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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Massachusetts Route 16

Route 16 is a 59.8646-mile-long (96.3427 km) east–west state highway in Massachusetts. It begins in the west at an intersection with Route 12 and Route 193 in Webster, just north of the Connecticut state border. It runs in a generally southwest-northeast routing through a number of Boston's suburbs and runs to the west and then north of the city before ending in Revere at an intersection with Route 1A and Route 60.

Much of Route 16 east of the Newton-Wellesley town line, and especially from Cambridge eastward, is a multi-lane parkway, although it is not limited access for any significant length of road. Segments of Route 16 are also known as the Mystic Valley Parkway, the Alewife Brook Parkway, and the Revere Beach Parkway, among other names.

From the western end of the Route 135 concurrency in Wellesley to Route 30 (Commonwealth Avenue) in Newton, the route serves as a part of the Boston Marathon, from the halfway point to just before Mile 18 and the hills.

Route description

Westbound entering Wellesley

Webster to Milford

Route 16 begins at Routes 12 and 193, not far from the Connecticut border. In Webster, along the shore of Lake Chaubunagungamaug, it intersects I-395.

After passing I-395, the route continues to the northeast, going through Douglas (with a trip through the Douglas State Forest), the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, Uxbridge, Mendon, Hopedale, and Milford, where it crosses the Charles River and then passes beneath I-495 {without access}.

Milford to Newton

From I-495, Route 16 goes northeasterly past Holliston and the Elm Bank Reservation in Sherborn. The road then crosses into Natick, as Eliot Street, while traveling next to the Dover line, and goes through Wellesley (as Washington Street), where Wellesley College and Babson College are located. Entering Newton, the route travels past Lasell College while crossing into Middlesex County.

Newton to Revere

Eastbound entering Sherborn

In Newton Lower Falls, Route 16 crosses (to the north of the Charles River Reservation) Route 128 (Interstate 95) and Route 30. It later crosses I-90, the Massachusetts Turnpike (known colloquially as the Pike), in West Newton; Pike Exit 16 here provides access to and from the east only. After looping around over the interstate (with West Newton's commuter rail station immediately below), it enters Watertown shortly before again crossing the Charles River, and intersects U.S. Route 20 in Watertown Square. Route 16 also contains trolleybuses from Watertown Square station until the intersection with Brattle Street. The route passes by Mount Auburn Cemetery before entering Cambridge. Continuing east, Route 16 joins U.S. Route 3 and Route 2, turning north to pass by Fresh Pond and the large parking garage at the MBTA Alewife Station. From there, Route 2 splits off at the eastern end of the freeway portion of the Concord Turnpike, while Routes 3 and 16 continue north on Alewife Brook Parkway. Route 3 exits west at Massachusetts Avenue, while Route 16 continues north on the parkway into Somerville, meeting up with the Mystic Valley Parkway just south of the Mystic River.

Route 16 follows the Mystic Valley Parkway generally eastward, traveling beside the Mystic River downstream and eventually crossing it into Medford. It soon is joined from the north by Massachusetts Route 38, and shortly after enters a mile long freeway segment, bypassing downtown Medford (after recrossing the river), where Route 38 exits to the south on Main Street. Route 16 then crosses Interstate 93 in a series of ramps that include onramps to the north and south of I-93 from Route 16's eastbound lanes, and a ramp from I-93 southbound to Route 16 east. Route 16 then crosses the Mystic River again, reaching the Wellington Circle junction with Massachusetts Route 28 in Medford. This junction marks the end of the Mystic Valley Parkway and the beginning of the Revere Beach Parkway, on which Route 16 continues eastward, passing the Wellington MBTA station and crossing the Malden River. The route continues east through Everett (where it has an interchange with Massachusetts Route 99) and Chelsea, where it has an interchange with U.S. Route 1 at the border with Revere. The stretch between Wellington Circle and Route 1 is characterized by a fairly dense mixture of residential, industrial, and commercial uses, in contrast to the more residential and park-like settings of the section between Wellington and Route 2.

Continuing eastward from Route 1, eastbound Route 16 enters a second mile-long limited-access segment (while westbound Route 16 continues to have houses and other development along it, which are inaccessible from the eastbound lanes). Route 16 has an interchange with Massachusetts Route 107 at Cronin Park before heading north to a junction with Winthrop Ave, where the Revere Beach Parkway and Massachusetts Route 145 turn right. Route 16 goes a short way further north, before it ends near Revere Beach and the Atlantic Ocean at Timothy J. Mahoney Circle, a junction with Routes 1A and 60 in Revere.

History

Parts of Route 16 were historically maintained by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), and while the MDC no longer exists, the parkway portions of the route are still patrolled by the Massachusetts State Police and maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation as a remnant of the former MDC jurisdiction.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
WorcesterWebster0.000.00
Route 12 / Route 193 south – Webster, Putnam, CT, Oxford
Northern terminus of Route 193
0.200.32 I-395 – Norwich, CT, New London, CT, Oxford, WorcesterExit 3 on I-395; partial cloverleaf interchange
Douglas6.9111.12
Route 96 south – Harrisville, RI
Northern terminus of Route 96
Uxbridge12.2019.63 Route 146 – Providence, RI, Sutton, WorcesterExit 6 on Route 146; diamond interchange
14.4023.17 Route 122 (King Street) – Worcester, Northbridge, BlackstoneBrief concurrency with Route 122
Milford21.4034.44
Route 140 to I-495 – Bellingham, Shrewsbury
22.9036.85

Route 85 north to I-495 – Hopkinton
Southern terminus of Route 85
23.3037.50

Route 109 east to I-495 – Westwood, Boston
Western terminus of Route 109
MiddlesexHolliston27.3043.94
Route 126 south – West Medway, Woonsocket, RI
Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 126
29.6047.64
Route 126 north (Concord Street) – Framingham
Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 126
Sherborn33.0053.11
Route 27 south – Medfield
Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 27
33.3053.59
Route 27 north – Natick
Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 27
NorfolkWellesley39.1062.93
Route 135 west – Framingham, Hopkinton
Western terminus of concurrency with Route 135
39.3063.25
Route 135 east – Needham, Dedham
Eastern terminus of concurrency with Route 135
40.7065.50 Route 9 – Brookline, Boston, Framingham Center, WorcesterPartial interchange via Worcester and Grantland Roads
MiddlesexNewton42.2067.91 I-95 / Route 128 – Canton, Providence, RI, Portsmouth, NHExits 37A-B on I-95 / Route 128; partial cloverleaf interchange
43.4069.85 Route 30 (Commonwealth Avenue) – Weston, Framingham, Newton Center, Boston
44.0070.81
I-90 east / Mass Pike east – Boston
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 125 on I-90 / Mass Pike
Watertown46.8075.32 US 20 – Waltham, BrightonWatertown Square
Cambridge49.4079.50

US 3 south / Route 2 east – Boston
Southern terminus of concurrency with US 3 / Route 2
50.7081.59
Route 2 west (Cambridge Turnpike) – Concord
Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 2
51.1082.24
US 3 north / Route 2A (Massachusetts Avenue) – Arlington, Winchester, Lexington, Cambridge
Northern terminus of concurrency with US 3
Somerville52.1483.91Mystic Valley Parkway west – Arlington
Medford53.0085.30 Route 38 (College Avenue) – Somerville
53.5086.10
I-93 south – Boston
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 22 on I-93

I-93 north – Concord, NH
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit 22 on I-93
53.5986.24Powder House Square
55.3089.00 Route 28 (Fellsway) – Somerville, Boston, Malden, Reading
Everett56.1090.28 Route 99 (Broadway) – Malden, BostonDual rotary intersection, with Main Street; Sweetser Circle
SuffolkRevere58.5094.15
US 1 north – Saugus, Peabody
Interchange; eastbound exit and westbound entrance

US 1 south – Tobin Bridge, Boston
Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
58.8094.63
Route 107 north – Revere, Chelsea, Lynn
Interchange with Broadway; southern terminus of Route 107
59.695.9
Route 145 south (Revere Beach Parkway) – Revere Beach, Winthrop
Northern terminus of Route 145
59.864696.3427

Route 1A / Route 60 west to US 1 – Revere Beach, Lynn, Malden, New Hampshire, Maine, Sumner Tunnel, Boston
Rotary; eastern terminus of Route 60
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ "Office of Transportation Planning – 2005 Road Inventory". Executive Office of Transportation. 2005. Archived from the original on September 27, 2006. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  2. ^ Columbia Gazetteer of North America. "Chaubunagungamaug, Lake, Massachusetts (MA), United States". AllRefer.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  3. ^ "Parkway Maintenance Matrix" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
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