Route 9 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Worcester-Boston Turnpike Ted Williams Highway United Spanish War Veterans Highway |
||||
Route information | ||||
Length: | 135.310 mi (217.760 km) | |||
Existed: | by 1933 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end: | US 20 in Pittsfield | |||
|
||||
East end: | Route 28 in Boston | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | Berkshire, Hampshire, Worcester, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
Route 9 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts. Along with U.S. Route 20, Route 2, and Interstate 90, Route 9 is one of the major east–west routes of Massachusetts, and like the others its eastern terminus is in Boston. Starting at Copley Square and passing along Huntington Avenue, Route 9 is a limited access route through the MetroWest suburbs to Worcester, and is also a major alternative to the Pike's toll road west of the city. After passing along major city streets in that city, the road becomes a country route, passing through the central Worcester Hills, the Pioneer Valley, and the city of Northampton, and into The Berkshires. The road ends near the center of the city of Pittsfield.
Route 9 passes through six counties and twenty-eight cities and towns. It begins in the western Massachusetts city of Pittsfield, at U.S. Route 20. It has a concurrency with U.S. Route 7 during its first mile through the center of that city, then continues east, passing through the towns of Dalton and Windsor, wherein the route reaches its highest point at 2033 ft, in Berkshire County. It continues its winding pass through the small towns of The Berkshires in Berkshire and western Hampshire Counties before passing through the center of Northampton, passing Smith College before its first interstate junction, at Interstate 91. It then crosses the Connecticut River at the Calvin Coolidge Bridge, just downstream from Elwell Island. It goes past the retail area of Hadley before passing the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Amherst College. From Amherst, it winds its way into western Worcester County, south of the Quabbin Reservoir, through small towns until it makes its way into the city of Worcester.