Route 125 is an north–south

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

state route 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 ...

. It runs from

Interstate 93 Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...

in Wilmington to the

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

state line in Haverhill, where it continues as

New Hampshire Route 125 New Hampshire Route 125 is a north–south state highway in Rockingham, Strafford and Carroll counties in southeastern New Hampshire. The southern terminus is in Plaistow at the Massachusetts state line, where the road continues south into Ha ...

through Plaistow to

Wakefield, New Hampshire Wakefield is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,201 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Wakefield Corner (the original town center), East Wakefield, North Wakefield, Sanbornville, Uni ...

. After the first , which are in Middlesex County, the rest of the route passes through Essex County.

Route description

Route 125 begins at

I-93 Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...

, at exit 35 (formerly 41), just south of where I-93 drops from four lanes to three. It passes through an area of industrial parks before clipping the northwest corner of

North Reading North Reading (pronounced, as is with Reading as () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,554 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled in 1651 when the town of Reading received a special ...

and entering

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

. Once in Andover, the road serves as a bypass road around much of Andover's busier sections. It intersects Route 28 with a cloverleaf interchange as it bends northward through town. The route then enters

North Andover North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...

, becoming concurrent with Route 114 for half a mile as the two routes pass

Merrimack College Merrimack College is a private Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. Its campus has grown to a campus with nearly 40 bu ...

. Route 125 then splits northward, becoming concurrent with Route 133 again acting as a bypass, this time between North Andover's more densely populated west end and its historical center. The two routes split at a point between Lawrence Municipal Airport and

Lake Cochichewick Lake Cochichewick is a lake in North Andover, Massachusetts that collects water from Weir Hill and other local uplands. Its overflow drains into the Cochichewick River, which joins the Merrimack. Brooks School, a private co-educational prep ...

in the northern end of town. From there, Route 125 passes into Haverhill in the

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

section of town. In Bradford, Route 125 meets a connector road between it and

I-495 Interstate 495 (I-495) is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 95, listed from south to north: * The Capital Beltway, a beltway around Washington, D.C., running through Virgin ...

which passes through an industrial area. The route then continues through the Bradford area before crossing the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Mas ...

at the Basiliere Bridge. Once it crosses the bridge into the downtown Haverhill area, Route 125 crosses Route 113 before sharing a one-block concurrency with Route 97 and a two-block concurrency with

Route 110 Route 110 or Highway 110 can refer to multiple roads: Australia * Nepean Highway * Bellarine Highway Bangladesh * Brazil * BR-110 Canada * Manitoba Highway 110 * New Brunswick Route 110 * Prince Edward Island Route 110 China * China ...

in quick succession. The route then turns more northwesterly, crossing I-495 directly at Exits 109A-B (formerly 51A-B). The route turns northward at Plaistow Road before entering into

Plaistow, New Hampshire Plaistow (, ) is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,830 at the 2020 census. History Plaistow was officially established as a town in 1749 after the 1739 resolution ...

and becoming

. Main Street, meanwhile, heads into Plaistow as well, where it meets the end of

New Hampshire Route 121 New Hampshire Route 121 (abbreviated NH 121) is a north–south state highway in Rockingham and Hillsborough counties in southeastern New Hampshire. The road winds through the communities of Atkinson, Hampstead, Sandown, Derry, Chester, and Aub ...

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML https://www.andovertownsman.com/opinion/history-of-the-andover-by-pass-route-125/article_0538b85a-55cc-53c8-9649-1bb8f4f584df.html 125