Editing Massachusetts Route 128

{{Short description|State highway in Massachusetts, United States}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{Infobox road
|state = MA
|type = MA
|route = 128
|map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=290|frame-lat=42.416|frame-long=-70.964|zoom=9|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Massachusetts Route 128}}}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=Route&nbsp;128 highlighted in red
|alternate_name = Yankee Division Highway
|counties = [[Norfolk County, Massachusetts|Norfolk]], [[Middlesex County, Massachusetts|Middlesex]], [[Essex County, Massachusetts|Essex]]
|length_mi = 57.5829
|length_ref = <ref name="inventory">{{cite web |author-link = Executive Office of Transportation (Massachusetts) |author = Executive Office of Transportation |url = http://www.eot.state.ma.us/default.asp?pgid=content%2Fplan02&sid=about |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060927193052/http://www.eot.state.ma.us/default.asp?pgid=content%2Fplan02&sid=about |archive-date = September 27, 2006 |title = Office of Transportation Planning - 2005 Road Inventory }}</ref>
|established = 1927
|direction_a = South
|terminus_a = {{jct|state=MA|I|93|US|1|I|95}} in [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]]
|junction = 
* {{jct|state=MA|I-Toll|90|MATP||MA|30}} in [[Weston, Massachusetts|Weston]]
* {{jct|state=MA|US|20}} in [[Waltham, Massachusetts|Waltham]]
* {{jct|state=MA|MA|2}} in [[Lexington, Massachusetts|Lexington]]
* {{jct|state=MA|US|3}} in [[Burlington, Massachusetts|Burlington]]
* {{jct|state=MA|I|93}} in [[Reading, Massachusetts|Reading]]
* {{jct|state=MA|US|1}} in [[Lynnfield, Massachusetts|Lynnfield]]
* {{jct|state=MA|I|95}} in [[Peabody, Massachusetts|Peabody]]
|direction_b = North
|terminus_b = {{jct|state=MA|MA|127A}} in [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|Gloucester]]
|previous_type = MA
|previous_route = 127A
|next_type = MA
|next_route = 128A
}}

'''Route&nbsp;128''', known as the '''Yankee Division Highway''', is an [[limited-access road|expressway]] in the U.S. state of [[Massachusetts]] maintained by the Highway Division of the [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] (MassDOT). Spanning {{convert|57|mi|km}}, it is the inner one of two [[Ring road|beltways]] around [[Boston]] (the other being [[Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|Interstate 495]] [I-495]). The route's current southern terminus is at the junction of [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|I-95]] and [[Interstate 93|I-93]] in Canton, and it is [[concurrency (road)|concurrent]] with I-95 around Boston for {{convert|37.5|mi|km}} before it leaves the interstate and continues on its own in a northeasterly direction towards [[Cape Ann]]. The northern terminus lies in [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|Gloucester]] a few hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean. All but the northernmost {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} are a [[controlled-access highway|freeway]], with the remainder being an expressway.

In local culture, Route&nbsp;128 is generally recognized as the demarcation between the more urban inner suburbs and the less densely developed suburbs surrounding the city of Boston. It also approximately delimits the region served by the [[public transit|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.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=246 |title = MassMoments: Route 128 Opens Boston's High-Tech Age. |date = August 24, 2006 |publisher = Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities |access-date = May 18, 2010 }}</ref>

==Route description==

=== Concurrency with I-95 (Canton–Peabody) ===
[[File:128 south end.jpg|thumb|Since 1997, Route&nbsp;128's southern end has been in Canton, where I-95 exits southwestward on its own roadbed, and I-93 north begins; US&nbsp;1 north continues straight]]

Route&nbsp;128 begins in the south in [[Norfolk County, Massachusetts|Norfolk County]], at the interchange with [[Interstate 93|I-93]], [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|I-95]], and [[U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts|U.S. Route&nbsp;1]] (US&nbsp;1) in [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]]. It immediately begins as a [[controlled-access highway|freeway]]. Until the 1990s, its southern terminus was located at the junction of I-93, US&nbsp;1, and [[Massachusetts Route 3|Route&nbsp;3]] (the [[Braintree Split]]) in [[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]]. At this present-day terminus, Route&nbsp;128 [[Concurrency (road)|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&nbsp;1; as Route&nbsp;128 and I-95 are signed traveling north, US&nbsp;1 is signed traveling south, and vice versa. US&nbsp;1 splits onto its own roadbed at exit&nbsp;29 (old exit&nbsp;15) in [[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]].

==== The decision to route Interstate 95 through Route 128 ====
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&nbsp;128"), cancelling plans for completion of 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 the southern end of the Yankee Division Highway to the I-95 junction in Canton. After completion of the I-95/Route&nbsp;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&nbsp;7–1 from the southern terminus to the I-95 junction in Canton, I-95 exits&nbsp;26–64 (old exits&nbsp;12–45) from the I-95 junction in Canton to the I-95 junction in Peabody, and the original Route&nbsp;128 exits&nbsp;37–55 (old exits&nbsp;29–12) from the I-95 junction in Peabody to the northern terminus. The interchange with I-93 in Woburn, which was Route&nbsp;128 exit&nbsp;37 before the renumbering, became I-93 exit&nbsp;37 (now exit&nbsp;28) in 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 [[Exit numbers in the United States|mileage-based]] system in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title = New MassDOT Exit Renumbering |url = https://www.newmassexits.com/ }}</ref>

As a result of this political decision, about two thirds of Route&nbsp;128 runs in tandem with I-95 from Canton north to [[Peabody, Massachusetts|Peabody]], and after I-95 splits off and continues north from Peabody toward [[New Hampshire]], Route&nbsp;128 runs eastward on its own right-of-way from Peabody to Gloucester. The I-95 and I-93 signage were added in the mid-1970s when plans to construct I-95 through Boston, directly connecting the two I-95/Route&nbsp;128 interchanges, were cancelled leaving a gap filled using Route&nbsp;128. An unused [[Cloverleaf interchange|cloverleaf]] in [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]], partially removed circa 1977, was one of the leftover structures from this plan as well as the existing expressway (part of US&nbsp;1 since 1989).

The decision to reroute I-95 onto Route&nbsp;128 rather than building a new highway inside of Route&nbsp;128 has contributed to three significant problems.

* At the junction in Canton, I-95 northbound uses the original cloverleaf, which is fairly tight, to transition from the southern segment to the Yankee Division Highway. More than a few unsuspecting truckers have entered the cloverleaf at full highway speed and thus managed to flip over their rigs. As a result, the cloverleaf has been referred to as "Dead Man's Curve" to locals.
* The I-95 overhead traffic also has become a major contributor to congestion on the segment of the highway known as I-95.
* The [[Southeast Expressway (Massachusetts)|Southeast Expressway]], as the only highway coming into Boston from the south, carries more than double its capacity on a daily basis. The highway is prone to some of the worst traffic in the region, as all traffic from south of the city (coming from three different highways) must merge onto this one route.

[[File:128 north end.jpg|thumb|left|The north end of Route&nbsp;128 is at Route&nbsp;127A in Gloucester. The sign pointing Route&nbsp;127A south straight is incorrect; it is actually to the right, where the sign points "ALT&nbsp;127".]]

The political decision not to build new highways inside of Route 128 also led to abandonment of plans to extend the [[U.S. Route 3|US&nbsp;3]] freeway from its current interchange with the Yankee Division Highway in [[Burlington, Massachusetts|Burlington]] to a junction with [[Massachusetts Route 2|Route&nbsp;2]] in [[Lexington, Massachusetts|Lexington]] as originally planned. This decision caused a temporary reroute of US&nbsp;3 onto 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&nbsp;128/I-95 Corridor from approximately 2005 to 2010. The study focused on the heavily congested section from I-90 (Newton) to US&nbsp;3 (Burlington), and was completed in November 2010. As of 2010, the highway carried over 200,000&nbsp;vehicles per day. Some possible improvements to Route&nbsp;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.

=== Northern end (Peabody–Gloucester) ===
The segment of the highway that still carries the sole designation as Route&nbsp;128, which is a four-lane [[controlled-access highway|freeway]] for most of its length, was not originally built as a freeway. Many junctions in this segment were constructed as [[traffic signal|signaled intersections]] at grade in the 1950s and subsequently reconstructed with [[grade separation]] and [[interchange (road)|interchanges]] in 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&nbsp;55 (old exit&nbsp;12, the interchange with Crafts Road), the route runs eastward as a four-lane [[limited-access road|expressway]] through two [[rotaries (road)|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 [[Massachusetts Route 127|Route&nbsp;127]] (Eastern Avenue) to its terminus in another intersection at Route 127A (East Main Street/Bass Avenue).<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6208047,-70.6666472,15z Google Map of this segment]</ref>

==History==
As designated in 1927, the original Route&nbsp;128, called the "Circumferential Highway", followed existing roadways from Gloucester to Hull through Boston's suburbs. The first (northernmost) segment of the present [[controlled-access highway|freeway]], which is still just four lanes wide, opened in 1951.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://news.wgbh.org/post/route-128-once-known-road-nowhere-had-traffic-jam-day-it-opened |title = Route 128, Once Known As 'Road To Nowhere,' Had A Traffic Jam The Day It Opened |last = Herwick |first = Edgar III|publisher = WGBH |date = August 28, 2015 |access-date = June 5, 2017 }}</ref> Construction progressed southward. The final (southernmost) segment, originally built as the present eight-lane highway that spliced into the John Fitzgerald Expressway (then [[Massachusetts Route 3|Route&nbsp;3]] for its entire length, and popularly also known as the Southeast Expressway) at a [[Interchange (road)#Directional T interchange (Y-interchange)|wye junction]] now  known as the [[Braintree Split]] in [[Braintree, Massachusetts|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 [[MassHighway|Massachusetts Highway Department]] (subsequently reorganized the Highway Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation) assigned the concurrent designation of Route&nbsp;128 to the segment of the Southeast Expressway (Route&nbsp;3) from exit&nbsp;35 (old exit&nbsp;14) to the Braintree Split (exit&nbsp;42, old exit&nbsp;19), linking to the segment of the original Route&nbsp;128 from the intersection with Route&nbsp;53 at Queen Anne's Corner at the [[Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham]]-[[Norwell, Massachusetts|Norwell]] line to the southern terminus in [[Hull, Massachusetts|Hull]]. That action removed the designation as Route&nbsp;128 from Blue Hill River Road in [[Randolph, Massachusetts|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, Massachusetts|Weymouth]], and Derby Street and a segment of Whiting Street (Route&nbsp;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 is no longer feasible to drive the original route between Braintree and Gloucester.

In 1965, the Massachusetts Highway Department truncated Route&nbsp;128 at the Braintree Split and redesignated the non-freeway section of Route&nbsp;128 from Route&nbsp;3 through Hingham and Hull as Route&nbsp;228, with its direction reversed to reflect the actual geographical direction of that segment of the route. This action ended 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 [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|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 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 [[Interstate 93 in Massachusetts|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 the junction with the completed southern segment of I-95 from Canton. At that time, the Massachusetts Highway Department officially truncated Route&nbsp;128 at its intersection with I-95 in Peabody, began removal of Route&nbsp;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 the designation of Route&nbsp;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&nbsp;128'' (RTE on the railroad timetables and in the Amtrak reservation system). The station 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&nbsp;128 within Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/massmarkets/2012/08/13/despite-federal-and-state-agencies-efforts-a-road-by-any-other-name-is-still-route-128/ |title = Despite federal and state agencies' efforts, a road by any other name is still Route 128 |last = Chesto |first = John |publisher = Wicked Local. GateHouse Media |date = August 13, 2012 |access-date = June 5, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150909085244/http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/massmarkets/2012/08/13/despite-federal-and-state-agencies-efforts-a-road-by-any-other-name-is-still-route-128/ |archive-date = September 9, 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref> However, signage for Route&nbsp;128 has gradually disappeared from the segment designated as I-95 as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has replaced signage along that segment of the road and on the intersecting roads.

At its current southern terminus, Route&nbsp;128 begins running [[Concurrency (road)|concurrently]] with I-95 (same direction) and US&nbsp;1 (opposite direction). While its concurrency with US&nbsp;1 ends in [[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]], its concurrency with I-95 continues as it intersects with expressways including I-90 (the [[Massachusetts Turnpike]]) in [[Weston, Massachusetts|Weston]]; [[U.S. Route 20 in Massachusetts|US&nbsp;20]] in [[Waltham, Massachusetts|Waltham]]; [[Massachusetts Route 2|Route&nbsp;2]] in [[Lexington, Massachusetts|Lexington]]; [[U.S. Route 3 in Massachusetts|US&nbsp;3]] in [[Burlington, Massachusetts|Burlington]] (with which it runs concurrently within the town); and I-93 and US&nbsp;1 again in [[Reading, Massachusetts|Reading]] and [[Lynnfield, Massachusetts|Lynnfield]], respectively. Route&nbsp;128 and I-95 split in [[Peabody, Massachusetts|Peabody]]; as I-95 continues north towards New Hampshire, Route&nbsp;128 travels east towards its northern terminus at an interchange with [[Massachusetts Route 127|Route&nbsp;127A]] in [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|Gloucester]].

Route&nbsp;128 was assigned by 1927<ref name="1927 map">1927 Rand McNally Boston and vicinity map</ref> along local roads, running from [[Massachusetts Route 138|Route&nbsp;138]] in [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]] around the west side of Boston to [[Massachusetts Route 107|Route&nbsp;107]] (Essex Street or Bridge Street<!-- contemporary maps disagree, and some even end it at 114, which they show through Peabody center -->) in [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]]. Its route was as follows:<!-- 1933 map shows it clearly - possibly changed somewhat before that though as new roads were built -->
{|class=wikitable
!Town/city
!Streets
|-
|[[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]]
|Milton Street
|-
|[[Boston]] 
|[[Neponset Valley Parkway]], Milton Street
|-
|[[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]]
|Milton Street, High Street, Common Street, West Street
|-
|[[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]]
|Dedham Avenue, Highland Avenue
|-
|[[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]]
|Needham Street, Winchester Street, Centre Street, Walnut Street, Crafts Street, Waltham Street
|-
|[[Waltham, Massachusetts|Waltham]]
|High Street, Newton Street, Main Street ([[U.S. Route 20 (Massachusetts)|US&nbsp;20]]), Lexington Street
|-
|[[Lexington, Massachusetts|Lexington]]
|Waltham Street, [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]] ([[Route 2A (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;2A]], current [[Route 4 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;4]]/[[Route 225 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;225]]), Woburn Street
|-
|[[Woburn, Massachusetts|Woburn]]
|Lexington Street, Pleasant Street, Montvale Avenue
|-
|[[Stoneham, Massachusetts|Stoneham]]
|Montvale Avenue, Main Street ([[Route 28 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;28]]), Elm Street
|-
|[[Wakefield, Massachusetts|Wakefield]]
|Albion Street, North Avenue, Water Street, Vernon Street, New Salem Street, Salem Street
|-
|[[Lynnfield, Massachusetts|Lynnfield]]
|Salem Street
|-
|[[Peabody, Massachusetts|Peabody]]
|Lynnfield Street, Washington Street, Main Street
|-
|[[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]]
|Boston Street
|}

By 1928, it had been extended east to [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] from its south end along the following streets, ending at the intersection of [[Route 3 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;3]] and [[Route 3A (southeastern Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;3A]] (current Route&nbsp;3A and [[Route 53 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;53]]):<ref name="1928 map">1928 map of numbered routes in Boston and vicinity, prepared by the [[Massachusetts Department of Public Works]] for the New England Affairs Bureau, Boston Chamber of Commerce</ref>
{|class=wikitable
!Town
!Streets
|-
|[[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]]
|Washington Street, Hancock Street, Adams Street
|-
|[[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]]
|Adams Street, Centre Street, Canton Avenue, Dollar Lane
|}

The first section of the new '''Circumferential Highway''', in no way the [[controlled-access highway|freeway]] that it is now, was the piece from [[Route 9 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;9]] in [[Wellesley, Massachusetts|Wellesley]] around the south side of Boston to [[Route 3 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;3]] (current [[Route 53 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;53]]) in [[Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham]]. Parts of this were built as new roads, but most of it was along existing roads that were improved to handle the traffic. In 1931, the [[Massachusetts Department of Public Works]] acquired a [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] from [[Route 138 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;138]] in [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]] through [[Westwood, Massachusetts|Westwood]], [[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]] and [[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]] to Route&nbsp;9 in Wellesley. This was mostly {{convert|80|ft|m|0}} wide, only shrinking to {{convert|70|ft|m|0}} in Needham, in the area of Great Plain Avenue and the [[Needham Line]]. Much of this was along new alignment, but about half—mostly in Needham—was along existing roads:
*Royall Street from west of Route&nbsp;138 to east of Green Street (Canton)
*Green Lodge Street from Royall Street (cut off by Route&nbsp;128) to [[Route&nbsp;128 Station]] (Canton and Westwood)
*Greendale Avenue from Lyons Street and Common Street just south of the [[Charles River]] to Hunting Avenue (Dedham and Needham)
*Fremont Street north from Highland Avenue (Needham)
*Reservoir Street from Central Avenue to Route&nbsp;9 (Needham and Wellesley)<ref>[[MassHighway]] state highway layout plans:
*Canton: [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Canton/Layouts/2807/ 2807] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003100/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Canton/Layouts/2807/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (July 14, 1931)
*Westwood: [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Westwood/Layouts/2808/ 2808] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003205/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Westwood/Layouts/2808/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (July 14, 1931); [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Westwood/Layouts/2831/ 2831] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003036/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Westwood/Layouts/2831/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (October 13, 1931)
*Dedham: [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Dedham/Layouts/2806/ 2806] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003114/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Dedham/Layouts/2806/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (July 14, 1931); [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Dedham/Layouts/2833/ 2833] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003005/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Dedham/Layouts/2833/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (October 13, 1931)
*Needham: [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Needham/Layouts/2832/ 1832] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907002903/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Needham/Layouts/2832/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (October 13, 1931); [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Needham/Layouts/2858/ 2858] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907002914/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Needham/Layouts/2858/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (December 22, 1931)
*Wellesley: [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Wellesley/Layouts/2857/ 2857] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003246/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Wellesley/Layouts/2857/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (December 22, 1931)</ref>

From Route&nbsp;138 in Canton east through the [[Blue Hills Reservation]] in Canton, [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]], [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] and [[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]], [[Norfolk County, Massachusetts|Norfolk County]] acquired right-of-way in 1927<ref>[[MassHighway]] state highway layout plan [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Canton/Layouts/3960/3960.tif 3960] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524111915/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Canton/Layouts/3960/3960.tif |date=May 24, 2006 }}</ref> 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.<ref>[[MassHighway]] state highway layout plan [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Braintree/Layouts/6741/6741-6.TIF 6741] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524111922/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Braintree/Layouts/6741/6741-6.TIF |date=May 24, 2006 }}</ref>

West Street led to [[Route 37 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;37]], which ran southeast to Braintree center. This part of Route&nbsp;37 had been taken over by the state in 1919 (to Braintree center)<ref>[[MassHighway]] state highway layout plan [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Braintree/Layouts/1823/ 1823] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003218/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Braintree/Layouts/1823/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (June 24, 1919)</ref> and 1917 (in Braintree center).<ref>[[MassHighway]] state highway layout plan [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Braintree/Layouts/1765/ 1765] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003139/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Braintree/Layouts/1765/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (September 4, 1917)</ref>

The rest of the new highway, from Route&nbsp;37 east to [[Route 3 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;3]] (now [[Route 53 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;53]]), through Braintree, [[Weymouth, Massachusetts|Weymouth]] and [[Hingham, Massachusetts|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 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;18]] in Weymouth.<ref>[[MassHighway]] state highway layout plans:
*Hingham: [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Hingham/Layouts/2604/ 2604] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907002706/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Hingham/Layouts/2604/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (September 3, 1929)
*Weymouth: plan 2603 is missing
*Braintree: [http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Braintree/Layouts/2602/ 2602] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907003233/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/LayoutsImages/Braintree/Layouts/2602/ |date=September 7, 2006 }} (September 3, 1929)</ref><!-- needs something about the state law, if it can be found -->

By 1933,<ref name="1933 map">1933 General Drafting Boston and vicinity map</ref> the whole Circumferential Highway had been completed, and, except for the piece from [[Route 9 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;9]] in [[Wellesley, Massachusetts|Wellesley]] south to Highland Avenue in [[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]], was designated as Route&nbsp;128. Former Route&nbsp;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&nbsp;128, from Needham center east to [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], became part of [[Route 135 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;135]]. Thus the full route of the Circumferential Highway, as it existed by 1933, is now  the following roads:
{|class=wikitable
!Town
!Streets
|-
|[[Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham]]
|Derby Street (realigned during construction of Route&nbsp;3, with two segments of original alignment becoming Old
Derby Street)
|-
|[[Weymouth, Massachusetts|Weymouth]]
|Ralph Talbot Street, Park Avenue, Columbian Street
|-
|[[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]]
|Columbian Street, Grove Street, Washington Street ([[Route 37 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;37]]), Franklin Street (Route&nbsp;37), West Street,<br />Blue Hill River Road (now  closed) (see Quincy)
|-
|[[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]]
|Blue Hill River Road (now  closed; current highway uses its right-of-way)
|-
|[[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]]
|Blue Hill River Road, Hillside Street
|-
|[[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]]
|Blue Hill River Road, Royall Street, Green Lodge Street (cut by the Route&nbsp;128/[[Interstate 95 (Massachusetts)|I-95]] interchange)
|-
|[[Westwood, Massachusetts|Westwood]]
|Blue Hill Drive (cut by [[Route&nbsp;128 Station]], and later upgraded on the spot as northbound Route&nbsp;128)
|-
|[[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]] and Westwood
|upgraded on the spot as northbound Route 128 (under [[U.S. Route 1 (Massachusetts)|US&nbsp;1]]) and then mostly in the [[median (road)|median]]
|-
|[[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]]
|Greendale Avenue, Hunting Road, southbound Route&nbsp;128 under Highland Avenue, Reservoir Street
|-
|[[Wellesley, Massachusetts|Wellesley]]
|inside the present [[Route 9 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;9]] interchange
|}

[[File:Route-128S Needham-MA Blizzard-1978 a.jpg|thumb|Cars stuck in snow on Route&nbsp;128 near Needham, Massachusetts during the [[Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978|"Blizzard of '78"]]]]
At the same time as Route&nbsp;128 was extended along the new Circumferential Highway, it was extended further into [[Hull, Massachusetts|Hull]]. This alignment, not part of the Circumferential Highway, ran southeast on [[Route 3 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;3]] (now [[Route 53 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;53]]) (Whiting Street) to the border of [[Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham]] and [[Norwell, Massachusetts|Norwell]], where it turned north on present [[Route 228 (Massachusetts)|Route&nbsp;228]] (Main Street) through Hingham and into [[Hull, Massachusetts|Hull]]. The exact route through Hingham 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, Massachusetts|Nantasket Beach]], where Nantasket Avenue curves northwest to follow the shore of [[Massachusetts Bay]].<ref>1937 Massachusetts Department of Public Works map of Hull</ref>

In 1941, the road was named the Yankee Division Highway in honor of the [[26th Infantry Division (United States)|U.S. Army unit first formed in Boston in 1917]].<ref>{{Cite web |date = 1941 |author = Massachusetts Senate |title = 1941 Senate Bill 0387. An Act Designating A Certain Highway As The Yankee Division Highway. |url = http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/222918 |language = en }}</ref>

In 1955, ''Business Week'' ran an article titled "New England Highway Upsets Old Way of Life" and referred to Route&nbsp;128 as "the Magic Semicircle".<ref>{{harvp|Rosegrant|Lampe|1992|p= 108|ps=.}}</ref> In 1957, there were 99&nbsp;companies employing 17,000&nbsp;workers along Route&nbsp;128; in 1965, 574; in 1973, 1,212. The development of college-like suburban campuses and marketing to technology companies was intentional on the part of real estate developers such as Gerald W. Blakeley Jr.<ref>{{cite news |title = Gerald W. Blakeley Jr., visionary developer of Boston's 'high-tech highway,' dies at 100 |url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/06/metro/gerald-w-blakeley-jr-visionary-developer-bostons-high-tech-highway-dies-100/ |newspaper = The Boston Globe |date = July 6, 2021 |first = Bryan |last = Marquard }}</ref>
In the 1980s, the area was often compared to California's [[Silicon Valley]],<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.businessweek.com/1997/34/b354197.htm |archive-url = https://archive.today/20160325210611/http://www.businessweek.com/1997/34/b354197.htm |archive-date = March 25, 2016 |title = Boston's Route&nbsp;128: Complementing Silicon Valley |date = August 1997 |work = Businessweek }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://bizcloudnetwork.com/route-128-birthplace-of-the-digital-age-2 |title = Route&nbsp;128: Birthplace of the Digital Age |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628182344/http://bizcloudnetwork.com/route-128-birthplace-of-the-digital-age-2 |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |date = July 6, 2010 |work =bizcloudnetwork.com }}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.route128history.org/index.html |title = Technically, It's Still Route&nbsp;128 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130212082952/http://www.route128history.org/index.html |archive-date=February 12, 2013 |work = route128history.org }}</ref>
This widening project was completed in 1964, and involved replacement of all of the old overpasses with new ones.<ref name="Boston">{{cite web | url=http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/MA-128/ | title=Yankee Division Highway (MA 128, I-95, I-93, and US 1) }}</ref>

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&nbsp;128 from the Southeast Expressway and to redesignate the orphaned segment from exit&nbsp;35 (old exit&nbsp;14) of the Southeast Expressway to the terminus in Hull as [[Massachusetts Route 228|Route&nbsp;228]]—but with its designated directions reversed to reflect the actual geographical direction of the new route. This shifted the southern terminus of Route&nbsp;128 to the Braintree Split.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

The area along the western part of Route&nbsp;128 is home to a number of high-technology firms and corporations. This part of Route&nbsp;128 was officially named "America's Technology Highway" 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 the Yankee Division Highway designation.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Voorhis |first = Scott Van |title = How 'bout a sign for the times? |url = http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2011/01/09/how_bout_a_sign_for_the_times/ |access-date = September 18, 2018 |work = Boston.com }}</ref>

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 the new interchanges with I-95 were finally completed.<ref name="Boston"/>

In 1991, parts of the roadway had their shoulder converted into travel lanes at peak travel periods.<ref name="Boston"/>

In late 2001, a project to resurface the road in Lexington and Burlington was completed.<ref name="Boston"/>

Starting in 1998 and continuing through 2002, signs were replaced through 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&nbsp;128/I-95 from US&nbsp;3 in Lexington to I-93 in Reading.

A project begun in the fall of 2012 and completed in the fall of 2015 replaced exit and guide signs on Route&nbsp;128/I-95 from Route&nbsp;9 (exit&nbsp;36, old exit&nbsp;20) in Wellesley to Route&nbsp;4/Route&nbsp;225 (exit&nbsp;49, old exit&nbsp;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&nbsp;128 project completed in 2015 from Great Plain Avenue in Needham to Route&nbsp;109 in Dedham.<ref>[http://www.gribblenation.net/mass21/i95photos.html See photos of the new signage on the I-95 in Mass. Photo Page]</ref> New signage was put up between I-95 and US&nbsp;1 in 2010 and most of the signage between I-95 and Route&nbsp;24 (on I-93/US&nbsp;1) had been replaced by the end of 2011. Future projects would replace the signs on I-95 (south of Route&nbsp;128) between the Rhode Island state line and the interchange with I-93, US&nbsp;1, and Route&nbsp;128 in Canton in 2018 and (along I-95/Route&nbsp;128) between I-93 in Reading and US&nbsp;1 in Peabody in 2019. New mileage markers were placed every {{convert|2/10|mi|km}} of 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&nbsp;128 from Canton to Peabody. New markers put along Route&nbsp;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 the exit list below) had mile&nbsp;0 in Peabody.

During the 1960s reconstruction of Route&nbsp;128, a provision had been made for a fourth lane within the widely spaced [[median]] along the {{convert|1.5|mi|km|adj=on}} length of Route&nbsp;128 running from just north of the US&nbsp;1 interchange in Dedham, Massachusetts, northwestwards to the Route&nbsp;109 interchange, and this would finally be used for the Add-A-Lane project. The $315 million MassDOT Highway Division project has widened the existing {{convert|14.3|mi|km|adj=on}} six-lane section of highway to eight lanes from north of Route&nbsp;9 in Wellesley to Route&nbsp;24 in Randolph. The project consists of adding a lane on the inside of each carriageway, complete with a {{convert|10|ft|m|adj=on}} inside shoulder. The existing 1950s bridges, 22 in total, also were replaced. The project also included construction of a new two-lane ramp from Route&nbsp;128 to I-95 in Canton and installation of a new interchange at Kendrick Street in Needham, designated as exit&nbsp;35A (old exit&nbsp;19A) with the ramps to Highland Avenue become exits&nbsp;35B and 35C (old exits&nbsp;19B and 19C). Construction on phase&nbsp;1 was officially completed in October 2009. Construction of phase&nbsp;2 of the project began in summer 2006. This phase of the project consisted of the replacement of the Route&nbsp;1 and Route&nbsp;1A bridges over Route&nbsp;128 in [[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]] along with the road widening between exits&nbsp;27 and 29 (old exits&nbsp;13 and 15, US&nbsp;1). Construction of four sound barriers between the US&nbsp;1 and I-95 interchanges were also included. This phase was completed in the spring of 2011. Construction on phase&nbsp;3, begun in April 2009, widened I-93/US&nbsp;1 to four lanes in each direction from Route&nbsp;24 to the I-95 interchange. Phase&nbsp;4 of the project, which began in March 2011, is replacing seven bridges and widens Route&nbsp;128 (I-95) to four lanes in each direction from Route&nbsp;109 to south of Highland Avenue in Needham. The southeastern freeway (Pilgrims Highway) that extends from Braintree to Cape Cod, [[Massachusetts Route 3|Route&nbsp;3]], is also in the process of undergoing a similar "add-a-lane" project for much of its own {{convert|42|mi|km|adj=on}} length. Construction on the sixth and final<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.mass.gov/needham-wellesley-i-95-add-a-lane |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190827120834/https://www.mass.gov/needham-wellesley-i-95-add-a-lane |archive-date = August 27, 2019 |title = Needham-Wellesley I-95 Add-A-Lane |author = [[MassDOT]] }}</ref> segment in Needham and Wellesley began in January 2015, and included wider bridges and more auxiliary lanes and a new collector road.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/massdots-add-a-lane-project-in-needham-will-improve-traffic-flow/29480 |title = MassDOT's Add-A-Lane Project in Needham Will Improve Traffic Flow |work = Construction Equipment Guide }}</ref> Major road construction ended in October 2018, and the project wrapped up with painting and landscaping in the spring of 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title = The long and grueling Add-a-Lane project on Route&nbsp;128 is almost over |first = Adam |last = Vaccaro |date = October 26, 2018 |url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/10/26/the-long-and-grueling-add-lane-project-route-almost-over/9OMeiGnwUAIcwgB2V1oGML/story.html |newspaper = [[The Boston Globe]] }}</ref>

==Exit list==

{{Jcttop|old|state=MA|length_ref=}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Canton
|county=Norfolk
|cspan=10
|type=concur
|mile=0.0
|old=12
|exit=26
|road={{jct|state=MA|I|93|dir1=north|US|1|dir2=north|city1=Boston}}<br>{{jct|state=MA|I|95|dir1=south|location1=[[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence, RI]]}}
|notes=Southern terminus; southern terminus of I-93; southern end of I-95/US&nbsp;1 concurrency
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Dedham
|mile=0.6
|old=13
|exit=27
|road={{jct|extra=rail|state=MA|road|University Avenue|location1=[[Route 128 station|MBTA / Amtrak Station]]}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Westwood
|mile=1.9
|old=14
|exit=28
|road=East Street / Canton Street
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Dedham
|lspan=3
|mile=2.6
|type=concur
|old=15
|exit=29
|road={{jct|state=MA|US|1|MA|1A|dir1=south|city2=Norwood|city1=Dedham|to2=yes}}
|notes=Northern end of US&nbsp;1 concurrency; signed as exits&nbsp;29A (Route&nbsp;1A) and 29B (US&nbsp;1)
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=4.1
|old= 16
|exit=31
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|109|city1=Dedham|city2=Westwood}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;31A (east) and 31B (west)
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=5.6
|old=17
|exit=32
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|135|dir1=west|city1=Needham|city2=Natick}}
|notes=Eastern terminus of Route&nbsp;135
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Needham
|lspan=3
|mile=6.0
|old=18
|exit=33
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Great Plain Avenue|city1=West Roxbury}}
|notes=}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=8.2
|old=19A
|exit=35A
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Kendrick Street|city1=Needham}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=8.8
|old=19
|exit=35
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Highland Avenue|city1=Newton Highlands|city2=Needham}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;35B (east) and 35C (west)
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Wellesley
|mile=9.9
|old=20
|exit=36
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|9|city1=Brookline|city2=Boston|city3=Framingham|city4=Worcester}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;36A (east) and 36B (west)
}}
{{MAint|old
|county=Middlesex
|cspan=22
|location=Newton
|lspan=2
|mile=11.2
|old=21
|exit=37
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|16|city1=Newton|city2=Wellesley}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;37A (east) and 37B (west) southbound
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=11.6
|old=22
|exit=38
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Grove Street|location1=[[Riverside station (MBTA)|MBTA Station]]}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Weston
|lspan=3
|type=incomplete
|mile=12.0
|old=23
|exit=—
|road=Recreation Road
|notes=Northbound exit and entrance; planned to be closed within the next two years as part of a proposed development project
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=12.3
|mile2=12.5
|mspan=2
|type=etc
|old=25
|exit=39B
|road={{jct|state=MA|I-Toll|90|MATP||city1=Boston|location2=[[Albany, New York|Albany, NY]]}}
|notes=Exit&nbsp;123A on I-90 / Mass Pike
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=none
|old=24
|exit=39A
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|30|city1=Newton|city2=Weston}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Waltham
|lspan=4
|mile=14.5
|old=26
|exit=41
|road={{jct|state=MA|US|20|city1=Waltham|city2=Weston}}
|notes=To [[Massachusetts Route 117|Route&nbsp;117]]
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=
|mile=16.3
|old=27
|exit=43
|ospan=2
|espan=2
|type=incomplete
|road=Third Avenue / Totten Pond Road / Winter Street
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;43A (Totten Pond/Third) and 43B (Winter) southbound; no northbound access to Totten Pond/Winter
}}
{{MAint
|type=incomplete
|notes=Northbound exit only; access via Wyman Street
|road=To Totten Pond Road / Winter Street
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=
|mile=17.6
|old=28
|exit=44
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Trapelo Road|city1=Belmont|city2=Lincoln}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;44A (east) and 44B (west) northbound
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Lexington
|lspan=3
|mile=18.5
|old=29
|exit=45
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|2|city1=Cambridge|city2=Boston|city3=Acton|city4=Fitchburg}}
|notes=Signed as exits 45A (east) and 45B (west); exits 127A-B on Route 2
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=19.6
|old=30
|exit=46
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|2A|city1=East Lexington|city2=Concord}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;46A (east) and 46B (west); to [[Hanscom Field]]
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=21.8
|old=31
|exit=49
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|4|MA|225|city1=Lexington|city2=Bedford}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;49A (south/east) and 49B (north/west)}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Burlington
|type=concur
|lspan=4
|mile=23.1
|old=32A
|exit=50A
|road={{jct|state=MA|US|3|dir1=north|city1=Lowell|location2=[[Nashua, New Hampshire|Nashua, NH]]}}
|notes=Southern end of US&nbsp;3 concurrency; exit 72B on US&nbsp;3
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=23.4
|old=32B
|exit=50B
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|[[Middlesex Turnpike (Massachusetts)|Middlesex Turnpike]]|city1=Burlington}}
|notes=
}}
{{MAint|old
|type=concur
|mile=24.8
|old=33
|exit=51
|road={{jct|state=MA|US|3|dir1=south|MA|3A|dir2=north|city1=Winchester|city2=Burlington}}
|notes=Northern end of US&nbsp;3 concurrency; southern terminus of Route 3A; signed as exits 51A (south) and 51B (north)
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=
|mile=25.7
|old=34
|exit=52
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Winn Street|city1=Woburn|city2=Burlington}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Woburn
|lspan=2
|mile=26.8
|old=35
|exit=53
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|38|city1=Woburn|city2=Wilmington}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=28.4
|old=36
|exit=54
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Washington Street|city1=Woburn|city2=Reading}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Reading
|lspan=2
|mile=28.8
|old=37
|exit=55
|road={{jct|state=MA|I|93|city1=Boston|location2=[[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord, NH]]}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;55A (south) and 55B (north); exits 28A-B on I-93
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=29.6
|old=38
|exit=56
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|28|city1=Stoneham|city2=Reading}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;56A (south) and 56B (north)
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Wakefield
|lspan=2
|mile=30.8
|old=39
|exit=57
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|North Avenue|city1=Reading|city2=Wakefield}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=31.6
|old=40
|exit=58
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|129|city1=Wakefield Center|city2=Wilmington}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|county=Essex
|location=Lynnfield
|mile=32.3
|old=41
|exit=59
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Main Street|city1=Lynnfield Center|city2=Wakefield}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|county=Middlesex
|location=Wakefield
|mile=33.9
|old=42
|exit=60
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Salem Street|city1=Wakefield}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|county=Essex
|cspan=26
|location=Lynnfield
|lspan=2
|mile=34.5
|old=43
|exit=61
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Walnut Street|city1=Saugus|city2=Lynnfield}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|old=44
|exit=63
|road={{jct|state=MA|US|1|MA|129|city1=Boston}}
|notes=Northbound exit only
|type=incomplete
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Peabody
|lspan=5
|mile=35.9
|old=44B
|exit=63B
|road={{jct|state=MA|to1=yes|US|1|MA|129|city1=Danvers|city2=Boston|city3=Lynn}}
|notes=Signed as exit 63 southbound; no southbound access to Route 129; signed for Boston southbound, Lynn northbound
|type=incomplete
}}
{{MAint|old
|type=concur
|mile=37.5
|old=45 (NB)<br>29 (SB)
|exit=64 (NB)<br>37 (SB)
|road={{jct|state=MA|I|95|dir1=north|location1=[[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth, NH]]}}
|notes=Northern end of I-95 concurrency
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=38.4
|old=28
|exit=38
|road=Forest Street&nbsp;/ Centennial Drive
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=39.0
|old=26
|exit=39
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Lowell Street|location1=[[Peabody, Massachusetts|Peabody Square]]|city2=Salem}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=39.7
|old=25
|exit=40
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|114|city1=Salem|city2=Middleton|city3=Marblehead|road|Lowell Street|location4=[[Peabody, Massachusetts|West Peabody]]}}
|notes=Signed as exits&nbsp;40A (Route 114 east/Lowell) and 40B (Route 114 west); Lowell Street not signed southbound
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Danvers
|lspan=5
|mile=40.4
|old=24
|exit=41
|road=Endicott Street
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=41.2
|old=23
|exit=42
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|35|city1=Salem|city2=Danvers}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=41.8
|old=22
|exit=43
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|62|city1=Beverly|city2=Middleton}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=42.5
|mspan=2
|old=21
|exit=44
|ospan=2
|espan=2
|type=incomplete
|road=Trask Lane&nbsp;– Folly Hill
|notes=Northbound exit and entrance}}
{{MAint
|mile=none
|type=incomplete
|road=Conant Street&nbsp;– Industrial Park
|notes=Southbound exit and entrance}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Beverly
|lspan=3
|mile=43.5
|old=20
|exit=45
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|1A|city1=Beverly|city2=Hamilton}}
|notes=Signed as exits 45A (south) and 45B (north)
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=44.2
|old=19
|exit=46
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Sohier Road&nbsp;/ Brimbal Avenue|location1=[[Montserrat station|Montserrat]]|location2=[[Beverly, Massachusetts|North Beverly]]}}
|notes=Sohier Road not signed southbound
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=45.3
|old=18
|exit=47
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|22|city1=Essex|areadab1=CDP|city2=Beverly}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Wenham
|mile=47.4
|old=17
|exit=48
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Grapevine Road|location1=[[Beverly Farms]]|city2=Wenham}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Manchester
|lspan=2
|mile=48.9
|old=16
|exit=49
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Pine Street|city1=Manchester|city2=Magnolia}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=
|mile=50.4
|old=15
|exit=50
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|School Street|city1=Essex|areadab1=CDP|city2=Manchester}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|location=Gloucester
|lspan=8
|mile=53.5
|old=14
|exit=53
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|133|location1=[[Gloucester, Massachusetts|West Gloucester]]|city2=Essex|areadab2=CDP}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=54.2
|old=13
|exit=54
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Concord Street|location1=[[Wingaersheek Beach]]}}
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=54.8
|old=12
|exit=55
|road={{jct|state=MA|road|Crafts Road|location1=Rust Island}}
|notes=Access via Rust Island Road
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=56.0
|mspan=2
|place=Northern end of freeway section
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=none
|old=11
|exit=—
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|127|dir1=south|name1=Washington Street|city1=Gloucester|city2=Annisquam}}
|notes=Grant Circle; northern terminus of Route&nbsp;127
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=56.8
|old=—
|exit=—
|road=Dory Road&nbsp;/ Gloucester School Road
|notes=Blackburn Circle
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=57.6
|old=10
|exit=—
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|127|city1=Manchester|city2=Rockport|name1=Eastern Avenue}}
|notes=[[At-grade intersection]]
}}
{{MAint|old
|mile=57.8
|old=9
|exit=—
|road={{jct|state=MA|MA|127A|city1=Rockport|location2=Bass Rocks|location3=Eastern Point}}
|notes=Northern terminus; at-grade intersection
}}
{{jctbtm|old|keys=concur,closed,incomplete,etc}}

==Influence==
In 2002, American mathematician Robert P. C. de Marrais named the [[routon]]s, or the 128-dimensional [[hypercomplex number]]s, after Route&nbsp;128.<ref name=Box-Kite>{{Cite arXiv|last = de Marrais |first = Robert P. C. |title = Flying Higher Than a Box-Kite: Kite-Chain Middens, Sand Mandalas, and Zero-Divisor Patterns in the 2<sup>n</sup>-ions Beyond the Sedenions |arxiv = math/0207003 |year = 2002 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first = Alan R. |last = Earls |title = Route&nbsp;128 and the Birth of the Age of High Tech |publisher = Arcadia Publishing |year = 2002 |isbn = 9780738510767 }}
* {{cite book |first1 = Susan |last1 = Rosegrant |first2 = David R. |last2 = Lampe |title = Route&nbsp;128: Lessons from Boston's High-Tech Community |publisher = Basic Books |year = 1992 |isbn = 0465046398 }} The story of the Boston high-tech industry, starting from its 19th-century roots.
* {{cite book |last = Saxenian |first = AnnaLee |author-link = AnnaLee Saxenian |title = Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route&nbsp;128 |publisher = Harvard University Press |year = 1994 |isbn = 9780674753396 }}
* {{cite book |first1 = Yanni |last1 = Tsipis |first2 = David |last2 = Kruh |title = Building Route&nbsp;128 |publisher = Arcadia Publishing |year = 2003 |isbn = 9780738511634 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Massachusetts Route 128}}
{{AttachedKML|display=title,inline}}
* [http://www.128bc.org/ the Route 128 Business Council]
* [http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/MA-128/ bostonroads.com], a historical overview
* [https://techcrunch.com/2009/10/31/the-valley-of-my-dreams-why-silicon-valley-left-bostons-route-128-in-the-dust/ The Valley of My Dreams: Why Silicon Valley Left Boston's Route 128 In The Dust], techcrunch.com
* [https://davidkruh.com/building-route-128 Building Route 128 Website], includes a "virtual tour" of the highway's early days and construction, as well as movies of the 1951 opening ceremony

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Beltways in the United States]]
[[Category:Economy of Massachusetts|Route 128]]
[[Category:Freeways in the United States]]
[[Category:High-technology business districts in the United States|Route 128]]
[[Category:Interstate 95]]
[[Category:Numbered routes in Massachusetts|128]]
[[Category:Streets in Boston]]
[[Category:Streets in Braintree, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Transportation in Essex County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Transportation in Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Transportation in Norfolk County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 1]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in Dedham, Massachusetts]]