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The Braintree Split is the major interchange of Interstate 93 (I-93), U.S. Route 1 (US 1), and Route 3 in Braintree, Massachusetts, one of the South Shore suburbs of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Traveling northbound, the routes merge into a three-way concurrency towards
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Traveling southbound, they divide into the concurrent I-93 and US 1 towards southeastern Massachusetts, and Route 3 towards
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...
. The split is located close to the border between Braintree and Quincy. It was previously the southern terminus of Route 128, the main beltway around
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
; it shared the roadbed with I-93 and US 1 traveling towards the split before they join with Route 3. It was truncated to the junction of I-93 and I-95 in Canton in 1997; despite no longer carrying this designation, the split continues to be informally recognized as the starting point of Route 128 within Massachusetts. The Braintree Split is used as a focal point in local radio and television traffic reports.Weinreb, Michael
Traffic Report
,
Boston Magazine ''Boston'' (also called "''Boston'' magazine" or referred to by the nickname "BoMag") is a regional monthly magazine concerning life in the Greater Boston area, which has been in publication since 1962. History Metrocorp Publishing, a Philade ...
, May 2002.
In 2006, weekday traffic volume through the interchange averaged 250,000 to 275,000 vehicles daily."I-93/Southeast Expressway/Route 3 (Braintree Split): ''Operational Assessment and Potential Improvements''"
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, March 2006, p. 3.


Description

The Braintree Split, technically a " Directional T" type of interchange, is the main road gateway to the South Shore region of
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, making it a critical point in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
's highway system. The Southeast Expressway is the single limited access highway traveling south out of Boston, carrying traffic from the city destined for communities in populous
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
(659,909 residents) and
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
(492,066 residents) counties, partly due to the 1973 cancellation of the planned Southwest Corridor alignment of
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 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
into Boston. Drivers other than those headed for parts of Milton and Quincy which straddle the Expressway traverse the split to connect with Route 3 and Route 24 traveling to the more southern localities. Similarly, Boston traffic bound for cities and towns in southeastern Massachusetts including western Norfolk and Bristol County (545,823 residents) and in
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
negotiate the Braintree Split prior to continuing along Route 24 or
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 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
. Finally, Route 3 serves as the primary freeway route to
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...
from Boston's Inner Core. Travelers headed north from these destinations into Boston via I-93 north, or the inland southern and western suburbs via I-93 south,Note: Interstate 93 and U.S. Route 1 run concurrently from Canton to Charlestown in Massachusetts. For this article, "I-93" refers to both routes running together in the Boston area. likewise encounter the interchange in Braintree.


Congestion issues

Factors local to the Braintree Split contribute to chronic congestion at the interchange. The split is bordered on the south by South Shore Plaza, a major regional shopping mall. It is adjacent to the I-93 intersection with Route 37/Granite Street in Braintree which feeds retail, lodging, manufacturing and office complexes along Wood Road and Forbes Road, which run parallel to the north and south lanes of I-93 west of the split. The Crown Colony office complex in South Quincy and office buildings on Willard Street, the northern continuation of Route 37/Granite Street into West Quincy, are also accessed from the south via ramps at or next to the split. Short weaves, lane drops and line-of-sight problems all contribute to congestion in the interchange and the highways it serves. In addition to these issues, the split also serves the Quincy Adams subway station and Burgin Parkway, a major route into downtown Quincy, through ramps exiting the directional ramps for each roadway.


See also

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References

{{reflist, 30em Interstate 93 Road interchanges in Massachusetts Streets in Braintree, Massachusetts Transportation in Norfolk County, Massachusetts U.S. Route 1