Massachusetts Route 56

Route 56
Route information
Maintained by MassDOT
Length:	20.1 mi (32.3 km)
Major junctions
South end:	Route 12 in Oxford
	U.S. Route 20 in Oxford Route 9 in Leicester Routes 31 and 122 in Paxton Route 122A in Rutland
North end:	Route 68 in Rutland
Location
Counties:	Worcester
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State ← Route 53 Route 57 →

Route 56 is a north–south state highway running 20.1 miles (32.3 km) through central Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.

Route description

Route 56 begins at Route 12 in North Oxford. It crosses the French River before meeting U.S. Route 20. It continues north, passing under Interstate 90 (the Mass Pike) without access between the two. (The nearest access to the Pike is in Auburn.) Route 56 then crosses the French River again at the intersection of Mills Street and Commons Road before entering the town of Leicester. It follows the Huntoon Memorial Highway until turning right onto Pleasant Street, following that street into the center of town, intersecting Route 9 and turns east onto Main Street and then north on Paxton Street, passing Becker College in the process.

Route 56 continues northward, passing several of the Kettle Brook Reservoirs as it enters Paxton. Paxton Street turns into Reservoir Road as route 56 enters Paxton. In Paxton, Route 56 begins a 1.3 miles (2.1 km) concurrency with Route 122 which takes it into the center of Paxton. At the intersection of Route 122 and Route 31, Route 56 joins Route 31 northbound for less than a tenth of a mile before the two split, with Route 56 heading northward. The route then enters the town of Rutland, passing northward towards that town's center. The route has a 0.1 miles (0.16 km) concurrency with Route 122A through the town center before turning northward again, ending at Route 68 near the Hubbardston town line.

Junction list

Northbound in Leicester

Rutland Community Hall, located along Route 56

The entire route is in Worcester County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Oxford	0.0	0.0	Route 12	Southern terminus of Route 56.
	0.5	0.80	US 20	Southbridge Street
	1.5	2.4	I‑90 / Mass Pike	No access from Route 56 to I-90.
Leicester	6.3	10.1	Route 9	Main Street, South Main Street
Paxton	10.2	16.4	Route 122 south	Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 122.
	11.5	18.5	Route 122 north / Route 31 south	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 122. Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 31.
	11.6	18.7	Route 31 north	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 31.
Rutland	16.4	26.4	Route 122A south	Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 122A.
	16.5	26.6	Route 122A north	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 122A.
	20.1	32.3	Route 68	Northern terminus of Route 56.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massachusetts Route 56.

Route map: Bing / Google