lead by filing a series of state and federal lawsuits that they hoped would derail the proposed extension.[63]

In the late 1950s, eminent domain takings for the Massachusetts Turnpike Extension into Boston devastated the historic Black-American community named "The Village". Compensation was offered for the homes below market value. Homeowners and renters confronted racial discrimination when trying to purchase or rent homes in Newton. Real estate agents would not work with them. They had to rely on word of mouth to find a new home. It is estimated that 50 percent left Newton as a result of the construction of the turnpike.[64]

Prudential Company

Adding to Callahan's numerous problems with those in opposition to the new roadway, the Prudential Life Insurance Company announced that it was in the process of acquiring the 32-acre (13 ha) Boston and Albany Tremont Street railyard for the purpose of constructing a brand new building and associated complex to house its Northeastern American operations at about the same time as the commonwealth's plan to bypass the MTA was being announced. This proposed development stood square in the middle of the Boston leg of Callahan's planned turnpike extension and could possibly kill his proposed extension.[65][59] While many opponents within and outside the city looked upon the Prudential announcement as the possible final nail-in-the-coffin for Callahan's proposed toll road, Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) head Edward J. Logue saw Callahan's Prudential problem as a way to overcome issues the BRA was having in obtaining approval for the Prudential project from the city.[65][66]

Logue was in many ways the equal to Callahan: a driven man who sought the power to get things done as the head of a semiindependent authority whose structure had been modeled on Callahan's MTA.[65][67] Logue, who was responsible for many urban renewal projects in Boston at the time, including the construction of Storrow Drive and the West End redevelopment project, realized the Prudential project was essential to Boston's redevelopment efforts. The main issue holding up the project was a lack of consensus over tax breaks Prudential was demanding in order to move forward with the project.[68] Additionally, several legal decisions were handed down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) questioning the constitutionality of the land takings required to build the complex.[65][69]

Adding to the problems associated with the Prudential project, during 1960 and 1961 there was a series of allegations made against Callahan claiming he had been engaging in illegal activities related to his second tenure as Public Works commissioner. These allegations included charges of financial kickbacks, bid rigging, and other questionable practices. This led to a corruption trial which threw a pall on his reputation that did not help with his drive to construct the turnpike extension. On top of the legal allegations, a group of three professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University made public allegations that the MTA had been using inflated numbers to push through its bond issues, thus artificially inflating their values. This led to failed series of bond issues that critics hoped would prevent the MTA from raising the needed funds for construction.[70]

It was in the midst of these many legal problems that, in April 1960, Prudential announced that continuation of their building project was contingent on direct highway access via a toll road along the Boston and Albany Railroad right-of-way.[65][70] Additionally, Prudential would lease air rights to the parcels from the MTA and purchase a large portion of bonds issued by the authority. Despite this agreement, Governor Volpe was still trying to nix the turnpike's plans along the Boston and Albany right-of-way, filing the city of Newton's request with the ICC to stop the construction of the roadway. It was only after a series of meetings between Volpe, Callahan, and Prudential executives that the governor was finally persuaded to withdraw the ICC filing and reluctantly support the toll road.[71] With the new deal in place, a not-guilty finding in the criminal case, and public relations pushback to the allegations of market tampering by the MTA, the bond measures were once again seen as a sound investment and investors quickly picked up the $175-million (equivalent to $1.25 billion in 2021[37]) bond issuance.[70][69] With the turnpike–Prudential agreement in place, Logue was able to petition the General Court to once again authorize a land taking deal and tax-deferment bill, which was passed rather quickly and signed by then-Governor Foster Furcolo. While this new bill was again deemed unconstitutional by the SJC, in its decision the General Court provided a framework for the legislature to construct a bill that would pass constitutional muster. The bill also gave Logue's BRA considerable powers over the redevelopment project, allowing him to rapidly move forward with permit approvals and tax issues.[65][70] The turnpike–Prudential deal linked with the Logue and the BRA's new powers to move the project forward quickly quieted much of the remaining opposition to the new roadway and cemented the idea of air right development as an integral part of the turnpike moving forward.[72] By 1965, the Massachusetts Turnpike had been connected to the Central Artery, and the Prudential Center was on its way to completion; however, Callahan did not live to see this. On April 24, 1964, he died of a massive heart attack at his home.[73]

The year 1968 saw the beginning of the first major expansion of the turnpike after the completion of the Boston extension in 1965. While the original design of the roadway called for an eight-lane expressway along the majority of the route, it was only constructed as a four-lane roadway along most of its length until it reached the junction of Route 9 in Framingham, where the roadway expanded to six lanes. Starting in 1968, the highway from the I-84 interchange in Sturbridge to Route 9 was widened from its original four lanes to six; that widening project was completed around 1971. However, the mainline right-of-way was constructed to allow future expansion of the roadway, with most bridges over the highway built with the eight-lane roadway in mind, so few bridges had to be rebuilt when it was widened in the late 1960s.

Big Dig

When designing the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project; Big Dig) in the 1970s and 1980s, the horror stories regarding urban renewal projects such as the construction of the old viaduct in the 1950s weighed heavy on the minds of Frederick P. Salvucci and his team. It was realized early on that the commonwealth could not just lay waste to parts of the city and pave them over; the state would have to ensure that construction would balance the needs of the highways against the livability of the city and neighborhoods the project would pass through. Mitigation efforts would be of utmost importance in moving ahead with the project.[74][75]

Governor Francis Sargent had shut down any ideas of further freeway construction within the Route 128 beltway in 1970, thereby canceling both the I-695 "inner belt" and the Southwest Corridor freeway projects, placing more emphasis on the already-completed Boston extension of I-90, the extension of I-93 into Boston, and the work to eventually depress Boston's Central Artery below ground level as the only unbuilt freeway-related construction projects "inside" of Route 128 that would be allowed to go forward.[76]

The notions of using existing rights of way or areas where neighborhood displacement would be minimized were applied to the second extension of the turnpike as part of the Big Dig. Salvucci deliberately planned to bring the East Boston Extension through areas with little or no occupancy or those properties already owned by the commonwealth. As a result, East Boston saw almost no takings of buildings or homes through eminent domain or the destruction of neighborhoods because construction was relegated to the then-unoccupied areas of the Seaport District and Logan International Airport. Like the first turnpike extension, the connection of the turnpike to East Boston was also designed to provide an economic stimulus to the city, this one to revitalize the desolate Seaport District.[75]

 
Diagram of the highway system in Downtown Boston before and after completion of the Big Dig

The MTA managed the Big Dig, which rerouted the elevated Central Artery into the O'Neill Tunnel through Downtown Boston, and extended the turnpike beyond its terminus at the Central Artery into the Ted Williams Tunnel and connected it to Route 1A beyond Logan International Airport. Construction began in 1991, and the final extension of the turnpike was opened in 2003.

It was for the financial needs of the project that the "Metropolitan Highway System" was created with the turnpike east of Route 128; the Ted Williams, Sumner, and Callahan tunnels under Boston Harbor; and I-93 from Southampton Street through the O'Neill Tunnel and the Zakim Bridge to the foot of the Tobin Bridge.[77] Finances for the Western Turnpike and the Boston Extension continue to be handled separately with this reorganization.

Ceiling collapse

See also: Big Dig ceiling collapse
 
Boston traffic crawling over the closed Ted Williams Tunnel entrance during rush hour, one day after the ceiling collapse

In response to a fatality caused by the collapse of the ceiling of the eastbound I-90 connector tunnel approaching the Ted Williams Tunnel on July 10, 2006, and, in response to MTA Chair Matthew J. Amorello's refusal (at the time) to resign, Romney took legal steps to have Amorello forcibly removed as head of the MTA.[78] This effort culminated in Amorello's resignation on August 15, 2006. The next day, John Cogliano was sworn in as the new chair of the MTA by Romney.[79] On November 27, 2006, departing Attorney-General Thomas Reilly (Democrat) announced the state would launch a civil suit over the collapse of the ceiling in the Ted Williams Tunnel. The commonwealth sought to recover over $150 million (equivalent to $197 million in 2021[37]) from project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, builder Modern Continental, and the manufacturer of the epoxy used to hold the ceiling bolts.[needs update][80][81][82][83]

Infill exits

In addition to the exits opened during construction of the Boston Extension, two infill exits were opened between existing interchanges on the Western Turnpike. Exit 106 (former exit 11A) in Hopkinton connects the turnpike with I-495 and enables transit between northern New England and Cape Cod; it was opened in 1969.[84] Exit 94 (former exit 10A) in Millbury connects the turnpike to Route 146 and US 20 via the Route 20 Connector, which, in turn, facilitates movement between Worcester and Providence, Rhode Island; construction began in 1996 and was opened in 1998 before being completed in 1999.[85]

Air rights

See also: List of structures built on top of freeways § Massachusetts
 
Star Market (briefly Shaw's Supermarket) was built over the turnpike in Newtonville.

Much of the air space ("air rights") over the Boston Extension has been leased to third parties for commercial development. This concept was originally designed to "knit together communities" that were divided by the new highway,[86] since the turnpike had been described as "wider and more divisive to the city" than the original Central Artery.[87] More recently, the income received from the leased air rights have been used for paying off the Big Dig.[87] There are 23 parcels of air space over the highway, the majority of which have not been developed.[88] Among other objectives, guidelines established by the "Civic Vision for Turnpike Air Rights in Boston" in 2000 recommend that the proposed use of the parcels "[foster] increased use and capacity of public transportation" and "[reinforce] the vitality and quality of life in adjacent neighborhoods".[89]

The Star Market (briefly renamed Shaw's Supermarket) in Newtonville is the earliest example of commercial construction over the turnpike. In the 1960s, the MTA intended to route the highway through the parking lot of the supermarket's previous location in the city; this alignment was ultimately approved by the SJC, under the condition that a replacement Star Market was allowed to be built above the turnpike.[90] Other projects developed through air rights include the Newton Plaza Hotel in Newton,[91][92] the Copley Place shopping mall in Boston,[92][93] and the Prudential Center in Boston.[92][94] Proposals for future air rights projects include the mixed-use Fenway Center,[95] and an extension of the Boston University campus near Boston University Bridge.[96]

After four decades of no new developments, in August 2020, construction began on Parcel 12, and construction was expected to begin within the month at Fenway Center pending a final agreement with MassDOT,[97] leading to planned closure of one lane in each direction for a year.[98] Parcel 12[99] is between Newbury Street, Boylston Street, and the west side of Massachusetts Avenue and is expected to feature a 13-story Citizen M hotel, a 20-story office tower (including the headquarters of CarGurus), a reconstructed bus shelter, a public park, street-level retail, and a new entrance to the Hynes Convention Center station of the Green Line subway.[97] The developer of Parcel 13, on the east side of Massachusetts Avenue along Boylston Street, submitted updated plans in February 2020, with 17 stories of condos, hotel, parking, and public space.[100] An approved plan for Parcel 15 (known as 1000 Boylston Street) was canceled by the developer in August, 2019,[101] with the dissolution resulting in a lawsuit.[102]

Future

Proposed exits

For decades, there has been discussion about a potential new interchange with Route 56 in Oxford. This new interchange would be located between exit 78 (old exit 9) in Sturbridge and exit 90 (old exit 10) in Auburn. Former Leicester selectman Thomas V. Brennan Jr. created the idea for this potential new exit in 1996, and he continued to advocate for the idea into the late 2000s.[103][104] In 2011, the Town of Oxford included the construction of a new interchange as a long-term recommendation in their municipal transportation plan; construction estimates were $60 million to $75 million (equivalent to $78.4 million to $90.4 million in 2021[37]).[105]

The construction of an exit between exit 10 (former exit 2) in Lee and exit 41 (former exit 3) in Westfield, separated by a 30-mile (48 km) gap, has been controversial since the 1960s.[106] The state conducted a study to determine the feasibility of such a project in 2018;[106] land occupied by a service plaza and a maintenance facility (both in Blandford) and Algerie Road in Otis have been suggested as locations for a potential exit.[107]

Allston interchange

The "I-90 Allston Multimodal Project"[108] is a plan to replace a deteriorating viaduct in Allston by redeveloping the turnpike through the land of the former CSX Transportation's Beacon Park Yard, which is now owned by Harvard University,[109][110] along with improvements to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Framingham/Worcester Line.[111][112] The preliminary design plan called for the turnpike to be realigned at-grade and off the existing viaduct, and for the adjacent Soldiers Field Road to be partially realigned onto a new viaduct above the turnpike and off of the existing at-grade roadbed. The design is of a considerably smaller footprint than the existing configuration; this would facilitate the construction of the proposed West Station and the expansion of Harvard University on land where the existing viaduct is located.[113] The design phase was expected to be completed in 2019 and with a planned ground breaking in 2020.[114]

In September 2021, after much public criticism of the viaduct and river impact during construction, a new final design was announced, which keeps the turnpike and Soldiers Field Road at-grade. In the narrowest portion of the project, known as the "throat", the Charles River Bike Path will be put on a boardwalk over the river, and roadway shoulders will be narrowed by a collective four feet for a short length to avoid any permanent filling of the river.[115][116] This significantly delayed the project, and, As of January 2022, preliminary design is in progress, and modified project permits need to be obtained; construction is expected to start in 2023 and last for 6–10 years.[117]

I-495 interchange

The "I-495/I-90 Interchange Improvements Project" is intended to realign exit 106 (former exit 11A) in Hopkinton, where the existing interchange (designed for the now-demolished toll plazas) is notoriously congested and accident-prone during rush hour and holiday travel times.[118] As of 2018, MassDOT is examining three design proposals, which have raised the suggestions of separate northbound/southbound I-495 exits and the extension of acceleration lanes through exit 111 (former exit 12) in Framingham. The project initially was estimated to cost between $296–413 million, and the design phase expected to be 25-percent complete by 2020.[119] In July 2019, MassDOT announced that the state would be moving ahead with preferred design for overhaul of I-495/Mass Pike interchange consisting of a series of "flyover ramps" that would eliminate the interweaving of traffic that causes bottlenecks and crashes at the interchange. The state expects that the construction would begin in 2022 and run through 2026 at an estimated cost of approximately $296.4 million.[120]

Government oversight

 
The Massachusetts Turnpike near the Chicopee exit

Since 2001, the MTA had come under fire from state politicians in a fight for control of the quasistate agency. Beginning in 2001, former Massachusetts acting Governor Jane Swift (Republican) attempted to fire Christy Mihos, a former turnpike board member and Jordan Levy, the vice chair of the board.

Mihos and Levy had cast votes on the board to postpone a toll hike. Swift objected, saying such a delay was "fiscally irresponsible" and saying the two men "interfered with the effective daily management of the Authority".[121] Mihos and Levy refused to step down and sued Swift to retain their positions. The SJC ruled that the turnpike was "not part of the machinery of the government" and therefore not subject to Swift's decisions.[122]

Governor Mitt Romney, elected in 2002 during a fiscal crisis, ran on a political platform of streamlining state government and eliminating waste. Part of this was the elimination of the MTA. Romney wanted to fold the turnpike into the Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway), the state highway department, operated under the Executive Office of Transportation. A first step to this was to replace the chair of the board, Matthew J. Amorello, with someone loyal to the governor. The governor has the power to appoint members to the board, but the SJC advised in an advisory opinion that "nothing in G. L. c. 81A explicitly provides for the removal and reassignment of the chairperson to the position of 'member'".[123][124]

Romney put pressure on Amorello to step down. Amorello announced he would do so in 2007, after Romney would have left office. Romney continued to press the legislature to give him the power to remove members from the board, specifically the chairman, pointing to a series of financial and construction mishaps over the last several years. However, the legislature instead sought to keep Amorello on board by extending the terms of various board members to prevent Romney from removing Amorello.[125]

Under a plan to save state funds, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) announced plans to close eleven of its branches in leased locations and move the operations into facilities owned by MassHighway and the MTA located in toll plazas, visitor centers, and offices. RMV branch closings were planned for Framingham, Lowell, North Attleborough, Cambridgeside Galleria Mall in Cambridge, New Bedford, Eastfield Mall in Springfield, Southbridge, Falmouth, Eastham, Beverly, and Boston.[126] Also, a portion of the newly increased sales tax in the state averted a planned toll increase. The MTA will receive approximately $100 million from the state general fund over the next few years, alleviating the need for the toll hike.[127]

Under legislation signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick on June 26, 2009, the turnpike was folded into a new superagency that controls all surface transportation in the state. The new agency, MassDOT, operates all highways formerly under MassHighway and the MTA as well as eight urban roadways formerly owned and maintained by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).[128] In addition, MassDOT oversees the RMV, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), regional transit authorities, and the state aeronautics commission.[129] The new transportation department began operations on November 1, 2009.[130][failed verification]

The MTA also owned the Callahan and Sumner tunnels, the other two road connections between Downtown Boston and East Boston under Boston Harbor.[131] Upon completion of the Big Dig, including the O'Neill Tunnel segment of I-93, were transferred to its control.[132] The authority received no state or federal government funding. Its revenues came from tolls, leases on air rights and service areas, and advertising. Its assets were all transferred to the new MassDOT agency as part of the restructuring of agencies.[133]

Highway shield

 
Original logo
 
Previous incarnation of the pilgrim hat, seen on a shield for the Sumner Tunnel

The original logo depicted Paul Revere on horseback with the words "Massachusetts Turnpike Authority" in a circle around him. One incarnation of the pilgrim hat shield had a Native-American arrow sticking through the pilgrim hat. It was replaced with a plain hat and the words "Mass Pike" in 1989. It has been reported variously that the sign was changed due to confusion among motorists who sometimes mistakenly turned in the direction the arrow pointed (right) when attempting to enter the turnpike[134] or that it was the result of a letter campaign describing the signs as offensive to Native Americans.[135]

According to MTA board member Mary Z. Connaughton's blog entry for the Boston Herald, all of the pilgrim-hat signage unique to the turnpike will be eliminated.[136] However, in a personal correspondence with AARoads.com's road blog, a MassDOT official said that usage of the hat would actually increase. When guide signs on I-95 and I-495 are replaced, the "Mass Pike" signage will be replaced with pilgrim hat shields.[137]

Exit list

While Massachusetts has used sequential exit numbers since 1964,[138] the 2009 edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices required that all US states submit plans to transition to milepost-based exit numbering by 2012.[139] All exits on the turnpike were expected to be renumbered following this convention with two sign replacement projects scheduled for completion by 2018; the contractors were ultimately instructed to install the new signs with the existing numbers, albeit with wider exit tabs that would accommodate larger two- and three-digit exit numbers should the conversion take place in the future.[140] In November 2019, MassDOT announced that statewide milepost-based exit renumbering would begin in Western Massachusetts in summer 2020.[141] The work began along I-90 during the week of December 13, 2020, starting from Weston (I-95) and working westward before renumbering the exits inside I-95 and toward the airport.[142] The work was completed in one month.[143]


CountyLocation[144]mi[144]kmOld exitNew exit[145]Destinations[145]Notes
BerkshireWest Stockbridge0.0000.000 
 
  
  
 
  I-90 Toll west / Berkshire Connector west to I-87 Toll – Albany		Continuation into New York
2.7364.40313  
  Route 41 to Route 102 – West Stockbridge		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Lee8.513.7Lee Service Plaza
10.0116.11Lee Toll Gantry[42]
10.59217.046210  US 20 – Lee, PittsfieldTo Route 102 and US 7
HampdenBlandford26.2542.25Blandford Toll Gantry[42]
29.046.7Blandford Service Plaza
Westfield40.43465.072341   US 202 / Route 10 – Westfield, Northampton
40.8665.76Westfield Toll Gantry[42]
West Springfield45.74073.611445   I-91 / US 5 – Springfield, HolyokeExit 11 on I-91
Chicopee49.04178.924549  Route 33 – Chicopee, Holyoke
51.15482.324651 
  I-291 west – Springfield, Hartford, CT		Exit 7 on I-291
Ludlow54.78088.160754  Route 21 – Ludlow, Belchertown
55.689.5Ludlow Service Plaza
57.6892.83Ludlow Toll Gantry[42]
Palmer62.641100.811863  
  Route 32 to US 20 – Palmer, Ware
WorcesterWarren69.78112.30Warren Toll Gantry[42]
Sturbridge78.300126.012978 
  
  I-84 west to US 20 – Sturbridge, Hartford, CT, New York City		Eastern terminus of I-84
Charlton80.3129.2Charlton Service Plaza (eastbound)
83.1133.7Charlton Toll Gantry[42]
83.8134.9Charlton Service Plaza (westbound)
Auburn90.049144.9201090 
   
   I-290 east / Route 12 / I-395 south / US 20 – Auburn, Worcester, Norwich, CT		Exit 12 on I-290
Millbury93.642150.70210A94    Route 146 / US 20 / Route 122A – Worcester, Providence, RIExit 18 on Route 146
96.343155.0491196  Route 122 – Millbury, WorcesterTo Route 30 and Route 140
Westborough104.6168.3Westborough Service Plaza (westbound only)
MiddlesexHopkinton104.86168.76Hopkinton Toll Gantry[42]
106.236170.97011A106  I-495 – Lowell, Portsmouth, NH, Taunton, Cape CodExit 58 on I-495
WorcesterSouthborough109.07175.53Southborough Toll Gantry[42]
MiddlesexFramingham111.181178.92812111  Route 9 – Framingham, Southborough
113.92183.34Framingham Toll Gantry[42]
114.4184.1Framingham Service Plaza (westbound only)
116.600187.65013117  Route 30 – Natick, Framingham
Natick117.6189.3Natick Service Plaza / Fast Lane Service Center (eastbound only)
Weston120.21193.46Weston Toll Gantry[42]
122.600197.30614123  I-95 (Route 128) – Portsmouth, NH, Providence, RIEastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 39B on I-95
15A123A  I-95 (Route 128) – Waltham, Providence, RIWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit 39B on I-95
123.458198.68615B123B 
  To Route 30 – Weston		Westbound exit; shared ramp with exit 123A (former exit 15A) until 2017
Newton125.207201.50116125  Route 16 – West Newton, WellesleyWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
126.18203.07Newtonville Toll Gantry[42]
127.553205.27717127Newton, Watertown
SuffolkBoston130.04209.28West Allston Toll Gantry[42]
130.991210.81018 / 20131Allston–Brighton, CambridgeLefthand eastbound exit (Formerly signed as Exit 18 for eastbound traffic and Exit 20 for westbound traffic)
130.991210.81019U-turn to BostonWestbound U-turn only; share ramp with exit 131 westbound
131.15211.07East Allston Toll Gantry[42]
132.863213.82221  Route 2A (Massachusetts Avenue)Westbound entrance only
132.889213.864West end of Prudential Tunnel
133.344214.59622133Dartmouth Street – Prudential Center, Copley SquareEastbound exit and westbound entrance. Access to Route 9 West.
133.586214.98622AClarendon StreetFormer westbound entrance only; permanently closed on September 3, 2019[146]
133.576214.970East end of Prudential Tunnel
133.876215.45323Arlington StreetWestbound entrance only
134.315216.15924A134ASouth StationEastbound exit only; access via Atlantic Avenue
24B134B 
  I-93 north – Concord, NH		Eastbound exit only; exit 16 on I-93
24C134C 
  I-93 south – Quincy		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 16A on I-93
24134  I-93 – Concord, NH, QuincyWestbound exit and entrance only
134.275216.095Fort Point Channel Tunnel under Fort Point Channel
134.773216.89625135South BostonAccess via Congress Street
136219Ted Williams Tunnel[42] under Boston Harbor
137.239220.86526137  Logan AirportEastbound exit only
138.15222.33 
  Route 1A north – Revere		National eastern terminus of I-90
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

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Further reading

  • Ingraham, Joseph C. (May 24, 1959). "Boston to Chicago; New Section of Thruway Completes Express Route Between Cities Boston to Chicago". The New York Times. from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  • Tsipis, Yanni K. (2001). Boston's Central Artery. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738505269.

External links

 
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March 04, 2023
massachusetts, turnpike, interstate, massachusetts, redirects, here, entire, length, highway, interstate, colloquially, mass, pike, pike, toll, highway, state, massachusetts, that, maintained, massachusetts, department, transportation, massdot, turnpike, begin. Interstate 90 in Massachusetts redirects here For the entire length of the highway see Interstate 90 The Massachusetts Turnpike colloquially Mass Pike or the Pike 3 is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation MassDOT The turnpike begins at the New York state line in West Stockbridge linking with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway Spanning 138 miles 222 km along an east west axis the turnpike constitutes the Massachusetts section of Interstate 90 I 90 The turnpike is the longest Interstate Highway in Massachusetts while I 90 in full which begins in Seattle Washington is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States Massachusetts TurnpikeInterstate 90Massachusetts Turnpike highlighted in greenRoute informationMaintained by MassDOTLength138 1 mi 1 222 3 km Existed1957 Western 1965 Boston Extension 2003 Ted Williams Tunnel presentRestrictionsNo hazardous goods and cargo tankers east of exit 131 2 Major junctionsWest endI 90 Toll Berkshire Connector at the New York state line in West StockbridgeMajor intersectionsUS 20 in Lee US 202 Route 10 in Westfield I 91 US 5 in West Springfield I 291 in Chicopee I 84 in Sturbridge I 290 Route 12 I 395 in Auburn US 20 Route 146 in Milbury I 495 in Hopkinton I 95 Route 128 in Weston I 93 US 1 Route 3 in BostonEast endRoute 1A Logan International Airport in BostonLocationCountryUnited StatesStateMassachusettsCountiesBerkshire Hampden Worcester Middlesex Suffolk NorfolkHighway systemMassachusetts State Highway SystemInterstate US State Route 88I 90 I 91The turnpike opened in 1957 and it was designated as part of the Interstate Highway System in 1959 The original western terminus of the turnpike was located at Route 102 in West Stockbridge before I 90 had been completed in New York state The turnpike intersects with several Interstate Highways as it traverses the state including I 91 in West Springfield I 291 in Chicopee I 84 in Sturbridge the junction of I 290 and I 395 in Auburn and I 495 in Hopkinton The eastern terminus of the turnpike was originally at I 95 in Weston it has been extended several times to Allston in 1964 to the Central Artery designated as I 93 US Route 1 US 1 and Route 3 in Downtown Boston in 1965 and to East Boston as a route to Logan International Airport in 2003 as part of the Big Dig megaproject There are two auxiliary Interstate Highways in Massachusetts for I 90 those being I 190 and I 290 The turnpike was maintained by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority MTA until the department was replaced by the Highway Division of MassDOT in 2009 The implementation and removal of tolls in some stretches of the turnpike have been controversial travel between most but not all exits requires payment The Fast Lane electronic toll collection system was introduced alongside cash payment in 1998 it was later folded into the E ZPass branding in 2012 The original toll booths were demolished and replaced by toll gantries with the transition to open road tolling in 2016 which replaced cash payment with pay by plate billing Contents 1 Route description 1 1 Western Turnpike 1 2 Boston Extension 1 3 Service plazas 2 Tolls 2 1 Toll plazas 2 2 Open road tolling 3 History 3 1 Background and construction 3 2 Expansion into Boston 3 2 1 Prudential Company 3 3 Big Dig 3 3 1 Ceiling collapse 3 4 Infill exits 3 5 Air rights 4 Future 4 1 Proposed exits 4 2 Allston interchange 4 3 I 495 interchange 5 Government oversight 6 Highway shield 7 Exit list 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksRoute description EditThe Massachusetts Turnpike is informally divided into two sections by MassDOT the original 123 mile 198 km Western Turnpike extending from the New York state border through the interchange with I 95 and Route 128 at exit 123 in Weston and the 15 mile 24 km Boston Extension that continues beyond exit 123 through Boston 4 It is a four lane highway from the New York state border through its interchange with I 84 at exit 78 in Sturbridge it expands to six lanes beyond this interchange and briefly travels with eight lanes from exit 127 in Newton through exit 133 by the Prudential Center in Boston 4 The 0 75 mile 1 21 km underwater section of the Ted Williams Tunnel which carries the turnpike under Boston Harbor to its eastern terminus at Route 1A by Logan International Airport is reduced to four lanes 5 The turnpike is the longest Interstate Highway in Massachusetts 6 while I 90 in full which begins nationally in Seattle Washington is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States 7 Western Turnpike Edit Approaching the former West Stockbridge toll plaza traveling eastbound January 2008 The Weston tolls that separated the Western Turnpike from the Boston Extension October 2006 In the west the turnpike begins in Berkshire County at the Massachusetts state line in West Stockbridge where I 90 routed through the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway enters from Canaan New York 8 Most toll plazas were located on the entrance exit ramps before entering the turnpike itself An exception was the mainline West Stockbridge toll plaza designed for toll collection from inbound traffic from New York it existed shortly after exit 3 an eastbound only entrance and westbound only exit in Massachusetts 9 The turnpike crosses the Williams River later in West Stockbridge and passes over the Housatonic River in Lee 10 The 30 mile 48 km gap between exit 10 to US 20 in Lee and exit 41 to US 202 and Route 10 in Westfield the first in Hampden County is the longest gap between exits on the turnpike 11 and the fifth longest gap between exits in the entire Interstate Highway System 12 The highest elevation on the turnpike exists in the Berkshires reaching 1 724 feet 525 m above sea level in Becket this point is also the highest elevation on I 90 east of South Dakota 13 Beyond the peak elevation and between the exits an eastbound runaway truck ramp exists in Russell 14 After almost 50 miles 80 km of relative ruralness I 90 has an interchange that leads to the separate routes of I 91 and US 5 at exit 45 in West Springfield 9 it passes over the Connecticut River before reaching Route 33 at exit 49 and I 291 at exit 51 both in Chicopee The turnpike passes through Ludlow at exit 54 before crossing the Quaboag River to exit 63 in Palmer 9 10 The turnpike first enters Worcester County in Sturbridge where exit 78 serves as the eastern terminus of I 84 15 In Auburn exit 90 has a two Interstate interchange with I 395 traveling southbound and I 290 traveling eastbound 15 The Blackstone River flows underneath the turnpike in Millbury 10 where it has an interchange with Route 146 and a second direct connection to US 20 at exit 94 9 Entering Middlesex County in Hopkinton it has an interchange with I 495 at exit 106 9 The turnpike crosses the Sudbury River between exit 111 at Route 9 and exit 117 at Route 30 all located within Framingham 10 9 The last connection with another Interstate Highway on the Western Turnpike is located in Weston at the I 95 and Route 128 concurrency 9 This multipiece interchange is collectively referred to as the Weston tolls 16 Before being renumbered exit 123 in both directions exit 14 was an eastbound exit and westbound entrance and exit 15 was a westbound exit and eastbound entrance prior to demolition a mainline toll plaza existed for through traffic 9 Following the removal of the toll plazas exit 15 was reconfigured into exit 15A now exit 123A for I 95 and Route 128 and exit 15B now exit 123B toward Route 30 17 At this junction the turnpike crosses over the Charles River 10 Boston Extension Edit The eastern terminus of the turnpike in the state and I 90 nationally at Route 1A in Boston The first exit of the Boston Extension exit 125 is an eastbound entrance and westbound exit at Route 16 in Newton 18 The turnpike enters Suffolk County in Boston before reaching the Allston Brighton tolls depositing traffic toward the Boston neighborhoods of Allston and Brighton and the nearby city of Cambridge 4 Before being renumbered exit 131 in both directions exit 18 was a left hand eastbound exit and westbound entrance and exit 20 was a westbound exit and eastbound entrance a mainline toll plaza was previously placed in between them for through traffic and was classified as exit 19 18 Compensating for the sparsity of eastbound entrances and westbound exits in Back Bay and Downtown Boston a westbound U turn ramp heading eastbound was opened in Allston in 2007 19 while unsigned with an exit number it was recognized as exit 20A for administrative purposes 4 Past the tolls the turnpike reduces to six lanes heads through the campus of Boston University and passes Fenway Park before crossing over the Muddy River as it approaches the city s central neighborhoods 10 Exit 133 and the now closed Clarendon Street onramp are located within the Prudential Tunnel which takes the turnpike underneath the Prudential Center 20 the former is an eastbound exit towards the Prudential Center and Copley Square while the latter is a westbound only entrance from Clarendon Street 18 Beyond the Prudential Tunnel exit 134 is labeled as a singular exit traveling westbound but splits into three ramps for eastbound travel exit 134A is a left hand exit toward South Station while exits 134B and 134C are directed toward I 93 northbound and southbound respectively 18 The turnpike travels under the Fort Point Channel before reaching South Boston at exit 135 18 after which it enters the Ted Williams Tunnel to pass beneath Boston Harbor 21 Exit 137 to Logan International Airport is the sole exit within the Ted Williams Tunnel before the turnpike exits the tunnel and meets its eastern terminus at Route 1A northbound toward Revere 18 Service plazas Edit Ludlow Service Plaza westbound Lee Service Plaza eastboundLocation Direction mi km Services 22 Lee Eastbound 8 5 miles 13 7 km D Angelo EV charging stations E ZPass MA walk in service center Fresh City Gifford s Famous Ice Cream Gulf Gulf Express McDonald s Papa Gino sWestbound EV charging stations Gulf Gulf Express McDonald sBlandford Eastbound 29 miles 47 km Gulf Gulf Express McDonald sWestbound Gifford s Famous Ice Cream Gulf Gulf Express Honey Dew Donuts McDonald s Original Pizza of BostonLudlow Eastbound 55 6 miles 89 5 km Gulf Gulf Express McDonald s Original Pizza of BostonWestbound Boston Market D Angelo Gulf Gulf Express Honey Dew DonutsCharlton Eastbound 80 3 miles 129 2 km D Angelo Fresh City Gifford s Famous Ice Cream Gulf Gulf Express Izone McDonald s Papa Gino sWestbound 83 8 miles 134 9 km Auntie Anne s D Angelo Fresh City Gulf Gulf Express Izone McDonald s Papa Gino sWestborough Westbound 104 6 miles 168 3 km Auntie Anne s Boston Market Cheesy Street Grill D Angelo Dunkin Donuts Fresh City Gulf Gulf Express Papa Gino sFramingham Westbound 114 4 miles 184 1 km Boston Market Edy s Ice Cream Fresh City Gulf Gulf Express Honey Dew Donuts Izone McDonald s Original Pizza of Boston StarbucksNatick Eastbound 117 6 miles 189 3 km Cheesy Street Grill D Angelo Dunkin Donuts EV charging stations E ZPass MA walk in service center Gulf Gulf Express Izone McDonald s Papa Gino s Registry of Motor Vehicles ExpressTolls EditAs of 2009 update toll revenue generated from the Massachusetts Turnpike is to be spent in the section in which it was collected either the Western Turnpike or the Boston Extension alternatively named the Metropolitan Highway System for administrative purposes 23 Tolls from exit 3 former exit 1 in West Stockbridge through exit 51 former exit 6 in Chicopee were removed by then Governor Bill Weld in 1996 following complaints that the tolls collected in Western Massachusetts were financing the Big Dig in Boston 24 they were ultimately reinstated in October 2013 25 At the recommendation of former secretary of administration and finance Eric Kriss who recommended that tolls be eliminated along the entire turnpike except for the tunnels leading to Logan International Airport 26 the MTA voted to remove all tolls west of Route 128 in Weston in October 2006 27 Members of the Massachusetts Legislature Transportation Committee cited the potential need to amend state law and the uncertainty of how the turnpike would be maintained as setbacks to the toll removal which ultimately never came to fruition 28 The issue of the removal of the tolls is highly charged politically Several members of the state Democratic Party declared this as a political maneuver to bolster the gubernatorial campaign of Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey a Republican who was behind in the polls at the time of the announcement Also because the MTA Board is composed of Romney appointees Kriss s former association with the Romney administration and the ongoing election at the time the issue was clouded by accusations of partiality and political agendas from both sides of the aisle In the November 9 2006 edition of The Boston Globe Romney announced his intention to try to remove the tolls before Governor elect Deval Patrick a Democrat was inaugurated in January 2007 but this did not occur As of November 2008 Patrick s plan was to remove all tolls west of I 95 except at the West Stockbridge and Sturbridge tolls 29 but this also did not occur before the end of his term in January 2015 State law requires tolls to be removed west of Route 128 when its debt is paid and the road is in good condition but MassDOT plans to continue tolls after the bonds are paid off in January 2017 because the road will still need 135 million per year for repairs and maintenance 30 needs update At a January 22 2009 board meeting the turnpike decided to stop charging a one time 25 95 fee for the acquisition of a Fast Lane toll transponder replacing it with a 50 cent monthly recurring service fee 31 The implementation of the 50 cent monthly fee was canceled after long delays at toll plazas on Easter Sunday 32 33 Toll plazas Edit Now demolished toll plaza on an exit ramp January 2016 Toll ticket used prior to conversion to open road tolling The turnpike traditionally utilized the ticket system for toll collection a driver would obtain a ticket from an onramp which they would surrender to an offramp and pay a toll based on traveled distance 34 While most toll plazas were located on the entrance exit ramps by the turnpike exceptions included the mainline toll plazas in West Stockbridge Weston and Allston Brighton 4 Electronic toll collection was introduced as an alternative to cash payment with Fast Lane transponders in 1998 when installed in the inner windshield of a vehicle the equipment would be recognized automatically in special lanes at toll plazas and would withdraw the toll amount from the motorist s account 35 It was first sponsored by BankBoston and later FleetBoston Financial before sponsorship was assumed by Citizens Bank in 2003 36 Motorists were previously charged 27 50 equivalent to 40 51 in 2021 37 for the hardware itself 36 although this fee has since been removed 38 Citing federal highway regulations that prohibit sponsorship of toll plaza signage the contract with Citizens Bank was not renewed upon expiration the Fast Lane name was replaced with the E ZPass branding with which Fast Lane was interoperable in 2012 39 Open road tolling Edit Fare collection gantry in Newton In 2014 Raytheon won a 130 million equivalent to 148 million in 2021 37 contract to convert the Massachusetts Turnpike to all electronic open road tolling 40 The stated goal of the change was to make vehicle travel safer and more efficient 41 Additional changes included the elimination of toll booth operators as well as the demolition of existing toll plazas and reconfiguration of surrounding roadways 30 42 43 Overhead gantries between most exits read E ZPass transponders Drivers without a transponder use pay by plate having their license plate photographed and an invoice sent to the registered owner This method of payment adds a 0 60 surcharge per invoice with payment made online or in cash at a local retail location 44 45 Installation of gantries began in January 2016 and open road tolling began on October 28 2016 42 The inner segments of the toll booths were demolished 30 days after this date which allowed traffic speeds to be raised Complete demolition of toll booths and reconstruction was completed by the end of 2017 42 46 As there are no gantries between exits 45 and 54 former exits 4 and 7 or between exits 90 and 96 former exits 10 and 11 the Massachusetts Turnpike is essentially free between those pairs of exits Otherwise the transition to open road tolling is revenue neutral meaning the tolls between any other pair of exits only saw small adjustments Tolls are slightly higher for out of state residents without an E ZPassMA transponder and no transponder tolls are higher 47 When all electronic tolling went live on the Mass Pike the Tobin Bridge Callahan Tunnel Sumner Tunnel and Ted Williams Tunnel joined the system and were converted to charging a single toll in both directions rather than a double toll in one direction The Tobin Bridge was converted to all electronic tolling for southbound only in July 2014 42 In addition to license plate information the gantries also collect vehicle speed data a MassDOT spokesperson said that the agency will not be using the AET all electronic tolling system to issue speeding violations 48 Toll data is not a public record and is not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests and MassDOT states that All data collected will remain secure and kept confidential 42 It can however be obtained by subpena and law enforcement will be able to specify license plate numbers that will generate an immediate email if detected by the system 49 History EditBackground and construction Edit A map of the proposed highway put forth in the 1948 Massachusetts Highway Master Plan These proposed roadways would become some of the state s most important transportation routes in the eastern portion of the state In the period following World War II Boston had fallen into a deep period of stagnant growth Its former maritime industries had closed as traffic in the harbor declined the textile mills that had provided a large portion of the city s wealth had migrated out of the region seeking new locations that would allow them to maximize revenues and property development had ground to a halt with virtually no new construction of any impact occurring since the beginning of the Great Depression 50 Boston retail stalwarts such as Filene s and Jordan Marsh had decided to focus their energies and growth into the suburbs Boston s citizens had begun to flee to the same suburban pastures as property taxes in the city skyrocketed As U S News amp World Report stated Boston was dying on the vine 51 After the end of the war Massachusetts entered into a period of new highway projects planning that sought to help end the economic malaise the state was suffering from It was in 1947 that Republican Governor Robert F Bradford realized that the commonwealth needed to implement a standard framework to properly guide the planning and construction of these new roadways He commissioned a study to produce a new Highway Master Plan for the eastern region and by 1948 it had been completed Seeking the political benefits that a major public works project would bring Bradford sent his plan to the Democratic controlled Massachusetts General Court for approval however the Democrats sat on the project until their candidate newly elected Democratic Governor Paul A Dever took office in January 1949 52 It was instead Dever who initiated the program to implement the Highway Master Plan for the city shortly after taking office in 1949 Enjoying a Democratic majority within the State House coupled with a Democratic governor for the first time in the commonwealth s history he pushed through a series of highway bills with associated gas tax increases totaling over 400 million equivalent to 3 32 billion in 2021 37 between 1949 and 1952 53 To oversee this undertaking Dever brought in the former commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works William F Callahan to once again head the agency he had helmed from 1934 to 1939 Known for his strong personality and drive to get projects completed 53 Callahan immediately set out to construct three of the proposed highways not including what would become I 495 which had been included in the 1947 plan the original outer circumferential highway which became Route 128 the Southeast Expressway and the Central Artery through the heart of the Boston s downtown These three projects totaling more than 92 million equivalent to 888 million in 2021 37 were seen as being essential to the growth of the city in the future However the construction of these roads took such a large portion of funds that the commonwealth was unable to provide funds for the Western Expressway project However before Callahan could oversee the completion of the southern leg of Route 128 he was appointed by Dever to run the newly formed MTA 54 55 Billboard advertising the construction of the turnpike c 1959 Because of the financial strain created by the bond issues used to construct these other highways the commonwealth was unable to afford the costs of floating more bonds to fund the expenditures required to construct the Western Expressway along the Western Approach corridor of Boston Callahan suggested creating a strong independent and semipublic transportation authority that could fund the new expressway by floating its own bond issues and financing them through tolls along the highway while having its own powers of eminent domain to secure the land needed to build it Utilizing the political goodwill he accrued during his tenure as public works commissioner primarily through extensive patronage hires 53 Callahan was able to push his idea for the new authority through the State House with ease 56 The authority was formed in early 1952 and by 1955 it had issued the required bonds needed to construct a 123 mile 198 km highway from the New York Massachusetts border to the recently completed Route 128 in Weston Despite being completed in 1957 many within the commonwealth quickly realized that the local routes used to get into Boston were still insufficient for the automotive traffic burdens placed upon them 57 Expansion into Boston Edit While the highway construction boom proved to be fortunate for the suburban communities these new roadways passed through the economy of Boston was still in a fragile state 58 Realizing that Boston still needed to be connected to the turnpike to help reverse its flagging economy and reputation as a municipal has been Callahan was tasked in 1955 by the legislature to create an extension into the city designed to facilitate a turnaround of the city s fortunes This new highway would connect the Massachusetts Turnpike to the heart of the city with a 12 3 mile 19 8 km extension of the Interstate It was his plan to bring the tolled turnpike from its terminus at Route 128 in West Newton into the city along the path of the Boston and Albany Railroad and connect it to the Southeast Expressway This plan was in line with the 1948 Master Highway Plan for the city which had always called for a Western Expressway to be built into the city However with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 the federal government provided sufficient funds to the states to construct new highways with a 90 percent subsidy rendering the need for a toll road into the city obsolete 59 New York Central Railroad Boston and Albany parent company employee magazine Headlights from February 1965 showing an aerial photograph of the completed Boston Extension of the Massachusetts Turnpike Complicating the matter Callahan s planned extension route was not universally accepted by others within the state such as newly elected Governor John A Volpe and Newton Mayor Donald Gibbs who sought to construct a freeway that would follow a different route between the Borders of Newton Waltham and Watertown along the Charles River and US 20 and be constructed using the funds now being provided by the Federal Highway Administration FHWA 60 Additionally residents of the city of Newton who would see significant demolition of neighborhoods within the city along with large portions of its central business district to make way for the turnpike extension were adamantly against the proposed Boston and Albany routing of the road 61 Newton through the terms of two mayors set about fighting the turnpike proposal through a series of increasingly futile legislative maneuvers in the General Court Realizing that the needs and wants of the smaller city could not overcome the influence of Callahan within the state capitol the smaller city would instead redirect its efforts to blocking the highway at the federal level through the Interstate Commerce Commission ICC and federal courts 62 Affected property owners within Boston who were also looking at the possibility of losing their homes and business followed Newton s lead by filing a series of state and federal lawsuits that they hoped would derail the proposed extension 63 In the late 1950s eminent domain takings for the Massachusetts Turnpike Extension into Boston devastated the historic Black American community named The Village Compensation was offered for the homes below market value Homeowners and renters confronted racial discrimination when trying to purchase or rent homes in Newton Real estate agents would not work with them They had to rely on word of mouth to find a new home It is estimated that 50 percent left Newton as a result of the construction of the turnpike 64 Prudential Company Edit Adding to Callahan s numerous problems with those in opposition to the new roadway the Prudential Life Insurance Company announced that it was in the process of acquiring the 32 acre 13 ha Boston and Albany Tremont Street railyard for the purpose of constructing a brand new building and associated complex to house its Northeastern American operations at about the same time as the commonwealth s plan to bypass the MTA was being announced This proposed development stood square in the middle of the Boston leg of Callahan s planned turnpike extension and could possibly kill his proposed extension 65 59 While many opponents within and outside the city looked upon the Prudential announcement as the possible final nail in the coffin for Callahan s proposed toll road Boston Redevelopment Authority BRA head Edward J Logue saw Callahan s Prudential problem as a way to overcome issues the BRA was having in obtaining approval for the Prudential project from the city 65 66 Logue was in many ways the equal to Callahan a driven man who sought the power to get things done as the head of a semiindependent authority whose structure had been modeled on Callahan s MTA 65 67 Logue who was responsible for many urban renewal projects in Boston at the time including the construction of Storrow Drive and the West End redevelopment project realized the Prudential project was essential to Boston s redevelopment efforts The main issue holding up the project was a lack of consensus over tax breaks Prudential was demanding in order to move forward with the project 68 Additionally several legal decisions were handed down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court SJC questioning the constitutionality of the land takings required to build the complex 65 69 Adding to the problems associated with the Prudential project during 1960 and 1961 there was a series of allegations made against Callahan claiming he had been engaging in illegal activities related to his second tenure as Public Works commissioner These allegations included charges of financial kickbacks bid rigging and other questionable practices This led to a corruption trial which threw a pall on his reputation that did not help with his drive to construct the turnpike extension On top of the legal allegations a group of three professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University made public allegations that the MTA had been using inflated numbers to push through its bond issues thus artificially inflating their values This led to failed series of bond issues that critics hoped would prevent the MTA from raising the needed funds for construction 70 It was in the midst of these many legal problems that in April 1960 Prudential announced that continuation of their building project was contingent on direct highway access via a toll road along the Boston and Albany Railroad right of way 65 70 Additionally Prudential would lease air rights to the parcels from the MTA and purchase a large portion of bonds issued by the authority Despite this agreement Governor Volpe was still trying to nix the turnpike s plans along the Boston and Albany right of way filing the city of Newton s request with the ICC to stop the construction of the roadway It was only after a series of meetings between Volpe Callahan and Prudential executives that the governor was finally persuaded to withdraw the ICC filing and reluctantly support the toll road 71 With the new deal in place a not guilty finding in the criminal case and public relations pushback to the allegations of market tampering by the MTA the bond measures were once again seen as a sound investment and investors quickly picked up the 175 million equivalent to 1 25 billion in 2021 37 bond issuance 70 69 With the turnpike Prudential agreement in place Logue was able to petition the General Court to once again authorize a land taking deal and tax deferment bill which was passed rather quickly and signed by then Governor Foster Furcolo While this new bill was again deemed unconstitutional by the SJC in its decision the General Court provided a framework for the legislature to construct a bill that would pass constitutional muster The bill also gave Logue s BRA considerable powers over the redevelopment project allowing him to rapidly move forward with permit approvals and tax issues 65 70 The turnpike Prudential deal linked with the Logue and the BRA s new powers to move the project forward quickly quieted much of the remaining opposition to the new roadway and cemented the idea of air right development as an integral part of the turnpike moving forward 72 By 1965 the Massachusetts Turnpike had been connected to the Central Artery and the Prudential Center was on its way to completion however Callahan did not live to see this On April 24 1964 he died of a massive heart attack at his home 73 The year 1968 saw the beginning of the first major expansion of the turnpike after the completion of the Boston extension in 1965 While the original design of the roadway called for an eight lane expressway along the majority of the route it was only constructed as a four lane roadway along most of its length until it reached the junction of Route 9 in Framingham where the roadway expanded to six lanes Starting in 1968 the highway from the I 84 interchange in Sturbridge to Route 9 was widened from its original four lanes to six that widening project was completed around 1971 However the mainline right of way was constructed to allow future expansion of the roadway with most bridges over the highway built with the eight lane roadway in mind so few bridges had to be rebuilt when it was widened in the late 1960s Big Dig Edit When designing the Central Artery Tunnel Project CA T Project Big Dig in the 1970s and 1980s the horror stories regarding urban renewal projects such as the construction of the old viaduct in the 1950s weighed heavy on the minds of Frederick P Salvucci and his team It was realized early on that the commonwealth could not just lay waste to parts of the city and pave them over the state would have to ensure that construction would balance the needs of the highways against the livability of the city and neighborhoods the project would pass through Mitigation efforts would be of utmost importance in moving ahead with the project 74 75 Governor Francis Sargent had shut down any ideas of further freeway construction within the Route 128 beltway in 1970 thereby canceling both the I 695 inner belt and the Southwest Corridor freeway projects placing more emphasis on the already completed Boston extension of I 90 the extension of I 93 into Boston and the work to eventually depress Boston s Central Artery below ground level as the only unbuilt freeway related construction projects inside of Route 128 that would be allowed to go forward 76 The notions of using existing rights of way or areas where neighborhood displacement would be minimized were applied to the second extension of the turnpike as part of the Big Dig Salvucci deliberately planned to bring the East Boston Extension through areas with little or no occupancy or those properties already owned by the commonwealth As a result East Boston saw almost no takings of buildings or homes through eminent domain or the destruction of neighborhoods because construction was relegated to the then unoccupied areas of the Seaport District and Logan International Airport Like the first turnpike extension the connection of the turnpike to East Boston was also designed to provide an economic stimulus to the city this one to revitalize the desolate Seaport District 75 Diagram of the highway system in Downtown Boston before and after completion of the Big Dig The MTA managed the Big Dig which rerouted the elevated Central Artery into the O Neill Tunnel through Downtown Boston and extended the turnpike beyond its terminus at the Central Artery into the Ted Williams Tunnel and connected it to Route 1A beyond Logan International Airport Construction began in 1991 and the final extension of the turnpike was opened in 2003 It was for the financial needs of the project that the Metropolitan Highway System was created with the turnpike east of Route 128 the Ted Williams Sumner and Callahan tunnels under Boston Harbor and I 93 from Southampton Street through the O Neill Tunnel and the Zakim Bridge to the foot of the Tobin Bridge 77 Finances for the Western Turnpike and the Boston Extension continue to be handled separately with this reorganization Ceiling collapse Edit See also Big Dig ceiling collapse Boston traffic crawling over the closed Ted Williams Tunnel entrance during rush hour one day after the ceiling collapse In response to a fatality caused by the collapse of the ceiling of the eastbound I 90 connector tunnel approaching the Ted Williams Tunnel on July 10 2006 and in response to MTA Chair Matthew J Amorello s refusal at the time to resign Romney took legal steps to have Amorello forcibly removed as head of the MTA 78 This effort culminated in Amorello s resignation on August 15 2006 The next day John Cogliano was sworn in as the new chair of the MTA by Romney 79 On November 27 2006 departing Attorney General Thomas Reilly Democrat announced the state would launch a civil suit over the collapse of the ceiling in the Ted Williams Tunnel The commonwealth sought to recover over 150 million equivalent to 197 million in 2021 37 from project manager Bechtel Parsons Brinckerhoff builder Modern Continental and the manufacturer of the epoxy used to hold the ceiling bolts needs update 80 81 82 83 Infill exits Edit In addition to the exits opened during construction of the Boston Extension two infill exits were opened between existing interchanges on the Western Turnpike Exit 106 former exit 11A in Hopkinton connects the turnpike with I 495 and enables transit between northern New England and Cape Cod it was opened in 1969 84 Exit 94 former exit 10A in Millbury connects the turnpike to Route 146 and US 20 via the Route 20 Connector which in turn facilitates movement between Worcester and Providence Rhode Island construction began in 1996 and was opened in 1998 before being completed in 1999 85 Air rights Edit See also List of structures built on top of freeways Massachusetts Star Market briefly Shaw s Supermarket was built over the turnpike in Newtonville Much of the air space air rights over the Boston Extension has been leased to third parties for commercial development This concept was originally designed to knit together communities that were divided by the new highway 86 since the turnpike had been described as wider and more divisive to the city than the original Central Artery 87 More recently the income received from the leased air rights have been used for paying off the Big Dig 87 There are 23 parcels of air space over the highway the majority of which have not been developed 88 Among other objectives guidelines established by the Civic Vision for Turnpike Air Rights in Boston in 2000 recommend that the proposed use of the parcels foster increased use and capacity of public transportation and reinforce the vitality and quality of life in adjacent neighborhoods 89 The Star Market briefly renamed Shaw s Supermarket in Newtonville is the earliest example of commercial construction over the turnpike In the 1960s the MTA intended to route the highway through the parking lot of the supermarket s previous location in the city this alignment was ultimately approved by the SJC under the condition that a replacement Star Market was allowed to be built above the turnpike 90 Other projects developed through air rights include the Newton Plaza Hotel in Newton 91 92 the Copley Place shopping mall in Boston 92 93 and the Prudential Center in Boston 92 94 Proposals for future air rights projects include the mixed use Fenway Center 95 and an extension of the Boston University campus near Boston University Bridge 96 After four decades of no new developments in August 2020 construction began on Parcel 12 and construction was expected to begin within the month at Fenway Center pending a final agreement with MassDOT 97 leading to planned closure of one lane in each direction for a year 98 Parcel 12 99 is between Newbury Street Boylston Street and the west side of Massachusetts Avenue and is expected to feature a 13 story Citizen M hotel a 20 story office tower including the headquarters of CarGurus a reconstructed bus shelter a public park street level retail and a new entrance to the Hynes Convention Center station of the Green Line subway 97 The developer of Parcel 13 on the east side of Massachusetts Avenue along Boylston Street submitted updated plans in February 2020 with 17 stories of condos hotel parking and public space 100 An approved plan for Parcel 15 known as 1000 Boylston Street was canceled by the developer in August 2019 101 with the dissolution resulting in a lawsuit 102 Future EditProposed exits Edit For decades there has been discussion about a potential new interchange with Route 56 in Oxford This new interchange would be located between exit 78 old exit 9 in Sturbridge and exit 90 old exit 10 in Auburn Former Leicester selectman Thomas V Brennan Jr created the idea for this potential new exit in 1996 and he continued to advocate for the idea into the late 2000s 103 104 In 2011 the Town of Oxford included the construction of a new interchange as a long term recommendation in their municipal transportation plan construction estimates were 60 million to 75 million equivalent to 78 4 million to 90 4 million in 2021 37 105 The construction of an exit between exit 10 former exit 2 in Lee and exit 41 former exit 3 in Westfield separated by a 30 mile 48 km gap has been controversial since the 1960s 106 The state conducted a study to determine the feasibility of such a project in 2018 106 land occupied by a service plaza and a maintenance facility both in Blandford and Algerie Road in Otis have been suggested as locations for a potential exit 107 Allston interchange Edit The I 90 Allston Multimodal Project 108 is a plan to replace a deteriorating viaduct in Allston by redeveloping the turnpike through the land of the former CSX Transportation s Beacon Park Yard which is now owned by Harvard University 109 110 along with improvements to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority s Framingham Worcester Line 111 112 The preliminary design plan called for the turnpike to be realigned at grade and off the existing viaduct and for the adjacent Soldiers Field Road to be partially realigned onto a new viaduct above the turnpike and off of the existing at grade roadbed The design is of a considerably smaller footprint than the existing configuration this would facilitate the construction of the proposed West Station and the expansion of Harvard University on land where the existing viaduct is located 113 The design phase was expected to be completed in 2019 and with a planned ground breaking in 2020 114 In September 2021 after much public criticism of the viaduct and river impact during construction a new final design was announced which keeps the turnpike and Soldiers Field Road at grade In the narrowest portion of the project known as the throat the Charles River Bike Path will be put on a boardwalk over the river and roadway shoulders will be narrowed by a collective four feet for a short length to avoid any permanent filling of the river 115 116 This significantly delayed the project and As of January 2022 update preliminary design is in progress and modified project permits need to be obtained construction is expected to start in 2023 and last for 6 10 years 117 I 495 interchange Edit The I 495 I 90 Interchange Improvements Project is intended to realign exit 106 former exit 11A in Hopkinton where the existing interchange designed for the now demolished toll plazas is notoriously congested and accident prone during rush hour and holiday travel times 118 As of 2018 update MassDOT is examining three design proposals which have raised the suggestions of separate northbound southbound I 495 exits and the extension of acceleration lanes through exit 111 former exit 12 in Framingham The project initially was estimated to cost between 296 413 million and the design phase expected to be 25 percent complete by 2020 119 In July 2019 MassDOT announced that the state would be moving ahead with preferred design for overhaul of I 495 Mass Pike interchange consisting of a series of flyover ramps that would eliminate the interweaving of traffic that causes bottlenecks and crashes at the interchange The state expects that the construction would begin in 2022 and run through 2026 at an estimated cost of approximately 296 4 million 120 Government oversight Edit The Massachusetts Turnpike near the Chicopee exit Since 2001 the MTA had come under fire from state politicians in a fight for control of the quasistate agency Beginning in 2001 former Massachusetts acting Governor Jane Swift Republican attempted to fire Christy Mihos a former turnpike board member and Jordan Levy the vice chair of the board Mihos and Levy had cast votes on the board to postpone a toll hike Swift objected saying such a delay was fiscally irresponsible and saying the two men interfered with the effective daily management of the Authority 121 Mihos and Levy refused to step down and sued Swift to retain their positions The SJC ruled that the turnpike was not part of the machinery of the government and therefore not subject to Swift s decisions 122 Governor Mitt Romney elected in 2002 during a fiscal crisis ran on a political platform of streamlining state government and eliminating waste Part of this was the elimination of the MTA Romney wanted to fold the turnpike into the Massachusetts Highway Department MassHighway the state highway department operated under the Executive Office of Transportation A first step to this was to replace the chair of the board Matthew J Amorello with someone loyal to the governor The governor has the power to appoint members to the board but the SJC advised in an advisory opinion that nothing in G L c 81A explicitly provides for the removal and reassignment of the chairperson to the position of member 123 124 Romney put pressure on Amorello to step down Amorello announced he would do so in 2007 after Romney would have left office Romney continued to press the legislature to give him the power to remove members from the board specifically the chairman pointing to a series of financial and construction mishaps over the last several years However the legislature instead sought to keep Amorello on board by extending the terms of various board members to prevent Romney from removing Amorello 125 Under a plan to save state funds the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles RMV announced plans to close eleven of its branches in leased locations and move the operations into facilities owned by MassHighway and the MTA located in toll plazas visitor centers and offices RMV branch closings were planned for Framingham Lowell North Attleborough Cambridgeside Galleria Mall in Cambridge New Bedford Eastfield Mall in Springfield Southbridge Falmouth Eastham Beverly and Boston 126 Also a portion of the newly increased sales tax in the state averted a planned toll increase The MTA will receive approximately 100 million from the state general fund over the next few years alleviating the need for the toll hike 127 Under legislation signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick on June 26 2009 the turnpike was folded into a new superagency that controls all surface transportation in the state The new agency MassDOT operates all highways formerly under MassHighway and the MTA as well as eight urban roadways formerly owned and maintained by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation DCR 128 In addition MassDOT oversees the RMV the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority MBTA regional transit authorities and the state aeronautics commission 129 The new transportation department began operations on November 1 2009 130 failed verification The MTA also owned the Callahan and Sumner tunnels the other two road connections between Downtown Boston and East Boston under Boston Harbor 131 Upon completion of the Big Dig including the O Neill Tunnel segment of I 93 were transferred to its control 132 The authority received no state or federal government funding Its revenues came from tolls leases on air rights and service areas and advertising Its assets were all transferred to the new MassDOT agency as part of the restructuring of agencies 133 Highway shield Edit Original logo Previous incarnation of the pilgrim hat seen on a shield for the Sumner Tunnel The original logo depicted Paul Revere on horseback with the words Massachusetts Turnpike Authority in a circle around him One incarnation of the pilgrim hat shield had a Native American arrow sticking through the pilgrim hat It was replaced with a plain hat and the words Mass Pike in 1989 It has been reported variously that the sign was changed due to confusion among motorists who sometimes mistakenly turned in the direction the arrow pointed right when attempting to enter the turnpike 134 or that it was the result of a letter campaign describing the signs as offensive to Native Americans 135 According to MTA board member Mary Z Connaughton s blog entry for the Boston Herald all of the pilgrim hat signage unique to the turnpike will be eliminated 136 However in a personal correspondence with AARoads com s road blog a MassDOT official said that usage of the hat would actually increase When guide signs on I 95 and I 495 are replaced the Mass Pike signage will be replaced with pilgrim hat shields 137 Exit list EditWhile Massachusetts has used sequential exit numbers since 1964 138 the 2009 edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices required that all US states submit plans to transition to milepost based exit numbering by 2012 139 All exits on the turnpike were expected to be renumbered following this convention with two sign replacement projects scheduled for completion by 2018 the contractors were ultimately instructed to install the new signs with the existing numbers albeit with wider exit tabs that would accommodate larger two and three digit exit numbers should the conversion take place in the future 140 In November 2019 MassDOT announced that statewide milepost based exit renumbering would begin in Western Massachusetts in summer 2020 141 The work began along I 90 during the week of December 13 2020 starting from Weston I 95 and working westward before renumbering the exits inside I 95 and toward the airport 142 The work was completed in one month 143 CountyLocation 144 mi 144 kmOld exitNew exit 145 Destinations 145 NotesBerkshireWest Stockbridge0 0000 000 I 90 Toll west Berkshire Connector west to I 87 Toll AlbanyContinuation into New York2 7364 40313 Route 41 to Route 102 West StockbridgeWestbound exit and eastbound entranceLee8 513 7Lee Service Plaza10 0116 11Lee Toll Gantry 42 10 59217 046210 US 20 Lee PittsfieldTo Route 102 and US 7HampdenBlandford26 2542 25Blandford Toll Gantry 42 29 046 7Blandford Service PlazaWestfield40 43465 072341 US 202 Route 10 Westfield Northampton40 8665 76Westfield Toll Gantry 42 West Springfield45 74073 611445 I 91 US 5 Springfield HolyokeExit 11 on I 91Chicopee49 04178 924549 Route 33 Chicopee Holyoke51 15482 324651 I 291 west Springfield Hartford CTExit 7 on I 291Ludlow54 78088 160754 Route 21 Ludlow Belchertown55 689 5Ludlow Service Plaza57 6892 83Ludlow Toll Gantry 42 Palmer62 641100 811863 Route 32 to US 20 Palmer WareWorcesterWarren69 78112 30Warren Toll Gantry 42 Sturbridge78 300126 012978 I 84 west to US 20 Sturbridge Hartford CT New York CityEastern terminus of I 84Charlton80 3129 2Charlton Service Plaza eastbound 83 1133 7Charlton Toll Gantry 42 83 8134 9Charlton Service Plaza westbound Auburn90 049144 9201090 I 290 east Route 12 I 395 south US 20 Auburn Worcester Norwich CTExit 12 on I 290Millbury93 642150 70210A94 Route 146 US 20 Route 122A Worcester Providence RIExit 18 on Route 14696 343155 0491196 Route 122 Millbury WorcesterTo Route 30 and Route 140Westborough104 6168 3Westborough Service Plaza westbound only MiddlesexHopkinton104 86168 76Hopkinton Toll Gantry 42 106 236170 97011A106 I 495 Lowell Portsmouth NH Taunton Cape CodExit 58 on I 495WorcesterSouthborough109 07175 53Southborough Toll Gantry 42 MiddlesexFramingham111 181178 92812111 Route 9 Framingham Southborough113 92183 34Framingham Toll Gantry 42 114 4184 1Framingham Service Plaza westbound only 116 600187 65013117 Route 30 Natick FraminghamNatick117 6189 3Natick Service Plaza Fast Lane Service Center eastbound only Weston120 21193 46Weston Toll Gantry 42 122 600197 30614123 I 95 Route 128 Portsmouth NH Providence RIEastbound exit and westbound entrance exit 39B on I 9515A123A I 95 Route 128 Waltham Providence RIWestbound exit and eastbound entrance exit 39B on I 95123 458198 68615B123B To Route 30 WestonWestbound exit shared ramp with exit 123A former exit 15A until 2017Newton125 207201 50116125 Route 16 West Newton WellesleyWestbound exit and eastbound entrance126 18203 07Newtonville Toll Gantry 42 127 553205 27717127Newton WatertownSuffolkBoston130 04209 28West Allston Toll Gantry 42 130 991210 81018 20131Allston Brighton CambridgeLefthand eastbound exit Formerly signed as Exit 18 for eastbound traffic and Exit 20 for westbound traffic 130 991210 81019U turn to BostonWestbound U turn only share ramp with exit 131 westbound131 15211 07East Allston Toll Gantry 42 132 863213 82221 Route 2A Massachusetts Avenue Westbound entrance only132 889213 864West end of Prudential Tunnel133 344214 59622133Dartmouth Street Prudential Center Copley SquareEastbound exit and westbound entrance Access to Route 9 West 133 586214 98622AClarendon StreetFormer westbound entrance only permanently closed on September 3 2019 146 133 576214 970East end of Prudential Tunnel133 876215 45323Arlington StreetWestbound entrance only134 315216 15924A134ASouth StationEastbound exit only access via Atlantic Avenue24B134B I 93 north Concord NHEastbound exit only exit 16 on I 9324C134C I 93 south QuincyEastbound exit and westbound entrance exit 16A on I 9324134 I 93 Concord NH QuincyWestbound exit and entrance only134 275216 095Fort Point Channel Tunnel under Fort Point Channel134 773216 89625135South BostonAccess via Congress Street136219Ted Williams Tunnel 42 under Boston Harbor137 239220 86526137 Logan AirportEastbound exit only138 15222 33 Route 1A north RevereNational eastern terminus of I 901 000 mi 1 609 km 1 000 km 0 621 mi Closed former Electronic toll collection Incomplete accessReferences Edit State Numbered Routes with Milepoints in District 4 PDF Commonwealth of Massachusetts Archived from the original PDF on July 19 2011 Retrieved June 21 2017 Hazardous material route designation Mass gov Archived from the original on January 16 2018 Retrieved January 15 2018 Open Road Toll Structure Now On Mass Pike In Weston WBZ TV January 4 2016 Archived from the original on November 26 2017 Retrieved June 19 2017 a b c d e Cambridge Systematics January 28 2010 Massachusetts Turnpike Metropolitan Highway System PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original PDF on October 20 2015 Retrieved June 19 2017 Massachusetts SuperGraphic U Haul Archived from the original on April 5 2018 Retrieved February 17 2023 Adderly Kevin January 15 2014 Table 3 Interstate Routes in Each of the 50 States District of Columbia and Puerto Rico Route Log and Finder List Federal Highway Administration Archived from the original on April 30 2014 Retrieved May 20 2014 Eisenhower Interstate Highway System Previous Facts of the Day 50th Anniversary Interstate System Highway History Federal Highway Administration February 27 2019 Archived from the original on August 8 2020 Retrieved August 20 2021 O Brien Tim March 25 2010 Thruway connector s name spurs question Times Union Hearst Corporation Archived from the original on July 18 2016 Retrieved 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2016 Retrieved June 21 2017 Daniel Mac October 10 2006 Ending Pike tolls is called illegal The Boston Globe Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved June 21 2017 Johnson Glen Patrick Planning to Dismantle Mass Turnpike MetroWest Daily News Framingham Massachusetts Associated Press Archived from the original on April 23 2021 Retrieved April 23 2021 a b Thompson Elaine January 23 2016 All Electronic Tolling Begins Installation on Mass Pike Telegram amp Gazette Worcester Massachusetts Archived from the original on September 1 2016 Retrieved September 5 2016 Finucane Martin January 21 2009 Fast Lane transponders will be free but users will see a new fee The Boston Globe Archived from the original on January 24 2009 Retrieved April 3 2010 Bierman Noah April 22 2009 After Easter snafus Pike puts toll taker layoffs on hold The Boston Globe Archived from the original on April 25 2009 Retrieved April 3 2010 Fast Lane Transponders Are Now Fee Free WBZ TV Archived from the original on April 28 2009 Retrieved August 6 2009 Burke Isaac July 1 2016 Mass Pike prepares to phase out toll booths Daily Hampshire Gazette Archived from the original on December 8 2016 Retrieved June 22 2017 Chesto Jon May 10 2012 Massachusetts pulls out of the Fast Lane in favor of E ZPass Wicked Local Archived from the original on June 11 2017 Retrieved June 22 2017 a b Flint Anthony October 24 2003 Turnpike users may get a free toll device The Boston Globe Archived from the original on February 22 2018 Retrieved June 22 2017 a b c d e f g Johnston Louis Williamson Samuel H 2023 What Was the U S GDP Then MeasuringWorth Retrieved January 1 2023 United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series Mass Pike Electronic Tolling What You Should Know CBS Boston October 27 2016 Archived from the original on June 9 2017 Retrieved June 22 2017 O Connell Scott June 16 2012 Mass Pike says goodbye to Fast Lane The MetroWest Daily News GateHouse Media Archived from the 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Road Tolling Coming Soon Time to Get an E ZPass Chicopee Massachusetts WWLP TV Archived from the original on August 9 2016 Retrieved August 9 2016 Highway Division August 22 2016 All Electronic Tolling Toll Plaza Demolition and Roadway Reconstruction PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original PDF on August 24 2016 Retrieved September 5 2016 Rocheleau Matt August 22 2016 How Much Will Your New Mass Pike Toll Be The Boston Globe Archived from the original on August 26 2016 Retrieved September 5 2016 Bombard Noah R July 19 2016 Yes Those New Electronic Toll Gantries on the Mass Pike Are Clocking Your Speed MassLive Archived from the original on August 10 2016 Retrieved August 9 2016 Rocheleau Matt August 22 2016 New Mass Gantries Can Send Authorities Alerts The Boston Globe Archived from the original on August 25 2016 Retrieved September 5 2016 Tsipis Yanni 2002 Building the Mass Pike Mount Pleasant South Carolina Arcadia Publishing pp 9 10 ISBN 0738509728 Berkman Toby 1998 Six Lanes Five Miles a Decade of Construction The Concord Review p 200 Tsipis 2002 pp 7 8 a b c Baystate Notes Spending Record The New York Times November 5 1958 page needed Tsipis Yanni 2003 Building 128 Mount Pleasant South Carolina Arcadia Publishing pp 8 9 ISBN 0738511633 Tsipis 2002 pp 27 28 Berkman 1998 pp 180 181 Tsipis 2002 pp 27 29 Kennedy Lawrence 1994 Planning the City Upon a Hill Boston Since 1630 3rd ed Boston University of Massachusetts Press p 168 ISBN 0870239236 a b Tsipis 2002 pp 47 48 Britten full citation needed Berkman 1998 pp 170 173 Berkman 1998 pp 177 181 Fenton full citation needed Lovett Laura African American community of Newton has long legacy Newton TAB Archived from the original on January 22 2021 Retrieved December 11 2020 a b c d e f Aloisi James October 3 2013 Collins and Logue a formidable team CommonWealth Magazine Archived from the original on September 11 2014 Retrieved September 11 2014 Kennedy 1994 pp 172 173 Aloisi James October 26 2013 The New Boston was a mix of good and bad CommonWealth Magazine Archived from the original on September 11 2014 Retrieved September 11 2014 Kennedy 1994 p 172 a b Berkman 1998 pp 188 a b c d Lewis Anthony June 20 1961 Massachusetts Turnpike Chief Criticized in Rising Scandals The New York Times p 1 Archived from the original on September 22 2019 Retrieved August 5 2020 Tsipis 2002 p 48 Berkman 1998 pp 188 189 Funeral full citation needed DOT full citation needed a b Altshuler p 95 96 full citation needed Great Projects The Building of America Interviews PBS www pbs org Archived from the original on August 7 2016 Retrieved August 5 2020 MGL Chapter 81A Section 3 Archived from the original on July 26 2010 Retrieved February 21 2009 Lehigh Scot July 14 2006 Amorello now adrift The Boston Globe Archived from the original on September 7 2008 Retrieved August 20 2008 Cogliano Sworn In as New Turnpike Chief WCVB TV August 16 2006 Archived from the original on September 30 2007 Retrieved October 27 2009 Herbst Svea November 28 2006 Mass to sue Big Dig firms over tunnel accident Reuters Archived from the original on December 5 2019 Retrieved December 5 2019 Murphy Sean P Estes Andrea July 11 2007 Wide risk wide blame The Boston Globe Archived from the original on July 25 2012 Retrieved October 9 2009 Saltzman Jonathan November 15 2008 Companies to settle for 26m in tunnel collapse The Boston Globe Archived from the original on October 24 2012 Retrieved October 9 2009 Finucane Martin March 27 2009 AG settles with final two firms in fatal collapse of Big Dig tunnel The Boston Globe Archived from the original on March 28 2009 Retrieved October 9 2009 Historic Overview Boston Roads Archived from the original on April 18 2019 Retrieved April 18 2019 Worcester s Link to the MassPike An Update on the Route 146 Connector PDF Worcester Regional Research Bureau May 15 2003 Archived PDF from the original on April 18 2019 Retrieved April 18 2019 Why Develop Air Rights PDF The Boston Informer Archived PDF from the original on September 25 2018 Retrieved June 21 2017 a b Mass Pike Air Rights The Boston Globe Archived from the original on October 28 2016 Retrieved June 21 2017 ARCH 7130 Research Studio March 14 2013 Air Rights by Northeastern School of Architecture Issuu Archived from the original on December 13 2014 Retrieved June 21 2017 Civic Vision for Turnpike Air Rights in Boston Boston Redevelopment Authority March 3 2003 Archived from the original on February 3 2004 Retrieved June 21 2017 Herwick III Edgar May 24 2017 How Did That Star Market End Up Over The Massachusetts Turnpike WGBH Archived from the original on June 24 2017 Retrieved June 21 2017 Sheraton over Mass Pike becomes a Crowne Plaza The Boston Globe June 26 2009 Archived from the original on August 6 2017 Retrieved June 21 2017 a b c DePaola Frank March 15 2013 Tunnel Inspection and Testing Protocol For Roadways Covered by Air Rights Developments PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original PDF on July 21 2017 Retrieved June 21 2017 Palmer Thomas March 19 2006 Building on the Pike The Boston Globe Archived from the original on August 6 2017 Retrieved June 21 2017 Treffeisen Beth October 28 2016 Project Over Turnpike Moves Closer to Reality Beth Treffeisen Photography Archived from the original on August 6 2017 Retrieved June 21 2017 Acitelli Tom October 24 2016 Fenway Center could finally get going next year Curbed Archived from the original on August 6 2017 Retrieved June 21 2017 BU says campus future is up in the air The Daily Free Press Boston University May 6 2008 Archived from the original on July 24 2011 Retrieved June 21 2017 a b It s been 40 years since someone has built over the Mass Pike Until now The Boston Globe Archived from the original on August 14 2020 Retrieved August 24 2020 Get Ready For A Year Of Traffic Restrictions On The Pike Through Back Bay www wbur org Archived from the original on August 24 2020 Retrieved August 24 2020 Parcel 12 Boston Planning amp Development Agency Archived from the original on August 5 2020 Retrieved August 24 2020 Acitelli Tom February 10 2020 Massachusetts Turnpike project at Boylston Street and Mass Ave comes back to life Curbed Boston Archived from the original on October 25 2020 Retrieved August 24 2020 Acitelli Tom August 19 2019 Back Bay s 1000 Boylston Street a no go over the Massachusetts Turnpike Curbed Boston Archived from the original on October 12 2020 Retrieved August 24 2020 A desperate plea to save a development project Who is ever going to trust me again The Boston Globe Archived from the original on July 14 2020 Retrieved August 24 2020 Lilyestrom Betty March 6 2008 State urged to consider new Pike exit Telegram amp Gazette Worcester Massachusetts Archived from the original on February 26 2023 Retrieved February 26 2023 Lilyestrom Betty January 9 2008 Pike entrance proposal for Route 56 resurrected Telegram amp Gazette Worcester Massachusetts Archived from the original on February 26 2023 Retrieved February 26 2023 Oxford Transportation Plan PDF Town of Oxford Massachusetts April 2011 Retrieved February 26 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Kinney Jim May 9 2018 Exit 2 5 next right Where could a new Massachusetts Turnpike exit go between Westfield and Lee MassLive Archived from the original on July 21 2018 Retrieved July 20 2018 Kinney Jim September 11 2018 MassDOT narrows possible sites for new Massachusetts Turnpike exit MassLive Archived from the original on September 20 2018 Retrieved September 19 2018 Murray Timothy P September 6 2020 State must get Pike project right for Central Mass Telegram amp Gazette Worcester Massachusetts Archived from the original on June 22 2021 Retrieved June 16 2022 Delawala Imtiyaz H June 30 2000 University Wins Land Auction With 151M Bid The Harvard Crimson Archived from the original on June 13 2022 Retrieved June 16 2022 Dyer John February 14 2011 Land at a premium railroad exploits its air space The Boston Globe Archived from the original on March 8 2022 Retrieved June 16 2022 Allston Multimodal Project Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original on January 9 2020 Retrieved January 10 2020 Sperance Cameron October 12 2017 Harvard s Boston Real Estate Move Has Made It An Allston University With A Cambridge Campus Bisnow Archived from the original on June 29 2018 Retrieved June 28 2018 Vaccaro Adam January 10 2019 Mass Pike in Allston Soldiers Field Road are set for a major overhaul The Boston Globe Archived from the original on January 21 2019 Retrieved January 20 2019 I 90 Allston Interchange Improvement Project Update Massachusetts Department of Transportation November 14 2017 Archived from the original on June 25 2018 Retrieved June 28 2018 Lisinski Chris September 30 2021 At Grade Option Recommended For Allston Megaproject Boston WBUR FM State House News Service Archived from the original on January 7 2022 Retrieved April 12 2022 Mohl Bruce September 29 2021 State embraces all at grade Allston project Archived from the original on January 7 2022 Retrieved January 7 2022 About the Allston Multimodal Project Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original on January 3 2022 Retrieved January 7 2022 Project background I 495 I 90 interchange improvements Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original on April 20 2019 Retrieved April 19 2019 Phelps Jonathan October 10 2018 Three designs for turnpike 495 interchange rise to the top Telegram amp Gazette Worcester Massachusetts Archived from the original on April 20 2019 Retrieved April 19 2019 Malachowski Jeff July 26 2019 State officials unveil preferred design for overhaul of I 495 Mass Pike interchange Telegram amp Gazette Worcester Massachusetts Archived from the original on March 26 2020 Retrieved January 10 2020 Jordan Levy amp another vs the Acting Governor amp another November 19 2001 Archived from the original on July 9 2012 Retrieved July 13 2007 Jordan Levy amp another vs the Acting Governor amp another SJC 08730 May 7 2002 Archived from the original on October 18 2015 Retrieved July 2 2007 Answer of the justices to the governor June 29 2005 Archived from the original on May 15 2011 Retrieved July 2 2007 Request for Advisory Opinion A 108 SJC 09461 June 29 2005 Archived from the original on October 18 2015 Retrieved July 2 2007 Murphy Sean P June 2 2006 Budget amendment in Senate would let Amorello keep job The Boston Globe Archived from the original on June 14 2006 Retrieved August 21 2008 Riley David Riley July 3 2009 Registry to close Framingham branch 10 other locations The MetroWest Daily News Retrieved August 1 2009 Masspike toll hike scrapped WWLP Associated Press June 29 2009 Archived from the original on September 27 2011 Retrieved August 1 2009 Chapter 25 of the Acts of 2009 The 186th General Court of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Archived from the original on October 7 2012 Retrieved November 5 2009 Governor Patrick signs bill to dramatically reform transportation system Commonwealth of Massachusetts June 26 2009 Archived from the original on June 30 2009 Retrieved August 1 2009 About Us Commonwealth of Massachusetts Archived from the original on September 13 2018 Retrieved November 3 2009 Office of Transportation Planning January 12 2007 Jurisdiction of Roads in District 4 PDF Map 1 95 040 Boston Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation Archived from the original PDF on June 15 2007 The Big Dig Archived from the original on December 13 2009 Retrieved October 4 2014 Schworm Peter October 16 2009 End of the road for Mass Pike The Boston Globe Archived from the original on July 23 2012 Retrieved November 3 2009 Montgomery M R February 28 1991 Redrawing the Native American Image The Boston Globe p 69 Archived from the original on July 18 2014 Retrieved April 3 2010 Too many tourists non English readers and reflexive drivers were always turning right following the politically incorrect arrow to nowhere Bazinet Kenneth R November 22 1989 Mass Turnpike to Change Logo Teacher Class Get Arrow Out of Pilgrim s Hat Schenectady Gazette p A8 Archived from the original on July 29 2022 Retrieved December 25 2019 via Google News Connaughton Mary Z July 21 2009 Hats off Governor Boston Herald Archived from the original on September 18 2012 Retrieved August 1 2009 Mass Turnpike Authority to be absorbed by new Mass Surface Trans Authority Archived from the original on October 6 2014 Retrieved October 4 2014 Clauss Kyle Scott April 8 2016 Many Massachusetts Highway Exit Numbers Could Soon Change Boston Magazine Archived from the original on June 29 2018 Retrieved June 28 2018 Thompson Elaine March 19 2016 Watchdog Report No signs yet from state on exit conversion launch Telegram amp Gazette Worcester Massachusetts Archived from the original on June 29 2018 Retrieved June 28 2018 Malme Robert H Misc Massachusetts Highway Photos MassDOT Exit Renumbering Project 2016 Massachusetts Highways for the 21st Century Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved July 13 2018 self published source Milepost based Exit Renumbering PDF Massachusetts Department of Transportation December 5 2019 Archived PDF from the original on December 7 2019 Retrieved December 5 2019 Levin Jake December 13 2020 MassDOT Exit Renumbering Project Begins Sunday NBC Boston Archived from the original on August 20 2021 Retrieved August 20 2021 Interactive Map Mass Pike Exit Renumbering Springfield Massachusetts WWLP December 22 2020 Archived from the original on August 20 2021 Retrieved August 20 2021 a b Planning Division Massachusetts Route Log Application Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original on August 26 2014 Retrieved August 22 2014 a b Massachusetts Department of Transportation Exit Numbers and Names Route I 90 West Stockbridge to Boston Massachusetts Department of Transportation Archived from the original on May 27 2016 Retrieved June 13 2016 Crash plagued Clarendon Street Mass Pike permanently closed Boston WCVB TV September 3 2019 Archived from the original on September 3 2019 Retrieved September 3 2019 Further reading EditIngraham Joseph C May 24 1959 Boston to Chicago New Section of Thruway Completes Express Route Between Cities Boston to Chicago The New York Times Archived from the original on July 22 2018 Retrieved July 22 2018 Tsipis Yanni K 2001 Boston s Central Artery Charleston South Carolina Arcadia Publishing ISBN 0738505269 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massachusetts Turnpike Route map KML file edit help Template Attached KML Massachusetts TurnpikeKML is from Wikidata Interstate 90Previous state New York Massachusetts Next state Terminus Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Massachusetts Turnpike amp oldid 1141979049, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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