Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)

Interstate 495
Blue Star Memorial Highway
Map I-495 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-95
Maintained by MassDOT
Length	121.56 mi (195.63 km)
Existed	1957–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	I-195 / Route 25 in Wareham
Major intersections	US 44 in Middleborough Route 24 in Bridgewater I-95 in Foxborough US 1 in Plainville I-90 Toll at the Hopkinton-Westborough town line Route 9 in Westborough US 20 in Marlborough I-290 / Route 85 in Marlborough Route 2 in Littleton US 3 in Chelmsford I-93 in Andover
North end	I-95 in Salisbury
Location
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
Counties	Plymouth, Bristol, Norfolk, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State
← I-395 → I-695

Interstate 495 (I-495) is an auxiliary route of I-95 in the US state of Massachusetts, maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Spanning 121.56 miles (195.63 km), it is the second-longest auxiliary route in the Interstate Highway System, being roughly 11 miles (18 km) shorter than I-476 in Pennsylvania.

Serving as one of two beltways (the other being Route 128) that forms a semicircle around Boston, and being the "outer" beltway, I-495 has its northern terminus in Salisbury, where it splits from I-95. Its route forms an arc with an approximately 30-mile (48 km) radius around the city and intersects seven additional radial expressways: I-93, US Route 3 (US 3), Route 2, I-290, I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike), Route 24, and I-95 once more. I-495 has its southern terminus in Wareham, at the meeting of I-195 and Route 25. Originally, the stretch from Route 24 to I-195 was signed as Route 25, that status now only begins east of I-195.

I-495 and areas to its immediate east are often regarded as the inner ring of Greater Boston. The freeway's northern segment parallels the New Hampshire border, at one point coming as close as 400 feet (120 m) to the boundary, and its southern end is roughly 10 miles (16 km) north of Cape Cod. West of I-495 is the Worcester area and Central Massachusetts. I-495 is a heavily traveled route serving communities in Plymouth, Bristol, Norfolk, Worcester, Essex, and Middlesex counties.

Route description

I-495 bridge over the Merrimack River in Lawrence

I-495 begins as the direct continuation of Route 25 at the intersection with I-195 in West Wareham. It starts as a two-lane highway in both directions. It gets the third lane during the interchange with Route 24. The junction includes the unusual transition of shrinking from the six-lane Route 25 to the four-lane interstate due to the third lane of Route 25 joining to and from I-195. The road heads roughly northwest, passing through the towns of Rochester and Middleborough (where the road meets US 44) as a four-lane highway before entering Bristol County, crossing the Taunton River at Raynham. I-495 becomes a six-lane highway just southeast of the Route 24 interchange (which is actually in neighboring Bridgewater).

The road continues northwest through Taunton and Norton before entering Mansfield, where there is a short collector–distributor road concurrency with Route 140. I-495 makes its southern junction with its parent route, I-95, on the border between Mansfield in Bristol County and Foxborough in Norfolk County. The road continues through Plainville (where there is a junction with US 1. The highway comes within two miles (3.2 km) of the Rhode Island state line before turning in a more northerly direction through Franklin and Bellingham.

I-495 passes through Milford, Medway, Hopkinton (where the junction with the Massachusetts Turnpike, or I-90, is located), and Westborough (where the road meets Route 9). It then continues through Southborough, Marlborough (where the road meets US 20 and I-290), Hudson, Berlin, Bolton (where the road finally begins to turn northeasterly), and Harvard.

Continuing to turn to a more easterly direction, the road passes through Boxborough, Littleton (where there is an intersection with Route 2), Westford and Chelmsford. At the Chelmsford–Lowell line lies the intersection with US 3 and the Lowell Connector (formerly I-495 Business). The road continues through Lowell and Tewksbury before entering Essex County at Andover, directly at exit 94 (formerly exit 39).

In Andover, the road has a junction with I-93. It then enters the city of Lawrence, where the road turns due north, crossing the Shawsheen River into North Andover before crossing the Merrimack River at the O'Reilly Bridge back into Lawrence. It then heads into Methuen, where the road turns back to a northeasterly route after the junction with Route 213 (Loop Connector). The road heads into Haverhill, crossing the Merrimack twice more at a bend in the Bradford section of town. It passes north of downtown Haverhill, coming within 150 yards (140 m) of the New Hampshire state line, the closest the road comes to leaving the state. I-495 then passes through the towns of Merrimac and Amesbury before entering Salisbury where it immediately meets I-95 and ends approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of where that Interstate enters New Hampshire.

Throughout its path, the road passes closely to several existing state highways. From Wareham through to the Middleborough Rotary, it parallels Route 28. For much of the stretch between Norton and Milford, the road is within a few miles of Route 140, with two junctions of that highway in Mansfield and Franklin. From Milford to Bolton, the road passes just west of Route 85. Much of the northern third of the route also roughly parallels Route 110.

History

As early as the late 1940s, a plan was developing for an "outer circumferential highway" around Boston, a limited-access freeway meant to have an approximate 30-mile (48 km) radius from the Boston city center. A portion of this new "outer circumferential highway" southeast of the US 1 junction in Foxborough was meant to be a "relocation" of the existing Route 28, which was quickly changed in 1947 to a new designation of Route 25 as a full-length freeway from the Route 24 expressway in Raynham to Wareham. The section of I-495 between Route 24 in Raynham and I-95 at the Foxborough–Mansfield town line began construction at I-95 in 1976 and finished at the Route 25/Route 24 interchange in 1982. (Prior to 1982, I-495 ended at I-95; the section from Raynham to Wareham was just signed as Route 25). Route 25 was constructed in stages from the late 1950s to the late 1960s.

Future

In 2014, a new intelligent transportation system system was installed to help commuters and the state better understand the traffic congestion on I-495. Some improvements expected to come to I-495 in the next few years include a project that will install fiber-optic cable, traffic cameras, and variable-message signs on I-495 from I-90 (Hopkinton) to I-93 (Andover).

In 2015, the state pledged $165 million to 285 million (equivalent to $207 million to $358 million in 2023) for improvements to the I-495/Massachusetts Turnpike intersection and is considering three different plans. The work is expected to begin in 2021 and be completed in 2025. Improvements to the I-495/Route 9 intersection will commence at the same duration, with a different budget.

Exit list

Interchanges were to be renumbered to mileage-based numbers under a project scheduled to start in 2016; however, this project was indefinitely postponed by MassDOT until November 18, 2019, when MassDOT confirmed that, beginning in late summer 2020, the exit renumbering project would start. On May 7, 2021, MassDOT announced that I-495 exit numbers would get renumbered starting on or after May 16, 2021, and it would last for approximately five weeks. The project was broken down into four sections:

• Segment 1: between Route 28 and I-95 (old exits 3–13)
• Segment 2: between I-95 and I-90 (old exits 14–22)
• Segment 3: between I-90 and US 3 (old exits 23–35)
• Segment 4: between US 3 and junction Route 110/I-95 (old exits 37–55)

County	Location	mi	km	Old exit	New exit	Destinations	Notes
Plymouth	Wareham	0.000	0.000	—	—	Route 25 east – Cape Cod	Continuation east
				—	1	I-195 west – Wareham, New Bedford, Providence, RI	Eastern terminus of I-195; exit 40B on I-195; Signed as New Bedford, Providence, RI NB; trumpet interchange.
		2.487	4.002	—	2	Route 58 north – Carver, Plymouth	No signage for Route 58 south, which ends at Route 28, 0.45 miles (720 m) to the south
	Middleborough	7.600	12.231	3	8	Route 28 – Rock Village, South Middleboro
		12.068	19.422	4	12	Route 105 – Middleboro Center, Lakeville
		14.304	23.020	5	14	Route 18 / US 44 east – Bridgewater, Plymouth, Lakeville, New Bedford	US 44 only appears on northbound signage
		14.722	23.693	6	15	US 44 – Middleboro, Plymouth, Taunton, Providence, RI
	Bridgewater	19.081	30.708	7	19	Route 24 – Boston, Fall River	Signed as exits 19A (north) and 19B (south); exit 22 on Route 24
Bristol	Raynham	21.681	34.892	8	22	Route 138 – Stoughton, Taunton
	Taunton	24.508	39.442	9	25	Bay Street – Taunton, Easton
	Norton	26.906	43.301	10	27	Route 123 to Route 140 south – Norton, Easton	No southbound signage for Route 140
	Mansfield	29.875	48.079	11	30	Route 140 south – Norton	No northbound exit
		29.913	48.140	12	31	Route 140 north – Mansfield
		32.897	52.943	13	33	I-95 – Boston, Providence, RI	Signed as exits 33A (north) and 33B (south); exit 12 on I-95
Norfolk	Foxborough						Exit 33B located in Foxborough
	Plainville	35.580	57.260	14	36	US 1 – Wrentham, North Attleboro	Signed as exits 36A (north) and 36B (south); exit 36A access to Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place
	Wrentham	37.565	60.455	15	38	Route 1A – Wrentham, Plainville
	Franklin	40.954	65.909	16	41	King Street – Franklin, Woonsocket, RI
		43.183	69.496	17	43	Route 140 – Franklin, Bellingham
	Bellingham	45.820	73.740	18	46	Route 126 – Medway, Bellingham
Worcester	Milford	48.318	77.760	19	48	Route 109 – Milford, Medway	To Route 16
		50.245	80.861	20	50	Route 85 – Milford, Hopkinton
Middlesex	Hopkinton	54.151	87.148	21	54	W. Main Street – Hopkinton, Upton	Signed as exits 54A (east) and 54B (west)
Middlesex–Worcester county line	Hopkinton–Westborough line	57.928	93.226	22	58	I-90 Toll / Mass Pike – Boston, Albany, NY	Exit 106 on I-90
Worcester	Westborough	59.443	95.664	23	59	Route 9 – Framingham, Worcester	Signed as exits 59A (east) and 59B (west)
Worcester–Middlesex county line	Southborough–Marlborough line	61.758	99.390	23C	62	Simarano Drive – Marlboro, Southboro	Interchange constructed in 2000
Middlesex	Marlborough	63.155	101.638	24	63	US 20 – Marlboro, Northboro	Signed as exits 63A (east) and 63B (west)
		64.895	104.438	25A	65A	Route 85 – Hudson, Marlboro	Access to Route 85 via unsigned Route 85 Connector
		64.951	104.529	25B	65B	I-290 west – Worcester	Eastern terminus of I-290; exit 32 on I-290
Worcester	Berlin	67.314	108.331	26	67	Route 62 – Berlin, Hudson
	Bolton	70.006	112.664	27	70	Route 117 – Bolton, Stow
Middlesex	Boxborough	74.652	120.141	28	75	Route 111 – Boxboro, Harvard
	Littleton	77.641	124.951	29	78	Route 2 – Boston, Leominster	Signed as exits 78A (east) and 78B (west); exit 113 on Route 2
		79.176	127.421	30	79	Route 2A / Route 110 – Littleton, Ayer
		80.209	129.084	31	80	Route 119 – Littleton, Groton
	Westford	83.297	134.054	32	83	To Route 110 (Boston Road) – Westford	To Route 225 – Carlisle
	Chelmsford	87.328	140.541	33	87	Route 4 – Chelmsford, North Chelmsford	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		88.175	141.904	34	88	Route 110 to Route 4 – Chelmsford, Lowell	No signage for Route 4 northbound
		89.143	143.462	35A	89A	US 3 south – Burlington	Access via C/D lanes; exits 81A-B on US 3 north
				35B	89B	US 3 north – Nashua, NH	Access to and from C/D lanes; exits 81B-A on US 3 south, to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport
	Lowell	89.425	143.916	35C	89C	Lowell Connector	Formerly exit 36; access via C/D lanes; exits 2A and 1B on Lowell Conn.
		91.192	146.759	37	91	Woburn Street – South Lowell, North Billerica
	Tewksbury	92.284	148.517	38	92	Route 38 – Lowell, Tewksbury
Middlesex–Essex county line	Tewksbury–Andover line	94.613	152.265	39	94	Route 133 – Tewksbury, Andover	Southbound off-ramp begins in Essex County
Essex	Andover	97.023	156.143	40	97	I-93 – Boston, Salem, NH	Signed as exits 97A (south) and 97B (north); exit 40 on I-93
		99.411	159.986	41	99	Route 28 – Lawrence, Andover	Signed as exits 99A (south) and 99B (north) northbound
	Lawrence	100.149	161.174	42	100	Route 114 – North Andover, South Lawrence	Signed as exits 100A (east) and 100B (west)
	North Andover	100.953	162.468	43	101	Massachusetts Avenue – North Andover	Southbound access from C/D lanes originating at Marston St. exit
	North Andover–Lawrence line	101.370– 101.938	163.139– 164.053	44	102	Merrimack Street	Access via C/D lanes; NB ramp exits onto SB C/D lanes to Merrimack St.; NB entrance includes direct entrance from Sutton Street
	Lawrence			45A	103A	Commonwealth Drive Marston Street north – Methuen	Northbound signage; accessible to and from C/D lanes Southbound signage; accessible to and from C/D lanes
				45B	103B	Marston Street south – Lawrence	Access to and from C/D lanes
	Methuen	103.121	165.957	46	104	Route 110 (Merrimack Street) – Pleasant Valley
		104.057	167.464	47	105	Route 213 (Loop Connector) to I-93 north – Methuen, Salem NH	Exit 5 on Route 213; eastern terminus of Rte. 213
	Haverhill	105.788	170.249	48	106	To Route 125 – Ward Hill, Bradford	Access via Industrial Avenue
		106.624	171.595	49	107	Route 110 / Route 113 (River Street)
		107.303	172.687	50	108	Route 97 – Haverhill, Salem, NH
		108.997	175.414	51	109	Route 125 – Haverhill, Plaistow, NH	Signed as exits 109A (south) and 109B (north)
		111.182	178.930	52	111	Route 110 – Haverhill, Merrimac
	Merrimac	114.894	184.904	53	115	Broad Street – Merrimac, Merrimacport
	Amesbury	117.854	189.668	54	118	Route 150 – Amesbury, Seabrook, NH
		118.880	191.319	55	119	Route 110 east to I-95 south – Salisbury, Boston	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Salisbury	120.95	194.65	—	—	I-95 north – Portsmouth, NH	Northern terminus; exit 89 on I-95; access to I-95 south via Route 110
	1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access        Tolled

External links

Media related to Interstate 495 (Massachusetts) at Wikimedia Commons