# U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts

U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is a major north–south U.S. Route in the state of Massachusetts, traveling through Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Bristol counties. The portion of US 1 south of Boston is also known as the Boston–Providence Turnpike, Washington Street, or the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike, and portions north of Boston are known as the Northeast Expressway and the Newburyport Turnpike.

## Route description

From the south, US 1 enters Massachusetts from Rhode Island, immediately entering the city of Attleboro. It closely parallels Interstate 95 (I-95) as it goes through the towns of North Attleborough, Plainville, Wrentham, Foxborough (where Gillette Stadium is), Walpole, Sharon, Norwood, and Westwood. US 1 then has a wrong-way concurrency with I-95 up to the interchange that is the southern terminus of I-93. US 1 then travels concurrently with I-93 from Canton through Downtown Boston; Route 3 joins the concurrency in Braintree. In Downtown Boston, Route 1A and Route 3 separate from US 1 to head toward Logan International Airport and Cambridge respectively, and I-93 and US 1 separate just after passing through the O'Neill Tunnel and crossing the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. US 1 continues north, crossing the Tobin Bridge as the Northeast Expressway and traveling through Chelsea, Revere, and Malden, then as a four- to six-lane expressway through Saugus, Lynnfield, and Peabody.
The route through Saugus was once known for its abundance of kitschy roadside commercial architecture. Those that still exist as of 2023 include the 68-foot (21 m) neon cactus originally erected for the Hilltop Steak House, the tiki-styled Kowloon Restaurant, the Prince Restaurant's "Leaning Tower of Pizza", and a large orange dinosaur statue that was once part of a miniature golf course. Former structures along Route 1 included restaurants built in the shapes of a ship and a Chinese palace.
* The Ship Restaurant, Route 1, Saugus, Massachusetts (1984)
From Peabody, US 1 again closely parallels I-95 going through the towns of Danvers, Topsfield, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, and Newburyport. In Newburyport, US 1 has a mile-long (1.6 km) freeway segment that bypasses downtown and the waterfront areas; Route 1A joins the freeway shortly before it crosses the Merrimack River, entering Salisbury and becoming a surface arterial again. Three miles (4.8 km) later, it enters the state of New Hampshire.
Route 1A runs alongside US 1 in four parts of the state.

## History

US 1 in Massachusetts was constructed in sections throughout the 1930s partly by widening existing roads and also by constructing new right of ways to bypass more congested areas. Originally, most of the highway was two or three lanes in each direction, with numerous widening and improvements made over the years.
Most of US 1 consists of two former turnpike roads—the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike and the Newburyport Turnpike. The older roads that these turnpikes were meant to bypass are now mostly Route 1A.
The Newburyport Turnpike opened on February 11, 1805, and was constructed by a private company at a cost of $500,000 (equivalent to $10.2 million in 2023). The turnpike was used by stagecoaches and mail carriers for decades, but toll collection ceased in 1847 as parallel railroads attracted more use.
Several sections were rebuilt to accommodate automobile traffic in the early 20th century, but it saw decreased use following the completion of I-95.
The section in downtown Newsburyport was bypassed in 1934.
In the early 1930s, Route C1 was designated as an alternate route of US 1 through Downtown Boston. The "C" indicated a city route. The C designation was apparently distinct to the Boston area. Route C1 ran along Brookline Avenue, Beacon Street, Embankment Road (modern Route 28), Charles Street, Lowell Street, Merrimac Street, and Cross Street to the west end of the Sumner Tunnel. In East Boston, it went via Porter Street to Chelsea Street then shifted to the William McClellan Highway (modern Route 1A). As Storrow Drive and the Central Artery
In the 1950s, Route C1 was rerouted to follow portions of these highways. The Route C1 designation was removed in 1971, with US 1 taking over most of the alignment south of the Charles River, and Route 1A taking over most of the alignment north of the river. US 1 was later moved onto the Southeast Expressway leaving most of the former alignment of Route C1 south of the river as having no number.
For a period of time during the 1950s, a segment of US 1 in Massachusetts and New Hampshire was routed onto what later became I-95. The roadway that had been US 1 was designated as Route 17 from Danvers to Salisbury and New Hampshire Route 17 (NH 17) for a short distance in Seabrook.
Once the I-95 designation was adopted, Route 17 and NH 17 were restored to being US 1.
The Northeast Expressway was planned to extend north, as part of I-95, from Saugus, through Lynn, Lynnfield and Peabody. The highway would bisect the Saugus Marsh and Lynn Woods Reservation.
The highway would then connect with the present junction of I-95 and Route 128 in Peabody. The Northeast Expressway was planned to carry the I-95 designation from Charlestown to Peabody. The first section of the expressway built was the Tobin Bridge over the Mystic River, which opened in 1950. In various stages, the Chelsea and Revere portions opened from 1956 to 1958.
The highway carried the I-95 designation from 1955 (in its planning stages) to 1973. It was among the canceled highways affected by Governor Francis Sargent's February 1970 moratorium on expressway construction within Route 128. US 1 replaced I-95 on the Northeast Expressway, in the 1970s after I-95 joined Route 128 from Westwood to Peabody around Boston.
In the late 1980s, at the request of the Metropolitan District Commission (now the Department of Conservation and Recreation) in an attempt to reduce the incidence of overheight vehicles finding their way onto Storrow Drive, US 1 was moved onto I-93 south of and through Boston, leaving the old route—Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway (VFW Parkway), Jamaicaway, Riverway, and Storrow Drive through Dedham, Chestnut Hill, West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and central Boston—without a number. There are still some street signs incorrectly indicating the former alignment as US 1, and many local residents still refer to parts of VFW Parkway and Jamaicaway as "Route 1", as if it still runs along its old trajectory.

## Future

In the early 2010s, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) proposed a $137-million (equivalent to $187 million in 2023) project to widen the existing 2.4-mile (3.9 km) four-lane highway section to six lanes, from north of Route 99 in Saugus to south of Route 60 in Revere. The proposal consisted of adding a 12-foot (3.7 m) travel lane and 10-foot (3.0 m) shoulder in each direction. Work would also include reconstruction of the Copeland Circle interchange by eliminating the existing rotary, and demolition of the existing 1957 bridges from the never-built highway extension. The Lynn Street/Salem Street interchange in Malden, and the Route 99 interchange in Saugus, were slated to be reconstructed. Major rock blasting would be required for the project due to a massive ledge next to the highway, and seven bridges would be replaced and three others upgraded to handle the new lanes. In 2012, $10 million (equivalent to $13.1 million in 2023) was added to the state budget with the intent to be used for design costs and pulling permits for US 1. The project was expected to begin in 2012, but no further movement by the state has been implemented. Since then, town officials have made the push to ask MassDOT to revisit the project and begin development.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Old exit | New exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Bristol | Attleboro | 0.000 | 0.000 | | | US 1 south – Pawtucket | Continuation into Rhode Island |
| Bristol | Attleboro | 0.291 | 0.468 | | | I-95 north – Foxboro, Boston | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 1 on I-95 |
| Bristol | Attleboro | 1.845 | 2.969 | | | Route 123 (Highland Avenue) – Attleboro, Brockton, Valley Falls, RI, Lincoln, RI | |
| Bristol | Attleboro | 2.036 | 3.277 | | | Route 1A south – Attleboro, Providence, RI | Northern terminus of Route 1A |
| Bristol | North Attleborough | 3.974 | 6.396 | | | I-295 to I-95 – Attleboro, Boston, Warwick, RI | Exits 2A-B on I-295 |
| Bristol | North Attleborough | 5.238 | 8.430 | | | Route 120 west (Hoppin Hill Avenue) – Cumberland, RI | Eastern terminus of Route 120 |
| Bristol | North Attleborough | 7.318 | 11.777 | | | Route 1A north (Park Street) – Plainville, Wrentham | Southern terminus of Route 1A |
| Norfolk | Plainville | 8.370 | 13.470 | | | Route 106 (Bacon Street) – Mansfield, Easton, Plainville | |
| Norfolk | Plainville | 9.992 | 16.081 | | | Route 152 south (Taunton Street) – Plainville, Attleboro, Seekonk, Wrentham | Northern terminus of Route 152 |
| Norfolk | Plainville | 10.600 | 17.059 | | | I-495 – Cape Cod, Marlboro | Exits 36A-B on I-495 |
| Norfolk | Foxborough | 13.506 | 21.736 | | | To Route 140 – Wrentham, Foxboro | Interchange; access via East Street/Main Street |
| Norfolk | Sharon | 18.597 | 29.929 | | | I-95 – Boston, Attleboro, Providence, RI | Exit 19 on I-95 |
| Norfolk | Walpole | 19.264 | 31.002 | | | Route 27 (High Plain Street) – Walpole, Medfield, Sharon | |
| Norfolk | Norwood | 23.058 | 37.108 | | | Neponset Street / Nahatan Street – Norwood, Canton | Pendergast Circle; roundabout interchange |
| Norfolk | Dedham | 26.319 | 42.356 | Southern end of freeway section | Southern end of freeway section | Southern end of freeway section | Southern end of freeway section |
| Norfolk | Dedham | 26.319 | 42.356 | 15 | 29 | I-95 north / Route 128 north to Route 1A – Peabody, Portsmouth, NH | Signed as exits 29B (I-95) and 29A (Route 1A); southern end of I-95/Route 128 concurrency; Route 128 not signed southbound |
| Norfolk | Westwood | 26.922 | 43.327 | 14 | 28 | East Street / Canton Street | |
| Norfolk | Dedham | 28.131 | 45.272 | 13 | 27 | University Avenue – MBTA / Amtrak Station | |
| Norfolk | Canton | 28.693 | 46.177 | 12 (NB) 63A (SB) | 26 (NB) 1A (SB) | I-95 south – Providence, RI | Northern end of I-95 concurrency |
| Route 128 ends, I-93 begins ||||
| Norfolk | Canton | 30.053 | 48.366 | 64 | 2 | Route 138 (Washington Street) – Stoughton, Milton | Signed as exits 2A (south) and 2B (north) |
| Norfolk | Milton | 31.262 | 50.311 | 65 | 3 | Ponkapoag Trail – Houghton's Pond | |
| Norfolk | Randolph | 32.046 | 51.573 | 66 | 4 | Route 24 south – Fall River | Left exit northbound; northern terminus and exits 41A-B on Route 24 |
| Norfolk | Randolph | 32.882 | 52.918 | 67 | 5 | Route 28 (Main Street) – Randolph, Milton | Signed as exits 5A (south) and 5B (north) |
| Norfolk | Braintree | 35.087 | 56.467 | 68 | 6 | Route 37 south (Granite Street) – Braintree, Holbrook, West Quincy | Northern terminus of Route 37 |
| Norfolk | Braintree | 35.382 | 56.942 | — | 7 | Route 3 south – Cape Cod | Braintree Split; southern end of Route 3 concurrency; exit 43 on Route 3 |
| Norfolk | Quincy | 36.764 | 59.166 | — | 8 | Furnace Brook Parkway – Quincy | |
| Norfolk | Quincy | 37.815 | 60.857 | — | 9 | Adams Street / Bryant Avenue – North Quincy, West Quincy, Milton | Signed for Adams Street northbound, Bryant Avenue southbound |
| Norfolk | Milton | 38.639 | 62.183 | — | 10 | Squantum Street – Milton | Southbound exit only |
| Norfolk | Milton | 39.500 | 63.569 | — | 11 | Granite Avenue to Route 203 – Ashmont, East Milton | Signed as exits 11A (south) and 11B (north) southbound; no northbound access to Granite Avenue south |
| Suffolk | Boston | 40.367 | 64.964 | — | 12 | Route 3A south (Gallivan Boulevard) – Quincy, Neponset | No northbound exit |
| Suffolk | Boston | 41.316 | 66.492 | 13 | 13A | Freeport Street – Dorchester | Northbound exit only |
| Suffolk | Boston | 41.501 | 66.789 | 14 | 13B | Morrissey Boulevard – Savin Hill | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| Suffolk | Boston | 43.021 | 69.236 | 15 | 14 | Columbia Road – Dorchester, South Boston | |
| Suffolk | Boston | 43.749 | 70.407 | 16 | 15A | Southampton Street – Andrew Square | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| Suffolk | Boston | 44.163 | 71.073 | 18 | 15B | Frontage Road / Massachusetts Avenue – Roxbury | Signed as exit 15 southbound |
| Suffolk | Boston | 45.109 | 72.596 | 20 | 16 | I-90 / Mass Pike / Albany Street – Logan Airport, Worcester, South Station | South Bay interchange; signed as exits 16A (South Station) and (I-90) southbound; exits 134B-C on I-90 / Mass Pike |
| Suffolk | Boston | 45.993 | 74.019 | 23 | 17 | Government Center | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; access via North Street |
| Suffolk | Boston | 46.121 | 74.225 | 23 | 16B | Purchase Street | Southbound exit and entrance |
| Suffolk | Boston | 46.365 | 74.617 | 24 | 17 | Route 1A north (Callahan Tunnel) – Logan Airport, Government Center | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 17A (Government) and 17B (Route 1A) |
| Suffolk | Boston | 46.848 | 75.395 | 26 | 18 | Route 3 north (Storrow Drive) / Route 28 – Leverett Circle, Cambridge | Northern end of Route 3 concurrency |
| Suffolk | Boston | | | Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge over the Charles River | Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge over the Charles River | Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge over the Charles River | Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge over the Charles River |
| Suffolk | Boston | 47.284 | 76.096 | 27 | 19 | I-93 north – Somerville, Concord, NH | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; northern end of I-93 concurrency |
| Suffolk | Boston | 47.950 | 77.168 | — | — | Route 99 (New Rutherford Avenue) to I-93 north – Charlestown, Somerville | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| Mystic River | Mystic River | | | Tobin Bridge (toll; E-ZPass or pay-by-plate) | Tobin Bridge (toll; E-ZPass or pay-by-plate) | Tobin Bridge (toll; E-ZPass or pay-by-plate) | Tobin Bridge (toll; E-ZPass or pay-by-plate) |
| Suffolk | Chelsea | 49.567 | 79.770 | — | — | Beacon Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| Suffolk | Chelsea | 50.038 | 80.528 | — | — | Fourth Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| Suffolk | Chelsea | 50.323 | 80.987 | — | — | Sixth Street | Northbound entrance only |
| Suffolk | Chelsea | 50.618 | 81.462 | — | — | Carter Street – Chelsea, East Boston | Southbound exit and entrance |
| Suffolk | Chelsea | 51.378 | 82.685 | — | — | Webster Avenue – Chelsea, Everett | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| Suffolk | Chelsea | 51.327 | 82.603 | — | — | Route 16 east to Route 1A – Revere Beach, Lynn | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| Suffolk | Chelsea | 51.327 | 82.603 | — | — | Route 16 west – Everett, Somerville | Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| Suffolk | Revere | 52.517 | 84.518 | — | — | Sargent Street – West Revere | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| Suffolk | Revere | 53.348 | 85.855 | — | — | Route 60 (Squire Road) – Malden, Revere | Copeland Circle; roundabout interchange |
| Suffolk | Revere | 53.854 | 86.670 | — | — | Lynn Street – Saugus, Malden | Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Middlesex | Malden | | | Northern end of freeway section | Northern end of freeway section | Northern end of freeway section | Northern end of freeway section |
| Essex | Saugus | 55.217 | 88.863 | | | Route 99 south (Broadway) – Malden, Everett | No northbound exit; northern terminus of Route 99 |
| Essex | Saugus | 55.511 | 89.336 | | | Essex Street – Saugus, Melrose | Cloverleaf interchange |
| Essex | Saugus | 56.039 | 90.186 | | | Main Street – Saugus, Wakefield | Cloverleaf interchange |
| Essex | Saugus | 57.162 | 91.993 | | | Lynn Fells Parkway west – Melrose, Stoneham | Trumpet interchange |
| Essex | Saugus | 57.772 | 92.975 | | | Route 129 west (Walnut Street) – Lynn, Wakefield, Reading | Cloverleaf interchange; southern end of Route 129 concurrency |
| Essex | Lynnfield | 59.728 | 96.123 | | | Route 129 east (Salem Street) – Lynn, Swampscott | Diamond interchange; northern end of Route 129 concurrency |
| Essex | Peabody | 60.492 | 97.352 | | | To I-95 / Route 128 – Waltham | Interchange |
| Essex | Peabody | 61.946 | 99.692 | | | I-95 north – Portsmouth, NH, Maine | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 66 on I-95 |
| Essex | Peabody | 62.327 | 100.306 | | | Lowell Street – Peabody | Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Essex | Danvers | 63.233 | 101.764 | | | I-95 / Route 114 (Andover Street) – Peabody, Middleton | Cloverleaf interchange; I-95 not signed |
| Essex | Danvers | 63.848 | 102.753 | | | Centre Street – Danvers | Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Essex | Danvers | 64.902 | 104.450 | | | Route 62 (Maple Street) – Danvers, Middleton | Cloverleaf interchange |
| Essex | Danvers | 65.598 | 105.570 | | | I-95 – Boston, Portsmouth, NH | Exit 70 on I-95 |
| Essex | Topsfield | 68.782 | 110.694 | | | Route 97 (High Street) – Topsfield Center, Haverhill, Beverly | |
| Essex | Rowley | 73.819 | 118.800 | | | Route 133 (Haverhill Street) – Rowley, Ipswich, Gloucester, Georgetown, North Andover | |
| Essex | Newburyport | 81.623 | 131.359 | | | Route 1A south / Route 113 west (Merrimac Street) – Downtown Newburyport | Diamond interchange; southern end of Route 1A concurrency; eastern terminus of Route 113 |
| Essex | Salisbury | 83.633 | 134.594 | | | Route 110 west (School Street) – Amesbury, Haverhill | Eastern terminus of Route 110 |
| Essex | Salisbury | 83.809 | 134.878 | | | Route 1A north (Beach Road) – Salisbury Beach | Northern end of Route 1A concurrency |
| Essex | Salisbury | 85.953 | 138.328 | | | Route 286 (Forrest Street) – Amesbury, Seabrook, NH, Hampton Beach | |
| Essex | Salisbury | 86.253 | 138.811 | | | US 1 north – Seabrook | Continuation into New Hampshire |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Electronic toll collection Incomplete access Route transition ||||||||