History

Surface roads and south Circumferential Highway

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 was as follows:

Town Streets Milton Milton Street Boston (Hyde Park) Neponset Valley Parkway, Milton Street Dedham Milton Street, High Street, Common Street, West Street Needham Dedham Avenue, Highland Avenue Newton Needham Street, Winchester Street, Centre Street, Walnut Street, Crafts Street, Waltham Street Waltham High Street, Newton Street, Main Street (U.S. Route 20), Lexington Street Lexington Waltham Street, Massachusetts Avenue (Route 2A, now Route 4/Route 225), Woburn Street Woburn Lexington Street, Pleasant Street, Montvale Avenue Stoneham Montvale Avenue, Main Street (Route 28), Elm Street Wakefield Albion Street, North Avenue, Water Street, Vernon Street, New Salem Street, Salem Street Lynnfield Salem Street Peabody Lynnfield Street, Washington Street, Main Street Salem Boston Street

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 (now Route 3A and Route 53):

Town Streets Quincy Washington Street, Hancock Street, Adams Street Milton Adams Street, Centre Street, Canton Avenue, Dollar Lane

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 (now Route 53) in 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 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 was along new alignment, but about half — mostly in Needham — was along existing roads:

Royall Street from west of Route 138 to east of Green Street (Canton) Green Lodge Street from Royall Street (now cut by Route 128) to Route 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 9 (Needham and Wellesley)

From Route 138 in Canton east through the Blue Hills Reservation in Canton, Milton, Quincy and Braintree, Norfolk County acquired a 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 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 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, is now the following roads:

Town Streets Hingham Derby Street, Old Derby Street Weymouth Ralph Talbot Street, Park Avenue, Columbian Street Braintree Columbian Street, Grove Street, Washington Street (Route 37), Franklin Street (Route 37), West Street, closed road in the Blue Hills Reservation (see Quincy) Quincy closed road in the Blue Hills Reservation (partly upgraded on the spot to Route 128), then known as Blue Hill River Road Milton Blue Hill River Road, Hillside Street Canton Blue Hill River Road, Royall Street, Green Lodge Street (cut by the Route 128/Interstate 95 interchange) Westwood Blue Hill Drive (cut by Route 128 Station, and later upgraded on the spot as northbound Route 128) Dedham and Westwood upgraded on the spot as northbound Route 128 (under U.S. Route 1) and then mostly in the median Needham Greendale Avenue, Hunting Road, southbound Route 128 under Highland Avenue, Reservoir Street Wellesley inside the present Route 9 interchange

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 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.

West and North Circumferential Highway and extension to Gloucester Route 128/I-95/I-93 Add-A-Lane Project

The $315 Million MassDOT Highway Division Project has started widening on the project to upgrade 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 inside shoulder. The existing 1950s bridges, 22 in total, will be replaced as well. The project will be constructed in five phases over a twelve-year period. Construction of Phase 1 began in 2004. The first phase of the project consisted of replacing the existing three-lane Route 128 bridges over University Avenue/MBTA/Amtrak and the Neponset River with new four-lane bridges in Canton. The project also included construction of a new two-lane ramp from Route 128 to I-95. The $33 million project was awarded to SPS New England of Salisbury.

During the initial construction of Route 128, a provision had already been made for a fourth lane within the widely-spaced median along the 1.5 mile (2.5 km) length of Route 128 running from just north of the U.S. Route 1 interchange in Dedham, MA, north-westwards to the Route 109 interchange, and this will finally be used for the Add-A-Lane project.

Construction on Phase 1 was officially completed in October 2009. Construction of Phase 2 of the project began in summer 2006. This phase of 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 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, is widening I-93/US 1 to 4 lanes in each direction from Route 24 to the I-95 interchange. This phase of the project was expected to be completed by September 2011, however now will not be finished until mid-2012. Phase 4 of the Project, which began in March 2011, is replacing 7 bridges and widens Route 128 (I-95) to 4 lanes in each direction from Route 109 to south of Highland Avenue in Needham. This phase of the project is expected to be completed by June 2015 with an estimated cost of $88 Million, the most expensive contract so far. The southeastern freeway that extends from Braintree to Cape Cod, MA Route 3, is also in the process of undergoing a similar "add-a-lane" project for much of its own 42 mile length.