Interstate 391

Interstate 391 (I-391) is an Auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. State of Massachusetts. It runs from the I-91/I-391 interchange in Chicopee to the center of Holyoke, a distance of about 4.86 mi (7.82 km). It runs near the Connecticut River throughout its journey in Chicopee, and crosses into Holyoke and abruptly ends at High Street 0.4 miles (0.64 km) south of U.S. Route 202.[1]

Interstate 391
I-391 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I‑91
Maintained by MassDOT
Length4.86 mi[1] (7.82 km)
Existed1982[2]–present
Major junctions
South end I‑91 in Chicopee, MA
North endHigh Street in Holyoke, MA
Location
CountiesHampden
Highway system
← Route 295→ I‑395

Route description
I-391 during construction, 1980

Interstate 391 begins at an interchange with I-91 (at Exit 12) in southern Chicopee, just north of the Atwater Park and the Calvary Cemetery. Initially running parallel to the Connecticut River, it intersects with Route 116 in Chicopee center and crosses the Chicopee River. I-391 then has another junction with Route 116 in the Sandy Hill section of town, and in less than one mile (1.6 km), it crosses underneath the Massachusetts Turnpike without an interchange. I-391 continues north through the rest of northern Chicopee, intersecting Route 141 along the way and then passing just east of Rivers Park. I-391 then crosses the Connecticut River into the city of Holyoke, where it has two closely spaced exits for local streets in the town. I-391 officially comes to an end at High Street in Holyoke, with the road continuing as Resnic Boulevard, which connects to US 202 after 0.4 miles (0.64 km).[3]

History
Annual average daily traffic[4]
Year AADT
1982 17,200
1990 26,520
2000 31,000
2010 32,578
2018 37,164

Plans for the highway originated from the Master Highway Plan for the Springfield Metropolitan Area in 1953, which planned for a "major street improvement" to Route 116. By the 1960s, freeway access was needed between Chicopee and Holyoke to improve traffic flow which prompted a spur route of Interstate 91 to be built. I-391's planned six lanes were built to handle up to 50,000 vehicles every day, and the total cost of the proposed highway was estimated at about $35 million. In 1965, an alignment of the highway had been set, along with two alternative alignments. Construction for Interstate 391 began in 1967 with a short 0.75-mile-long (1.21 km) highway, which was completed in 1970. After years of no progress, construction started again in 1978. The highway was completed in 1982 after about 15 years of planning and construction.[2]

An interchange with the Mass Pike (I-90) was part of the original proposal, as it would have connected the Mass Pike to Chicopee and Holyoke, though it was never built.

I-391 just before the Route 141 interchange

Exit list

All exit numbers in Massachusetts were to eventually be renumbered to mileage-based numbers under a future project, but that project was postponed until on November 18, 2019, MassDOT announced that this route will not be changing the exit numbers.[5][6][7]

The entire route is in Hampden County. [8]

Location[8]mi[8]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Chicopee0.00–
0.62		0.00–
1.00		1 I‑91 – Springfield, Hartford, CT, GreenfieldSigned as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north); exit 12 on I-91
0.951.532 Route 116 – Chicopee CenterTo Elms College
1.903.063 Route 116 – Westover ARB, Willimansett
3.866.214 Route 141 – Chicopee Falls, WillimansettSouthern end of former overlap with Route 141; split into exits 4A (east) and 4B (west) southbound
Connecticut River4.507.24Bridge
Holyoke4.597.395Main StreetFormer Route 141 north; northbound exit and southbound entrance
4.947.956Commercial StreetNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
5.168.30–High Street
US 202 / Resnic Boulevard		At-grade intersection
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References
  1. itd. "MassGIS EOT-OTP Roads data layer". Administration and Finance. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. Bostonroads.com. "Interstate 391 (Massachusetts)". Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  3. Google (2008-05-26). "overview map of I-391" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  4. "Location ID 2163, Transportation Data Management". MassDOT. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  5. 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 5, 2016.
  6. Saric, Sofia (November 18, 2019). "Massachusetts highway exits to be renumbered by January 2022". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  7. "Milepost-based Exit Renumbering" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  8. MassDOT Planning Division. "Massachusetts Route Log Application". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.

Further reading

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