Massachusetts Route 97

Route 97
Map of Essex County in northeastern Massachusetts with Route 97 highlighted in red
Route information
Length:	24.96 mi[1] (40.17 km)
Major junctions
South end:	Route 1A in Beverly
	US 1 in Topsfield I‑95 in Boxford I‑495 in Haverhill
North end:	NH 97 in Salem, NH
Location
Counties:	Essex
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State ← Route 96 Route 98 →

Route 97 is a south–north highway in Essex County in northeastern Massachusetts. It connects the cities of Beverly and Haverhill before continuing into Salem, New Hampshire as New Hampshire Route 97.

Route description

Route 97 begins at Route 1A in Beverly, north of the downtown area. Almost immediately, it crosses under Route 128 without intersection; the nearest exit is Exit 20 to Route 1A. Route 97 passes the Beverly Municipal Airport before crossing into Wenham. Route 97 passes through the western end of town, passing the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary before meeting the northern end of Route 35 in Topsfield, just over the town lines of Wenham and Danvers.

Once in Topsfield, Route 97 crosses the Ipswich River just east of the Topsfield Fairgrounds. It crosses U.S. Route 1 (the Newburyport Turnpike) before heading into the center of town. From there, it continues northward, entering the town of Boxford. Route 97 passes through the village of East Boxford, where it intersects I-95 at Exit 53. It then heads northward into Georgetown. In Georgetown, Route 97 has a brief concurrency of a tenth of a mile with Route 133 before turning northwestward along West Main Street, passing between Rock Pond and Pentucket Pond into Groveland.

In Groveland, Route 97 meets Route 113 at the banks of the Merrimack River, where both cross along the Bates Bridge into the city of Haverhill. The two routes pass Merrimack Valley Hospital, Riverside Park and Trinity Stadium (known locally for being the site of an exhibition game featuring Babe Ruth) before continuing along the banks of the Merrimack. At Ginty Boulevard, Route 97 leaves Route 113, continuing to Main Street, where Route 97 turns northward, running as a wrong-way concurrency with Route 125 for one block before turning westward onto Winter Street. Route 97 intersects Route 110 before continuing westward out of the downtown area. The route intersects I-495 at Exit 50 as it continues into the Ayers Village section of the city. It then enters the far northeast corner of the city of Methuen, where after only three-quarters of a mile the route enters Salem, New Hampshire and continues as New Hampshire Route 97. The stretch of Route 97 in Methuen is not directly connected to any other road within the city.

In 2010, a project began to replace the Bates Bridge, 60 feet downstream, with a modern bridge. The project is expected to take two to three years and cost approximately $45 million.^[2]

Major intersections

Southbound in Groveland

The Bates Bridge carries Routes 97 & 113 across the Merrimack River from Groveland to Haverhill

The entire route is in Essex County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Beverly	0.00	0.00	Route 1A	Southern terminus of Route 97. To Route 128 Exit 20 via Route 1A north.
	0.2	0.3	Route 128	No access between Route 97 and Route 128.
Topsfield	3.7	6.0	Route 35	Northern terminus of Route 35.
	5.5	8.9	US 1
Boxford	9.4	15.1	I‑95	I-95 Exit 53.
Georgetown	12.6	20.3	Route 133	Concurrency with Route 133 for one block.
Groveland	16.4	26.4	Route 113 east	Eastern terminus of concurrency with Route 113.
Haverhill	18.6	29.9	Route 113 west	Western terminus of concurrency with Route 113.
	19.1	30.7	Route 125	Concurrency with Route 125 for one block.
	19.4	31.2	Route 110
	21.1	34.0	I‑495	I-495 Exit 50.
Methuen	24.96	40.17	NH 97 west	Continuation into New Hampshire
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus

References

1. Executive Office of Transportation, Office of Transportation Planning - 2005 Road Inventory
2. New $45M Groveland bridge will ease travel - Newburyport Daily News, January 9, 2010

External links