Massachusetts Route 57

Route 57
Route information
Length:	45.42 mi (73.10 km)
Existed:	by 1930[1] – present
Major junctions
West end:	Routes 23/183 in Monterey
	Route 8 in Sandisfield US 202/Route 10 in Southwick
East end:	US 5 in Agawam
Location
Counties:	Berkshire, Hampden
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State ← Route 56 Route 58 →

Route 57 is an east–west Massachusetts state route that runs from Monterey to Agawam. The eastern 5.0 miles^[2] (8.1 km) in Agawam is a freeway that runs from Route 187 to the route's eastern terminus at U.S. Route 5.^[3]

Route description

Eastbound entering Sandisfield

The route begins in Monterey, at its intersection with routes 23 and 183.^[4] The section from there to New Marlborough (which is a concurrency with Route 183) primarily takes a southeastern path that passes several stretches of farmland.^[3] In New Marlborough, Route 57 splits from Route 183 and follows a mainly easterly route with frequent curves, passing more farmland.^[3] During this stretch, there is a brief concurrency with Route 8 in Sandisfield to cross the Farmington River's west branch.^[5]

In Southwick, Route 57 starts to enter a more suburban area.^[3] There are more concurrencies during this stretch, first with U.S. Route 202 and Massachusetts Route 10 in Southwick, and then with Route 187 in Agawam.^[3]

When Route 57 splits off from Route 187, it becomes a freeway,^[3] the Henry E. Bodurtha Highway.^[2] It has five exits before terminating in a rotary that is served by an interchange from U.S. Route 5.^[4]

History

Crossing the Clam River in Sandisfield

Route 57 (which was formed by 1930^[1]) initially went from Southwick to West Springfield.^[1] It was extended to Sandisfield in the mid-1930s and Monterey in the late 1940s.^[1]

Construction on the freeway portion began in 1958,^[2] with the first portion (to today's Route 159,^[1] then called Route 5A^[6]) opening in 1961.^[2] It was extended to past Route 75 in 1966, with Route 57 being moved to the freeway around this time (the old alignment became Route 147).^[1] In 1991, work to extend the freeway to Route 187 began, with the new section opening in 1995.^[2] A further extension to Southwick has been proposed, but it was put on hold by then-Governor Mitt Romney in June 2005; nevertheless, Agawam's city council continues to urge the state to construct the extension.^[2] The MA 57 freeway exits do not have numbers, but this was scheduled to change during 2016 when all interchanges would be given milepost-based numbers between 40 and 45 as part of a statewide exit number conversion project.^[7] However, this project now has been indefinitely postponed.^[8]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Berkshire	Monterey	0.0	0.0	Route 23 / Route 183 north – Great Barrington, Lenox, Monterey	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 183
	New Marlborough	6.0	9.7	Route 183 south – Colebrook, CT	Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 183
	Sandisfield	15.2	24.5	Route 8 – Otis, Winsted, CT	175-yard (160 m) concurrency with Route 8
Hampden	Granville	27.8	44.7	Route 189 south – Granby, CT, Hartford, CT	Northern terminus of Route 189
	Southwick	34.3	55.2	US 202 south / Route 10 south – Granby, CT	Southern terminus of concurrency with US 202 / Route 10
		34.9	56.2	US 202 north / Route 10 north – Westfield	Northern terminus of concurrency with US 202 / Route 10
	Agawam	39.6	63.7	Route 187 north – Westfield, Springfield	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 187
		40.4	65.0	Route 187 south – West Suffield, CT, West Hartford, CT	Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 187
		40.4	65.0	Western terminus of the Henry E. Bodurtha Highway (freeway section)
		41.8	67.3	Garden Street – Agawam	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		42.6	68.6	Mill Street west – Feeding Hills	Westbound exit; eastbound entrance from Tennis Road
		43.1	69.4	Route 75 – Agawam, West Springfield
		43.9	70.7	Route 159 – Agawam Center, Six Flags, Windsor Locks, CT	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		45.0	72.4	Editha Avenue	Westbound exit only
		45.4	73.1	US 5 to I‑91 – Springfield, West Springfield, Holyoke, Hartford, CT	Rotary interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. Kelley, Neil. "MA 57". Massachusetts Route Log. neilbert.com. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
2. Anderson, Steve. "Henry E Bodurtha Highway (MA 57)". bostonroads.com. Eastern Roads. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
3. Google (2007-07-06). "Massachusetts Route 57" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
4. Moraseski, Dan. "MA routes 50-59". MA route log. web.mit.edu. Archived from the original on 2004-12-06. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
5. Massachusetts Atlas and Gazeteer (Map) (1st ed.). 1" = 1.3 miles. DeLorme. 1998. p. 45. § J21. ISBN 0-89933-220-X.
6. Kelley, Neil. "US 5A". Massachusetts Route Log. neilbert.com. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
7. Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2015). "COMMBUYS - Bid Solicitation FAP# HSIP-002S(874) Exit Signage Conversion to Milepost-Based Numbering System along Various Interstates, Routes and the Lowell Connector". Retrieved January 11, 2016.
8. "Massachusetts Highways Exit Lists". Robert H. Malme. Retrieved November 7, 2016.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• MA Route 57 Historic Overview
• MA 57 Future Exit Numbers List