U.S. Route 7 (US 7) in of
is a section of the larger federal route extending from southern
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 ...
to the northernmost part of
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. Within
, the entire route in Massachusetts is within
Berkshire County
Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...
.
Route description
With a few exceptions, US 7 is mainly a two-lane rural road winding through the
Berkshire Mountains
The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...
, largely parallel to 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 ...
. In
Great Barrington, US 7 is briefly concurrent with
Route 41 along Main Street, as well as with
Route 183 on State Road. Further north, US 7 is concurrent with
Route 102 along Main Street through the center of
Stockbridge.
In the vicinity of
Lenox, the route transitions to a four-lane bypass around the
historic center of town, with a grassy central median and a speed limit of . While on this bypass route, it meets
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 ...
, which travels southeast to
Lee
Lee may refer to:
Name
Given name
* Lee (given name), a given name in English
Surname
* Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee:
** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname
** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
and the
Mass Pike
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 ...
. The two routes continue north via the bypass route, while
Route 7A travels along Kemble Street and Main Street via the original routing of the road. The three routes meet just north of the Lenox CDP boundary, with US 7 / US 20 merging back to a two-lane road until
Pittsfield
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield ...
.
[
US 7 enters Pittsfield along South Street. At a signalized intersection with Housatonic Street, US 20 makes a left turn to continue west towards Albany. At Park Square, the route meets Route 9 near its western terminus, and the two routes share a two-block concurrency along East Street until US 7 makes a left turn to continue north.][
US 7 leaves downtown Pittsfield as a two-lane surface arterial, and continues as a rural highway with occasional three-lane stretches for climbing the grades along the ]Berkshires
The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...
. It passes west of Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock is a mountain located in the northwest corner of Massachusetts and is the highest point in the state. Its summit is in the western part of the town of Adams (near its border with Williamstown) in Berkshire County. Geologicall ...
before passing through Williamstown, connecting the Taconic Trail with the Mohawk Trail
The Mohawk Trail began as a Native American trade route which connected Atlantic tribes with tribes in Upstate New York and beyond. It followed the Millers River, Deerfield River and crossed the Hoosac Range, in the area that is now northwestern ...
(Route 2
The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads.
International
* AH2, As ...
). The road passes Williams College
Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...
and crosses the Hoosic River one last time before entering Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
.[
]
History
Like Connecticut, Massachusetts planned an interstate-grade freeway (proposed I-89) in the US-7 corridor. The only portions of this plan to be completed were the short "Super-2" freeway section from the Connecticut border to Sheffield, and the 4-lane section south of Lenox, although land takings for additional freeway sections occurred. The highway was ultimately canceled due to environmental and community opposition.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
References
External links
{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=7, statebefore=Connecticut, state=Massachusetts, stateafter=Vermont
Massachusetts
07
Transportation in Berkshire County, Massachusetts