Route 138 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 ...
in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. From the state line in
Tiverton, Rhode Island to
Milton, Route 138 runs as an extension of
Rhode Island Route 138, which is itself an extension of
Connecticut Route 138
Route 138 is the portion of the multi-state Route 138 within the state of Connecticut. It is one of several New England state highways that travel through three states while keeping their number designation. The route begins in Sprague at Route 9 ...
. Route 138's northern terminus is at
Route 28
Highway 28 may refer to:
Australia
* Cumberland Highway
* Mountain Highway (Victoria)
* - NT
Canada
* Alberta Highway 28
* British Columbia Highway 28
* Nova Scotia Trunk 28
* Ontario Highway 28
* Saskatchewan Highway 28
China Taiwan
* Prov ...
in Milton.
Route description
Running generally north, Route 138 crosses from
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 ...
into
Fall River
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census, making it the List of municipaliti ...
, where it meets the southern terminus of
Route 79 at exit 11 (formerly 5) of
Interstate 195, then begins a concurrency with Route 79 and later,
U.S. Route 6. Routes 138 and 6 then travel off of Route 79 and over the
Brightman Street Bridge into
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lor ...
, where the concurrency with U.S. Route 6 splits at an intersection with
Route 103. Route 138 proceeds through
Dighton and into
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
, intersecting
Route 140 and
U.S. Route 44 at Taunton Green. In
Raynham, the route has an interchange with
Interstate 495 at exit 22 (formerly 8) before continuing into
Easton, where it intersects
Route 106 before beginning a brief concurrency with
Route 123 near
Stonehill College
Stonehill College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that ...
. Route 138 meets the western terminus of
Route 139 at the beginning of an extremely short concurrency with
Route 27 in downtown
Stoughton, before crossing into
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ente ...
and meeting
Interstate 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 ...
/
U.S. 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 i ...
at exit 2 (Exit 2A is for Route 138 south, while 2B is for Route 138 North). The route finally enters
Milton, travels by
Curry College
Curry College is a private college in Milton, Massachusetts. It was founded as the School of Elocution and Expression by Anna Baright in 1879. In 1885, it was taken over and renamed by Samuel Silas Curry.
History
Curry College was founded in ...
and the
Neponset Valley Parkway
The Neponset Valley Parkway is a historic parkway in southern Boston and Milton, Massachusetts, United States. It is a connecting parkway in the Greater Boston area's network, providing a connection between the Blue Hills Reservation, Neponset R ...
, and terminates at
Route 28
Highway 28 may refer to:
Australia
* Cumberland Highway
* Mountain Highway (Victoria)
* - NT
Canada
* Alberta Highway 28
* British Columbia Highway 28
* Nova Scotia Trunk 28
* Ontario Highway 28
* Saskatchewan Highway 28
China Taiwan
* Prov ...
, directly before that route crosses the
Neponset River
The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its headwaters are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for about to its mouth at ...
and enters
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 ...
.
History
Until the late 1960's - early 1970's, Route 138 was multiplexed with Route 28 on Blue Hill Avenue to Route 3 (now
MA 203) on Morton Street, then to the Arborway and the Jamaicaway. Route 138 turned off onto Brookline Avenue at intersection of the Jamaicaway (where it became the Riverway) and continued to end at US Route 20 and Route 30 in Kenmore Square.
During the
Blizzard of 1978, Route 138's intersection with
Interstate 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 ...
(which at the time still had
Route 128 concurrent with it) gained some notoriety as the location shot of photos taken featuring cars trapped in the snow along the underpassing
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
.
Parts of Route 138 follows the route of the "Old Bay Road," which was the earliest line of travel between Boston and Taunton.
[Frederic J. Wood, 1919, "The Turnpikes of New England", p. 118.]
Major intersections
References
External links
{{Commons category, Massachusetts Route 138
138 138 may refer to:
*138 (number)
*138 BC
*AD 138
Year 138 ( CXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Niger and Camer ...
Transportation in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Transportation in Norfolk County, Massachusetts