U.S. Route 3 777048 224413215 2008-07-08T19:09:06Z CSZero 456302 /* Massachusetts */ Route 3 is signed with 128/95 for a bit and we should probably mention that. {{Redirect|US 3|the band|Us3}} {{Infobox U.S. Route |article_route=3 |map=US 3 map.png |length_mi=277 |length_round=0 |length_ref=<ref name="droz">[http://www.us-highways.com/us1830.htm US Highways From US 1 to US 830] Robert V. Droz.</ref> |yrcom=1926<ref name="droz"/> |direction_a=South |from=[[Image:MA Route 2A.svg|20px]][[Image:MA Route 3.svg|20px]] [[Route 2A (Massachusetts)|Routes 2A]]/[[Route 3 (Massachusetts)|3]] in [[Cambridge, MA]] |junction=[[Image:I-95.svg|20px]][[Image:MA Route 128.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 95 (Massachusetts)|I-95]]/[[Route 128 (Massachusetts)|Route 128]] in [[Burlington, Massachusetts|Burlington, MA]]<br>[[Image:I-495.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|I-495]] in [[Chelmsford, Massachusetts|Chelmsford, MA]]<br>[[Image:Everett Turnpike.svg|20px]] [[Everett Turnpike]] in [[Nashua, NH]]<br>[[Image:NH Route 101.svg|20px]] [[NH Route 101]] near [[Manchester, NH]]<br>[[Image:US 4.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 4|US-4]] near [[Concord, NH]]<br>[[Image:I-93.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 93|I-93]] in [[Franconia, NH]]<br>[[Image:US 2.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 2|US-2]] in [[Lancaster, NH]] |direction_b=North |to={{Jct|state=QC|Route|257}} near [[Chartierville, QC]] }} '''U.S. Route 3''' is a north-south [[United States highway]] that runs from its southern terminus in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]<ref>The official end according to [[AASHTO]] is at US 20 across the [[Charles River]] in Boston, though current signs indicate a terminus in Cambridge at [[Route 2A (Massachusetts)|Route 2A]]/[[Route 3 (Massachusetts)|3]].</ref> through [[New Hampshire]] to its terminus near [[Third Connecticut Lake]] at the [[Canada–United States border|Canadian border]], where the road continues north as [[Quebec Route 257]]. In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are known as the [[Daniel Webster Highway]]. From [[Burlington, Massachusetts]] to [[Nashua, New Hampshire]], US 3 is a [[freeway]] (the {{convert|6.7|mi|km}} in New Hampshire are a free portion of the [[Everett Turnpike]]). A second freeway portion exists in northern New Hampshire, where US 3 utilizes the [[Franconia Notch]] Parkway and a short segment of [[Interstate 93]], before proceeding on two-lane roads north to the border with [[Canada]]. While the southern terminus has not changed there have been different northern termini to this route. [[Massachusetts Route 3]] continues beyond Boston to [[Cape Cod]], but has never been part of US 3. ==Route description== {{lengths table}} |- |[[New Hampshire|NH]] || 241.49<!--241.488 per NHDOT route log--> || 388.55 |- |[[Massachusetts|MA]] || 35.52<!--91.2217 - 55.7059 = 35.5158--> || 57.14 |- |'''Total''' || 277.00 || 445.70 |} ===Massachusetts=== In Massachusetts, US 3's freeway portion heading from [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|Interstate 95]]/[[Route 128 (Massachusetts)|Route 128]] to the New Hampshire border is numbered using the original exit numbering system from the days when US 3's freeway portion was to extend south of Route 128 to Boston to connect with [[Massachusetts Route 2]] and the never-built [[Interstate 695 (Massachusetts)|Inner Belt (I-695)]]. The numbering 'begins' with Exit 25 at Route 128 and proceeds north. All other freeways which once used that system have been renumbered with more conventional exit numbers. Because of the cancellation of Route 3 as an expressway inside of 128, one travelling on Route 3 will travel along a wrong-way concurrency with MA-128/I-95 for a short while (going South on Route 3 is 128 and 95 North), as to link up the "old" Route 3 inside of the belt and the "new" Route 3 outside of it. ===New Hampshire=== {| class="infobox" width="230px" !style="background: #ccf; float:right;"|<big>Major cities</big> |- | *[[Boston, Massachusetts]] *[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] *[[Lowell, Massachusetts]] *[[Nashua, New Hampshire]] *[[Manchester, New Hampshire]] *[[Concord, New Hampshire]] |} Route 3 crosses the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border, leaving the town of [[Tyngsborough, Massachusetts]] and entering the city of Nashua, New Hampshire, and becomes known as the Everett Turnpike. Route 3 leaves the Everett Turnpike at Exit 7E in Nashua and turns northeast for approximately {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} along a segment known as the Henri Burque Highway, before turning north onto Concord Street, which soon becomes known as the Daniel Webster Highway. Route 3 continues north through the town of [[Merrimack, New Hampshire|Merrimack]] and into [[Bedford, New Hampshire|Bedford]], where it becomes South River Road. Route 3 parallels [[Interstate 293]] until it turns east, crossing the [[Merrimack River]] on Queen City Avenue approximately three-quarters of a mile north of the Bedford-[[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester]] line. After approximately three-quarters of a mile, Route 3 then turns north onto Elm Street in downtown Manchester. After approximately {{convert|2.2|mi|km}} on Elm Street, Route 3 turns east onto Webster Street, then joins [[New Hampshire Route 28|NH Route 28]] to proceed in a northeasterly direction on another segment of the Daniel Webster Highway. In [[Suncook, New Hampshire]], Route 28 leaves to the northeast, and Route 3 proceeds northwest towards [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]] on Pembroke Street, becoming Manchester Street when it enters the Concord city limits. Route 3 traverses downtown Concord, where it is known as North and South Main Street, then follows North State Street to Fisherville Road to Village Street in [[Penacook, New Hampshire|Penacook]] before crossing the [[Contoocook River]] into [[Boscawen, New Hampshire|Boscawen]]. Route 3 travels north through Boscawen, briefly joining [[U.S. Route 4]]. Route 3 parallels the Merrimack River north into [[Franklin, New Hampshire|Franklin]]. ==History== ===NE-6=== [[Image:New England 6.svg|left|75px]] Prior to the U.S. Highway system, the section of US 3 from [[Orleans, Massachusetts]] to [[Colebrook, New Hampshire]] was part of '''New England Interstate Route 6''' (NE-6). It was replaced in its entirety with the establishment of US 3 in 1926. [[Image:US3LincolnNH.jpg|thumb|US 3 in [[Lincoln, New Hampshire|Lincoln]], [[New Hampshire]].]] ===Massachusetts=== Route 3 in Massachusetts (from Tyngsborough to Cambridge) closely follows the route of the early 19th Century [[Middlesex Canal]] and [[Middlesex Turnpike (Massachusetts)|Middlesex Turnpike]]. The modern expressway was begun around [[Massachusetts Route 110]] at [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]] before [[World War II]]. In the 1950s, it was extended south to Route 128, and by the 1960s, it was completed north from [[Chelmsford, Massachusetts|Chelmsford]] to New Hampshire. In the first half of the first decade of the 21st century, the chronically congested four-lane road, largely with antiquated ramps around Lowell, was widened to six lanes (as it had been in Nashua, New Hampshire a few years previously), and many interchanges were modernized in what was comically known as "The Big Wide," in reference to Massachusetts' other "Big" construction project. ===Termini=== The southern terminus of U.S. Route 3 has always been [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. The original northern terminus (in 1926) was [[Colebrook, New Hampshire]], but the highway was extended to West [[Stewartstown, New Hampshire]] in 1928, and to [[Pittsburg, New Hampshire]] in 1937. Colebrook was temporarily the northern terminus again from 1939 to 1940. Since 1940, the highway has run through Pittsburg to the New Hampshire-[[Quebec]] [[border]]. ==Exit list== ===Massachusetts=== {| class="wikitable" border=1 cellpadding=1 !Interchange !Location !Destination(s) !Notes |- !colspan=4|[[Image:US 3.svg|25px]] freeway begins at [[Image:I-95.svg|25px]][[Image:MA Route 128.svg|30px]], Exit 32A. |- |25A |[[Burlington, Massachusetts|Burlington]] |[[Image:North plate blue.svg|20px]] [[Image:No image.svg|2px]][[Image:North plate.svg|20px]][[Image:No image.svg|3px]] [[Image:South plate.svg|20px]]<br>[[Image:I-95.svg|20px]] [[Image:MA Route 128.svg|25px]] [[Image:US 3.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|I-95]]/[[Route 128 (Massachusetts)|Route 128]] North/[[US 3|U.S. Route 3]] South |Southbound exit/northbound entrance only.</br>US-3 runs concurrently with I-95/Route 128 until Exit 33A. |- |25B |Burlington |[[Image:South plate blue.svg|20px]] [[Image:No image.svg|2px]][[Image:South plate.svg|20px]]<br>[[Image:I-95.svg|20px]] [[Image:MA Route 128.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|I-95]]/[[Route 128 (Massachusetts)|Route 128]] South |Southbound exit/northbound entrance only. |- |26 |Burlington |{{jct|state=MA|MA|62}} | |- |27 |[[Billerica, Massachusetts|Billerica]] |Concord Road | |- |28 |Billerica |Treble Cove Road | |- |29 |North Billerica |{{jct|state=MA|MA|129}} | |- |30A-B-C |[[Chelmsford, Massachusetts|Chelmsford]] |[[Lowell Connector]]</br>[[Image:I-495.svg|25px]][[Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|Interstate 495]] NORTH (via Connector NB)</br>[[Image:I-495.svg|25px]]Interstate 495 SOUTH | Lowell Connector is Exit 30A northbound, no access southbound.</br>I-495 North is Exit 30B northbound, and 30A southbound.</br>I-495 South is Exit 30C northbound, and 30B southbound.</br>Exits 30A-B share collector ramps northbound.</br>Exits 30C-31 share collector ramps northbound. |- |31 |Chelmsford |{{jct|state=MA|MA|110}} |Exits 30C-31 share collector ramps northbound. |- |32 |North Chelmsford |{{jct|state=MA|MA|4}} | |- |33 |North Chelmsford |{{jct|state=MA|MA|40}} | |- |34 |[[Tyngsboro, Massachusetts|Tyngsboro]] |Westford Road/Dunstable Road | |- |35 |Tyngsboro |{{jct|state=MA|MA|113}} | |- |36 |Tyngsboro |Middlesex Road |Northbound exit only. |- !colspan=4|[[Image:US 3.svg|25px]] continues into New Hampshire as the [[Everett Turnpike]]. |- |} ==Bannered routes== ===Laconia business loop=== {{usban |route=3 |banner=BUS |location=[[Laconia, New Hampshire]] }} '''U.S. Route 3 Business''' is a {{convert|4.20|mi|km|2|sing=on}}<ref name="nhr">[http://www.roadgeek.org/nhroads/nh_1-25.html New Hampshire Routes 1-25]</ref> long [[business route]] running north-south through downtown [[Laconia, New Hampshire|Laconia]], New Hampshire. It runs from US 3 in Laconia south to US 3 and [[New Hampshire Route 11|NH 11]] in [[Belmont, New Hampshire]] along [[New Hampshire Route 107]] and [[New Hampshire Route 11A]]. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/northwest/ US 3/Northwest Expressway on Bostonroads.com] *[http://www.widen3.com/ Route 3 construction updates] {{US Highways}} {{start srbox}} {{ma browse|previous_type=|previous_route=2A|route=[[List of numbered routes in Massachusetts|MA]]|next_type=|next_route=3}} {{nh browse|previous_type=US|previous_route=2|route=[[New Hampshire Highway System|NH]]|next_type=NH|next_route=3A}} {{New England browse|previous_route=5|next_route=7}} {{end box}} [[Category:U.S. Highway System|03]] [[Category:U.S. Highways in New Hampshire|03]] [[Category:U.S. Highways in Massachusetts|03]] [[Category:New England Interstate Routes|06]] [[de:U.S. Highway 3]] [[fr:U.S. Route 3]] [[it:U.S. Route 3]] [[pt:U.S. Route 3]] [[sv:U.S. Route 3]]