History Massachusetts Route 25

route 25 west @ exit 2 , glen charlie road overpass in wareham

the origins of route 25 date 1947, when massachusetts department of public works (massdpw) announced plans expressway link i-95 in foxborough cape cod. planned route given route 25 designation northwest of planned interchange fall river expressway (route 24) in raynham , route 28 designation southeast of route 24. after ten years of planning studies, route received preliminary approval massdpw in 1957, , construction began in 1958; entire route designated route 25 in 1962, route 28 instead being aligned on local roads. portion of freeway between route 24 in raynham , i-195 in wareham completed in 1967. in 1969, massdpw extended freeway eastward 6 in wareham.

in 1970s, massdpw changed planned designation of unconstructed route 25 expressway northwest of route 24 i-495. when portion of i-495 completed in 1982, state designated existing alignment of route 25 between route 24 , i-195 interchange in wareham i-495. after reassignment, route 25 shortened 2.5-mile (4 km) stretch i-195 east downtown wareham.

from 1969 until 1987, eastern terminus of route 25 @ junction maple springs road, 6 , route 28 in wareham near modern location of exit 2. massdpw , massachusetts highway department (masshighway) had plans extend freeway eastward cape cod 1953, when route included in proposed cape cod expressway connect new york city cape cod. route 25 planned connect sagamore bridge, carried 6 on cape cod canal , used access towns of hyannis , provincetown. in 1962, however, massdpw conducted traffic studies on 2 bridges crossing canal , found sagamore bridge above vehicular capacity, whereas more southern bourne bridge had excess capacity. route 25 freeway redesigned cross on bourne bridge , connect mid-cape highway (us 6) on southern side of canal via proposed southside connector. connector have been constructed through massachusetts military reservation in bourne, canceled massdpw , masshighway in 1977 when environmental tests indicated freeway disturb underground aquifers serving water sources region. massdpw instead changed proposed eastern terminus of route 25 expressway approach ramps of bourne bridge.

completion of freeway

eastbound route 25 near exit 3 , freeway s eastern terminus. route 28 unsigned @ interchange.

construction of route 25 east of wareham, however, delayed 3 decades property disputes, environmental concerns , resistance business owners in buzzards bay village, claimed freeway divert traffic, , business, elsewhere, leaving ghost town in wake. proposed alignment ran through land of state s cranberry harvest located, , led lengthy lawsuits , delays. in particular, farmers concerned salt runoff winter ice removal harm cranberry harvests. throughout 1970s , 1980s, massdpw developed several proposals control storm water runoff , avoid potential damage cranberry crops. engineers department developed 4 different drainage systems used along length of freeway divert runoff away wareham river basin. in addition, freeway planned thicker asphalt pavement largely impervious water.

the freeway delayed due larger property dispute hope ingersoll, owner of 900-acre (364 ha) grazing fields farm on bournedale road in bourne, known in region artists colony , producer of organic food. massdpw proposed constructing route 25 through center of farm, ingersoll hired engineers develop alternate routing. in 1978, massdpw rejected ingersoll s design, instead approving alignment ran through farmland seized eminent domain. in 1980, state judge ruled massdpw had conduct environmental studies on both original routing , ingersoll s proposal. massdpw opted construct ingersoll s design, giving route 25 longer alignment arced north , east of grazing fields farm before turning westward toward buzzards bay business district , bourne bridge. route began construction in 1982, , in 1989 massdpw forced pay ingersoll $2.6 million (1982 usd) 90 acres (36 ha) of farmland seized expressway s construction.

in 1987, final 7.5-mile (12 km) segment of route 25 maple springs road in wareham bourne bridge completed. rest area , information center in plymouth opened freeway. new expressway relieved congestion along 6 , route 28 in buzzards bay business district, reducing number of accidents along approach bourne bridge. in 2007, masshighway completed renumbering of 3 interchanges along length of route 25 part of signing upgrade project. previously, i-195 interchange had been numbered exit 1 part of i-495 s numbering scheme, onset interchange being exit 1 part of route 25 s own scheme. led confusing situation in road had 2 consecutive exit 1s, masshighway devised solution in i-495 , ma-25 share exit 1 (the i-195 interchange), , other exits on ma-25 bumped number.