About the Route 146 Corridor Vision Study

The MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning is coordinating with MassDOT District 3 to evaluate the State Highway Route 146 corridor between State Route 122A in Millbury and the Rhode Island State Line in Millville and Uxbridge.

The purpose of the project is to determine the points where land use changes and proposed or planned development would trigger various capital improvements along the corridor, identify what those improvements might be, and provide various land use and corresponding trip generation scenarios to address uncertainty and as a basis for a master plan for corridor improvements.

Increases in land use development and increased truck traffic have strained the Route 146/Boston Road intersection, as well as other points along the corridor. The Route 146 corridor has undergone extensive transformations and is fully grade separated with no direct access, except between the Route 122A interchange in Millbury southward to the Central Turnpike interchange in Sutton. Within that nearly 5-mile segment, Route 146 at Boston Road is the only major intersection that is not grade-separated, but there are a number or right-turn in/out access points for local roadways and driveways serving residential and commercial properties.

The Boston Road intersection was expanded in 2015 to include additional lanes on both Route 146 and Boston Road. This segment will be the focus of the Route 146 Corridor Vision Study, but other interchanges will be considered if development impacts may overburden a specific location.

During the construction of the northerly section of Route 146 from I-290 to Route 122A, the segment from Route 122A to the Central Turnpike was the subject of the 2006 Route 146 Futures Study. This Study, along with other relevant area studies, will help inform this effort as it considers various alternatives for frontage roads, highway widening, etc. Planned development projects will also have a significant impact on the corridor and will be evaluated in this study along with potential projects based on zoning and development potential.