Route 27 is a south–north
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 ...
in eastern
. Its southern terminus is at
Route 106 in
Kingston and its northern terminus is at
Route 4 in
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...
. Along the way it intersects several major highways including
Route 24 in
Brockton,
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...
(US 1) in
Walpole,
Route 9 in
Natick
Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
,
US 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 ...
in
Wayland, and
Route 2 in
Acton Acton may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Mount Acton
Australia
* Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie
* Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton
Canada ...
.
Route description
Route 27 runs in a sweeping arc from
Kingston to
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...
. For most of its route, it acts as an intermediate route between
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
and
Interstate 495.
Route 27 begins in Kingston at
Route 106, approximately 1-1/4 miles west of
Route 3. It heads northwest towards
Brockton, passing through
Pembroke,
Hanson
Hanson or Hansson may refer to:
People
* Hanson (surname)
* Hansson (surname)
* Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler
Musical groups
* Hanson (band), an American pop rock band
* Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...
,
East Bridgewater and
Whitman. In Brockton the road shares a triple concurrency with
Route 28 and
Route 123 Eastbound (Route 123 Westbound only intersects with the route). From the center of town, Route 27 heads northwest, past the
Westgate Mall, over
Route 24 at Exits 33A-B (formerly 18A-B), and past Good Samaritan Hospital before passing into
Norfolk County via
Stoughton.
In Stoughton, the road has a brief concurrency with
Route 138 in the center of town. It passes just south of the town of
Canton before making a large loop through the town of
Sharon
Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname.
In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...
. It crosses over
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
without access, between Exits 19 and 21 (formerly 9 and 10 respectively), both of which are accessible via
US Route 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...
nearby. It then crosses through
Walpole and
Medfield before crossing the
Charles River
The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...
into
Middlesex County and the town of
Sherborn.
In Sherborn, the road begins a more northerly direction, with a short concurrency with
Route 16 in the center of town. The road heads through the center of
Natick
Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
, passing the town green and crossing
Route 135, which carries the
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...
at that point. Route 27 crosses over
Route 9 with a four-way exit ramp system, just east of
Lake Cochituate
Lake Cochituate is a body of water in Natick, Wayland, and Framingham, Massachusetts, United States. Originally a reservoir serving Boston, it no longer serves that function, and is now a local recreational resource and home to Cochituate State P ...
, the
Natick Mall
The Natick Mall (previously named the Natick Collection) is a shopping mall in Natick, Massachusetts. The original facility was the first enclosed shopping mall in Greater Boston upon opening in 1966; it was demolished and replaced by a larger ...
and the
Golden Triangle
Golden Triangle may refer to:
Places
Asia
* Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia), named for its opium production
* Golden Triangle (Yangtze), China, named for its rapid economic development
* Golden Triangle (India), comprising the popular tourist ...
retail area. Route 27 passes into
Wayland and under the
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state li ...
, which it accesses via
Route 30, just north of the Pike.
In Wayland, Route 27 has a 1.2-mile concurrency with
Route 126, passing through the center of town and intersecting
US 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. ...
. The road then crosses the
Sudbury River
The Sudbury River is a tributary of the Concord River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011
Originati ...
into
Sudbury and through the
historic town center. It passes into Maynard, having a short, 0.1-mile concurrency with
Route 62 over the
Assabet River
The Assabet River is a small, long river located about west of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 The Assabet rises ...
, before heading north into
Acton Acton may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Mount Acton
Australia
* Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie
* Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton
Canada ...
. It crosses
Route 2 at Exit 117 (formerly 42) before crossing through the town center, past the
Isaac Davis Monument. It sweeps by
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
before directly crossing into
Westford, passing through the southeast corner of town before heading into
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...
. Route 27 ends at the center of town, at the intersection of Routes
4,
110
110 may refer to:
*110 (number), natural number
*AD 110, a year
*110 BC, a year
*110 film, a cartridge-based film format used in still photography
*110 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route
*110 (song), 2019 song by Capi ...
and
129, just south of
Interstate 495 and
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 (US 3) is a United States highway running from Cambridge, Massachusetts, through New Hampshire, to the Canada–US border near Third Connecticut Lake, where it connects to Quebec Route 257.
Massachusetts Route 3 connects to ...
.
History
Route 27's original form was identical to the modern route south of
Wayland, with the exception of a bypass built in 1963 from the Charles River at the Sherborn-Medfield line to
Route 109 in
Medfield center.
North of Wayland the route followed current
Route 126 into
Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
. It came into its current form by 1939. However
historical mapsfrom the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1943 show Route 27 running concurrent with
US 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 ...
from
Wayland Center to Concord Road in
Sudbury, then following Concord Road to
Sudbury Center, where it resumed its current alignment on Hudson Road.
[http://docs.unh.edu/towns/SudburyMassachusettsMapList.htm]
Major intersections
References
*{{dead link, date=June 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
027
Kingston, Massachusetts
Pembroke, Massachusetts
Hanson, Massachusetts
East Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Whitman, Massachusetts
Brockton, Massachusetts
Stoughton, Massachusetts
Sharon, Massachusetts
Walpole, Massachusetts
Medfield, Massachusetts
Sherborn, Massachusetts
Natick, Massachusetts
Wayland, Massachusetts
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Maynard, Massachusetts
Acton, Massachusetts
Carlisle, Massachusetts
Westford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Transportation in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Transportation in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Transportation in Middlesex County, Massachusetts