Groveland, Massachusetts - Geography and Transportation

Geography and Transportation

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.4 square miles (24 km2), of which 8.9 square miles (23 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), or 4.99%, is water. The town lies along the south banks of the Merrimack River, and several other brooks, as well as the Parker River, pass through the town. There are two ponds, Crane Pond in the eastern end of town, and Johnson's Pond, on the Boxford town line. Along with a town forest, much of the eastern corner of town is taken up by the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area.

Groveland is located in the northwestern part of Essex County, and is bordered by Haverhill to the west and northwest, West Newbury to the northeast, a small portion of Newbury to the east, Georgetown to the southeast, and Boxford to the southwest. Groveland's town center is located 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Lawrence and 31 miles (50 km) north of Boston.

There are no interstates passing through Groveland, the town lying between Interstate 95 and Interstate 495. Route 97 and Route 113 both enter the town over the Bates Bridge, a truss bridge built in 1913 carrying the roads into town from Haverhill. From the end of the bridge, Route 97 heads south through the town to Georgetown, while Route 113 bears eastward along the river towards West Newbury. In 2010, a project began to replace the bridge, 60 feet (18 m) downstream, with a modern bridge. The project is expected to take two to three years and cost approximately $45 million.

The Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority operates a route through town; there is no other mass transit within town. The Haverhill/Reading Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail terminates in neighboring Haverhill, providing rail service into Boston's North Station. The nearest small-craft airport is Lawrence Municipal Airport in North Andover, and the nearest national air service can be found at Logan International Airport. There is a bus that goes to North Station that picks up/drops off at The Tea Garden, the Chinese food restaurant and bar in town.