Massachusetts Route 27
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| Route information | ||||
| Length: | 73.4403 mi[1] (118.1907 km) | |||
| Existed: | by 1933 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: |
 Route 106 in Kingston | |||
 Route 24 in Brockton U.S. Route 1 in Walpole Route 9 in Natick U.S. Route 20 in Wayland Route 2 in Acton | ||||
| North end: |
 Route 4 in Chelmsford | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Plymouth, Norfolk, Middlesex | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route 27 is a south–north highway in eastern Massachusetts that runs for 73.4 miles.
Route description
Route 27 runs in a sweeping arc from Kingston to Chelmsford. For most of its route, it acts as an intermediate route between Interstate 95 and Interstate 495.
Route 27 begins in Kingston at Route 106, approximately 1-1/4 miles west of Route 3. It heads northwest towards Brockton, passing through Pembroke, Hanson, East Bridgewater and Whitman. In Brockton the road shares a triple concurrency with Route 28 and Route 123 Eastbound (Route 123 Westbound only intersects with the route). From the center of town, Route 27 heads northwest, past the Westgate Mall, over Route 24 at Exits 18A-B, and past Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital before passing into Norfolk County via Stoughton.
In Stoughton, the road has a brief concurrency with Route 138 in the center of town. It passes just south of the town of Canton before making a large loop through the town of Sharon. It crosses over Interstate 95 without access, between Exits 9 and 10, both of which are accessible via US Route 1 nearby. It then crosses through Walpole and Medfield before crossing the Charles River into Middlesex County and the town of Sherborn.
In Sherborn, the road begins a more northerly direction, with a short concurrency with Route 16 in the center of town. The road heads through the center of Natick, passing the town green and crossing Route 135, which carries the Boston Marathon at that point. Route 27 crosses over Route 9 with a four-way exit ramp system, just east of Lake Cochituate, the Natick Collection and the Golden Triangle retail area. Route 27 passes into Wayland and under the Massachusetts Turnpike, which it access via Route 30, just north of the Pike.
In Wayland, Route 27 has a 1.2-mile concurrency with Route 126, passing through the center of town and intersecting US Route 20. The road then crosses the Sudbury River into Sudbury and through the historic town center. It passes into Maynard, having a short, 0.1-mile concurrency with Route 62 over the Assabet River, before heading north into Acton. It crosses Route 2 at Exit 42 before crossing through the town center, past the Isaac Davis Monument. It sweeps by Carlisle before directly crossing into Westford, passing through the southeast corner of town before heading into Chelmsford. Route 27 ends at the center of town, at the intersection of Routes 4, 110 and 129, just south of Interstate 495 and U.S. Route 3.
History
Route 27's original form was identical to the modern route south of Wayland, but north of there it followed current Route 126 into Concord. It came into its current form by 1939. However, historical maps from the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1943 show Route 27 running concurrent with US 20 from Wayland Center to Concord Road in Sudbury, then following Concord Road to Sudbury Center, where it resumed its current alignment on Hudson Road.[2]
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | Kingston | 0.00 | 0.00 | Route 106 – Bridgewater, Kingston Evergreen Street | Southern terminus of Route 27 To Routes 3A south, 80 & 3 via Route 106 To Routes 3A north & 53 via Evergreen Street |
| Pembroke | 5.6 | 9.0 |  Route 36 – Halifax, Hanson | ||
| Hanson | 7.4 | 11.9 |  Route 58 – Halifax, Wareham, Hanson | ||
| East Bridgewater | 10.8 | 17.4 |  Route 14 – East Bridgewater, Brockton, Hanson | ||
| Whitman | 14.4 | 23.2 |  Route 18 – Bridgewater, New Bedford, Abington, South Weymouth | ||
| Brockton | 16.2 | 26.1 | Route 14 east – Hanson, Duxbury | Western terminus of Route 14. | |
| 18.1 | 29.1 |   Route 28 south / Route 123 south – Bridgewater, Cape Cod | Begin concurrency with Routes 28 Southbound & 123 Eastbound only | ||
| 18.2 | 29.3 | Route 28 / Route 123 east – Abington, Norwell | Eastern terminus of concurrency with Route 123 Eastbound | ||
| 18.3 | 29.5 | Route 28 north – Randolph | Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 28 | ||
| 20.4 | 32.8 | Route 24 – Boston, Fall River | Route 24 Exits 18A-B | ||
| Norfolk | Stoughton | 23.9 | 38.5 |  Route 138 south – Taunton Route 139 east – Randolph, Holbrook | Western terminus of Route 139; southern terminus of concurrency with Route 138. |
| 24.0 | 38.6 | Route 138 north – Boston | Northern terminus of Route 27/138 concurrency. No access from Route 27 south to Route 138 north. | ||
| Sharon | 31.5 | 50.7 |  I‑95 | No direct access; access to I-95 northbound exit 10 via Coney Street in Walpole. | |
| Walpole | 31.8 | 51.2 | US 1 – Norwood, Dedham, Providence, RI | Access to I-95 exit 9 via US 1 South. | |
| 33.7 | 54.2 |  Route 1A – Norwood, Dedham, Wrentham | |||
| Medfield | 37.9 | 61.0 |  Route 109 – Westwood, Boston, Millis, Milford | ||
| Charles River | 40.8 | 65.7 | Charles River crossing | ||
| Middlesex | Sherborn | 41.1 | 66.1 |  Route 115 south – Millis | Northern terminus of Route 115. |
| 43.5 | 70.0 |  Route 16 west – Holliston | Southern terminus of Route 16 concurrency. | ||
| 43.8 | 70.5 | Route 16 east – South Natick | Northern terminus of Route 16 concurrency. | ||
| Natick | 46.7 | 75.2 |  Route 135 – Wellesley, Needham, Framingham, Hopkinton | ||
| 48.0 | 77.2 | Route 9 – Wellesley Hills, Boston, Framingham, Worcester | Four-way interchange over Route 9 | ||
| Wayland | 49.0 | 78.9 |  I‑90 (Mass Pike) | No direct access; access via Route 30 | |
| 49.3 | 79.3 |  Route 30 – Framingham, Worcester, Weston, Boston | Access to Mass Pike via Route 30 westbound | ||
| 51.5 | 82.9 |  Route 126 south – Framingham, Ashland | Southern terminus of Route 27/126 concurrency. | ||
| 52.6 | 84.7 | US 20 – Worcester, Boston | |||
| 52.9 | 85.1 | Route 126 north – Lincoln, Concord | Northern terminus of Route 27/126 concurrency. | ||
| Maynard | 59.3 | 95.4 |  Route 117 – Weston, Waltham, Stow, Bolton | ||
| 60.0 | 96.6 |  Route 62 east – Concord | Southern terminus of Route 27/62 concurrency. | ||
| 60.1 | 96.7 | Route 62 west – Stow | Northern terminus of Route 27/62 concurrency. | ||
| Acton | 63.1 | 101.5 |  Route 111 – West Acton, Ayer, Concord | Additional access to Route 2 eastbound via Route 111 | |
| 63.4 | 102.0 | Route 2 – Concord, Boston, Leominster, Fitchburg | Route 2 exit 42; two-way interchange | ||
| 65.7 | 105.7 |   Route 2A / Route 119 – East Acton, Concord, Littleton, Ayer | |||
| Westford | 68.5 | 110.2 |  Route 225 – Westford, Groton, Carlisle, Bedford | ||
| Chelmsford | 73.44 | 118.19 | Route 4 – Bedford, North Chelmsford | Northern terminus of Route 27. To   Route 110 / Route 129, via Route 4 North.To   I‑495 / US 3, via Route 4 North and Route 110 East. | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massachusetts Route 27. |
- ↑ Executive Office of Transportation, Office of Transportation Planning - 2005 Road Inventory
- ↑ http://docs.unh.edu/towns/SudburyMassachusettsMapList.htm
- Kelley, Neil. "MA 27" (route log entry). Massachusetts Route Log. neilbert.com. Retrieved 2006-06-26.