Massachusetts Route 27

Route 27
Route information
Length:	73.4403 mi[1] (118.1907 km)
Existed:	by 1933 – present
Major junctions
South end:	Route 106 in Kingston
	Route 24 in Brockton U.S. Route 1 in Walpole Route 9 in Natick U.S. Route 20 in Wayland Route 2 in Acton
North end:	Route 4 in Chelmsford
Location
Counties:	Plymouth, Norfolk, Middlesex
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State ← Route 25 Route 28 →

Route 27 is a south–north highway in eastern Massachusetts that runs for 73.4 miles.

Route description

The Isaac Davis Monument in Acton, located along Route 27

Route 27 runs in a sweeping arc from Kingston to Chelmsford. For most of its route, it acts as an intermediate route between Interstate 95 and Interstate 495.

Route 27 begins in Kingston at Route 106, approximately 1-1/4 miles west of Route 3. It heads northwest towards Brockton, passing through Pembroke, Hanson, East Bridgewater and Whitman. In Brockton the road shares a triple concurrency with Route 28 and Route 123 Eastbound (Route 123 Westbound only intersects with the route). From the center of town, Route 27 heads northwest, past the Westgate Mall, over Route 24 at Exits 18A-B, and past Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital before passing into Norfolk County via Stoughton.

In Stoughton, the road has a brief concurrency with Route 138 in the center of town. It passes just south of the town of Canton before making a large loop through the town of Sharon. It crosses over Interstate 95 without access, between Exits 9 and 10, both of which are accessible via US Route 1 nearby. It then crosses through Walpole and Medfield before crossing the Charles River into Middlesex County and the town of Sherborn.

In Sherborn, the road begins a more northerly direction, with a short concurrency with Route 16 in the center of town. The road heads through the center of Natick, passing the town green and crossing Route 135, which carries the Boston Marathon at that point. Route 27 crosses over Route 9 with a four-way exit ramp system, just east of Lake Cochituate, the Natick Collection and the Golden Triangle retail area. Route 27 passes into Wayland and under the Massachusetts Turnpike, which it access via Route 30, just north of the Pike.

In Wayland, Route 27 has a 1.2 mile concurrency with Route 126, passing through the center of town and intersecting US Route 20. The road then crosses the Sudbury River into Sudbury and through the historic town center. It passes into Maynard, having a short, 0.1-mile concurrency with Route 62 over the Assabet River, before heading north into Acton. It crosses Route 2 at Exit 42 before crossing through the town center, past the Isaac Davis Monument. It sweeps by Carlisle before directly crossing into Westford, passing through the southeast corner of town before heading into Chelmsford. Route 27 ends at the center of town, at the intersection of Routes 4, 110 and 129, just south of Interstate 495 and U.S. Route 3.

History

Route 27's original form was identical to the modern route south of Wayland, but north of there it followed current Route 126 into Concord. It came into its current form by 1939. However, historical maps from the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1943 show Route 27 running concurrent with US 20 from Wayland Center to Concord Road in Sudbury, then following Concord Road to Sudbury Center, where it resumed its current alignment on Hudson Road.^[2]

Major intersections

Southbound entering Medfield

Junction of US 20, MA 27 & MA 126

Granite road sign in Sudbury. The left side marks Route 27.

Antique road signs in a well in Acton

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Plymouth	Kingston	0.00	0.00	Route 106 – Bridgewater, Kingston Evergreen Street	Southern terminus of Route 27 To Routes 3A south, 80 & 3 via Route 106 To Routes 3A north & 53 via Evergreen Street
	Pembroke	5.6	9.0	Route 36 – Halifax, Hanson
	Hanson	7.4	11.9	Route 58 – Halifax, Wareham, Hanson
	East Bridgewater	10.8	17.4	Route 14 – East Bridgewater, Brockton, Hanson
	Whitman	14.4	23.2	Route 18 – Bridgewater, New Bedford, Abington, South Weymouth
	Brockton	16.2	26.1	Route 14 east – Hanson, Duxbury	Western terminus of Route 14.
		18.1	29.1	Route 28 south / Route 123 south – Bridgewater, Cape Cod	Begin concurrency with Routes 28 Southbound & 123 Eastbound only
		18.2	29.3	Route 28 / Route 123 east – Abington, Norwell	Eastern terminus of concurrency with Route 123 Eastbound
		18.3	29.5	Route 28 north – Randolph	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 28
		20.4	32.8	Route 24 – Boston, Fall River	Route 24 Exits 18A-B
Norfolk	Stoughton	23.9	38.5	Route 138 south – Taunton Route 139 east – Randolph, Holbrook	Western terminus of Route 139; southern terminus of concurrency with Route 138.
		24.0	38.6	Route 138 north – Boston	Northern terminus of Route 27/138 concurrency. No access from Route 27 south to Route 138 north.
	Sharon	31.5	50.7	I‑95	No direct access; access to I-95 northbound exit 10 via Coney Street in Walpole.
	Walpole	31.8	51.2	US 1 – Norwood, Boston, Sharon, Foxborough	Access to I-95 exit 9 via US 1 South.
		33.7	54.2	Route 1A – Norwood, Dedham, Wrentham
	Medfield	37.9	61.0	Route 109 – Westwood, Boston, Millis, Milford
Charles River		40.8	65.7	Charles River crossing
Middlesex	Sherborn	41.1	66.1	Route 115 south – Millis	Northern terminus of Route 115.
		43.5	70.0	Route 16 west – Holliston	Southern terminus of Route 16 concurrency.
		43.8	70.5	Route 16 east – South Natick	Northern terminus of Route 16 concurrency.
	Natick	46.7	75.2	Route 135 – Wellesley, Needham, Framingham, Hopkinton
		48.0	77.2	Route 9 – Wellesley Hills, Boston, Framingham, Worcester	Four-way interchange over Route 9
	Wayland	49.0	78.9	I‑90 (Mass Pike)	No direct access; access via Route 30
		49.3	79.3	Route 30 – Framingham, Worcester, Weston, Boston	Access to Mass Pike via Route 30 westbound
		51.5	82.9	Route 126 south – Framingham, Ashland	Southern terminus of Route 27/126 concurrency.
		52.6	84.7	US 20 – Marlborough, Worcester, Waltham, Boston
		52.9	85.1	Route 126 north – Lincoln, Concord	Northern terminus of Route 27/126 concurrency.
	Maynard	59.3	95.4	Route 117 – Lincoln, Waltham, Stow, Bolton
		60.0	96.6	Route 62 east – Concord	Southern terminus of Route 27/62 concurrency.
		60.1	96.7	Route 62 west – Stow	Northern terminus of Route 27/62 concurrency.
	Acton	63.1	101.5	Route 111 – West Acton, Ayer, Concord, Lincoln	Additional access to Route 2 eastbound via Route 111
		63.4	102.0	Route 2 – Concord, Boston, Fitchburg, Athol	Route 2 exit 42; two-way interchange
		65.7	105.7	Route 2A / Route 119 – East Acton, Concord, Littleton, Ayer
	Westford	68.5	110.2	Route 225 – Westford, Groton, Carlisle, Bedford
	Chelmsford	73.44	118.19	Route 4 – Bedford, North Chelmsford	Northern terminus of Route 27. To Route 110 / Route 129, via Route 4 North. To I‑495 / US 3, via Route 4 North and Route 110 East.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. Executive Office of Transportation, Office of Transportation Planning - 2005 Road Inventory
2. http://docs.unh.edu/towns/SudburyMassachusettsMapList.htm

• Kelley, Neil. "MA 27" (route log entry). Massachusetts Route Log. neilbert.com. Retrieved 2006-06-26.