Route 1A 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 ...

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 is an alternate route to U.S. 1 with three signed sections and two unsigned sections where the highway is concurrent with its parent. Due to the reconfiguration of tunnel interchanges brought on by the completion of the

Big Dig The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4& ...

, Route 1A is discontinuous in the downtown

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

area. Vehicles entering

Downtown Boston Downtown Boston is the central business district of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The city of Boston was founded in 1630. The largest of the city's commercial districts, Downtown is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters; ...

via the Sumner Tunnel must take I-93 north to the exit for Government Center and make a U-turn to access the entrance ramp to I-93 south (which silently carries Route 1A south as well) and vice versa.

Route description

Rhode Island border to Attleboro

A short segment of Route 1A, in length, in Attleboro runs from

U.S. Route 1A U.S. Route 1A is the name of several highways found in the United States. North Carolina Wake Forest–Youngsville U.S. Route 1A (US 1A) is a alternate route of US 1 through the towns of Wake Forest and Youngsville, North Caroli ...

at the

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

border through a junction with

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 ...

, before heading north and merging with Route 1. The entire length of this segment is known as Newport Avenue.

North Attleborough to Dedham

This segment of Route 1A extends roughly north from

North Attleborough North Attleborough, alternatively spelled North Attleboro, is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,834 at the 2020 United States Census. The villages of Attleboro Falls and North Attleborough Center are ...

to Dedham, passing through the towns of Plainville, Wrentham,

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, Walpole, Norwood and Westwood on the way. Prior to its realignment along

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

and

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 ...

, Route 1 continued north along the Providence Highway towards Boston at the junction of Route 1A and that road.

Boston to Salisbury

Veterans Memorial Bridge entering Beverly MA

This segment of Route 1A extends from Boston, Massachusetts to

Salisbury, Massachusetts Salisbury is a small coastal beach town and summer tourist destination in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of Boston on the New Hampshire border. ...

. The highway starts from US 1 (which is on the

Central Artery The Central Artery (officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway) is a section of freeway in downtown Boston, Massachusetts; it is designated as Interstate 93, US 1 and Route 3. The original Artery, constructed in the 1950s, was named after ...

with

and Route 3) at the former Government Center/

Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partiall ...

interchange. It passes through the Callahan Tunnel (outbound/northbound) and Sumner Tunnel (inbound/southbound), becoming the East Boston Expressway past

. The East Boston Expressway was the first freeway built in the city. Immediately beyond

Interstate 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 ...

ends at Route 1A. Salisbury Beach, Salisbury MA

The road continues as a

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

through Revere. It is a limited access highway through Revere, passing Suffolk Downs and the Wonderland Greyhound Park (which is across the street from the outer terminus of the MBTA's Blue Line), before running through the isolated Point of Pines neighborhood and exiting Revere over the General Edwards Bridge into Lynn. For the first mile and a half in Lynn, it is concurrent with the Lynnway, and is a high-traffic retail area. After the Lynnway portion, the route becomes concurrent with

Route 129 The following highways are numbered 129: Canada * Ontario Highway 129 * Prince Edward Island Route 129 Costa Rica * National Route 129 India * National Highway 129 (India) Japan * Japan National Route 129 United States * Interstate 129 * ...

for a mile, before crossing into

Swampscott Swampscott () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located up the coast from Boston in an area known as the North Shore. The population was 15,111 as of the 2020 United States Census. A former summer resort on Massachusetts Ba ...

as Paradise Road. At Vinnin Square, it passes into Salem as Loring Avenue, passing by Salem State University. The route turns left onto Lafayette Street and is concurrent with Route 114. At the intersection with Derby Street, notable for the large fire station, the route turns right. At the next stop sign, the route turns left onto Hawthorne Boulevard passing Salem Common and the Salem Witch Museum before turning left onto Winter Street. At the end of Winter Street, the route turns right onto Bridge Street crossing the Veterans Memorial Bridge into Beverly. It follows two of the main streets of downtown Beverly, before heading north, passing through Wenham and

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

(through this section the road is occasionally signed as a US Route) before becoming the main road through the town of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, crossing the historic Choate Bridge over the Ipswich River. While in Ipswich, much of the route runs concurrently with Route 133 until just over the town line into Rowley. It passes through the main village of Rowley, as well as the central villages of Newbury. In

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

, it merges with Route 1, signed with its parent highway over 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 ...

and into the town center of

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

. It then heads east from the Salisbury town center before turning north and ending in Salisbury Beach at 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.

New Hampshire Route 1A New Hampshire Route 1A is an long state highway located in southeast New Hampshire. The route runs along the Atlantic coastline from the Massachusetts border north to Rye, then turns toward downtown Portsmouth. The southern terminus is at the Mas ...

continues north from this point.

History

Initially, Route 1A ran along part of its present-day route between the New Hampshire state line and Revere. It then turned west along present-day Route 16 until it ended at US 1 (now Route 99) in Everett. Then, in 1931, an interchange in Revere was built over Route 107 (Broadway). In 1933, another, disconnected portion of Route 1A appeared between Attleboro and the Rhode Island state line. In 1934, two changes were made to the route. In Revere, the route was realigned to turn west smoothly. Between Boston and North Attleborough, a huge portion of Route 11 and all of Route 150 were replaced by Route 1A. The new portion soon got truncated to Dedham in 1936. It then got truncated even further to end at US 1/Route 128.

Later history

After Route C1 was decommissioned in 1971 in favor of a new alignment of US 1, Route 1A was truncated to a roundabout interchange in Revere. As a result, Route 16 extended eastward along the then-former route. After all unbuilt Boston freeways were cancelled by 1973, US 1 was rerouted onto the Northeast Expressway (formerly proposed I-95). As a result of that, Route 1A was extended south towards the Sumner/Callahan Tunnels and then north along Central Artery towards US 1 (Storrow Drive).{{cite web , title=Massachusetts Road Map, 1975 , url=https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d1eaf62b3438482fb4dc6cab43e1aa57 , website=www.arcgis.com , access-date=August 17, 2021 In 1989, US 1 was rerouted from Storrow Drive onto I-93's Southeast Expressway, causing "signed" Route 1A to get truncated.

Major intersections

{{jcttop, state=MA, length_ref= {{MAint , county=Bristol , cspan=6 , location=Attleboro , lspan=4 , mile=0.000 , road={{jct, state=RI, US, 1A, dir1=south, city1=Pawtucket , notes=Continuation into

{{MAint , mile=0.412 , road={{jct, state=MA, I, 95, city1=Foxboro, city2=Boston, location3=

Providence, RI Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, notes=Exits 2A-B on I-95 {{MAint , mile=1.637 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 123, city1=Attleboro, city2=Brockton, location3= Valley Falls, RI , notes= {{MAint , mile=1.728 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, US, 1, dir1=south , notes=Southern terminus of unsigned concurrency with US 1 {{jctgap , col=5 , text=See US 1 mileposts 2.4–7.0 {{MAint , location=North Attleborough , type=concur , mile=7.109 , road={{jct, state=MA, US, 1, dir1=north, city1=Boston , notes=Northern terminus of unsigned concurrency with US 1 {{MAint , county=Norfolk , cspan=7 , location=Plainville , mile=7.981 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 106, dir1=east, US, 1, to2=yes, city1=Mansfield, city2=West Bridgewater , notes=Western end of Route 106 {{MAint , location=Wrentham , lspan=3 , mile=10.634 , road={{jct, state=MA, I, 495, I, 95, to2=yes, city1=Cape Cod, city2=Lowell , notes=Exit 38 on I-495 {{MAint , mile=11.375 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 121, dir1=south, location1= Woonsocket, RI , notes=Northern end of Route 121 {{MAint , mile=12.840 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 140, city1=Franklin, location2= Foxboro, city3=Taunton , notes= {{MAint , location=Norfolk , mile=15.091 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 115, location1= Foxboro, city2=Norfolk, city3=Millis , notes= {{MAint , location=Walpole , mile=19.70 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 27, city1=Walpole, areadab1=CDP, city2=Sharon, areadab2=CDP, city3=Stoughton , notes= {{MAint , location=Dedham , mile=27.144 , type=concur , road= I-95

Providence Highway to

/ US 1 / Route 128 –

, notes=Formerly US 1, south end of silent concurrency with Providence Highway and then US 1 {{jctgap, text=See

Route 128 The following highways are numbered 128: Canada * New Brunswick Route 128 * Ontario Highway 128 (former) * Prince Edward Island Route 128 Costa Rica * National Route 128 India * National Highway 128 (India) Japan * Japan National Route 128 ...

exits 29-26 and

exits 1-17B {{MAint , county=Suffolk , cspan=9 , location=Boston , lspan=7 , mile= , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, I, 93, name1=

US 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 ...

, MA, 3, dir1=north, dir2=north, name2=

Storrow Drive Storrow Drive, officially James Jackson Storrow Memorial Drive, is a major crosstown parkway in Boston, Massachusetts, running east–west along the southern bank of the Charles River. It is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not perm ...

, city1=Government Center , notes=Northern terminus of silent concurrency with US 1; exit 17B on Central Artery {{MAint , type=incomplete , mile= , road=

Haymarket Square Haymarket Square may refer to: * Haymarket Square (Boston), in Boston * Haymarket Square (Chicago), in Chicago * Haymarket affair The Haymarket affair, also known as the Haymarket massacre, the Haymarket riot, the Haymarket Square riot, or ...

, notes=Northbound entrance only {{jctbridge , mile= , type=etc , bridge= Sumner (southbound) /

Callahan Callahan may refer to: *Callahan (surname) Fictional characters *Father Callahan, in Stephen King novels *Harry Callahan (character), in ''Dirty Harry'' movies * Jack Callahan (''Neighbours''), from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' *Mik ...

(northbound) Tunnels {{MAint , mile=49.482 , type= , road=

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and do ...

, notes=Access via Porter Street {{MAint , mile=49.677 , road={{jct, extra=airport

{{MAint , mile=50.023 , type=incomplete , road={{jct, state=MA, I, 90, MATP, , dir2=west, I, 93, dir3=south, to3=yes, location1= Williams Tunnel , notes=Eastern end of I-90; southbound exit and northbound entrance {{MAint , mile=50.305 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 145, dir1=north, name1=Bennington Street, city1=Winthrop, city2=Chelsea , notes=Interchange, southern end of Route 145 {{MAint , location=Revere , lspan=2 , mile=52.487 , type=incomplete , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 145 , notes=Interchange, northbound exit and southbound entrance {{MAint , mile=52.852 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 16, MA, 60, dir1=west, dir2=west, city1=Malden, city2=Lynn, location3=

Revere Beach Revere Beach is a public beach in Revere, Massachusetts, located about north of downtown Boston. The beach is over long. In 1875, a rail link was constructed to the beach, leading to its increasing popularity as a summer recreation area, and in ...

, city4=Chelsea , notes=Eastern end of Routes 16 and 60; To US 1 via Route 60 and Route 145 via Route 16 {{MAint , county=Essex , cspan=17 , location=Lynn , lspan=3 , mile=55.843 , road=Lynnway east –

Nahant Nahant is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,334 at the 2020 census, which makes it the smallest municipality by population in Essex County. With just of land area, it is the smallest municipality by are ...

, notes= {{MAint , mile=58.018 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 129, dir1=west, city1=Lynnfield , notes=Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 129 {{MAint , type=concur , mile=59.167 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 129, dir1=east, city1=Swampscott, city2=Marblehead , notes=Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 129 {{MAint , location=Salem , lspan=3 , mile=62.554 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 114, dir1=east, city1=Marblehead , notes=Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 114 {{MAint , mile=63.326 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 114, dir1=west , notes=Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 114 {{MAint , mile=64.250 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 107, dir1=south, city1=Lynn, city2=Malden , notes=North end of Route 107 {{jctbridge , location_special=Danvers River , mile=64.933 , bridge=Essex Bridge {{MAint , location=Beverly , lspan=4 , mile=65.447 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 22, MA, 127, dir1=north, dir2=north , notes=South end of Routes 22 and 127 {{MAint , mile=66.242 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 62, city1=Danvers, location2=

Beverly Farms Beverly Farms is a neighborhood comprising the eastern part of the city of Beverly, Massachusetts, in Massachusetts's North Shore region, about 20 miles north of Boston. Beverly Farms is an oceanfront community with a population of about 3,500, ...

, notes= {{MAint , mile=67.699 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 97, dir1=north, city1=Topsfield, areadab1=CDP , notes=South end of Route 97 {{MAint , mile=67.897 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 128, city1=Gloucester, city2=Rockport, city3=Peabody, city4=Boston , notes=Exits 45A-B on Route 128; cloverleaf interchange {{MAint , location=Ipswich , mile=75.603 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 133, dir1=east, city1=Essex, areadab1=CDP , notes=Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 133 {{MAint , location=Rowley , mile=79.754 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 133, dir1=west, city1=Georgetown , notes=Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 133 {{MAint , location=Newburyport , lspan=2 , mile=88.395 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 113, dir1=west, city1=West Newbury, city2=Groveland , notes=East end of Route 113 {{MAint , mile=88.588 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, US, 1, dir1=south, city1=Danvers, city2=Boston , notes=Southern terminus of concurrency with US 1, southbound exit and northbound entrance {{MAint , location=Salisbury , lspan=2 , mile=90.879 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, US, 1, MA, 110, dir1=north, dir2=west, city1=Amesbury, city2=Merrimac, city3=Salisbury Beach , notes=Northern terminus of concurrency with US 1, east end of Route 110 {{MAint , mile=95.120 , road={{jct, state=NH, NH, 1A, NH, 286, dir1=north, to2=yes, city1=Hampton , notes=Continuation into

{{jctbtm, keys=concur,incomplete,etc

References

{{reflist

External links

{{Attached KML, display=inline,title {{Commons category, Massachusetts Route 1A
Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation - Boston's First Expressway

East Boston Expressway - Historic Overview
001A A Massachusetts North Attleborough, Massachusetts Plainville, Massachusetts Historic trails and roads in Dedham, Massachusetts {{Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston