Route 146 (Massachusetts)
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Route 146, sometimes called the Worcester-Providence Turnpike, is a
limited-access road A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...
in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, maintained by the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the US state of Massachusetts. It was created on November 1, 2009, by the 186th Session of t ...
(MassDOT). Spanning approximately along a south–north axis, it is a continuation of
Route 146 The following highways are numbered 146: Brazil * BR-146 Canada * Prince Edward Island Route 146 Costa Rica * National Route 146 India * National Highway 146 (India) Japan * Japan National Route 146 * Fukuoka Prefectural Route 146 * Nara ...
in Rhode Island, which splits from I-95 in
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
. The southern terminus within Massachusetts exists in Millville, where the expressway enters the state from North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Among several local roads, Route 146 intersects with the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) in Millbury and I-290 in Worcester before arriving at its northern terminus at the intersection of several surface streets in downtown Worcester. Most of the route is a freeway, except for a short section near the boundary between Millbury and Sutton where there is driveway access and at-grade crossings.


History

During the late 1940s, the then-Massachusetts Department of Public Works (MassDPW, now MassDOT) planned an extension of Route 146 from Rhode Island north toward Worcester. MA 146 was built between 1949 and 1952 as a four-lane divided roadway from US 20 in Millbury to Boston Road in Sutton, and from Sutton south to the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border, Route 146 was built as a three-lane undivided roadway, providing one lane in each direction and a shared lane in the center. In 1981, the MassDPW began work on rebuilding Route 146. During the next three years, the state rebuilt the section from just south of Boston Road in Sutton to the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border, replacing the three-lane undivided section with a four-lane freeway and eliminating all at-grade intersections and curb cuts. The project upgrading the section linking Exit 94 on the Massachusetts Turnpike north into downtown Worcester at Brosnihan Square to
Interstate Highway standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...
was completed in November 2007 according to MassHighway. The improvements to the road created an economic boon to the Blackstone Valley through which it passes. The improved transportation corridor has attracted several large employers since the road was upgraded. As of 2015, the road was widened and a major intersection was improved to fix traffic flow problems.


Future

Exits traditionally were not numbered, but sequential numbers wer
assigned by MassHighway
during the last sign replacement project. All interchanges were to be renumbered to milepost-based numbers under a project scheduled to start in 2016. However, this project was indefinitely postponed until November 18, 2019, the MassDOT confirmed that beginning in late summer 2020 the exit renumbering project will begin. On March 12, 2021, MassDOT announced that the highway's exits will be renumbered starting on March 17.


Exit list


Suffixed routes


Route 146A

Route 146A in Massachusetts, United States, is a north to south route which connects Route 122 in Uxbridge, and Rhode Island Route 146A in North Smithfield. There are two connector entrances to Route 146, along Route 146A. These are Exit 1, which connects Route 146 directly to Route 146A, and Exit 2, the Chockalog Road exit in Uxbridge. This highway was renamed by the Massachusetts General Court in 2004 as the Lydia Taft Highway, after America's first woman voter,
Lydia Chapin Taft Lydia Taft (née Chapin; February 2, 1712November 9, 1778) was the first woman known to legally vote in colonial America. This occurred at a town meeting in the New England town of Uxbridge in Massachusetts Colony, on October 30, 1756. Early ...
, a colonial woman from Uxbridge. Lydia Chapin Taft's historic vote and her role in the history of Women's suffrage is recognized by the Massachusetts legislature since 2004, which named Route 146A from Uxbridge to the Rhode Island border in her honor. Route 146A is completely within the town limits of Uxbridge. In colonial times, this route had the name of "the Great Road", and later "the Quaker Highway", after Quakers from Smithfield, Rhode Island, settled here. There are a number of historic sites along this road including the Friends Meetinghouse, which is on the National Historic Register. The
Moses Farnum House The Moses Farnum House is an historic house located on Route 146A. in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. On October 7, 1983, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. History Moses Farnum was born, son of John C. Farnum, Jr of Chockal ...
, and the
Ironstone Mill Housing and Cellar Hole Ironstone is an historic village, (today known mainly as South Uxbridge), in the township of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, United States. It derived its name from plentiful bog iron found here which helped Uxbridge to become a center for three iron ...
are two other sites along this road. Route 98 also connects with Route 146A, near its midpoint, and has significant historic sites of the original Quaker village known as Quaker City, and Aldrich Village, which are also on the National Historic Register. Just beyond the northern terminus of Route 146A and continuing north on Route 122 is a famous historical house known as
Elmshade The Bazaleel Taft Jr. House and Law Office are a historic house and law office building at 195 South Main Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. On November 7, 1983, they were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The House and Law of ...
, a home and gathering place of the influential
Taft family The Taft family of the United States has historic origins in Massachusetts; its members have served Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, and the United States in various positions such as U.S. Representative (two), Governor of Ohio, G ...
in America. Part of what is now Route 146A was the original Route 146 before a new limited access highway was constructed from the Rhode Island line to Worcester, between 1981 and 1984. This project involved moving a former almshouse cemetery and led to archeological findings on mortuary practices following that excavation. The Second Great Awakening changed local mortuary practices for the poor.


Major intersections


References


External links


Mass. Route 146 Current and Speculative Future Exit Numbers List
{{Attached KML
146 146 may refer to: *146 (number), a natural number *AD 146, a year in the 2nd century AD *146 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *146 (Antrim Artillery) Corps Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers See also

* List of highways numbered 146 * {{Numbe ...
Transportation in Worcester, Massachusetts