MA-9
MAP/ROAD
MA-9 traverses eight counties and twenty-eight cities and towns. It begins in Pittsfield, MA at US-20, though it is cosigned with US-7. Route 9 is very rural after this, and the next city we see is Amherst. We pass by UMASS Amherst and many new shops, but there isn't much after this, so we move to Worcester.
MA-9 is a major thruway here, passing by many busy areas list Worcester State Hosp. and the Univ. of Mass. Medical Center. It then crosses Lake Quinsigamond into Shrewsbury, where it becomes the main shopping artery of the MetroWest. It passes several malls and plazas as it heads to Northborough to meet US-20 again. It then passes I-495 in Westborough, the Golden Triangle Retail area in Natick and Framingham, and the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Once in the Golden Triangle, MA-9 is the easiest by-pass of I-90's tolls and the way to Boston. It crosses I-95 in Wellesley, then the Charles River to Newton and Brookline. It enters Boston via a bridge over the Muddy River and becomes Huntington Ave, or the "Avenue of the Arts." It passes medical schools, hospitals, universities, and the Museum of Fine Arts. This strecth of roadway is a major baseball history area, as the first game of the 1903 World Series was played in the Huntington Avenue Grounds. It passes by even more, then splits after passing the Prudential Center, with the westbound side on Stuart St, and esatbound on St. James St which both end at Clarendon St, MA-28.
Length: 135.55 mi.
From: MA-28 in Boston (Clarendon St)
To: US-20 in Pittsfield
Eastbound on MA 9 in Amherst after the MA 116 intersection. Small font though! Taken by me on August 21, 2016.
MA-9 HISTORY
MA-9 follows the Old Berkshire Trail between Dalton and Goshen, providing some scenery. Once we get to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we find out MA-9 has been reformed, giving it many shops and stores, including the Hampshire Mall. Between Worcester and Boston, MA-9 follows the Worcester Turnpike, a 19th Century road which opened in 1810. It originally featured a floating bridge over Lake Quinsigamond. Route 9 then became focused on for urbanization through Wellesley and Newton. In Framingham, Route 9 housed one of the first modern shopping malls, Shopper's World.
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In Natick, Route 9 has the official name of the "Ted Williams Highway", obviously named after the Red Sox baseball legend.
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Between 1903 and 1932, the Boston and Worcester Street Railway ran mostly alongside this route. Nowadays, the E Branch of the MBTA's Green Line runs next to Huntington Avenue.
Directional shields in the White City area of Shrewsbury. Photo taken by me on July 29, 2016.