Possible Upgrades To Interstate Standards
There have been calls over the years for Route 24 to be upgraded to an interstate highway. In April 2007 the Old Colony Regional Planning Council included this proposal in its 25-year regional transportation plan draft. The Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) endorsed a similar proposal the month before. In 1997, a study was initiated by the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) and the SRPEDD on what improvements were necessary in order to convert the route to an Interstate highway. The project would require major upgrades to 11 interchanges and minor work on 6 others. The proposal was tabled due to high costs projected for reconstruction of part of the highway south of Interstate 495. The current proposal seeks to have the route improved to interstate standards by 2020; the cost for the Stoughton to Bridgewater portion alone is estimated at $224 million.
According to MassHighway, it will be an extension of I-93. The portion south of I-195 will remain MA-24 and then RI-24. There is no word on the designation of I-93/US-1 between exits 1 and 4.
The state is expected to begin work in 2015. The US 44 bridge will be replaced, and two other bridges will be widened.
This is an early estimate of the project of the highway widening and Interstate upgrade project. They are not final.
- Phase I: Randolph I-93 Interchange Reconstruction ($30 million)
- Phase II: Randolph to Stoughton ($56 million)
- Phase III: Canton to Bridgewater ($224 million)
- Phase IV: Bridgewater to I-495 ($175 million)
- Phase V: I-495 to US 44 ($35 million)
- Phase VI: US 44 to Fall River ($357 million)
Total cost is expected to be $877 million, which makes the entire project more expensive than the Route 128 Add-a-lane or the US 3 Add-a-lane projects.
Read more about this topic: Massachusetts Route 24
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