Massachusetts Route 7A (MA 7A) is a state highway and alternate to

U.S. Route 7 U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for through the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) exit 15 ...

(US 7) in Berkshire County,

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 ...

. It has two posted segments, with a total length of . Between these segments, Route 7A is coextensive with US 7. Both segments of Route 7A follow former alignments of US 7.

Route description

From its southern terminus to its northern one, Route 7A spans . However, its "signed" sections only add up to approximately , with the connection made via US 7.

Southern segment

The southern segment begins 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 the unsigned Connecticut State Road 832 connects Route 7A to its parent route south in the town of

North Canaan North Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,211 at the 2020 census. The town center is still called "Canaan", being the main town center of the old town of Canaan prior to North Canaan splitting o ...

. Route 7A runs northward for nearly as Ashley Falls Road, passing through the village of Ashley Falls and crossing the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

before rejoining its parent route in the town of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Northern segment

About north by way of US 7, Route 7A's northern segment begins at an intersection with its parent route just south of a junction with

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 ...

in the town of Lenox. It heads northward along Kemble Street, passing the site of Shakespeare & Company before meeting Route 183 (Walker Street) within the CDP of Lenox. The two routes continue north along Walker Street for a brief concurrency before Route 183 bears south towards

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the T ...

. Route 7A continues northward through Lenox Village along Main Street, ending finally at its parent route approximately northward.

History

The bypass routing of US 7 around Lenox Village, which gave way to the northern segment of Route 7A, was made as part of a failed attempt to make that route a freeway to Lanesborough.

Major intersections

References

{{reflist 007A Transportation in Berkshire County, Massachusetts U.S. Route 7