Route description

It begins at the Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 border in Dudley

Dudley, Massachusetts

Dudley is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,390 at the 2010 census.-History:Dudley was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732...

, where a short (less than 50 yards (45.7 m) long) unnumbered local road changes to MA-31. Through Dudley and Charlton

Charlton, Massachusetts

Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,981 at the 2010 census.- History :Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated off from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and became a Town in 1775 by a law that made all...

, it is known as Dresser Hill Road. Dresser Hill road winds over Dresser Hill, with several moderately steep grades and some tight corners.

In Charlton, it intersects U.S. Route 20

U.S. Route 20

U.S. Route 20 is an east–west United States highway. As the "0" in its route number implies, US 20 is a coast-to-coast route. Spanning , it is the longest road in the United States, and the route sparsely parallels Interstate 90...

 a few miles east of the US-20/Massachusetts Turnpike

Massachusetts Turnpike

The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...

 & I-84

Interstate 84 (east)

Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway extending from Dunmore, Pennsylvania at an interchange with Interstate 81 to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, at an interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike . I-84 has mile-log junction numbering in Pennsylvania; otherwise, exit numbers are roughly sequential...

 interchange. This provides its only connection with an interstate highway. In Charlton, it is known as Masonic Home Road and Brookfield Road. It then passes Lambs Pond.

Route 31 then enters Spencer

Spencer, Massachusetts

Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,688 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer , Massachusetts....

, where it parallels the Podunk Pike (Route 49

Route 49 (Massachusetts)

Route 49 is a north-south highway located in Worcester County, Massachusetts. For most of its length, the route is known as the Podunk Pike, named for the section of East Brookfield that it passes through. In Spencer and East Brookfield, the route is officially known as the Philip Quinn Memorial...

) for several miles. As Charlton Road, it passes the Spencer State Forest. In the center of Spencer, it crosses Route 9. It then turns north towards Paxton

Paxton, Massachusetts

Paxton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2010 census.-History:Paxton was first settled in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1765....

; this stretch is scenic and hilly. Several warning signs are seen here for sharp corners warning of a maximum safe speed of 30 mi/h.

After a couple long, sweeping corners through a forest of pine trees, Route 31 enters Paxton. Paxton Center School comes after a treed-in section. Before it enters the center of Paxton, it passes by the police station.

The intersections of MA-31, Route 122, and Route 56

Massachusetts Route 56

Route 56 is a north–south state highway running through central Worcester County, Massachusetts.-Route description:Route 56 begins at Route 12 in North Oxford. It crosses the French River before meeting U.S. Route 20. It continues north, passing under I-90 without access between the two...

 comprise Paxton Center. MA-31 is variously known as West Street and Holden Street in Paxton; it runs east–west in this section. It passes over a hill past Richards Memorial Library, then uses Grove Street for approximately 1/4 mile.

In Holden

Holden, Massachusetts

Holden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1741, and the Town Square was donated by John Hancock, former Governor of Massachusetts.The population was 17,346 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

, Route 31 passes Asnebumskit Pond and is bridged over Kendall Reservoir. After the intersection with Route 122A

Massachusetts Route 122A

Route 122A is a southeast-northwest state highway in Massachusetts. It is an alternate route of Massachusetts Route 122, with a mile-long concurrency with its parent route in downtown Worcester.-Route description:...

 it passes Gale Free Public Library and heads north once again. The road heads into an increasingly rural area as the hills get steeper and longer.

31 then enters Princeton

Princeton, Massachusetts

Princeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.It is bordered on the east by Sterling and Leominster, on the north by Westminster, on the northwest by Hubbardston, on the southwest by Rutland, and on the southeast by Holden....

 and begins climbing very steeply; it gains about three hundred feet in approximately half a mile. Entering the center of Princeton, it joins Rte. 62 and turns east to avoid going over Mount Wachusett

Mount Wachusett

Mount Wachusett is located in the towns of Princeton and Westminster in Worcester County, Massachusetts. It is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River. The mountain is named after a Native American term meaning "near the mountain" or "mountain place". The mountain is a...

. The mountain is instead connected by Mountain Road. After separating from Route 62, Rte. 31 joins Route 140 and becomes Fitchburg Road near Paradise Pond.

It passes through a portion of Leominster State Forest in Westminster

Westminster, Massachusetts

Westminster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 7,277.- History :Westminster was first settled in 1737, and was officially incorporated in 1759....

 before an interchange with a freeway segment of Route 2. After this interchange, Rte. 31 becomes a city street, having shared roadway with Route 2A and a wrong-way concurrency with Route 12. It then passes through downtown Fitchburg

Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...

. As it leaves Fitchburg it is called Ashby State Road. In Ashby

Ashby, Massachusetts

Ashby is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,120 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water....

, it connects with Route 119 before reaching the New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 state border, where it becomes NH-31

New Hampshire Route 31

New Hampshire Route 31 is a long north–south state highway in southern New Hampshire. It runs from Mason on the Massachusetts border to Goshen....

.

The stretch of MA-31 from Paxton Center to Holden Center was named after the late Chief Robert John Mortell of the Paxton Police Department who was murdered in the line of duty in 1994 in the deeply wooded area bordering Route 31.

Junction List

County	Location	Milepost	Roads intersected	Notes
Worcester Worcester County, Massachusetts -Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...	Dudley Dudley, Massachusetts Dudley is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,390 at the 2010 census.-History:Dudley was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732...	0.0	Dresser Hill Rd.	Route 31 begins at Connecticut state line.
	Charlton Charlton, Massachusetts Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,981 at the 2010 census.- History :Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated off from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and became a Town in 1775 by a law that made all...	9.3	U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 in Massachusetts The cross-country U.S. Route 20 runs its easternmost in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The highway crosses the state border from New Lebanon, New York into Hancock, Massachusetts, and runs eastward into Boston, where it ends at Route 2 in Kenmore Square...	Westbound US 20 to I-90 Massachusetts Turnpike The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway... /I-84 Interstate 84 (east) Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway extending from Dunmore, Pennsylvania at an interchange with Interstate 81 to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, at an interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike . I-84 has mile-log junction numbering in Pennsylvania; otherwise, exit numbers are roughly sequential... . Eastbound US 20 to I-90/I-395/I-290 Interstate 290 (Massachusetts) Interstate 290 runs for from Auburn, Massachusetts to Marlborough, Massachusetts. It is a continuation of I-395 north of I-90 and runs through downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, I-190 splits off, and I-290 runs across Lake Quinsigamond and east to I-495 in Marlborough... .
			I-90/Mass Pike Massachusetts Turnpike The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...	No access between I-90 and Route 31.
	Spencer Spencer, Massachusetts Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,688 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer , Massachusetts....	16.8	Route 9 East	Begin concurrency with Route 9.
		16.9	Route 9 West	End concurrency with Route 9.
	Paxton Paxton, Massachusetts Paxton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2010 census.-History:Paxton was first settled in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1765....	25.3	Route 122 Route 56 Massachusetts Route 56 Route 56 is a north–south state highway running through central Worcester County, Massachusetts.-Route description:Route 56 begins at Route 12 in North Oxford. It crosses the French River before meeting U.S. Route 20. It continues north, passing under I-90 without access between the two...  South	Concurrency between Rtes. 56 & 122 ends. Begin concurrency with Rtes. 31 & 56.
		25.4	Route 56 Massachusetts Route 56 Route 56 is a north–south state highway running through central Worcester County, Massachusetts.-Route description:Route 56 begins at Route 12 in North Oxford. It crosses the French River before meeting U.S. Route 20. It continues north, passing under I-90 without access between the two...  North	End concurrency with Route 56.
	Holden Holden, Massachusetts Holden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1741, and the Town Square was donated by John Hancock, former Governor of Massachusetts.The population was 17,346 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...	30.1	Route 122A Massachusetts Route 122A Route 122A is a southeast-northwest state highway in Massachusetts. It is an alternate route of Massachusetts Route 122, with a mile-long concurrency with its parent route in downtown Worcester.-Route description:...
	Princeton Princeton, Massachusetts Princeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.It is bordered on the east by Sterling and Leominster, on the north by Westminster, on the northwest by Hubbardston, on the southwest by Rutland, and on the southeast by Holden....	37.7	Route 62 West	Begin concurrency with Route 62.
		38.0	Route 62 East	End concurrency with Route 62.
		40.5	Route 140 South	Begin concurrency with Route 140.
		42.1	Route 140 North	End concurrency with Route 140.
	Fitchburg Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...	45.8	Route 2	Route 2 Exit 28
		47.0	Route 2A West	Begin concurrency with Route 2A.
		48.1	Route 12 Massachusetts Route 12 Massachusetts Route 12 is a north-south state highway that runs through central Massachusetts from the Connecticut state line at Dudley to the New Hampshire state line at Winchendon.-Route description:...  West	Begin triple concurrency with Routes 31/2A/12.
		48.9	Route 12 Massachusetts Route 12 Massachusetts Route 12 is a north-south state highway that runs through central Massachusetts from the Connecticut state line at Dudley to the New Hampshire state line at Winchendon.-Route description:...  East	End triple concurrency with Routes 31/2A/12. Concurrency with Route 2A continues.
		47.0	Route 2A East	End concurrency with Route 2A.
Middlesex Middlesex County, Massachusetts -National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...	Ashby Ashby, Massachusetts Ashby is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,120 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water....	55.4	Route 119 West	Begin concurrency with Route 119.
		55.5	Route 119 East	End concurrency with Route 119.
		55.8	New Hampshire Route 31 New Hampshire Route 31 New Hampshire Route 31 is a long north–south state highway in southern New Hampshire. It runs from Mason on the Massachusetts border to Goshen....	Massachusetts Route 31 ends at state line. New Hampshire Route 31 begins at state line.

External links

• Mass. Rt. 31 endpoint photos