Skip to main content

Shoe Business Mini-Road Trip Report

Hoping not to bring winter back, and hoping spring stays around, I took a trip over to find some new walking shoes for the season. Decided to do a little roadgeeking along the way by checking out progress on the widening of I-93 between MA 24 and its terminus at I-95. Along the way I took a photo of this unique MA (or is it NJ?) sign assembly:
Since this portion of I-93 is to undergo a sign update project soon, thought it may be the last time I may get to take a photo (hey, it's only been up for 10-20 years). This is at the Furnace Brook Parkway (Exit 8) interchange in Quincy. Heading toward the northbound on-ramp is a newer sign:
This sign was put in as a replacement in the past year for the previous North I-93/MA 3 Mass. Green Sign that was knocked down. Though not part of the sign replacement project, can I say it is a 'sign' of things to come(?) as this should be the typical signage at on-ramps along the section of I-93 south of Boston. MA 3 signs may appear on the roadway itself and tacked on to sign supports at major interchanges. Speaking of signs, there is now a new diagrammatic sign for the I-95 interchange on I-93/US 1 South:
Notice the space for a letter next to '1' on the right-side exit tab. Notice also that, unlike the opposite-directions signs along I-95/US 3 in Burlington where there are no control cities listed, and the new signs for I-93/US 1 North the other way that only list Boston, this has two destinations listed, and hopefully no one confused as to why US 1 South goes to Portsmouth, NH. They are preparing two put up more overhead signs between MA 138 and the I-95 South on- ramp. These can be seen heading the opposite direction at the beginning of I-93 North:
Seen in the distance is one of the 2 remaining old overhead sign assemblies between I-95 and MA 24. They are making progress in replacing the other one at the MA 138 interchange:
Meanwhile, the last new sign for Exit 3 Northbound has been put up using the support for the new I-95 sign seen above:
The widening has been completed along this stretch, as can be seen approaching the MA 24 interchange:
Don't know if they plan to replace the next two overheads, the four-lane roadway comes to an end at the exit:
Apparently between the on and off-ramps from MA 24 the road will remain 3 lanes in both directions. The only part of '128' south of I-93 in Woburn that will have not have 4 lanes.

Status of I-93 signing projects: As of last Wednesday, 2/15, the two projects north of Boston were still scheduled to end this July. This despite the contract for I-93 from MA 129 (Exit 38) to the NH border only being 35% complete, and the section south of 129 to MA 28/38 (Exit 29) in Somerville being 50% complete. Both contractors are still pouring the foundations for the new overhead sign supports. The project south of Boston, as seen above, shows little, if any work so far. But, it's only been an 'active' contract for about 6 months. The contractors have until March 2014 to complete the work and it appears they are taking their time. More posts as new signs warrant.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...