Interstate 84 in Massachusetts
Interstate 84 in Massachusetts is the easternmost segment of the eastern I-84 freeway originating in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, near Scranton. Within Massachusetts, I-84 exists in the towns of Holland and Sturbridge. Known as the Wilbur Cross Highway, it has also been signed as Route 15 between 1948 and 1980 as well as Interstate 86 between 1971 and 1984. The Massachusetts segment of I-84 is the shortest state length of the four states it travels through.
Route description
The Wilbur Cross Highway continues on I-84 after the highway enters Massachusetts. For a short distance, the Interstate passes through the town of Holland in Hampden County before crossing into Sturbridge in Worcester County for the remainder of its length. I-84 has only three exits in Massachusetts, one of them being a major road, which is U.S. Route 20. The road then ends at I-90, the Massachusetts Turnpike. I-84 ends at exit 78 of I-90, which is located in Sturbridge. The length of I-84 in Massachusetts is, making the Massachusetts section of I-84 the shortest distance within any of the four states it traverses.History
Origins
The highway originated as Route 15, an extension of Connecticut Route 15. The extension started in Holland, and, within, it entered Sturbridge as Mashapaug Road. It then followed Haynes Road to Sturbridge Center ending at Route 131.Upgrade to Interstate Highway
Between 1949 and 1952, the Massachusetts Department of Public Works initiated construction of the Wilbur Cross Highway extension to US Route 20 in Sturbridge, with two lanes in each direction separated by a wide median and frequent U-turns.Between 1955 and 1957, an extension was created to connect Route 15 to the new Massachusetts Turnpike, which opened on May 15, 1957. In 1958, I-84 was cosigned with Route 15 north and east of East Hartford, Connecticut, into Massachusetts.
In late 1968, the Federal Highway Administration approved a new Interstate connection from Hartford, Connecticut, to Providence, Rhode Island, which was to become part of a rerouted I-84. As a result, the existing section of I-84 from Manchester, Connecticut, to I-90 was redesignated I-86.
Shortly thereafter, MassDPW embarked on a reconstruction of its portion of the highway with new and reconstructed carriageways providing three lanes and standard shoulders. Both carriageways were separated by a wide, forested variable median. New bridges, interchanges, and weigh stations were erected along the route. The $20-million reconstruction project was completed in 1973.
On October 1, 1980, the Connecticut Department of Transportation decided to truncate Route 15 back to I-84 exit 57, eliminating the overlap with I-86. Simultaneously, Massachusetts eliminated the overlap by decommissioning its Route 15 entirely.