Route 31 is a north–south
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 the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
. It runs from
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
on the
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
border to
Ashby Ashby may refer to:
People
* Ashby (surname)
* Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314), governor of Rockingham Castle and steward of Rockingham Forest, England
* Walter Ashby Plecker (1861–1947), American physician and publi ...
on 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 ...
border.
Route description
Route 31 begins in
Dudley
Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
at the
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
border, where it is known as Dresser Hill Road. Dresser Hill Road begins in
, at
Route 197 where it is a short (approximately ) local road erroneously signed as
Connecticut Route 31 changing to Route 31 at the Massachusetts state line, then proceeding through Dudley and into
Charlton, winding over Dresser Hill with several moderately steep grades and some tight corners.
In Charlton, it intersects
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 ...
a few miles east of the
I-90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
and
I-84
Interstate 84 may refer to:
* Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)
Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...
interchange. This provides its only connection with an interstate highway. In Charlton, it is known as Masonic Home Road and Brookfield Road. It then passes Lambs Pond.
Route 31 then enters
Spencer, where it parallels the Podunk Pike (
Route 49) for several miles. As Charlton Road, it passes the Spencer State Forest. In the center of Spencer, it crosses
Route 9. It then turns north towards
Paxton; this stretch is scenic and hilly. Several warning signs are seen here for sharp corners warning of a maximum safe speed of .
After a couple long, sweeping corners through a forest of pine trees, Route 31 enters Paxton. Paxton Center School comes after a treed-in section. The intersections of Route 31,
Route 122, and
Route 56 comprise Paxton Center. Route 31 is variously known as West Street and Holden Street in Paxton; it runs east–west in this section. It passes over a hill past Richards Memorial Library, then uses Grove Street for approximately .
In
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...
, Route 31 passes Asnebumskit Pond and is bridged over Kendall Reservoir. After the intersection with
Route 122A it passes Gale Free Public Library and heads north once again. The road heads into an increasingly rural area as the hills get steeper and longer.
Route 31 then enters
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
and begins climbing very steeply; it gains about in approximately . Entering the center of Princeton, it joins Route 62 and turns east to avoid going over
Mount Wachusett. The mountain is instead connected by Mountain Road. After separating from
Route 62, Route 31 joins
Route 140
Route 140 or Highway 140 may refer to:
Australia
* Hamilton Highway
Canada
* New Brunswick Route 140
* Ontario Highway 140
* Prince Edward Island Route 140
Costa Rica
* National Route 140 (Costa Rica), National Route 140
Germany
* Bundesautoba ...
and becomes Fitchburg Road near Paradise Pond.
It passes through a portion of
Leominster State Forest in
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
before an interchange with a freeway segment of
Route 2. After this interchange, Route 31 becomes a city street, having shared roadway with
Route 2A and a
wrong-way concurrency
A concurrency in a road network is an instance of one physical roadway bearing two or more different route numbers. When two roadways share the same right-of-way, it is sometimes called a common section or commons. Other terminology for a concurre ...
with
Route 12. It then passes through downtown
Fitchburg. As it leaves Fitchburg it is called Ashby State Road. In
Ashby Ashby may refer to:
People
* Ashby (surname)
* Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314), governor of Rockingham Castle and steward of Rockingham Forest, England
* Walter Ashby Plecker (1861–1947), American physician and publi ...
, it connects with
Route 119 before reaching 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 border, where it becomes
New Hampshire Route 31
New Hampshire Route 31 (abbreviated NH 31) is a north–south state highway in southern New Hampshire. It runs from Mason on the Massachusetts border, where, as Greenville Road, the road becomes Massachusetts Route 31. It passes through Greenvil ...
.
The stretch of Route 31 from Paxton Center to Holden Center is named the Chief Robert J. Mortell Memorial Highway, after Paxton
chief of police
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
Robert Mortell, who was killed in the line of duty on February 1, 1994, in the deeply wooded area bordering Route 31.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Commons category, Massachusetts Route 31
Mass. Rt. 31 endpoint photos
031