Interstate and Highway designations

[BostonUrbEx]

Does anyone know why MA-3 wasn't designated a continuation of I-93? Does it not meet the standards? And even if it doesn't, can't it just be grandfathered in with a re-designation? Why was a portion of MA-128 ceded to I-93 instead?

How can there even be a MA-3 when there is a US-3 in the state? Isn't that "not allowed"?


Also, were there plans to designate MA-2, US-3, and MA-24 as interstates at all? And was MA-24 supposed to extend to the inner belt? I haven't seen any documents on it, and I can't find anything anywhere about a "Southern Expressway", but there is one for every other direction.

 

[datadyne007]

All of your answers can be found here:
http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/

I wasted an entire night on this site last night. So cool!

 

[whighlander]

All of your answers can be found here:
http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/

I wasted an entire night on this site last night. So cool!

You are so right -- an amazingly throrough site

By the way -- here's an answer from the site relative to MA-3 (aka the Pilgrims Highway)

" From Dedham to Braintree, the designation on the Yankee Division Highway [aka Rt-128] should be changed from I-93 to I-595. The I-93 designation would then be shifted south and east to the Pilgrims Highway (MA 3). The Dedham-Braintree stretch also should be widened to eight lanes, eliminating the dangerous travel conditions of the shoulder lane. "

So if I've got it right the same ol Rt-128 would be partitioned into:

Rt-128 on Cape Anne afer the junction with I-95 N to NH / ME

i-95 from there past the Turnpike until the junction with I-95 S to RI / CT

I-595 from there until the "Braitree split" where there would be an I-93 / I-595 interchange with I-93 continuing south to I-495 and the Cape

 

[datadyne007]

The website also extensively discusses MA-24's intentions to be an interstate and why it never was designated as one.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Yeah, because of the whole highway moratorium the route designation was up in the air until the early-70's. I-93 was supposed to terminate at the north end of the I-695 inner belt interchange, while I-95 entered the Artery at the south end of 695 and split off on US 1. MA 3 was supposed to be a continuous designation through the Southeast Expressway ending at 95/695 (Mass Ave. interchange). Whole SE Expressway and whole of 128 were never built with full interstate money and only got beneficiary of trade-ins when the rest was canceled. On the other hand, the US1 NW Expressway did get built with interstate money because that was supposed to be I-95.


Anyway, it's bizarre how long the MA 3 designation has stuck around here co-signed with 93, especially with all the dead-wrong signage about where it bleeds into US 3 somewhere in the middle of Memorial Dr. US 3 expressway itself was supposed to meet Route 2 in Lexington, then be co-signed with 2 along the cancelled expressway from Alewife to 16/93 in Medford. In that sense you would've had a sorta contiguous 3 expressway with MA 3 branching off the Artery on the south end and US 3 branching off 93 soon after the north end of the Artery. But they've kept it this way in all its ham-fisted, rule-violating glory for 40 years now.