Route 112 is a rural
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
through western
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
and
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
Counties. It begins at
U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...
(US 20) in
Huntington and ends at the Vermont state line in
Colrain, where it continues as
Vermont Route 112.
Route description
Route 112 begins in
Huntington at
U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...
, near the junction of the branches of the
Westfield River
The Westfield River is a major tributary of the Connecticut River located in the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley regions of western Massachusetts. With four major tributary branches that converge west of the city of Westfield, it flows (measured ...
. It heads north from the downtown area, immediately crossing the West Branch and closely following the Middle Branch until it and the
North Branch split, at which point it continues to follow the North Branch. In the village of Knightville, Route 112 meets the western end of
Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
, which leads to
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
. The route continues northward through town, passing the Knightville State Wildlife Management Area and the Hiram H. Fox State Wildlife Management Area before entering the town of
Worthington.
In Worthington, Route 112 heads through the center of town until it meets
Route 143 for a mile-long concurrency, splitting to the north and heading to
Cummington. In Cummington, Route 112 turns eastward abruptly at Five Corners before meeting
Route 9 near the North Branch once again. The two routes pass concurrently along the river through the center of town before heading into
Goshen, finally splitting near the Lower Highland Lake, where Route 112 turns northwards towards
Ashfield. In Ashfield,
Route 116 shares the route for over a mile before that route turns eastward towards the town center.
Route 112 continues northward into the town of
Buckland. The route bends to the northeast before looping over and meeting
Route 2 (the
Mohawk Trail
The Mohawk Trail began as a Native American trade route which connected Atlantic tribes with tribes in Upstate New York and beyond. It followed the Millers River, Deerfield River and crossed the Hoosac Range, in the area that is now northwestern ...
) in the village of
Shelburne Falls
Shelburne Falls is a historic village in the towns of Shelburne and Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The village is a census-designated place (CDP) with a population of 1,731 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Sp ...
. The route passes concurrently with Route 2 over the
Deerfield River
Deerfield River is a river that runs for from southern Vermont through northwestern Massachusetts to the Connecticut River. The Deerfield River was historically influential in the settlement of western Franklin County, Massachusetts, and its n ...
into the town of
Shelburne. In Shelburne, Route 112 splits from Route 2, turning around Mechanic and Hope Streets onto Main Street, where it turns northward and crosses under Route 2 once again. From there, Route 112 follows the
North River into the town of
Colrain. The route runs along the river's side, crossing it in the village of Griswoldville and again in the center of the town and in the far northern end of town, before meeting the
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
town line and continuing into
Halifax as
Vermont Route 112.
History
In 1930, the route between
Worthington
Worthington may refer to:
People
* Worthington (surname)
* Worthington family, a British noble family
Businesses
* Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington's
* Worthington Corporation, founded as a pump manufacturer in 1845, later a dive ...
and
Cummington lay to the east of the current route. Also, Route 112 departed Route 9 in the Lithia section of Cummington, traveling north to
Route 116 and then following the current route from
Ashfield to
Shelburne. At that time, the road ended at the junction with
Route 2. The route was extended to Vermont, along what was previously
Route 56, in 1939,
[ ] with Route 56 subsequently re-used elsewhere. The section between Worthington and Cummington was also moved to the current route during this time period. Between 1966 and 1969, an existing road between Goshen and Route 116 was upgraded to a highway and Route 112 was rerouted there.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Commons category, Massachusetts Route 112
112 112 may refer to:
*112 (number), the natural number following 111 and preceding 113
*112 (band), an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia
**112 (album), ''112'' (album), album from the band of the same name
*112 (emergency telephone number), t ...