Massachusetts Route 21

Route 21
Route information
Length:	13.73 mi[1] (22.10 km)
Major junctions
South end:	US 20 in Springfield
	Route 141 in Springfield I‑90 in Ludlow US 202 / Route 181 in Belchertown
North end:	Route 9 in Belchertown
Location
Counties:	Hampden, Hampshire
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State ← Route 20A Route 22 →

Route 21 is a south–north state highway in Massachusetts that runs between Springfield and Belchertown.

Route description

Route 21 northbound entering Ludlow

The route begins at U.S. Route 20 in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield. It heads north, intersecting with Route 141 before crossing the Chicopee River into Ludlow. Once in Ludlow, the road continues in a northeasterly direction. It passes under the Massachusetts Turnpike, with access to that road via Exit 7. It continues through town, passing south of the Springfield Reservoir before heading northward into Belchertown. In Belchertown it shares a concurrency with U.S. Route 202, which ends at Route 181. From there Route 21 makes its final short trek to its current terminus at Route 9.

Prior to the completion of the Quabbin Reservoir, Route 21 extended further northward. It passed through the former town of Enfield, then northward along the Swift River into Greenwich and the northern end of Dana before heading through the current town of Petersham and into Athol, where it terminated at what is now Route 2A. The southern portion of the road (Old Enfield Road) is still accessible in Belchertown. The northern trunk follows Pleasant Street and New Sherborn Road in Athol, then the Monson Turnpike (Turnpike Road) in Petersham, where the road had an intersection with Route 122. Much of the route south of this intersection lies within the Quabbin Reservoir State Reservation.^[2]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Hampden	Springfield	0.00	0.00	US 20 / Route 141 – Palmer, Boston	Southern terminus; eastern terminus of Route 141 and concurrency with Route 21
		1.19	1.92	Route 141 west – Chicopee Falls, Holyoke	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 141
	Ludlow	2.32	3.73	I‑90 / Mass Pike – Springfield, Boston	Exit 7 on the Mass Pike
Hampshire	Belchertown	11.94	19.22	US 202 south – Granby	Southern terminus of concurrency with US 202
		12.94	20.82	US 202 north / Route 181 south – Pelham, Bondsville, Palmer	Northern terminus of concurrency with US 202; northern terminus of Route 181
		13.73	22.10	Route 9 – Amherst	Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Tolled

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. Planning Division (2012). "Massachusetts Highway Route Log". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
2. Tougias, Michael. Quabbin: A History and Explorers Guide. Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts: On Cape Publications, 2002, p.48.