Misplaced Pages

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89-598: The Ames Manufacturing Company has its origins in a factory established in 1774 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts by the Ames family. Brothers Nathan P. Ames Jr. and James T. Ames moved their tool and cutlery business to a new industrial town on the Chicopee River near Springfield, Massachusetts in 1829. They were invited by Edmund Dwight , who owned textile mills nearby. The Ames company began manufacturing swords for

178-598: A freeway . Until the 1990s, its southern terminus was located at the junction of I-93, US 1, and Route 3 (the Braintree Split ) in Braintree . At this present-day terminus, Route 128 runs concurrently with I-95, and follows the mileage-based exit numbering scheme used by I-95 as it enters Massachusetts from Pawtucket, Rhode Island . It also begins a wrong-way concurrency with US 1; as Route 128 and I-95 are signed traveling north, US 1

267-716: A $ 1.1 million project between Reading and Lynnfield. Progress continued in 2005 and 2006 during a $ 2.2 million project which replaced the signs on from Peabody to Gloucester, and continued with a $ 1.4 million project in 2008 and 2009 that replaced signs in Peabody and the remaining ones in Lynnfield. A $ 2.9 million federal stimulus project helped replace exit and highway signs in 2010 and 2011 along Route 128/I-95 from US 3 in Lexington to I-93 in Reading. A project begun in

356-475: A few hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean. All but the northernmost three miles (4.8 km) are a freeway , with the remainder being an expressway. Its concurrency with I-95 makes up most of its length. Originally designated in 1927 along a series of surface streets, Route 128 provided a circumferential route around the city of Boston. The original route extended from the seaport of Gloucester, on

445-737: A friendship with the European settler-colonizers who founded Chelmsford within their territory. Despite this determinedly pro-peace stance, Chelmsford settlers became increasingly violent towards the tribe, often forcing the Pennacook to flee north temporarily or permanently. On one notable occasion, a handful of Pennacook who were too sick or elderly to flee with their kin remained behind and Chelmsford settlers burnt them alive in their dwelling. Eventually most Pennacook refugees permanently moved north to join relations in Odanak, but their descendants among

534-828: A juvenile correctional facility for girls operated by the Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps, Inc. on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services , first opened in North Chelmsford in 1982; this facility had 16 beds. In 2006 the school moved to its current location in Westborough . The Chelmsford Public Schools district serves students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Data below are from Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE); class sizes are for 2008–2009 school year. All expenditures considered,

623-449: A mile along the highway in 2010 (except for the area covered by the widening project) for I-93 between Braintree and Canton and I-95/Route 128 from Canton to Peabody. New markers put along Route 128 (north of I-95) from Peabody to Gloucester reflect the state highway's total mileage from Canton, indicating MassDOT's change of heart in decommissioning the route where it shares the road with I-95. The previous mile markers (reflected in

712-676: A new highway inside of Route 128 has contributed to three significant problems. The political decision not to build new highways inside of Route 128 also led to abandonment of plans to extend the US ;3 freeway from its current interchange with the Yankee Division Highway in Burlington to a junction with Route 2 in Lexington as originally planned. This decision caused a temporary reroute of US 3 onto

801-582: A new two-lane ramp from Route 128 to I-95 in Canton and installation of a new interchange at Kendrick Street in Needham, designated as exit 35A (old exit 19A) with the ramps to Highland Avenue become exits 35B and 35C (old exits 19B and 19C). Construction on phase 1 was officially completed in October 2009. Construction of phase 2 of the project began in summer 2006. This phase of

890-519: A northeast Expressway and construction of a southwest expressway to carry I-95 through downtown Boston. This policy cascaded into designation of the segment of the Yankee Division Highway between the existing I-95 junction in Canton and the new I-95 junction in Peabody as I-95 rather than building a new highway to complete the connection, coupled with a decision to extend I-93 southward along the Central Artery and John Fitzgerald Expressway and onto

979-429: A number of high-technology firms and corporations. This part of Route 128 was dubbed "America's Technology Highway", and signs marking it that way were put in place beginning in October 1982. Two years later, those blue signs were changed to read "America's Technology Region" after complaints from veterans groups that noted the highway already had a name: the Yankee Division Highway, a name bestowed in 1941 in honor of

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1068-409: A property crime rate of 1,904 incidents per 100,000 people in 2008, compared to a rate of 2,400 for the state and 3,213 nationwide. Chelmsford has one police station located near McCarthy Middle School. The 25,000 square feet (2,300 m ), $ 7.19-million dollar structure began operation in 2003. The town uses a representative town meeting model with a Select Board overseeing the operation of

1157-632: A role in the American Revolution at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill . The town's own Lieutenant Colonel Moses Parker fought on the hill. He was wounded and captured, and died from his wounds on July 4, 1775. The Lieutenant Colonel Moses Parker Middle School honors his name, and the lobby displays a representation of the man. He is depicted in the John Trumbull painting The Death of General Warren at

1246-529: A segment of Whiting Street (Route 53) in Hingham, all of which remain in service for local traffic. However, fate was not so kind to the rest of the original route. Although some segments of remain in service as local parallel streets, other segments became part of the present right of way, but with connections severed at both ends, and some segments were severed where they cross the present right of way and even closed if no longer used by local traffic. Thus, it

1335-795: A three-way flying junction known as the Braintree Split . With the completion of the final segment of the Yankee Division Highway in Braintree in 1960, the segment of Route 128 through Braintree , Weymouth and Hingham was rerouted to run concurrently with Route 3 on the Southeast Expressway/Pilgrim Highway between the Braintree Split (Route 3 exit 42 [old exit 19], Route 128 exit 67) and exit 35 (old exit 14), then along Pond Street in Norwell to Queen Anne's Corner on

1424-495: Is a complex of connected industrial buildings, the oldest of which dates to 1847. Most of the older elements are brick in construction and range in height from one to four stories. This complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The largest surviving buildings have been converted into residences. Chelmsford, Massachusetts Chelmsford ( / ˈ tʃ ɛ l m s f ər d / )

1513-720: Is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts , United States. Chelmsford was incorporated in May 1655 by an act of the Massachusetts General Court . When Chelmsford was incorporated, its local economy was fueled by lumber mills , limestone quarries , kilns . In the 1700s, the Chelmsford militia played a role in the American Revolution at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill . The farming community of East Chelmsford

1602-565: Is distinct from the rest of the town to the extent that it has many of its own town services. Like much of the rest of Massachusetts, Chelmsford has a humid continental climate according to the Köppen climate classification . Summers are typically warm and humid, while winters tend to be cold, windy, and snowy. The level of precipitation is roughly consistent throughout the year. In a typical year, Chelmsford, Massachusetts temperatures fall below 50°F for 195 days per year. Annual precipitation

1691-606: Is in northern Middlesex County, bordered by the city of Lowell to the northeast. It is 25 miles (40 km) northwest of downtown Boston and 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Nashua, New Hampshire . The town is bordered by two sizable rivers: the Merrimack River to the northeast, and the Concord River at the town's easternmost boundary. According to the United States Census Bureau ,

1780-550: Is known as the "inner" beltway, especially around areas where it is 15 miles (25 km) or less outside of Boston . The route's current southern terminus is at the junction of I-95 and I-93 in Canton, and it is concurrent with I-95 around Boston for 37.5 miles (60.4 km) before it leaves the Interstate and continues on its own in a northeasterly direction towards Cape Ann . The northern terminus lies in Gloucester

1869-603: Is located at the first interchange north of the junction of I-93 and I-95 in Canton. Despite no longer officially carrying the designation, the section of the Yankee Division Highway between Braintree and Canton is popularly called Route 128 within Massachusetts. However, signage for Route 128 has gradually disappeared from the segment designated as I-95 as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has replaced signage along that segment of

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1958-517: Is located at the intersection of the major US highways of I-495 and U.S. 3 . Also found in Chelmsford are state routes 3A , 4 , 27 , 40 , 110 , and 129 , making it a significant junction of roadways. The heart of the town center is Central Square - the junction of routes 4, 110, the end of 129, and Westford Street. Chelmsford is home to the former Drum Hill Rotary. This rotary was the cause of many accidents that occurred due to its small overall size and ability for vehicles to gain speed. It formed

2047-509: Is no longer feasible to drive the original route between Braintree and Gloucester. In 1965, the Massachusetts Highway Department truncated Route 128 at the Braintree Split and redesignated the non-freeway section of Route 128 from Route 3 through Hingham and Hull as Route 228, with its direction reversed to reflect the actual geographical direction of that segment of the route. This action ended

2136-598: Is now the following roads: Derby Street) At the same time as Route 128 was extended along the new Circumferential Highway, it was extended further into Hull . This alignment, not part of the Circumferential Highway, ran southeast on Route 3 (now Route 53 ) (Whiting Street) to the border of Hingham and Norwell , where it turned north on present Route 228 (Main Street) through Hingham and into Hull . The exact route through Hingham

2225-474: Is signed traveling south, and vice versa. US 1 splits onto its own roadbed at exit 29 (old exit 15) in Dedham . In response to the outcome of the 1970 Boston Transportation Planning Review , Massachusetts focused federal highway funding on public mass transportation rather than building new highways through Boston and the inner suburbs ("inside of Route 128"), cancelling plans for completion of

2314-533: Is typically 44.1 inches per year (high for the US) and snow covers the ground 62 days per year, or 17.0% of the year (high in the US). It may be helpful to understand the yearly precipitation by imagining nine straight days of moderate rain per year. The humidity is below 60% for approximately 25.4 days, or 7.0% of the year. As of the US census of 2010 , there were 33,802 people, 13,313 households, and 9,328 families residing in

2403-721: The Lowell train station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Lowell Line . Massachusetts Route 128 Route 128 , known as the Yankee Division Highway , is an expressway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts maintained by the Highway Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Spanning 57 miles (92 km), it is one of two beltways (the other being Interstate 495 [I-495]) around Boston , and

2492-656: The North Shore , to the beach resort community of Hull on the South Shore . Construction of the present circumferential highway began in Gloucester in the early 1950s and progressed southward, in part on new alignments and in part by the improvement of older roads, and came to completion with the final link into the Southeast Expressway (Route 3/John Fitzgerald Expressway/Pilgrim Highway) at

2581-463: The U.S. Army unit first formed in Boston in 1917 . The segment of the highway that still carries the sole designation as Route 128, which is a four-lane freeway for most of its length, was not originally built as a freeway. Many junctions in this segment were constructed as signaled intersections at grade in the 1950s and subsequently reconstructed with grade separation and interchanges in

2670-819: The 1960s—often with local streets that happened to be in convenient locations doubling as ramps for access to the highway. However, four junctions nearest the northern end in the town of Gloucester were not improved. Proceeding in the direction signed as northward beyond exit 55 (old exit 12, the interchange with Crafts Road), the route runs eastward as a four-lane expressway through two rotaries , named Grant Circle (intersection with Washington Street) and Blackburn Circle (intersection with Dory Road going northward and Schoolhouse Road going southward) and another intersection at Route 127 (Eastern Avenue) to its terminus in another intersection at Route 127A (East Main Street/Bass Avenue). As designated in 1927,

2759-623: The Abenaki First Nation and other tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy continue to view Chelmsford as part of their ancestral and unceded homeland. Several women of Chelmsford were suspected of being witches , such as Sarah (Hildreth) Byam and Martha Sparks. In 1691, Martha was held in the Boston Gaol for witchcraft, appeared in court, but was eventually set free after about a month. Some relate her freedom to

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2848-638: The Add-A-Lane project. The $ 315 million MassDOT Highway Division project has widened the existing 14.3-mile (23.0 km) six-lane section of highway to eight lanes from north of Route 9 in Wellesley to Route 24 in Randolph. The project consists of adding a lane on the inside of each carriageway, complete with a 10-foot (3.0 m) inside shoulder. The existing 1950s bridges, 22 in total, also were replaced. The project also included construction of

2937-640: The Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775 and in a painting in the Bunker Hill Museum . Captain Benjamin Walker of this town was also killed in this battle. Ralph Waldo Emerson opened a school in Chelmsford in 1825, closing it after a few months to take over his brother's school in Roxbury . Chelmsford's first school for the deaf was established in 1866, with a focus in oralism . There

3026-537: The Chelmsford Ginger Ale Company, acquired by Canada Dry in 1928. The ginger ale plant, rebuilt in 1912 after a disastrous fire consumed the original plant, stood on Route 110 until its demolition in 1994. The Chelmsford brand of golden ginger ale continued to be manufactured by Canada Dry for decades. It is currently manufactured by Polar Beverages for DeMoulas/Market Basket supermarkets, based out of neighboring Tewksbury . Chelmsford

3115-610: The Chelmsford public schools district spent $ 10,070 per pupil as of 2008, which was lower than the state average of $ 12,449. This was an increase of almost $ 400 from Chelmsford per-pupil spending in 2007. As of 2008 per-pupil allocation, $ 3,937 went to classroom and specialist teachers, $ 333 to administration, and $ 185 to instructional materials, equipment and technology. In 2009, Chelmsford High School ranked 66th out of 150 public high schools considered by Boston Magazine . The ranking took into account many statistics associated with quality of education and academic performance, including

3204-852: The East Wing of the United States Capitol and Daniel Chester French 's Minuteman statue at the Lexington-Concord bridge were cast at the Ames company. Other statues included large equestrian statues of George Washington (at the Boston Public Garden and in Washington, D.C. ), a statue of Benjamin Franklin ( Boston ), and a statue of Major John Mason . When the Mexican–American War broke out,

3293-519: The Hingham–Norwell line, retaining its original route from Queen Anne's corner to its terminus in Hull. Subsequent upgrades on the northern segment in the 1960s completed a full freeway from Braintree in the south to Gloucester in the north. In local culture, "Route 128" is generally recognized as the demarcation between the more urban inner suburbs and the less densely developed suburbs surrounding

3382-566: The I-95 interchange. Phase 4 of the project, which began in March 2011, is replacing seven bridges and widens Route 128 (I-95) to four lanes in each direction from Route 109 to south of Highland Avenue in Needham. The southeastern freeway (Pilgrims Highway) that extends from Braintree to Cape Cod, Route 3 , is also in the process of undergoing a similar "add-a-lane" project for much of its own 42-mile (68 km) length. Construction on

3471-722: The I-95/Route ;128 overlap portion are in accordance to the I-95 exit numbering scheme in Massachusetts . The stretch north of I-95, as well as the rest of the length before I-95 exit numbering was applied, previously had decreasing exit numbers traveling northbound, contrary to almost all highways in the US with numbered exits. Route 128 currently has 18 numbered interchanges, which previously started at exit 37 (old exit 29, southbound) and continued downwards to old exit 9 (former exit 27, an at-grade intersection,

3560-532: The Massachusetts Department of Transportation) assigned the concurrent designation of Route 128 to the segment of the Southeast Expressway (Route 3) from exit 35 (old exit 14) to the Braintree Split (exit 42, old exit 19), linking to the segment of the original Route 128 from the intersection with Route 53 at Queen Anne's Corner at the Hingham - Norwell line to

3649-581: The Southeast Expressway) at a wye junction now known as the Braintree Split in Braintree . This segment, which opened in 1960, replaced a two-lane undivided road to complete the first circumferential highway around any major city. Upon completion of the final segment of the Yankee Division Highway, the agency then known as the Massachusetts Highway Department (subsequently reorganized the Highway Division of

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3738-465: The Yankee Division Highway, but in the opposite direction, to connect with its original route, one interchange to the north of the current junction, to become permanent. A metropolitan planning organization for the Boston area studied the Route ;128/I-95 Corridor from approximately 2005 to 2010. The study focused on the heavily congested section from I-90 (Newton) to US 3 (Burlington), and

3827-721: The Zoning Board of Appeals. As of 2020 Chelmsford is represented in the Massachusetts Senate by Michael J. Barrett . The town sends four delegates to the Massachusetts House of Representatives , each of whom represent one or more of Chelmsford's nine precincts . Tami Gouveia is the state representative for precincts one and nine; Thomas Golden Jr. , precincts two, three, and eight; James Arciero , precincts eight, five and seven; and Vanna Howard , precinct four. The Fay A. Rotenberg School,

3916-437: The actual geographical direction of the new route. This shifted the southern terminus of Route 128 to the Braintree Split. With the designation of the part of the highway as I-95 in 1973, the need to upgrade it to Interstate Highway standards became apparent. By the 1980s, traffic levels had also increased on the section significantly due to the change. In 1988, this section was finally brought to Interstate standards, and

4005-721: The city of Boston. It also approximately delimits the region served by the rapid transit and trolley system operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It is furthermore used to reference the high-technology industry that developed from the 1960s to the 1980s in the suburban areas along the highway. Route 128 begins in the south in Norfolk County , at the interchange with I-93 , I-95 , and U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Canton . It immediately begins as

4094-621: The completed segment of I-95 from Peabody to the New Hampshire border and the junction with the completed segment of I-95 from Canton to the Rhode Island border as I-95 to complete that highway. Concurrently, these agencies extended I-93 from its original terminus in Boston southward on the John Fitzgerald Expressway to the Braintree Split, then westward on the southern segment of the Yankee Division Highway to

4183-412: The concurrent route designation on the John Fitzgerald Expressway. In the wake of a political decision not to complete the Northeast Expressway and to construct a Southwest Expressway to connect I-95 through Boston as originally planned, the United States Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Highway Department redesignated the segment of the Yankee Division Highway between the junction with

4272-421: The designation of Route 128 and reinstalled signage on the segment of the Yankee Division Highway designated as I-95, partly in response to public protest and partly due to the fact that an Amtrak and MBTA commuter rail station adjacent to the highway at the University Avenue interchange in Canton bears the name Route 128 (RTE on the railroad timetables and in the Amtrak reservation system). The station

4361-400: The exit list below) had mile 0 in Peabody. During the 1960s reconstruction of Route 128, a provision had been made for a fourth lane within the widely spaced median along the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) length of Route 128 running from just north of the US 1 interchange in Dedham, Massachusetts, northwestwards to the Route 109 interchange, and this will finally be used for

4450-560: The extension of U.S. Route 3 from Chelmsford to New Hampshire in the 1960s. Chelmsford has a representative town meeting form of government. The town has one public high school— Chelmsford High School , which was ranked among the top 500 schools in the nation in 2015—as well as two middle schools, and four elementary schools. The charter middle school started in Chelmsford became a regional charter school ( Innovation Academy Charter School) covering grades 5 through 12, now located in Tyngsborough. Chelmsford high school age students also have

4539-468: The fall of 2012 and completed in the fall of 2015 replaced exit and guide signs on Route 128/I-95 from Route 9 (exit 36, old exit 20) in Wellesley to Route 4/Route 225 (exit 49, old exit 31) in Lexington and, as part of the Add-A-Lane project discussed above, new signs were put up along a section of the I-95/Route 128 project completed in 2015 from Great Plain Avenue in Needham to Route 109 in Dedham. New signage

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4628-477: The federal government and state militias. As the town of Chicopee was formed in 1848, the Ames brothers were leaders in the new community. Upon the death of Nathan P. Ames in 1847, ownership of the company turned to younger brother James Tyler Ames. By 1835, the company was creating works in brass and bronze, and in 1845, an iron foundry was added. The company used the foundries for casting statuary and producing military cannons and cannonballs. The bronze doors of

4717-581: The foundry's primary output switched to armament. Upon the declared secession and formation of the Confederate States of America , the United States Army lost access to its southern arsenals. Independent arms manufacturers became crucial to the success of the U.S. Army. Ames was one of the U.S. Army's most important manufacturers of side arms, swords, and light artillery and the third largest producer of heavy ordnance. In addition to producing military equipment for many years, including swords, cannons, and cannonballs, it produced sewing machine and bicycle parts in

4806-450: The highway jointly consider a plan of establishing a form of monorail to add further mass transit options to businesses along the Route 128 corridor. The exit numbers along the I-93 portion of the Yankee Division Highway (indicated by an asterisk in the table below because that segment of the highway is no longer officially part of Route 128) are in accordance with I-93's exit numbering scheme in Massachusetts. Exit numbers along

4895-428: The influence of the Chelmsford minister. In 1722 Chelmsford had imposed a fine for keeping strangers in town for more than 30 days. This was used for racial, religious, and political discrimination, as well as to keep out witchcraft. This practice and similar ones occurred until the Act of Settlement of 1793. Sarah (Hildreth) Byam was accused of being a witch under these circumstances. The Chelmsford militia played

4984-406: The intersection of U.S. Route 3 (exit 32), Route 4, Drum Hill Road, and Westford Road. The rotary was demolished in 2003. It was replaced with a four intersection square with traffic lights, and is now called Drum Hill Square. This was part of a widening project for U.S. Route 3 between Interstate 95 ( Route 128 ) and the New Hampshire state line. Freight travels daily through Chelmsford over

5073-416: The junction with the completed southern segment of I-95 from Canton. At that time, the Massachusetts Highway Department officially truncated Route 128 at its intersection with I-95 in Peabody, began removal of Route 128 signage, and assigned I-93 and I-95 exit numbers to the interchanges on both affected segments of the Yankee Division Highway. The Massachusetts Highway Department subsequently restored

5162-449: The last week of May 1655 incorporated Chelmsford as a town; it was named after Chelmsford , England. The nearby communities of Groton and Billerica were incorporated at the same time. Chelmsford originally contained the neighboring town of Westford , as well as parts of Carlisle , Tyngsborough and a large part of Lowell (formerly known as East Chelmsford). Successive Pennacook leaders Passaconaway and Wonalancet strove to maintain

5251-402: The later 19th century. The company was a major supplier of bicycles to the Overman Wheel Company from 1883-1887. The sword manufacturing business was formally separated into an independent company in 1881. By 1907, the Ames foundries had been purchased by Chicopee's A.G. Spalding Company . The historic Ames Company factory, located at 5-7 Springfield Street in Chicopee, Massachusetts ,

5340-433: The mid-1970s when plans to construct I-95 through Boston, directly connecting the two I-95/Route 128 interchanges, were cancelled leaving a gap filled using Route 128. An unused cloverleaf in Canton , partially removed circa 1977, was one of the leftover structures from this plan as well as the existing expressway (part of US 1 since 1989). The decision to reroute I-95 onto Route 128 rather than building

5429-402: The new interchanges with I-95 were finally completed. In 1989, US 1 was signed concurrently with part of the expressway. In 1991, parts of the roadway had their shoulder converted into travel lanes at peck travel periods. In late 2001, a project to resurface the road in Lexington and Burlington was completed. Starting in 1998 and continuing through 2002, signs were replaced through

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5518-433: The option of attending the Nashoba Valley Technical High School, located in Westford. In 2011, Chelmsford was declared the 28th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine. The Pennacook inhabited the area for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Settler-colonizers from the adjacent communities of Woburn and Concord founded Chelmsford in 1652. An act of the Massachusetts General Court in

5607-497: The original Route 128, called the "Circumferential Highway", followed existing roadways from Gloucester to Hull through Boston's suburbs. The first (northernmost) segment of the present freeway , which is still just four lanes wide, opened in 1951. Construction progressed southward. The final (southernmost) segment, originally built as the present eight-lane highway that spliced into the John Fitzgerald Expressway (then Route 3 for its entire length, and popularly also known as

5696-449: The piece from Route 9 in Wellesley south to Highland Avenue in Needham , was designated as Route 128. Former Route 128 along Highland Avenue into Needham center was left unnumbered (as was the Circumferential Highway north of Highland Avenue), but the rest of former Route 128, from Needham center east to Quincy , became part of Route 135 . Thus the full route of the Circumferential Highway, as it existed by 1933,

5785-491: The project consisted of the replacement of the Route 1 and Route 1A bridges over Route 128 in Dedham along with the road widening between exits 27 and 29 (old exits 13 and 15, US 1). Construction of four sound barriers between the US 1 and I-95 interchanges were also included. This phase was completed in the spring of 2011. Construction on phase 3, begun in April 2009, widened I-93/US 1 to four lanes in each direction from Route 24 to

5874-566: The renumbering and thus coincidentally retained its number until the switchover with the mileage-based system in 2021. Along with other highways in the commonwealth, exits were renumbered with a mileage-based system in 2021. As a result of this political decision, about two thirds of Route 128 runs in tandem with I-95 from Canton north to Peabody , and after I-95 splits off and continues north from Peabody toward New Hampshire , Route 128 runs eastward on its own right-of-way from Peabody to Gloucester. The I-95 and I-93 signage were added in

5963-493: The road and on the intersecting roads. At its current southern terminus, Route 128 begins running concurrently with I-95 (same direction) and US 1 (opposite direction). While its concurrency with US 1 ends in Dedham , its concurrency with I-95 continues as it intersects with expressways including I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike ) in Weston ; US 20 in Waltham ; Route 2 in Lexington ; US 3 in Burlington (with which it runs concurrently within

6052-411: The school's 14.5:1 student–teacher ratio . In the 2006–2007 school year, the average SAT scores for Chelmsford High School were 527 in the reading section, 519 in writing, and 535 in math. Chelmsford High School performed significantly better than the state average in the English, math and science portions of the 2009 Grade 10 MCAS tests, scoring 89, 87 and 77 out of 100, respectively. Chelmsford

6141-458: The sixth and final segment in Needham and Wellesley began in January 2015, and included wider bridges and more auxiliary lanes and a new collector road. Major road construction ended in October 2018, and the project wrapped up with painting and landscaping in the spring of 2019. In 2015, the mayor of the City of Waltham , Jeannette McCarthy, noted that traffic was exceeding the capacity of Route 128 and proposed that communities located along

6230-400: The southern end of the Yankee Division Highway to the I-95 junction in Canton. After completion of the I-95/Route 128 interchange in Peabody in 1988, the State Highway Department changed the numbers of all exits south of the newly completed junction to those of the respective Interstate Highway designations. Since then, the highway has had three sets of exit numbers: I-93 exits 7–1 from

6319-404: The southern terminus in Hull . That action removed the designation as Route 128 from Blue Hill River Road in Randolph and Braintree, which is now closed to traffic, and West Street, Franklin Street, segments of Washington Street and Plain Street, and Grove Street in Braintree, a segment of Columbian Street, Park Avenue, and a segment of Ralph Talbot Street in Weymouth , and Derby Street and

6408-495: The southern terminus to the I-95 junction in Canton, I-95 exits 26–64 (old exits 12–45) from the I-95 junction in Canton to the I-95 junction in Peabody, and the original Route 128 exits 37–55 (old exits 29–12) from the I-95 junction in Peabody to the northern terminus. The interchange with I-93 in Woburn, which was Route 128 exit 37 before the renumbering, became I-93 exit 37 (now exit 28) in

6497-502: The state in 1919 (to Braintree center) and 1917 (in Braintree center). The rest of the new highway, from Route 37 east to Route 3 (now Route 53 ), through Braintree, Weymouth and Hingham , was taken over by the state in 1929. This was all along existing roads, except possibly the part of Park Avenue west of Route 18 in Weymouth. By 1933, the whole Circumferential Highway had been completed, and, except for

6586-461: The town has a total area of 23.1 square miles (60 km ), of which 22.4 square miles (58 km ) are land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km ), or 3.04%, are water. Chelmsford consists of several neighborhoods. In addition to the town center, smaller areas include South Chelmsford, West Chelmsford, East Chelmsford, North Chelmsford and the Westlands. North Chelmsford, an industrial village,

6675-706: The town); and I-93 and US 1 again in Reading and Lynnfield , respectively. Route 128 and I-95 split in Peabody ; as I-95 continues north towards New Hampshire, Route 128 travels east towards its northern terminus at an interchange with Route 127A in Gloucester . Route 128 was assigned by 1927 along local roads, running from Route 138 in Milton around the west side of Boston to Route 107 (Essex Street or Bridge Street) in Salem . Its route

6764-579: The town. From its incorporation until 1989, the town was governed by an open town meeting . Reporting to the Select Board are the town manager, town counsel, and town accountant. The town manager oversees the public employees and serves as Chief Executive Officer. The current town manager is Paul Cohen. Other elected boards include the Planning Board, School Committee, Library Trustees, Cemetery Commission, Board of Health, Sewer Commission and

6853-420: The town. The racial makeup of the town was 88.6% White , 1.1% African American , 0.1% Native American , 8.4% Asian , 0.4% from other races , and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2% of the population. As of 2008, Chelmsford had a violent crime rate of 132 incidents per 100,000 people, compared to a rate of 449 in Massachusetts as a whole and 455 nationwide. The town had

6942-480: The tracks of the historic Stony Brook Railroad . The line currently serves as a major corridor of Pan Am Railways ' District 3 which connects New Hampshire and Maine with western Massachusetts , Vermont , and New York . The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail runs 6.8 miles (10.9 km) through Chelmsford, including the Central Square intersection. The LRTA bus routes 15, 16 and 17 connect Chelmsford to

7031-715: Was Main Street, Short Street, Leavitt Street, East Street, and Hull Street. The end of the numbered route was at the south end of Nantasket Beach , where Nantasket Avenue curves northwest to follow the shore of Massachusetts Bay . In 1955, Business Week ran an article titled "New England Highway Upsets Old Way of Life" and referred to Route 128 as "the Magic Semicircle". In 1957, there were 99 companies employing 17,000 workers along Route 128; in 1965, 574; in 1973, 1,212. The development of college-like suburban campuses and marketing to technology companies

7120-624: Was a maximum capacity of eight students at a time. This pioneer school was eventually closed in order to make way for the formation of a larger deaf school in Rowley known as Clark School . Both the Middlesex Canal and Middlesex Turnpike , major transportation routes, were built through Chelmsford in the first part of the 19th century. Chelmsford was the birthplace of the Chelmsford Spring Co. in 1901, which later became

7209-531: Was along existing roads that were improved to handle the traffic. In 1931, the Massachusetts Department of Public Works acquired a right-of-way from Route 138 in Canton through Westwood , Dedham and Needham to Route 9 in Wellesley. This was mostly 80 feet (24 m) wide, only shrinking to 70 feet (21 m) in Needham, in the area of Great Plain Avenue and the Needham Line . Much of this

7298-725: Was along new alignment, but about half—mostly in Needham—was along existing roads: From Route 138 in Canton east through the Blue Hills Reservation in Canton, Milton , Quincy and Braintree , Norfolk County acquired right-of-way in 1927 and built the Blue Hill River Road. This tied into West Street in northwest Braintree, which itself had been taken over by the county in 1923. West Street led to Route 37 , which ran southeast to Braintree center. This part of Route 37 had been taken over by

7387-570: Was as follows: By 1928, it had been extended east to Quincy from its south end along the following streets, ending at the intersection of Route 3 and Route 3A (current Route 3A and Route 53 ): The first section of the new Circumferential Highway , in no way the freeway that it is now, was the piece from Route 9 in Wellesley around the south side of Boston to Route 3 (current Route 53 ) in Hingham . Parts of this were built as new roads, but most of it

7476-472: Was completed in 1964, and involved replacement of all of the old overpasses with new ones. In 1967, with the enaction of a policy that limited each road to one route number a decision was made to drop the designation of Route 128 from the Southeast Expressway and to redesignate the orphaned segment from exit 35 (old exit 14) of the Southeast Expressway to the terminus in Hull as Route 228 —but with its designated directions reversed to reflect

7565-459: Was completed in November 2010. As of 2010, the highway carried over 200,000 vehicles per day. Some possible improvements to Route 128 include HOV Lanes, reconstruction of shoulders, ramp metering , bus on shoulder, and fiber optic traffic system improvements. More studies will need to be completed before projects will begin. The area along the western part of Route 128 is home to

7654-521: Was incorporated as Lowell in the 1820s; over the next decades it would go on to become one of the first large-scale factory towns in the United States because of its early role in the country's Industrial Revolution . Chelmsford experienced a drastic increase in population between 1950 and 1970, coinciding with the connection of U.S. Route 3 in Lowell to Massachusetts Route 128 in the 1950s and

7743-523: Was intentional on the part of real estate developers such as Gerald W. Blakeley Jr. In the 1980s, the area was often compared to California's Silicon Valley , and the positive effects of this growth on the Massachusetts economy were dubbed the " Massachusetts Miracle ". By 1958, it became apparent that due to premature traffic congestion, the highway needed to be widened from four to six lanes, as business growth continued, often driven by technology out of Harvard University and MIT . This widening project

7832-514: Was put up between I-95 and US 1 in 2010 and most of the signage between I-95 and Route 24 (on I-93/US 1) had been replaced by the end of 2011. Future projects will replace the signs on I-95 (south of Route 128) between the Rhode Island state line and the interchange with I-93, US 1, and Route 128 in Canton in 2018 and (along I-95/Route 128) between I-93 in Reading and US 1 in Peabody in 2019. New mileage markers were placed every 2 ⁄ 10 mile (0.32 km) of

7921-437: Was removed, and the last two exits are at-grade intersections). However, upon Massachusetts switching to mileage-based exit numbers, the exit numbers now abide by standard numbering rules. The new numbers along the stretch of highway north of I-95 increase from 37 in Peabody to 55 in Gloucester, with the traffic circles and at-grade intersections no longer receiving numbers. On January 27, 2021, MassDOT announced that renumbering

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