Massachusetts Route 27

Massachusetts Route 27 is a 20.00-mile (32.19 km) state highway in the eastern part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It provides a north–south arterial connection through several suburban communities southwest of Boston, linking Braintree with Acton. The route traverses diverse landscapes from the urban corridors near the Quincy line to the more rural settings of Sudbury.

Route description

Beginning at a junction with Route 3 in Braintree, the highway heads north as Washington Street, passing near the Blue Hills Reservation and the Quincy Quarries Reservation. It continues through Weymouth, intersecting Route 18, and into Hingham, where it meets Route 228 near Wompatuck State Park. The route proceeds through Cohasset and Scituate before a significant junction with Route 3A in Norwell. North of there, it serves as a main street through Hanover, intersecting U.S. Route 1, and enters Rockland. It then crosses into Abington and Whitman, where it converges briefly with Route 14 and Route 18. Continuing north, it passes through Brockton and Stoughton before entering the Blue Hills Reservation area of Canton. The final segment runs through Wayland and Sudbury, terminating at a junction with Route 2 in Acton.

History

The alignment follows many historic turnpikes and post roads, including sections of the old Boston Post Road. Its designation was formalized with the 1926 establishment of the United States Numbered Highway System, though its path has been adjusted over time. Significant realignments occurred in the mid-20th century with the construction of the Southeast Expressway and other projects like those undertaken by the Massachusetts Department of Public Works. The route's path through Hingham and Cohasset was part of the 19th-century Stagecoach network connecting Boston to the South Shore. In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration funded improvements to several bridges along the corridor.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Norfolk and Middlesex counties. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Location ! mi ! km ! Destinations ! Notes |- | Braintree | 0.00 | 0.00 | – Boston, Cape Cod | Southern terminus |- | Weymouth | 2.4 | 3.9 | – Weymouth Landing, Abington |- | Hingham | 5.1 | 8.2 | – Cohasset, Hingham center |- | Norwell | 8.7 | 14.0 | – Pembroke, Scituate |- | Hanover | 10.5 | 16.9 | – Boston, Providence |- | Whitman | 14.2 | 22.9 | – Abington, East Bridgewater |- | Stoughton | 16.8 | 27.0 | – Canton, Sharon |- | Acton | 20.00 | 32.19 | – Boston, Leominster | Northern terminus |}

See also

* Massachusetts Department of Transportation * List of state highways in Massachusetts * Massachusetts Route 128

References

*Note: Distances are approximate and based on official Massachusetts DOT data.*

Category:State highways in Massachusetts