Route 126 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 Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

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 ...

. Its southern terminus is a continuation of Rhode Island Route 126 by

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...

and its northern terminus is at Route 2 and Route 2A in

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...

. Along the way it intersects several major routes including Interstate 495 (I-495) in Bellingham, Route 9 in

Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popula ...

, and U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in Wayland.

Route description

Route 126 begins at the Rhode Island state line, continuing into

Woonsocket Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...

as Rhode Island Route 126. After a short stretch in the town of Blackstone and Worcester County, Route 126 enters the town of Bellingham and Norfolk County, heading north. In Bellingham, Route 126 has a short concurrency with Route 140 at the center of town. In the north of the town, the route turns east on Hartford Avenue, crossing

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 ...

at Exit 46. Shortly after entering the town of

Medway Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...

, the route turns north again, crossing

Route 109 Route 109 or Highway 109 can refer to multiple roads: Canada * New Brunswick Route 109 * Ontario Highway 109 * Prince Edward Island Route 109 * Quebec Route 109 China * China National Highway 109 Costa Rica * National Route 109 (Costa Ric ...

shortly after that. Route 126 then enters Holliston, in Middlesex County. In Holliston, Route 126 shares a long concurrency with Route 16 through the center of town. After splitting from Route 16, Route 126 heads north into Ashland, passing through the eastern side of town before entering

. The route passes Waushakam Pond before crossing Route 135 near the center of town, next to the Framingham MBTA station. The road bears to the right, passing Gleason Pond before crossing over Route 9 with exit ramps between the two. At this point, Route 30 eastbound joins Route 126 for a short stretch before meeting Route 30 westbound. Route 126 continues northward, crossing the

Massachusetts Turnpike The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially the "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a controlled-access toll road that runs concurrently with Interstate 90 (I-90) in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It the longest Interstate Highway in Massachu ...

(I-90) without junction. (The nearest exit along the Pike is on Route 30 to the east.) As it passes

Lake Cochituate Lake Cochituate is a body of water in Natick, Wayland, and Framingham, Massachusetts, United States. Originally a reservoir serving Boston, it no longer serves that function, and is now a local recreational resource and home to Cochituate State ...

, Route 126 enters the town of Wayland. The route then joins Route 27 for a mile, crossing U.S. Route 20 together just before the two routes split. Route 126 then enters the town of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

. After crossing Route 117, the route continues north, crossing the

Fitchburg Line The Fitchburg Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system which runs from Boston's North Station to Wachusett station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was built across nort ...

before entering

. As the route rounds the banks of

Walden Pond Walden Pond is a historic pond in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States. A good example of a kettle hole, it was formed by retreating glaciers 10,000–12,000 years ago. The pond is protected as part of Walden Pond State Reservation, a ...

through the State Reservation, it finally ends at Routes 2 and 2A next to Concord-Carlisle Regional High School.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML 126 Transportation in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Transportation in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Transportation in Worcester County, Massachusetts Holliston, Massachusetts Ashland, Massachusetts Framingham, Massachusetts Wayland, Massachusetts Lincoln, Massachusetts Concord, Massachusetts