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Route 3 (Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Route 3 is a southward continuation of U.S. Route 3
, connecting Cambridge, Massachusetts
with Cape Cod
. All of it, except for the northernmost end in downtown Boston
and Cambridge, is a freeway.
The section from Boston to Braintree
is also marked as Interstate 93
and U.S. Route 1
and is known in downtown Boston as the Central Artery
, and south of downtown as the Southeast Expressway. In Braintree, I-93 and US 1 split
to follow the Yankee Division Highway to Interstate 95
, and Route 3 continues south on its own, as the Pilgrims Highway. This section extends to a junction with U.S. Route 6
in Sagamore
, just before the Sagamore Bridge
over the Cape Cod Canal
where Route 3 originally ended at rotary
. Replacement of this rotary with a grade-separated interchange was completed in November 2006.
Because Route 3 and U.S Route 3 are treated as the same route by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), mileposts increase continuously from Bourne to the New Hampshire
border.
in Braintree.
and U.S. Route 1
from Exit 7 in Braintree to Exit 26 in Boston. See Interstate 93
.
and joins Memorial Drive. It is on Memorial Drive that the designation changes to US-3 which continues northward toward New Hampshire.
Route 3 began as a new designation for New England Highway 6 in 1927 when the U.S. Highway system was created and New England highway Route 3 was chosen to be US 6. The former NE 6 then took the route 3 number with U.S. Route 3
designated north of its intersection with U.S. Route 1
and Massachusetts Route 3 to the south. The route was basically a connected system of two-lane roadways up until the 1950s with the exception of Route 3's original path through Boston which paired it with US 1 on Park Drive, the Riverway and the Jamaicaway and then along its own path in Mattapan and Dorchester along the Arborway, Morton Street and Gallivan Boulevard.
Before the road was rerouted, the road continued over the Cape Cod Canal
via the Sagamore Bridge
to the Bourne Rotary, to the south of the Bourne Bridge. This arrangement changed after 1951.
The Plimoth Plantation Highway
, a two-lane expressway that connects Route 3 with Route 3A, was once signed as Route 3 before the southernmost portion of the freeway to Cape Cod was finished.
The first section of the Pilgrims Highway was built as a bypass of Plymouth in the early 1950s. The mid-1950s saw an extension of this bypass route south to the Sagamore Bridge and north to Kingston. The northern section of the highway was built next with a connection from Derby Street in Hingham to the Southeast Expressway opening in 1959. (Portions of this road run alongside the Old Colony Railroad's mainline, now used by the MBTA Old Colony Lines Commuter Rail, and the MBTA Red Line rapid transit.) Finally the last sections between Hingham and Duxbury were completed by 1963 when the Route 3 designation was moved onto the completed freeway. The former Route 3 highways became Route 3A
in Quincy and from Kingston south, the remainder became Route 53
. Route 3 was connected to the Southeast Expressway in Milton by using Granite Avenue as a link from Gallivan Boulevard. Until around 1965, the northern portion of the Pilgrims Highway, from current Exit 15 (Derby Street) in Hingham, was also signed as Route 128, which continued past the exit on surface streets to Hull
. However, by 1966 the 128 designation was removed past its intersection with Route 3 in Braintree (and thus from the Pilgrims Highway entirely) and the surface portion became Massachusetts Route 228
. Route 3 was then taken off its remaining pathway along surface streets in Boston and extended up the Southeast Expressway and Central Artery in 1971 to the Storrow Drive exit. The routing of Route 3 has changed little since that time.
A re-signing project from 2006 to 2009 changed exit 20 to exit 20A for I-93 south and exit 20B for I-93 north. In the process, the ramp carrying Route 3 to I-93 north was no longer signed as part of Route 3. Separate signs indicating Route 3's routing along I-93 were installed on exit sign support poles in 2011.
The MassDOT is currently looking in to the possibility of widening Route 3 from I-93 to the Sagamore Bridge from four to six lanes with new bridges and new on- and off-ramps, and will include upgraded interchanges with new acceleration and deceleration lanes. The project is expected to cost $256 million.
was numbered "Exit 25" (due to it being the exit for Route 128), with numbers increasing away from Boston and decreasing toward Boston. Under the old system, the Sagamore Rotary was (on paper) "Exit 43". When the first 22 miles (35.4 km) of the highway were resurfaced in 1975-76, the new numbers were instituted in that section. When the Braintree section was resurfaced in 1978, the rest of the new numbers were posted, leaving a two-year gap when half the highway was on the new system while the other half was on the old system. During that time, the exit to Route 14 was "Exit 11" northbound and "Exit 33" southbound.
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are...
, connecting Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
with Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. All of it, except for the northernmost end in downtown Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Cambridge, is a freeway.
The section from Boston to Braintree
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
is also marked as Interstate 93
Interstate 93
Interstate 93 is an Interstate Highway in the New England section of the United States. Its southern terminus is in Canton, Massachusetts, in the Boston metropolitan area, at Interstate 95; its northern terminus is near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at Interstate 91...
and U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts
In the U.S. state of Massachusetts, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway through Boston. The portion of US 1 south of Boston is also known as the Boston-Providence Turnpike, and portions north of the city are known as the Northeast Expressway and the Newburyport Turnpike.-Route...
and is known in downtown Boston as the Central Artery
Central Artery
The John F. Fitzgerald Expressway, known locally as the Central Artery, is a section of freeway in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, designated as Interstate 93, U.S. Route 1 and Route 3. It was initially constructed in the 1950s as a partly elevated and partly tunneled divided highway...
, and south of downtown as the Southeast Expressway. In Braintree, I-93 and US 1 split
Braintree Split
The Braintree Split is the intersection of Interstate 93/U.S. Route 1 and Massachusetts Route 3 located along the city line separating Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. The Braintree Split was also the southern end of Route 128 until 1997, when Route 128 was truncated to the I-95/I-93...
to follow the Yankee Division Highway to Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Massachusetts
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
, and Route 3 continues south on its own, as the Pilgrims Highway. This section extends to a junction with U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 in Massachusetts
Route 6 is the portion of the cross-country U.S. Route 6 in the state of Massachusetts. Route 6 runs in the state connecting Providence, Rhode Island to Fall River, New Bedford, and Cape Cod. In the Fall River and New Bedford areas, Route 6 is a secondary highway paralleling Interstate 195...
in Sagamore
Sagamore, Massachusetts
Sagamore is a census-designated place in the town of Bourne in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sagamore is located at ....
, just before the Sagamore Bridge
Sagamore Bridge
The Sagamore Bridge in Sagamore, Massachusetts carries U.S. Route 6 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the rest of Massachusetts, USA....
over the Cape Cod Canal
Cape Cod Canal
The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that joins Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts.Part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the canal is roughly 17.4 miles long and connects Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south...
where Route 3 originally ended at rotary
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
. Replacement of this rotary with a grade-separated interchange was completed in November 2006.
Because Route 3 and U.S Route 3 are treated as the same route by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), mileposts increase continuously from Bourne to 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...
border.
Route description
Route 3 can be said to have three segments; the Pilgrims Highway, its concurrency with Interstate 93, and its route after leaving I-93 in Boston and Cambridge.Pilgrims Highway
Pilgrims Highway is the part of Route 3 that stretches from the intersection with US 6 in Bourne to the junction with Interstate 93Interstate 93
Interstate 93 is an Interstate Highway in the New England section of the United States. Its southern terminus is in Canton, Massachusetts, in the Boston metropolitan area, at Interstate 95; its northern terminus is near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at Interstate 91...
in Braintree.
Interstate 93
Route 3 runs concurrently with Interstate 93Interstate 93
Interstate 93 is an Interstate Highway in the New England section of the United States. Its southern terminus is in Canton, Massachusetts, in the Boston metropolitan area, at Interstate 95; its northern terminus is near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at Interstate 91...
and U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts
In the U.S. state of Massachusetts, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway through Boston. The portion of US 1 south of Boston is also known as the Boston-Providence Turnpike, and portions north of the city are known as the Northeast Expressway and the Newburyport Turnpike.-Route...
from Exit 7 in Braintree to Exit 26 in Boston. See Interstate 93
Interstate 93
Interstate 93 is an Interstate Highway in the New England section of the United States. Its southern terminus is in Canton, Massachusetts, in the Boston metropolitan area, at Interstate 95; its northern terminus is near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at Interstate 91...
.
Downtown Boston and Cambridge
Route 3 exits I-93 at Exit 26, passes through Leverett Circle, and runs for a short way along the Charles River to the Longfellow Bridge where it crosses over to CambridgeCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and joins Memorial Drive. It is on Memorial Drive that the designation changes to US-3 which continues northward toward New Hampshire.
History
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are...
designated north of its intersection with U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts
In the U.S. state of Massachusetts, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway through Boston. The portion of US 1 south of Boston is also known as the Boston-Providence Turnpike, and portions north of the city are known as the Northeast Expressway and the Newburyport Turnpike.-Route...
and Massachusetts Route 3 to the south. The route was basically a connected system of two-lane roadways up until the 1950s with the exception of Route 3's original path through Boston which paired it with US 1 on Park Drive, the Riverway and the Jamaicaway and then along its own path in Mattapan and Dorchester along the Arborway, Morton Street and Gallivan Boulevard.
Cape Cod Canal
The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that joins Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts.Part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the canal is roughly 17.4 miles long and connects Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south...
via the Sagamore Bridge
Sagamore Bridge
The Sagamore Bridge in Sagamore, Massachusetts carries U.S. Route 6 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the rest of Massachusetts, USA....
to the Bourne Rotary, to the south of the Bourne Bridge. This arrangement changed after 1951.
The Plimoth Plantation Highway
Plimoth Plantation Highway
Plimoth Plantation Highway is a short unnumbered two-lane freeway with plastic stanchions posted on a rumbled asphalt median in Plymouth, Massachusetts.-Route description:...
, a two-lane expressway that connects Route 3 with Route 3A, was once signed as Route 3 before the southernmost portion of the freeway to Cape Cod was finished.
The first section of the Pilgrims Highway was built as a bypass of Plymouth in the early 1950s. The mid-1950s saw an extension of this bypass route south to the Sagamore Bridge and north to Kingston. The northern section of the highway was built next with a connection from Derby Street in Hingham to the Southeast Expressway opening in 1959. (Portions of this road run alongside the Old Colony Railroad's mainline, now used by the MBTA Old Colony Lines Commuter Rail, and the MBTA Red Line rapid transit.) Finally the last sections between Hingham and Duxbury were completed by 1963 when the Route 3 designation was moved onto the completed freeway. The former Route 3 highways became Route 3A
Massachusetts Route 3A
Route 3A is a state highway in eastern Massachusetts, which parallels Route 3 and U.S. Route 3 from Cedarville in southern Plymouth to Tyngsborough at the New Hampshire state line....
in Quincy and from Kingston south, the remainder became Route 53
Massachusetts Route 53
-History:Route 53 follows the former routing of the Kingston to Quincy section of Route 3 which was moved onto the Southeast Expressway and Pilgrim's Highway expressway when they were fully completed in 1963...
. Route 3 was connected to the Southeast Expressway in Milton by using Granite Avenue as a link from Gallivan Boulevard. Until around 1965, the northern portion of the Pilgrims Highway, from current Exit 15 (Derby Street) in Hingham, was also signed as Route 128, which continued past the exit on surface streets to Hull
Hull, Massachusetts
Hull is a peninsula town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,293 at the 2010 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the fourth smallest in the state...
. However, by 1966 the 128 designation was removed past its intersection with Route 3 in Braintree (and thus from the Pilgrims Highway entirely) and the surface portion became Massachusetts Route 228
Massachusetts Route 228
Route 228 is a rather short south–north highway in southeastern Massachusetts.-Route description:Route 228 runs from Route 3 in Rockland, goes through Hingham, and ends at the intersection of George Washington Boulevard in Hull....
. Route 3 was then taken off its remaining pathway along surface streets in Boston and extended up the Southeast Expressway and Central Artery in 1971 to the Storrow Drive exit. The routing of Route 3 has changed little since that time.
A re-signing project from 2006 to 2009 changed exit 20 to exit 20A for I-93 south and exit 20B for I-93 north. In the process, the ramp carrying Route 3 to I-93 north was no longer signed as part of Route 3. Separate signs indicating Route 3's routing along I-93 were installed on exit sign support poles in 2011.
The MassDOT is currently looking in to the possibility of widening Route 3 from I-93 to the Sagamore Bridge from four to six lanes with new bridges and new on- and off-ramps, and will include upgraded interchanges with new acceleration and deceleration lanes. The project is expected to cost $256 million.
Exit list
| County | Location | Mile marker | # Exit number An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore.... |
Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable Barnstable County, Massachusetts Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,902... |
Bourne Bourne, Massachusetts Bourne is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,721 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Bourne, please see the articles on Bourne , Buzzards Bay, Monument Beach, Pocasset, Sagamore, and Sagamore... |
0.1 | 1A | Split into two exits Northbound: Northbound Exit 1A leads to Eastbound Scusset Beach Road; the exit for Route 6 Westbound is unnumbered Northbound | |
| 0.3 | 1B | ||||
| 0.0 | 1C | Also Exit 1C off of Route 6 | |||
| Plymouth Plymouth County, Massachusetts Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton... |
Plymouth | 2.5 | 2 | Southern terminus of Route 3A | |
| 7.1 | 3 | Clark Road, Beaver Dam Road – Pine Hills Pine Hills (Massachusetts) Pine Hills is a sparsely populated hilly region located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is a large, mostly undeveloped hilly and forested area lying south of Plymouth Beach and Chiltonville, north of Manomet, and east of Route 3, where the southern portion of the region can be... |
Former control locations: Myles Standish State Forest Myles Standish State Forest Myles Standish State Forest is state forest located in the towns of Plymouth and Carver in southeastern Massachusetts, approximately 45 miles south of Boston... , Long Pond Long Pond (Plymouth, Massachusetts) Long Pond is a cold water pond in Plymouth, Massachusetts, east of Myles Standish State Forest, Halfway Pond and Round Pond, west of Route 3 at Exit 3 and The Pinehills, northwest of Bloody Pond, and north of West Wind Shores. The pond has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . It is fed by... . |
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| 12.3 | 4 | Plimoth Plantation Highway Plimoth Plantation Highway Plimoth Plantation Highway is a short unnumbered two-lane freeway with plastic stanchions posted on a rumbled asphalt median in Plymouth, Massachusetts.-Route description:... – Manomet Manomet, Massachusetts Manomet is a seaside village of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is named for the Manomet Native American sub-group of the Wampanoag whose settlement was located atop the dominant hill in the region when European settlers arrived in Plymouth in 1620. Manomet has a Post Office in the... |
Partial interchange: southbound exit and northbound entrance only. | ||
| 12.7 | 5 | Long Pond Road, South Street – Plymouth Center | Former control locations: Myles Standish State Forest Myles Standish State Forest Myles Standish State Forest is state forest located in the towns of Plymouth and Carver in southeastern Massachusetts, approximately 45 miles south of Boston... , College Pond College Pond College Pond is a natural kettlehole pond in Plymouth, Massachusetts, located in the Myles Standish State Forest northeast of East Head Reservoir, Three Cornered Pond, New Long Pond and Barrett Pond, and north of Fearing Pond. There is a swimming beach and picnic area along the north shore of the... |
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| 14.5 | 6 | South end of US 44 overlap; signed as exits 6A (east) and 6B (west) southbound | |||
| 15.6 | 7 | , Providence | North end of US 44 overlap | ||
| Kingston Kingston, Massachusetts Kingston is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the 2010 Census, it had a population of 12,629.-History:Before European settlers arrived in Kingston it was within the tribal home to the Wampanoag people... |
16.9 | 8 | Smith Lane – Rocky Nook | To Independence Mall Independence Mall (Massachusetts) Independence Mall, also known as the Kingston Mall, is a one story enclosed shopping center with 100 stores and restaurants. Built in 1989, the mall serves the South Shore-History:Bradlees and JC Penney closed in early 2001... Way |
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| 17.8 | 9 | To    Routes 80Massachusetts Route 80 Route 80 is a C-shaped state highway in southeastern Massachusetts. The highway is signed as west–east.-Route description:Route 80 starts at Carver Road in the West Plymouth section of Plymouth. Due to the removal of Route 44, this is an unusual instance that a numbered route does not have... , 106 Massachusetts Route 106 -Route description:Route 106 begins in Plainville at Route 1A. The route heads east, intersecting U.S. Route 1 and Route 152 in quick succession, with Turnpike Lake between the three routes. As Route 106 passes south of Lake Mirimichi it enters the town of Foxborough... , and 27 via Route 3A north. |
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| Duxbury | 19.4 | 10 | |||
| 22.3 | 11 | ||||
| Pembroke Pembroke, Massachusetts Pembroke is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,927 at the 2000 census.The southwestern section of Pembroke is also known as Bryantville... |
26.9 | 12 | Pembroke Pembroke, Massachusetts Pembroke is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,927 at the 2000 census.The southwestern section of Pembroke is also known as Bryantville... was a former control location southbound. |
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| Hanover Hanover, Massachusetts Hanover is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,164 at the 2000 census.-History:The area of Hanover was first settled by English settlers in 1649 when William Barstow, a farmer, built a bridge along the North River at what is now Washington Street... |
31.7 | 13 | To Hanover Mall Hanover Mall Hanover Mall is a one story, enclosed shopping mall with 80 shops and restaurants, including Macy's, Sears, J.C. Penney and Wal-Mart. The mall was built in 1971 and renovated in 1999. It serves local communities as a neighborhood mall of sorts, an alternative for shoppers looking to avoid the... Drive |
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| Rockland Rockland, Massachusetts Rockland is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The 2010 census records its population at 17,489. As of December 31, 2009, there are 11,809 registered voters in the community.-History:... |
34.3 | 14 | Southern end of Route 228 Secondary control location: Nantasket Nantasket Beach Nantasket Beach is a beach in Hull, Massachusetts. The shore has fine, light gray sand and is one of the busiest beaches in Greater Boston. At low tide, there are acres of tide pools.-Name:... . Cohasset Cohasset, Massachusetts Cohasset is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, though it is not contiguous with the main body of the county. The population was 7,542 at the 2010 census.- History :... was a former secondary control location. |
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| Hingham Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561... |
36.1 | 15 | Derby Street, Hingham Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561... , Weymouth Weymouth, Massachusetts The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth... |
To  Route 53Massachusetts Route 53 -History:Route 53 follows the former routing of the Kingston to Quincy section of Route 3 which was moved onto the Southeast Expressway and Pilgrim's Highway expressway when they were fully completed in 1963... , Norwell Norwell, Massachusetts Norwell is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is currently 10,506 at the 2010 Census.Norwell was first settled in 1634 as a part of the settlement of Satuit , which encompasses present day Scituate and Norwell. It was officially created, in 1849 and soon became... (southbound). Northbound sign removed by 13 July 2009. |
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| Norfolk Norfolk County, Massachusetts -National protected areas:* Adams National Historical Park* Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area * Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site* John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site-Demographics:... |
Weymouth Weymouth, Massachusetts The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth... |
38.1 | 16 | Signed as exits 16A (north) Weymouth and 16B (south) Abington, southbound. South Weymouth is signed as a primary control location northbound and as a secondary control location southbound (16B). | |
| Braintree Braintree, Massachusetts The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744... |
40.5 | 17 | Union Street – Braintree Braintree, Massachusetts The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744... , South Braintree |
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| 42.7 | 18 | Washington Street – Braintree Braintree, Massachusetts The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744... |
Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 42.0 (NB) 42.4 (SB) |
19 | Burgin Parkway, Quincy Center Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council... , Quincy Adams MBTA Station Quincy Adams (MBTA station) Quincy Adams Station, located at Burgin Parkway and Centre Street, in Quincy, Massachusetts, is the next to last station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Red Line Braintree branch.... |
Signed as exits 19/18 southbound, former exit 18 ramp serves both Burgin Pkwy and Washington St | ||
| 42.6 | 20A |   TO  I-93Interstate 93 Interstate 93 is an Interstate Highway in the New England section of the United States. Its southern terminus is in Canton, Massachusetts, in the Boston metropolitan area, at Interstate 95; its northern terminus is near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at Interstate 91... south / US 1 U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts In the U.S. state of Massachusetts, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway through Boston. The portion of US 1 south of Boston is also known as the Boston-Providence Turnpike, and portions north of the city are known as the Northeast Expressway and the Newburyport Turnpike.-Route... south to I-95 Interstate 95 in Massachusetts Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in... - Canton Canton, Massachusetts Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,561 at the 2010 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about 15 miles southwest of downtown Boston.- History :... * |
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| 42.6 | 20B | * | South end of I-93/US 1/Route 3 overlap | ||
| *Initial signs do not include US 1, however, plans are to add this route to the signs later on | |||||
| See I-93 (exits 7-24) | |||||
| Suffolk Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site... |
Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... |
53.5 | 26 |   Route 3/Route 28 Storrow Drive-Cambridge-North Station |
North end of I-93/US 1 overlap |
| North end of freeway | |||||
| 54.1 | Route 28 North - Leverett Circle Leverett Circle Leverett Circle is an intersection in Boston, Massachusetts. Completely rebuilt during the Big Dig, it is no longer a rotary. It marks the confluence of Storrow Drive, Charles River Dam Road, Nashua Street, Charles Street, and Martha Road.... |
South end of Route 28 overlap; interchange northbound and at-grade intersection At-grade intersection An at-grade intersection is a junction at which two or more transport axes cross at the same level .-Traffic management:With areas of high or fast traffic, an at-grade intersection normally requires a traffic control device such as a stop sign, traffic light or railway signal to manage conflicting... southbound |
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| 54.4 | Cambridge Street - to Government Center, Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts... |
Route 3 leaves Storrow Drive | |||
| Longfellow Bridge Longfellow Bridge The Longfellow Bridge, also known to locals as the "Salt-and-Pepper Bridge" or the "Salt-and-Pepper-Shaker Bridge" due to the shape of its central towers, carries Route 3 and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Red Line across the Charles River to connect Boston's Beacon Hill... over the Charles River Charles River The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston... |
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| 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... |
Cambridge Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent... |
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| 55.0 | Main Street – Kendall Square Kendall Square Kendall Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the "square" itself at the intersection of Main Street, Broadway, Wadsworth Street, and Third Street... |
Interchange; southbound exit is via a left turn at Wadsworth Street | |||
| 55.3 | Land Boulevard to Expressways – Charlestown | ||||
| 55.6 |  Route 2A - Massachusetts Ave.Massachusetts Avenue (Boston) Massachusetts Avenue, known to locals as Mass Ave, is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts, and several cities and towns northwest of Boston... /Harvard Bridge Harvard Bridge The Harvard Bridge carries Massachusetts Avenue from Back Bay, Boston to Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is the longest bridge over the Charles River.... |
Ramp to direct access to Mass Ave - Route 3 continues below grade | |||
| 55.7 |  U.S. Route 3U.S. Route 3 U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are... |
Route 3 continues as US 3 west of Harvard Bridge. | |||
Former exit numbers
Route 3 was one of the freeways whose exits were once numbered with the "25 is 128" system, in which the Braintree SplitBraintree Split
The Braintree Split is the intersection of Interstate 93/U.S. Route 1 and Massachusetts Route 3 located along the city line separating Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. The Braintree Split was also the southern end of Route 128 until 1997, when Route 128 was truncated to the I-95/I-93...
was numbered "Exit 25" (due to it being the exit for Route 128), with numbers increasing away from Boston and decreasing toward Boston. Under the old system, the Sagamore Rotary was (on paper) "Exit 43". When the first 22 miles (35.4 km) of the highway were resurfaced in 1975-76, the new numbers were instituted in that section. When the Braintree section was resurfaced in 1978, the rest of the new numbers were posted, leaving a two-year gap when half the highway was on the new system while the other half was on the old system. During that time, the exit to Route 14 was "Exit 11" northbound and "Exit 33" southbound.