Massachusetts Route 57

Route 57 is a 45.42-mile-long (73.10 km) east–west Massachusetts state route that runs from Monterey to Agawam. The eastern 5.0 miles[2] (8.1 km) in Agawam is a freeway that runs from Route 187 to the route's eastern terminus at U.S. Route 5.[3]

Route 57
Route 57 highlighted in red
Route information
Length	45.42 mi (73.10 km)
Existed	by 1930[1]–present
Major junctions
West end	Route 23 / Route 183 in Monterey
	Route 8 in Sandisfield US 202 / Route 10 in Southwick
East end	US 5 in Agawam
Location
Counties	Berkshire, Hampden
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate U.S. State ← Route 56 → Route 58

Route description

Eastbound entering Sandisfield

The route begins in Monterey, at its intersection with routes 23 and 183.[4] The section from there to New Marlborough (which is a concurrency with Route 183) primarily takes a southeastern path that passes several stretches of farmland.[3] In New Marlborough, Route 57 splits from Route 183 and follows a mainly easterly route with frequent curves, passing more farmland.[3] During this stretch, there is a brief concurrency with Route 8 in Sandisfield to cross the Farmington River's west branch.[5]

In Southwick, Route 57 starts to enter a more suburban area.[3] There are more concurrencies during this stretch, first with U.S. Route 202 and Massachusetts Route 10 in Southwick, and then with Route 187 in Agawam.[3]

When Route 57 splits off from Route 187, it becomes a freeway,[3] the Henry E. Bodurtha Highway.[2] It has five exits before terminating in a rotary that is served by an interchange from U.S. Route 5.[4]

History

Crossing the Clam River in Sandisfield

Route 57 (which was formed by 1930[1]) initially went from Southwick to West Springfield.[1] It was extended to Sandisfield in the mid-1930s and Monterey in the late 1940s.[1]

Construction on the freeway portion began in 1958,[2] with the first portion (to today's Route 159,[1] then called Route 5A[6]) opening in 1961.[2] It was extended to past Route 75 in 1966, with Route 57 being moved to the freeway around this time (the old alignment became Route 147).[1] In 1991, work to extend the freeway to Route 187 began, with the new section opening in 1995.[2] A further extension to Southwick has been proposed, but it was put on hold by then-Governor Mitt Romney in June 2005; nevertheless, Agawam's city council continues to urge the state to construct the extension.[2] The MA 57 freeway exits do not have numbers, but this was scheduled to change during 2016 when all interchanges would be given milepost-based numbers between 40 and 45 as part of a statewide exit number conversion project.[7] However, this project now has been indefinitely postponed.[8]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Berkshire	Monterey	0.0	0.0	Route 23 / Route 183 north – Great Barrington, Lenox, Monterey	Western terminus; western terminus of Route 183 concurrency
	New Marlborough	6.0	9.7	Route 183 south (S. Sandisfield Rd.) – Colebrook, CT	Eastern terminus of Route 183 concurrency
	Sandisfield	15.2	24.5	Route 8 – Otis, Winsted, CT	175-yard (160 m) concurrency with Route 8
Hampden	Granville	27.8	44.7	Route 189 south – Granby, CT, Hartford, CT	Northern terminus of Route 189
	Southwick	34.3	55.2	US 202 south / Route 10 south – Granby, CT	Western terminus of US 202 / Route 10 concurrency
		34.9	56.2	US 202 north / Route 10 north – Westfield	Eastern terminus of US 202 / Route 10 concurrency
	Agawam	39.6	63.7	Route 187 north – Westfield	Western terminus of Route 187 concurrency
		40.4	65.0	Route 187 south – West Suffield, CT	Eastern terminus of Route 187 concurrency
				Western terminus of the Henry E. Bodurtha Highway (freeway section)
		41.8	67.3	Garden Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		42.6	68.6	Mill Street west	Westbound exit; eastbound entrance from Tennis Road
		43.1	69.4	Route 75 – West Springfield, Suffield, CT
		43.9	70.7	Route 159 – Agawam Center, Windsor Locks, CT, West Springfield	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		45.0	72.4	Editha Avenue	Westbound exit only
		45.4	73.1	US 5 to I‑91 – West Springfield, Holyoke, Springfield, Hartford, CT	Eastern terminus; rotary interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. Kelley, Neil. "MA 57". Massachusetts Route Log. neilbert.com. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
2. Anderson, Steve. "Henry E Bodurtha Highway (MA 57)". bostonroads.com. Eastern Roads. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
3. Google (2007-07-06). "Massachusetts Route 57" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
4. Moraseski, Dan. "MA routes 50-59". MA route log. web.mit.edu. Archived from the original on 2004-12-06. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
5. Massachusetts Atlas and Gazetteer (Map) (1st ed.). 1" = 1.3 miles. DeLorme. 1998. p. 45. § J21. ISBN 0-89933-220-X.
6. Kelley, Neil. "US 5A". Massachusetts Route Log. neilbert.com. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
7. 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 11, 2016.
8. "Massachusetts Highways Exit Lists". Robert H. Malme. Retrieved February 16, 2017.

External links

• MA Route 57 Historic Overview
• MA 57 Current and Speculative Future Exit Numbers List