Massachusetts Roads - MA 3



Route 3 is somewhat of an anomaly, especially in Boston. It enters from the south as a freeway (MA 3), and then joins I-93, the Southeast Expressway and Central Artery. MA 3 then exits at "Storrow Drive," Exit 26, but this really is just an exit to Embankment Road and Leverett Circle (Embankment Road and its eastbound partner, Charles Street, connect to Storrow at the Longfellow Bridge). MA 3 NB follows Embankment to the Longfellow, but MA 3 SB uses Land Boulevard and shares the Charles River Dam with MA 28. Why MA 3 NB can't run next to MA 3 SB, uhh... well then. West of the Longfellow, Memorial Drive is fully MA 3. Then, while on Mem Drive, you pass the BU Bridge, and suddenly the square 3's are replaced by US shields, and vice versa. But that's not accurate, since US 3 technically overtakes MA 3 starting at the Mass Ave bridge, or MA 2A.

I-93/MA 3/US 1 south of Boston
I-93/MA 3/US 1 at Kneeland St. in Boston
I-93/MA 3/US 1 - Central Artery
MA 3/MA 28 - Leverett Circle, Embankment Rd., Longfellow Bridge
MA 3/MA 28 - Land Blvd., Charles River Dam, Memorial Dr.


MA 3A, former MA 3
MA 203, former MA 3


Crossing the Sagamore Bridge back to the mainland, we come to the rare signage of the BEGINning of a route at the Sagamore circle. There is also a Bourne circle, but MA 25 was routed directly into the bridge there (ramps lead to/from the circle), whereas MA 3 was just thrown into the circle here. 3 should take 25's lead here.


About the only old signs left south of the I-93/US 1 triplex are just off I-93 and onto the first SB exit ramp, Exit 19 for Burgin Pkwy. in Quincy. The one atop the page is in the Union St. rotary at MA 3 Exit 17.


When a state has both a state and US version of the same route, it's not surprising that errors pop up on both of them. In this case, the routes end at each other as I described above, but MA 3 was never part of US 3. Usually, the routes are either completely separate or the state route is a former alignment of the US route.


MassHighway caught copying, receives grade of F! This assembly, sporting NJ-style black backgrounds on the shields, is found on MA 3 SB. The Plymouth Ctr. text isn't spaced too well, and it's clear that the ½ and ¾ replaced smaller versions of said text (either that, or it was just a big screwup from the beginning). It's gone now because the new US 44 freeway has opened to the north.


One more set of older signs, and the Sagamore Bridge looms ahead without MA 3 on it.

I-93/MA 3/US 1 south of Boston
I-93/MA 3/US 1 at Kneeland St. in Boston
I-93/MA 3/US 1 - Central Artery
MA 3/MA 28 - Leverett Circle, Embankment Rd., Longfellow Bridge
MA 3/MA 28 - Land Blvd., Charles River Dam, Memorial Dr.


Actual US 3
Exit 6 to US 44
Straight onto US 6
MA 3 Expressway (Pilgrims Highway) on Steve Anderson's bostonroads.com
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