US 1 (old I-95) in Boston

[bugo]

At the north end of the freeway section, it just sort of peters out into a 4 lane surface road. How was it going to be extended northward?

[PHLBOS]

Historical Overview of the Northeast Expressway (scroll down for unbuilt section of I-95 listing and old aerial photo).

Copeland/Cutler Circle interchange today  Note: the ghost ramps stubs that would have carried the through I-95 movements.

[NE2]

At the north end of the freeway section, it just sort of peters out into a 4 lane surface road. How was it going to be extended northward?

It's a "Jersey freeway" with no cross traffic. Far from a petery surface road.

Here's the actual alignment planned: http://www.brorson.com/maps/BostonHighwayPlan_1965/BostonHighwayPlan_1965.jpg

[TheStranger]

Something I have always wondered: with the cancellation of 95 north of Boston, do traffic patterns heading into the city from north of 128 follow US 1 south, or do they continue down 128 a few more miles to take 93 south?

[PHLBOS]

Something I have always wondered: with the cancellation of 95 north of Boston, do traffic patterns heading into the city from north of 128 follow US 1 south, or do they continue down 128 a few more miles to take 93 south?

In most instances, they'll just use US 1 South (aside from the one jug-handle traffic light, there's no other signals between Peabody & Boston).  It's worth noting that prior to 1988, I-95 in Peabody used to end at Exit 46 (US 1).  It ran along US 1 for about a mile or two before it went on 128.

Additionally, Exit 46 is the first exit along I-95 South that is signed for Boston Scroll down.

[Alps]

Something I have always wondered: with the cancellation of 95 north of Boston, do traffic patterns heading into the city from north of 128 follow US 1 south, or do they continue down 128 a few more miles to take 93 south?

There are three routings:
* Commuters: will generally follow US 1. I-93 cloverleaf is a mess, as is I-93.
* Recreational/off-peak: will generally follow I-93 because it's Interstate
* Through: will often take 128

[KEVIN_224]

When I come back into Boston from Portland, ME on a Concord Coach Lines bus, it nearly always takes Exit 46 in Peabody, to follow US Route 1 to the Tobin Bridge. On a rare occasion, they might take Exit 44 and get onto US Route 1 that way.

[Pete from Boston]

While old aerial photos show the right-of-way clearly visible from the Route 1/Route 60 intersection, there have been changes to it since.  The part through Rumney Marsh immediately northeast of the rotary was undone in the 1990s as one of the Big Dig environmental compensation steps, and more natural marsh conditions restored.  Part of the berm that continues from there up to the Lynn line was slated this year to be removed and used as replenishment on the beach at Winthrop.  There were some local objections to this last part due to the berm having evolved into habitat and a recreational spot, so I don't know if it started. 

[PHLBOS]

While old aerial photos show the right-of-way clearly visible from the Route 1/Route 60 intersection, there have been changes to it since.  The part through Rumney Marsh immediately northeast of the rotary was undone in the 1990s as one of the Big Dig environmental compensation steps, and more natural marsh conditions restored.  Part of the berm that continues from there up to the Lynn line was slated this year to be removed and used as replenishment on the beach at Winthrop.  There were some local objections to this last part due to the berm having evolved into habitat and a recreational spot, so I don't know if it started. 

It's worth noting that there was also a plan to build a highway connector from this interchange (or just north of it had I-95 been built) to Revere Beach (Steve Anderson's BostonRoads site does not list it).  Sadly, it died shortly after the plan to build I-95 through Saugus & Lynn was killed off for good..

[Pete from Boston]

While old aerial photos show the right-of-way clearly visible from the Route 1/Route 60 intersection, there have been changes to it since.  The part through Rumney Marsh immediately northeast of the rotary was undone in the 1990s as one of the Big Dig environmental compensation steps, and more natural marsh conditions restored.  Part of the berm that continues from there up to the Lynn line was slated this year to be removed and used as replenishment on the beach at Winthrop.  There were some local objections to this last part due to the berm having evolved into habitat and a recreational spot, so I don't know if it started. 

It's worth noting that there was also a plan to build a highway connector from this interchange (or just north of it had I-95 been built) to Revere Beach (Steve Anderson's BostonRoads site does not list it).  Sadly, it died shortly after the plan to build I-95 through Saugus & Lynn was killed off for good..

A connection from Brown Circle north of the residential area is the only place I could see such a connection and I'm not convinced it would do a lot of good.  It's true that the roads to/in Revere Beach now are congested, but more capacity in would just pack them into a still-tight space.  Doesn't matter now, there's no way a road gets built in the marsh. 

[PHLBOS]

It's worth noting that there was also a plan to build a highway connector from this interchange (or just north of it had I-95 been built) to Revere Beach (Steve Anderson's BostonRoads site does not list it).  Sadly, it died shortly after the plan to build I-95 through Saugus & Lynn was killed off for good.

A connection from Brown Circle north of the residential area is the only place I could see such a connection and I'm not convinced it would do a lot of good.  It's true that the roads to/in Revere Beach now are congested, but more capacity in would just pack them into a still-tight space.  Doesn't matter now, there's no way a road gets built in the marsh. 

The connector (probably designated as a relocated MA 60) would have indeed ran north of Brown Circle & Squire Road (MA 60).  Had the connector been built and nothing else; it certainly would have included an interchange with MA 1A (North Shore Road), which would've diverted most Malden/Saugus/Chelsea/Tobin Bridge -bound traffic away from Bell Circle.

[roadman]

It's worth noting that there was also a plan to build a highway connector from this interchange (or just north of it had I-95 been built) to Revere Beach (Steve Anderson's BostonRoads site does not list it).  Sadly, it died shortly after the plan to build I-95 through Saugus & Lynn was killed off for good..

See http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/MA-60/

[PHLBOS]

It's worth noting that there was also a plan to build a highway connector from this interchange (or just north of it had I-95 been built) to Revere Beach (Steve Anderson's BostonRoads site does not list it).  Sadly, it died shortly after the plan to build I-95 through Saugus & Lynn was killed off for good..

See http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/MA-60/

My earlier post has since been corrected per above (& on the original post).  That's what I get for skimming through Steve Anderson's site a tad too fast.  I was originally looking for Revere Beach Connector as opposed to MA 60 Revere Beach Connector.

[DJStephens]

wonder if there was ever any plan to possibly construct an I-95 directly on the US 1 alignment?  Probably not enough right of way to do that without acquiring and demolishing business structures along the route.  (the bostonroads link explained that well - business opposition to an early seventies existing corridor upgrade)  Remember some antiquated concrete bridges on US 1 north of Boston, some with wooden cribbing and netting underneath to support them in case of collapse? or to catch falling spalling concrete.    It seemed to take virtually forever to finally see the direct connector of I-95 to route 128 (1986 perhaps?) in Peabody / Lynnfield area.   Gov. Sargent did blunder in not authorizing completion of the metro areas freeway hub and remaining spokes - I-695 inner belt and the I-95 sections along with state route 2.  Much of the ROW, was already secured, some even cleared.   The urban sections should have been depressed, with some completely covered. Rail transit could have been routed along the I-95 medians northeast and southwest of the inner city.     

[PHLBOS]

wonder if there was ever any plan to possibly construct an I-95 directly on the US 1 alignment?

Such a concept was mentioned and detailed in the BTPR reports and one reason why I-95, prior to 1988, merged into US 1 at the current Exit 46 when the Topsfield-to-Danvers/Peabody extension was opened to traffic in the mid-1970s.  Originally, that interchange's movements were to be the opposite (I-95 North to US 1 North/US 1 South to I-95 South) of what's there today (I-95 South to US 1 South/US 1 North to I-95 North).

Gov. Sargent did blunder in not authorizing completion of the metro areas freeway hub and remaining spokes - I-695 inner belt and the I-95 sections along with state route 2.

That's an understatement right here.

Much of the ROW, was already secured, some even cleared.   The urban sections should have been depressed, with some completely covered. Rail transit could have been routed along the I-95 medians northeast and southwest of the inner city.

Actually, much of the MBTA's Orange line was indeed relocated to the right-of-way that would've been the Southwest Expressway during the mid-1980s.

[Pete from Boston]

wonder if there was ever any plan to possibly construct an I-95 directly on the US 1 alignment?  Probably not enough right of way to do that without acquiring and demolishing business structures along the route.  (the bostonroads link explained that well - business opposition to an early seventies existing corridor upgrade)

Route 1 in Saugus (the majority of the route) is almost continuously lined with businesses now, and was well on its way in the 1971 Historicaerials image.  The ship had long ago sailed on turning this part into 95 (in fact, it's right here).

Gov. Sargent did blunder in not authorizing completion of the metro areas freeway hub and remaining spokes - I-695 inner belt and the I-95 sections along with state route 2.  Much of the ROW, was already secured, some even cleared.   The urban sections should have been depressed, with some completely covered. Rail transit could have been routed along the I-95 medians northeast and southwest of the inner city.

Not much of a blunder–the political will wasn't there.  You might say the people who were to be evicted blundered in protesting this, but I can't really blame them.  Most of the areas that avoided being leveled for the Inner Belt and Routes 2/3 are thriving areas with skyrocketing real estate values.  Those that were, not so much.  Those decisions don't seem to be viewed with a lot of disappointment by locals these days.

[Henry]

This is slightly off-topic, but I think the area would've been better off with I-95 turning onto the southernmost sections of I-93, then using the Central Artery to get to the US 1 expressway, and following that to its current alignment north into NH. And I-695 could then be used for the MA 128 loop highway. Under that scenario, there'd be no plans for the Southwest Expressway nor the Inner Belt, and thus they'd have much less destruction to worry about.

[roadman]

This is slightly off-topic, but I think the area would've been better off with I-95 turning onto the southernmost sections of I-93, then using the Central Artery to get to the US 1 expressway, and following that to its current alignment north into NH. And I-695 could then be used for the MA 128 loop highway. Under that scenario, there'd be no plans for the Southwest Expressway nor the Inner Belt, and thus they'd have much less destruction to worry about.

Back in 2004, this scenario was briefly considered by MassHighway as part of the Greater Boston routes evaluation requested by then Governor Romney.  It was ultimately rejected for several reasons, the principal one being the need to reconstruct the I-95/I-93 interchange in Woburn as a directional interchange - which has been strongly opposed by the residents of the neighborhood in the northeast quadrant of the interchange.

[Pete from Boston]

This is slightly off-topic, but I think the area would've been better off with I-95 turning onto the southernmost sections of I-93, then using the Central Artery to get to the US 1 expressway, and following that to its current alignment north into NH. And I-695 could then be used for the MA 128 loop highway. Under that scenario, there'd be no plans for the Southwest Expressway nor the Inner Belt, and thus they'd have much less destruction to worry about.

Back in 2004, this scenario was briefly considered by MassHighway as part of the Greater Boston routes evaluation requested by then Governor Romney.  It was ultimately rejected for several reasons, the principal one being the need to reconstruct the I-95/I-93 interchange in Woburn as a directional interchange - which has been strongly opposed by the residents of the neighborhood in the northeast quadrant of the interchange.

Any idea which movements see the most traffic at this interchange?

[hotdogPi]

Just wondering if this is possible:

Make US 1 into a full freeway. Two roads would be next to it (one on each side), behind the businesses. The businesses could be accessed from those roads.

[Zeffy]

Make US 1 into a full freeway. Two roads would be next to it (one on each side), behind the businesses. The businesses could be accessed from those roads.

That sounds like a lot of work.

[DJStephens]

wonder if there was ever any plan to possibly construct an I-95 directly on the US 1 alignment?  Probably not enough right of way to do that without acquiring and demolishing business structures along the route.  (the bostonroads link explained that well - business opposition to an early seventies existing corridor upgrade)

Route 1 in Saugus (the majority of the route) is almost continuously lined with businesses now, and was well on its way in the 1971 Historicaerials image.  The ship had long ago sailed on turning this part into 95 (in fact, it's right here).

Gov. Sargent did blunder in not authorizing completion of the metro areas freeway hub and remaining spokes - I-695 inner belt and the I-95 sections along with state route 2.  Much of the ROW, was already secured, some even cleared.   The urban sections should have been depressed, with some completely covered. Rail transit could have been routed along the I-95 medians northeast and southwest of the inner city.

Not much of a blunder–the political will wasn't there.  You might say the people who were to be evicted blundered in protesting this, but I can't really blame them.  Most of the areas that avoided being leveled for the Inner Belt and Routes 2/3 are thriving areas with skyrocketing real estate values.  Those that were, not so much.  Those decisions don't seem to be viewed with a lot of disappointment by locals these days.

Drove a delivery truck (Class B / C type Box) for a Watertown (MA) based company in the late 80's and early 90's.   The antiquated surface road network in the metro area - the city itself and in the inner suburbs road network was clearly apparent.   Truck bans, detours and other restrictions on commercial vehicles.   Lack of coherence due to age of the streets themselves.  While the completion of the spoked freeway network may have not been the best in terms of the immediate residential abutter, the entire metro region would have benefitted due to the modernization of the freeway system, its' completion, and advantages for business.   

[PHLBOS]

Just wondering if this is possible:

Make US 1 into a full freeway. Two roads would be next to it (one on each side), behind the businesses. The businesses could be accessed from those roads.

See above-Replies #13 & #14; such was briefly considered (in the BTPR report) during the early-70s.  Obviously, it never left the drawing board.

[spooky]

Make US 1 into a full freeway. Two roads would be next to it (one on each side), behind the businesses. The businesses could be accessed from those roads.

That sounds like a lot of work.

At this point, even bringing the expressway portion of US 1 to interstate standards would be a lot of work.