Route 30 (Massachusetts)

Route 30 (Massachusetts) is a 36.00-mile (57.94 km) state highway in eastern Massachusetts, connecting the city of Framingham to the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. It serves as a major east-west arterial route through several significant suburban communities, including Newton and Brookline. The route is known for passing numerous historic sites, commercial districts, and academic institutions along its corridor.

Route description

Beginning at an intersection with Route 9 and Route 126 in central Framingham, the highway travels eastward as Worcester Road. It passes the Framingham State University campus before entering Wellesley, where it is known as Washington Street and runs near the prestigious Wellesley College. Continuing into Newton, the route becomes Commonwealth Avenue, a broad, divided parkway that forms the main thoroughfare through Boston College's campus and the heart of Newton Centre. East of the Newton Corner interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90), Route 30 follows Centre Street through the village of Chestnut Hill, skirting the grounds of Boston College High School. It then enters Brookline, running past Larz Anderson Park and the Brookline Reservoir before crossing into the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. Its eastern terminus is at the complex intersection of Southwest Corridor, Arborway, and Jamaicaway near the Arnold Arboretum.

History

The corridor now followed by Route 30 has been a significant transportation path since the colonial era, originally serving as part of the Boston Post Road network connecting Boston with Worcester and points west. In the early 20th century, with the advent of the automobile, the road was improved and designated as part of the New England Interstate Route 1 system. When the Massachusetts Department of Public Works assigned numbers in 1933, the alignment received its current Route 30 designation. Major changes occurred in the mid-20th century with the construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike, which intersected the route at Newton Corner, and the abandonment of plans for the Southwest Expressway in Boston, which solidified Route 30's role as a primary surface street. The route's path through Newton along Commonwealth Avenue was significantly developed in conjunction with the growth of Boston College and the Boston and Albany Railroad.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Middlesex County. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Location ! mi ! km ! Destinations ! Notes |- | Framingham | 0.00 | 0.00 | Route 9 / Route 126 (Worcester Road / Concord Street) | Western terminus |- | Wellesley | 4.2 | 6.8 | Route 135 (Central Street) |- | Newton | 8.7 | 14.0 | Route 16 (Washington Street) |- | Newton | 10.5 | 16.9 | Route 128 / I-95 / US 20 | Interchange |- | Newton | 12.1 | 19.5 | Massachusetts Turnpike / I-90 | Interchange at Newton Corner |- | Brookline | 16.3 | 26.2 | Route 9 (Boynton Street) |- | Boston (Jamaica Plain) | 36.00 | 57.94 | Arborway / Jamaicaway / Southwest Corridor Park | Eastern terminus |}

See also

* Massachusetts Route 9 * Commonwealth Avenue (Boston) * Boston Post Road * Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Category:State highways in Massachusetts