Building Route 128
Published in 2003 by Arcadia
Building Route 128, co-written with Yanni Tsipis, is a vivid document of the road’s planning and construction, from the early days of main streets and back roads in towns such as Dedham, Waltham, Lynnfield, and Beverly, through the construction – and reconstruction – of the modern expressway. The book includes previously unpublished images from the Massachusetts Department of Public Works archives as well as the archives of many of the over two dozen towns and cities through which the highway passes.
On this page is content not seen in the book, including videos of the opening day in Woburn, as well as plans for the future of one piece of the road.
Pleasure Island
The story of this amusement park is told, briefly, in the book, but there is so much more to learn about the attempt, in 1959, by an entrepreneur to mirror the success of Disneyland here in New England. Writing this book was a grand opportunity to meet some of the folks dedicated to the erstwhile amusement park once located on Route 128 in Wakefield. Visit their website.
Fixing Route 128
The 128 / Route 93 Interchange
The 128 / Route 93 Interchange
The 128 / Route 93 Interchange
Cloverleaf interchanges are the least expensive way to connect two major highways. (Worked fine when 30 miles per hour was considered fast and way before people were texting while driving) Built in 1972, the interchange between Routes 128 and 93 also includes access to Washington Street, Mishawum Avenue and Commerce Way as well as weaves and merges for nearby Route 28. It is, as the Brits say, bollix..
The proposed solution in 2002
The 128 / Route 93 Interchange
The 128 / Route 93 Interchange
MassDOT (Department of Transportation) publicly rolled out their plan to improve traffic flow, which included four "flyover" ramps, two as high as 110 feet. The plan called for the taking of 77 homes and large chunks of area business properties. It also carried a cost in the billions. The public outcry was predictable, and MassDOT quickly pulled the proposal, returning several years later with a new plan that eliminated two of the flyovers and almost all land-taking.
Brother, can you spare a billion dollars?
In correspondence with a MassDOT representative I learned that the above was a "preferred alternative that was the outcome from task force which was convened as a result of the opposition to 2002 proposal. Further refinement of the alternative proposes to make the Route 28 interchange into a partial cloverleaf and add a 4th lane on I-95 NB from I-93 to Exit 40/Route 129."
Sounds good, right? Well, MassDOT also said that "However, the project is dormant at this time and is not likely to move forward in the forseeable future." Despite - or maybe because of - this outlook, MassDOT still has a website containing tons of information on the current state of the interchange and of ideas - and prospects, however grim - for how to help the 450,000 cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles which use it every day to do so safely and efficiently.