Interstate 290 runs for 20.16 miles (32.4 km) from
Auburn, MassachusettsAuburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,188 at the 2010 census.- History :Auburn was first settled in 1789 and was officially incorporated in 1808 as the town of Ward, in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward...
to
Marlborough, MassachusettsMarlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,499 at the 2010 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high technology industry in the late 20th century after the construction of the...
. It is a continuation of I-395 north of
I-90Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
(the Mass Pike) and runs through downtown
Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, I-190 splits off, and I-290 runs across
Lake QuinsigamondLake Quinsigamond is a body of water situated between the city of Worcester and the town of Shrewsbury in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. It is 4 miles long, between 50 and 85 feet deep, and has a surface area of approximately 772 acres . Lake Quinsigamond hosts 8 islands with the...
and east to
I-495Interstate 495 is the designation of an Interstate Highway half-beltway in Massachusetts. It was the longest auxiliary Interstate Highway of its kind—measuring 120.74 miles —until 1996, when the PA Route 9 section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was redesignated as Interstate 476, making it about ...
in Marlborough. There are buildings very close to the highway, including a grand church which faces the road (referred to locally as "Our Lady of the Highway"). Massachusetts has built a freeway connector (
Route 146Route 146 is a high-speed road, mostly freeway, linking Rhode Island Route 146 to I-290 in Worcester, Massachusetts. South of the interchange with Route 122A, Route 146 is known as the Worcester-Providence Turnpike...
) from I-290 in Worcester to the Mass Pike and then south to
Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
History
Originally, I-290 was to rejoin I-90 in
WestboroWestborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,272 at the 2010 census. The town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed by a five member elected Board of Selectmen whose duties include licensing, appointing various...
, roughly where I-495 sits now. However, this route would have run through the town centers of
Shrewsbury-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,640 people, 12,366 households, and 8,693 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 12,696 housing units at an average density of...
and
NorthboroughNorthborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The official spelling of the town's name is "Northborough", but the shorter spelling "Northboro" is also used...
. Additionally, I-290 was intended to be extended past I-495 to
I-95Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
/Route 128 in
WalthamWaltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
, but this was canceled under pressure from towns along the planned route. A brief two-lane connector heads to
Route 85Route 85, is a north–south state highway in Massachusetts, United States. It passes through the heart of Boston's MetroWest region, through towns on the eastern edge of Worcester County and western edge of Middlesex County, crossing the border between the two counties four times...
as a result of this aborted plan. The interchange with I-495 was originally supposed to be a
cloverleafA cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which left turns, reverse direction in left-driving regions, are handled by ramp roads...
, but after the plan was canceled, it was modified with a
flyoverAn overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
ramp onto 495-northbound.
Exit list
| Location |
Exit # |
Mile |
Destinations |
Notes |
| Auburn Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,188 at the 2010 census.- History :Auburn was first settled in 1789 and was officially incorporated in 1808 as the town of Ward, in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward...
|
7 |
0 |
Mass PikeThe Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
|
No exit to Route 12 SB |
| 8 |
0.1 |
– Auburn, Webster |
Westbound exit only |
| 9 |
1.4 |
Swanson Road (EB), Auburn Street (WB) – Auburn |
|
WorcesterWorcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
|
10 |
3.2 |
|
Westbound exit / Eastbound entrance only |
| 11 |
3.8 |
College Square, Federal Square, Southbridge Street |
|
| 12 |
4.7 |
– Brosnihan Square, Millbury |
Westbound exit / Eastbound entrance only. |
| 13 |
5.3 |
(Vernon Street) – Kelley Square |
|
| 14 |
5.6 |
– Barre, Uxbridge |
No westbound entrance. |
| 15 |
5.9 |
Shrewsbury Street |
Eastbound exit / Westbound entrance only. |
| 16 |
6.1 |
MLK Jr. Boulevard – Downtown Worcester |
Amtrak/Commuter Rail station |
| 17 |
6.6 |
– Ware, Framingham |
Worcester Regional Airport. Eastbound exit / Westbound entrance only. |
| 18 |
6.8 |
To Route 9 – Ware, Framingham |
Worcester Regional Airport. Westbound exit / Eastbound entrance only. |
| 19 |
7.7 |
– Holden, Fitchburg |
Eastbound exit is combined with exit 20 |
| 20 |
8.4 |
(Lincoln Street), Burncoat Street |
Eastbound exit is combined with exit 19 |
| 21 |
9.6 |
Plantation Street – Worcester |
Eastbound exit / Westbound entrance only. |
Shrewsbury-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,640 people, 12,366 households, and 8,693 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 12,696 housing units at an average density of...
|
22 |
10.2 |
Main Street – Shrewsbury, Worcester |
|
| 23A-B |
12.7 |
– Shrewsbury, Boylston |
|
| Northborough Northborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The official spelling of the town's name is "Northborough", but the shorter spelling "Northboro" is also used...
|
24 |
14.9 |
Church Street – Northboro, Boylston |
| 25A-B |
17.9 |
Hudson Street/Solomon Pond Mall The Solomon Pond Mall is operated and co-owned by Simon Property Group and is located off Interstate 290, near its terminus at Interstate 495, in Marlborough, Massachusetts....
Road – Northboro, Berlin |
MarlboroughMarlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,499 at the 2010 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high technology industry in the late 20th century after the construction of the...
|
26A-B |
20.0 |
– Cape Cod, Lowell
Route 85 Connector – To – Hudson |
External links