Route 125 is an north–south

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 ...

state route 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 Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

. It runs from

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 ...

in Wilmington to the

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

state line in Haverhill, where it continues as

New Hampshire Route 125 New Hampshire Route 125 is a north–south state highway in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham, Strafford County, New Hampshire, Strafford and Carroll County, New Hampshire, Carroll counties in southeastern New Hampshire. The southern ...

through Plaistow to

Wakefield, New Hampshire Wakefield is a New England town, town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Wakefield Corner (the o ...

. After the first , which are in Middlesex County, the rest of the route passes through Essex County.

Route description

Route 125 begins at

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 ...

, at exit 35 (formerly 41), just south of where I-93 drops from four lanes to three. It passes through an area of industrial parks before clipping the northwest corner of

North Reading North Reading (pronounced, as is with Reading as ()) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,554 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled in 1651 when the town of Reading received a speci ...

and entering

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

. Once in Andover, the road serves as a bypass road around much of Andover's busier sections. It intersects

Route 28 Highway 28 may refer to: Australia * Cumberland Highway *Mountain Highway, Mountain Highway (Victoria) * – NT Canada * Alberta Highway 28 * British Columbia Highway 28 * Nova Scotia Trunk 28 * Ontario Highway 28 * Saskatchewan Highway 28 Cz ...

with a cloverleaf interchange as it bends northward through town. The route then enters

North Andover North Andover is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,915. History Native Americans in the United States, Native ...

, becoming concurrent with Route 114 for half a mile as the two routes pass

Merrimack College Merrimack College is a Private university, private Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. It en ...

. Route 125 then splits northward, becoming concurrent with Route 133 again acting as a bypass, this time between North Andover's more densely populated west end and its historical center. The two routes split at a point between Lawrence Municipal Airport and

Lake Cochichewick Lake Cochichewick is a lake in North Andover, Massachusetts that collects water from Weir Hill and other local uplands. Its overflow drains into the Cochichewick River, which joins the Merrimack River, Merrimack. Brooks School, a private co-educ ...

in the northern end of town. From there, Route 125 passes into Haverhill in the

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

section of town. In Bradford, Route 125 meets a connector road between it and

I-495 Interstate 495 (I-495) is the designation for the following five Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: * The Capital Beltway, a beltway around Washington, D.C., running through Virginia, Maryland, and a sliver ...

which passes through an industrial area. The route then continues through the Bradford area before crossing 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 M ...

at the Basiliere Bridge. Once it crosses the bridge into the downtown Haverhill area, Route 125 crosses Route 113 before sharing a one-block concurrency with Route 97 and a two-block concurrency with Route 110 in quick succession. The route then turns more northwesterly, crossing I-495 directly at Exits 109A-B (formerly 51A-B). The route turns northward at Plaistow Road before entering into

Plaistow, New Hampshire Plaistow (, ) is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,830 at the 2020 census. History Plaistow was officially established as a town in 1749 after the 1739 resolution of a long-running boundary disp ...

and becoming

. Main Street, meanwhile, heads into Plaistow as well, where it meets the end of

New Hampshire Route 121 New Hampshire Route 121 (abbreviated NH 121) is a north–south state highway in Rockingham and Hillsborough counties in southeastern New Hampshire. The road winds through the communities of Atkinson, Hampstead, Sandown, Derry, Chester, and ...

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML * https://www.andovertownsman.com/opinion/history-of-the-andover-by-pass-route-125/article_0538b85a-55cc-53c8-9649-1bb8f4f584df.html

125 125 may refer to: *125 (number), a natural number *AD 125, a year in the 2nd century AD *125 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *125 (dinghy), a two person intermediate sailing dinghy *125 (New Jersey bus), a New Jersey Transit bus route *125 Liberatr ...