Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a controlled-access toll road in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state line in West Stockbridge, linking with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway. Spanning 138 miles (222 km) along an east–west axis, the turnpike constitutes the Massachusetts section of Interstate 90 (I-90). The turnpike is the longest Interstate Highway in Massachusetts, while I-90, in full (which begins in Seattle, Washington), is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States.
Massachusetts Turnpike | ||||
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| Interstate 90 | ||||
Massachusetts Turnpike highlighted in green | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MassDOT | ||||
| Length | 138.1 mi (222.3 km) | |||
| Existed | 1957–present | |||
| History | Boston Extension added in 1965, and Ted Williams Tunnel in 2003 | |||
| Component highways |
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| Restrictions | No hazardous goods and cargo tankers east of exit 131 | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |
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| East end | Route 1A in Boston | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Massachusetts | |||
| Counties | Berkshire, Hampden, Worcester, Middlesex, Suffolk | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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The turnpike opened in 1957, and it was designated as part of the Interstate Highway System in 1959. The original western terminus of the turnpike was located at Route 102 in West Stockbridge before I-90 had been completed in New York state. The turnpike intersects with several Interstate Highways as it traverses the state, including I-91 in West Springfield; I-291 in Chicopee; I-84 in Sturbridge; the junction of I-290 and I-395 in Auburn; and I-495 in Hopkinton. The eastern terminus of the turnpike was originally at I-95 in Weston, it has been extended several times: to Allston in 1964, to the Central Artery (designated as I-93, US Route 1 (US 1), and Route 3) in Downtown Boston in 1965, and to East Boston as a route to Logan International Airport in 2003 as part of the "Big Dig" megaproject. There are two auxiliary Interstate Highways in Massachusetts for I-90, those being I-190 and I-290.
The turnpike was maintained by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA) until the department was replaced by the Highway Division of MassDOT in 2009. The implementation and removal of tolls in some stretches of the turnpike have been controversial; travel between most, but not all, exits requires payment. The Fast Lane electronic toll collection system was introduced alongside cash payment in 1998; it was later folded into the E-ZPass branding in 2012. The original toll booths were demolished and replaced by toll gantries with the transition to open road tolling in 2016, which replaced cash payment with "pay-by-plate" billing.