Route 1A 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 ...

, United States. It is an alternate route to U.S. 1 with three signed sections and two unsigned sections where the highway is concurrent with its parent. Due to the reconfiguration of tunnel interchanges brought on by the completion of the

Big Dig The Big Dig was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the then elevated Central Artery of Interstate 93 that cut across Boston into the O'Neill Tunnel and built the Ted Williams Tunnel to extend Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 90 to Logan I ...

, Route 1A is discontinuous in the downtown

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 ...

area. Vehicles entering

Downtown Boston Downtown Boston is the central business district of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston was founded in 1630. The largest of the city's commercial districts, Downtown is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters; city, c ...

via the

Sumner Tunnel The Sumner Tunnel is a road tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It carries traffic under Boston Harbor in one direction, from Logan International Airport and Route 1A in East Boston. The tunnel originally deposited traffic at the ...

must take I-93 north to the exit for Government Center and make a U-turn to access the entrance ramp to I-93 south (which silently carries Route 1A south as well) and vice versa.

Route description

Rhode Island border to Attleboro

A short segment of Route 1A, in length, in Attleboro runs from

U.S. Route 1A U.S. Route 1A (US 1A) is the name of several highways found in the United States. North Carolina Wake Forest–Youngsville U.S. Highway 1A (US 1A) is a alternate route of US 1 through the towns of Wake Forest and ...

at the

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 ...

border through a junction with

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 ...

, before heading north and merging with Route 1. The entire length of this segment is known as Newport Avenue.

North Attleborough to Dedham

This segment of Route 1A extends roughly north from North Attleborough to Dedham, passing through the towns of Plainville, Wrentham,

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 ...

, Walpole, Norwood and Westwood on the way. Prior to its realignment along

I-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 ...

and

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 ...

, Route 1 continued north along the Providence Highway towards Boston at the junction of Route 1A and that road.

Boston to Salisbury

Veterans Memorial Bridge entering Beverly MA

This segment of Route 1A extends from

Boston, Massachusetts 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 ...

Salisbury, Massachusetts Salisbury is a small coastal beach town and summer tourist destination in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of Boston on the New Hampshire borde ...

. The highway starts from US 1 (which is on the

Central Artery The Central Artery (officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway) is the concurrent section of Interstate 93, US 1 and Route 3 through Downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The modern-day Artery, built as part of the Big Dig from ...

with

and Route 3) at the former Government Center/

Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport — also known as Boston Logan International Airport — is an international airport located mostly in East Boston and partially in Winthrop, Massachusetts, United States. Covering , it has ...

interchange. It passes through the

Callahan Tunnel The Lieutenant William F. Callahan Jr. Tunnel (colloquially Callahan Tunnel) is a road tunnel under Boston Harbor between the North End and East Boston. It carries northbound Massachusetts Route 1A, forming a one-way pair with the Sumner Tunnel ...

(outbound/northbound) and

(inbound/southbound), becoming the East Boston Expressway past

. The East Boston Expressway was the first freeway built in the city. Immediately beyond

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

ends at Route 1A. The road continues as a divided highway through Revere. It is a limited access highway through Revere, passing

Suffolk Downs Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to cre ...

and the Wonderland Greyhound Park (which is across the street from the outer terminus of the MBTA's Blue Line), before running through the isolated Point of Pines neighborhood and exiting Revere over the General Edwards Bridge into Lynn. For the first mile and a half in Lynn, it is concurrent with the Lynnway, and is a high-traffic retail area. After the Lynnway portion, the route becomes concurrent with Route 129 for a mile, before crossing into

Swampscott Swampscott () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located up the coast from Boston in an area known as the North Shore. The population was 15,111 as of the 2020 United States census. A former summer resort on Massachusetts ...

as Paradise Road. At Vinnin Square, it passes into

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

as Loring Avenue, passing by Salem State University. The route turns left onto Lafayette Street and is concurrent with Route 114. At the intersection with Derby Street, notable for the large fire station, the route turns right. At the next stop sign, the route turns left onto Hawthorne Boulevard passing Salem Common and the Salem Witch Museum before turning left onto Winter Street. At the end of Winter Street, the route turns right onto Bridge Street crossing the Veterans Memorial Bridge into Beverly. It follows two of the main streets of downtown Beverly, before heading north, passing through Wenham and

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

(through this section the road is occasionally signed as a US Route) before becoming the main road through the town of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, crossing the historic Choate Bridge over the Ipswich River. While in Ipswich, much of the route runs concurrently with Route 133 until just over the town line into

Rowley Rowley may refer to: Places Canada * Rowley, Alberta, a hamlet * Rowley Island, Nunavut United Kingdom * Rowley, County Durham, a hamlet - see Rowley railway station (England) * Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, a village and civil par ...

. It passes through the main village of Rowley, as well as the central villages of Newbury. In

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes p ...

, it merges with

Route 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

, signed with its parent highway over 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 ...

and into the town center of

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. It then heads east from the Salisbury town center before turning north and ending in Salisbury Beach at 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 ...

border. New Hampshire Route 1A continues north from this point.

History

Initially, Route 1A ran along part of its present-day route between the New Hampshire state line and Revere. It then turned west along present-day Route 16 until it ended at US 1 (now Route 99) in Everett. Then, in 1931, an interchange in Revere was built over Route 107 (Broadway). In 1933, another, disconnected portion of Route 1A appeared between Attleboro and the Rhode Island state line. In 1934, two changes were made to the route. In Revere, the route was realigned to turn west smoothly. Between Boston and North Attleborough, a huge portion of Route 11 and all of Route 150 were replaced by Route 1A. The new portion soon got truncated to Dedham in 1936. It then got truncated even further to end at US 1/Route 128.

Later history

After Route C1 was decommissioned in 1971 in favor of a new alignment of US 1, Route 1A was truncated to a roundabout interchange in Revere. As a result, Route 16 extended eastward along the then-former route. After all unbuilt Boston freeways were cancelled by 1973, US 1 was rerouted onto the Northeast Expressway (formerly proposed I-95). As a result of that, Route 1A was extended south towards the Sumner/Callahan Tunnels and then north along Central Artery towards US 1 (Storrow Drive).{{cite web , title=Massachusetts Road Map, 1975 , url=https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d1eaf62b3438482fb4dc6cab43e1aa57 , website=www.arcgis.com , access-date=August 17, 2021 In 1989, US 1 was rerouted from Storrow Drive onto I-93's Southeast Expressway, causing "signed" Route 1A to get truncated.

Major intersections

{{jcttop, state=MA, length_ref= {{MAint , county=Bristol , cspan=6 , location=Attleboro , lspan=4 , mile=0.000 , road={{jct, state=RI, US, 1A, dir1=south, city1=Pawtucket , notes=Continuation into

{{MAint , mile=0.412 , road={{jct, state=MA, I, 95, city1=Foxboro, city2=Boston, location3=

Providence, RI Providence () is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, it is one of the oldest cities in New England, founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and ...

, notes=Exits 2A-B on I-95 {{MAint , mile=1.637 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 123, city1=Attleboro, city2=Brockton, location3= Valley Falls, RI , notes= {{MAint , mile=1.728 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, US, 1, dir1=south , notes=Southern terminus of unsigned concurrency with US 1 {{jctgap , col=5 , text=See US 1 mileposts 2.4–7.0 {{MAint , location=North Attleborough , type=concur , mile=7.109 , road={{jct, state=MA, US, 1, dir1=north, city1=Boston , notes=Northern terminus of unsigned concurrency with US 1 {{MAint , county=Norfolk , cspan=7 , location=Plainville , mile=7.981 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 106, dir1=east, US, 1, to2=yes, city1=Mansfield, city2=West Bridgewater , notes=Western end of Route 106 {{MAint , location=Wrentham , lspan=3 , mile=10.634 , road={{jct, state=MA, I, 495, I, 95, to2=yes, city1=Taunton, city2=Cape Cod, city3=Marlboro, city4=Lowell , notes=Exit 38 on I-495 {{MAint , mile=11.375 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 121, dir1=south, location1=

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

, notes=Northern end of Route 121 {{MAint , mile=12.840 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 140, city1=Franklin, location2= Foxboro, city3=Taunton , notes= {{MAint , location=Norfolk , mile=15.091 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 115, location1= Foxboro, city2=Norfolk, city3=Millis , notes= {{MAint , location=Walpole , mile=19.70 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 27, city1=Walpole, areadab1=CDP, city2=Sharon, areadab2=CDP, city3=Stoughton , notes= {{MAint , location=Dedham , mile=27.144 , type=concur , road= I-95

Providence Highway to

/ US 1 / Route 128 –

, notes=Formerly US 1, south end of silent concurrency with Providence Highway and then US 1 {{jctgap, text=See

Route 128 The following highways are numbered 128: Canada * New Brunswick Route 128 * Ontario Highway 128 (former) * Prince Edward Island Route 128 Costa Rica * National Route 128 (Costa Rica), National Route 128 India * National Highway 128 (India) Ja ...

exits 37-39 and

exits 1-17B {{MAint , county=Suffolk , cspan=8 , location=Boston , lspan=6 , mile= , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, I, 93, name1=

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort ...

, MA, 3, dir1=north, dir2=north, name2=

Storrow Drive Storrow Drive, officially James Jackson Storrow Memorial Drive, is a major crosstown parkway in Boston, Massachusetts, running east–west along the southern bank of the Charles River. It is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not permitt ...

, city1=Government Center , notes=Northern terminus of silent concurrency with US 1; exit 17B on Central Artery; last northbound exit before toll {{MAint , type=incomplete , mile= , road= Haymarket Square , notes=Northbound entrance only {{jctbridge , mile= , type=etc , bridge=

Sumner Sumner may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Sumner, a mountain in the Rare Range, Antarctica * Sumner Glacier, southern Graham Land, Antarctica Australia * Sumner, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane New Zealand * Sumner, New Zealand, a seasi ...

(southbound) / Callahan (northbound) Tunnels {{MAint , mile=49.482 , type= , road=

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which was annexed by the city of Boston in 1836. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Massachusetts, Winthrop, Revere, Mas ...

, notes=Access via Porter Street; last southbound exit before toll {{MAint , mile=49.677 , mile2=50.023 , type=incomplete , road={{jct, state=MA, I-Toll, 90, MATP, , dir1=west, dir2=west, I, 93, dir3=south, to3=yes, extra=airport, location1= Williams Tunnel, location2=

, notes=Eastern end of I-90 / Mass Pike; no northbound access to I-90 {{MAint , mile=50.305 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 145, dir1=north, name1=Bennington Street, city1=Winthrop, city2=Chelsea , notes=Interchange, southern end of Route 145 {{MAint , location=Revere , lspan=2 , mile=52.487 , type=incomplete , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 145 , notes=Interchange, northbound exit and southbound entrance {{MAint , mile=52.852 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 16, MA, 60, dir1=west, dir2=west, city1=Malden, city2=Lynn, location3=

Revere Beach Revere Beach is a public beach in Revere, Massachusetts, measuring over long and located about north of downtown Boston. In 1875, a rail link was constructed to the beach, leading to its increasing popularity as a summer recreation area. In 1 ...

, city4=Chelsea , notes=Eastern end of Routes 16 and 60; To US 1 via Route 60 and Route 145 via Route 16 {{MAint , county=Essex , cspan=17 , location=Lynn , lspan=3 , mile=55.843 , road=Lynnway east –

Nahant Nahant () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,334 at the 2020 census, which makes it the smallest municipality by population in Essex County. With just of land area, it is also the smallest municipali ...

, notes= {{MAint , mile=58.018 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 129, dir1=west, city1=Lynnfield , notes=Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 129 {{MAint , type=concur , mile=59.167 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 129, dir1=east, city1=Swampscott, city2=Marblehead , notes=Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 129 {{MAint , location=Salem , lspan=3 , mile=62.554 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 114, dir1=east, city1=Marblehead , notes=Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 114 {{MAint , mile=63.326 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 114, dir1=west , notes=Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 114 {{MAint , mile=64.250 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 107, dir1=south, city1=Lynn, city2=Malden , notes=North end of Route 107 {{jctbridge , location_special=Danvers River , mile=64.933 , bridge=Essex Bridge {{MAint , location=Beverly , lspan=4 , mile=65.447 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 22, MA, 127, dir1=north, dir2=north , notes=South end of Routes 22 and 127 {{MAint , mile=66.242 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 62, city1=Danvers, location2=

Beverly Farms Beverly Farms is a neighborhood comprising the eastern part of the city of Beverly, Massachusetts, in the state's North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region, approximately 20 miles north of Boston. Beverly Farms is an oceanfront community wi ...

, notes= {{MAint , mile=67.699 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 97, dir1=north, city1=Topsfield, areadab1=CDP , notes=South end of Route 97 {{MAint , mile=67.897 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 128, city1=Gloucester, city2=Rockport, city3=Peabody, city4=Boston , notes=Exits 45A-B on Route 128; cloverleaf interchange {{MAint , location=Ipswich , mile=75.603 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 133, dir1=east, city1=Essex, areadab1=CDP , notes=Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 133 {{MAint , location=Rowley , mile=79.754 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 133, dir1=west, city1=Georgetown , notes=Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 133 {{MAint , location=Newburyport , lspan=2 , mile=88.395 , road={{jct, state=MA, MA, 113, dir1=west, city1=West Newbury, city2=Groveland , notes=East end of Route 113 {{MAint , mile=88.588 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, US, 1, dir1=south, city1=Danvers, city2=Boston , notes=Southern terminus of concurrency with US 1, southbound exit and northbound entrance {{MAint , location=Salisbury , lspan=2 , mile=90.879 , type=concur , road={{jct, state=MA, US, 1, MA, 110, dir1=north, dir2=west, city1=Amesbury, city2=Merrimac, city3=Salisbury Beach , notes=Northern terminus of concurrency with US 1, east end of Route 110 {{MAint , mile=95.120 , road={{jct, state=NH, NH, 1A, NH, 286, dir1=north, to2=yes, city1=Hampton , notes=Continuation into

{{jctbtm, keys=concur,incomplete,etc

References

{{reflist

External links

{{Attached KML, display=inline,title {{Commons category, Massachusetts Route 1A
Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation - Boston's First Expressway

East Boston Expressway - Historic Overview
{{Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston 001A A Massachusetts North Attleborough, Massachusetts Plainville, Massachusetts Historic trails and roads in Dedham, Massachusetts