Plimoth Plantation Highway
Encyclopedia
Plimoth Plantation Highway is a short unnumbered two-lane freeway
with plastic stanchion
s posted on a rumbled asphalt median in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
, Plymouth Beach
and the village of Chiltonville
and heads toward White Horse Beach
and Manomet
via Route 3A.
and Plymouth, now renamed Route 3A, until 1957 when Route 3 south of Exit 4 opened and assumed its current alignment. An Act naming the two-mile (3 km) spur Plimoth Plantation Highway was approved on April 3, 1969, 18 years after the highway had opened. The Act references the highway as being Exit 40, the old exit number before the Massachusetts Highway Department
renumbered the exit in 1978.
The entire highway is located in Plymouth, in Plymouth County
.
Two-lane freeway
A two-lane expressway is an expressway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes rise. The term super two is often used by roadgeeks for this type of road, but traffic...
with plastic stanchion
Stanchion
A stanchion is an upright bar or post, often providing support for some other object.* An architectural term applied to the upright iron bars in windows that pass through the eyes of the saddle bars or horizontal irons to steady the leadlight. A stanchion is an upright bar or post, often...
s posted on a rumbled asphalt median in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Route description
The highway begins at Exit 4 off Route 3, a partial interchange which is accessible only from the southbound side from which there is a left exit. Motorists on Plimoth Plantation Highway headed toward Route 3 can enter that highway northbound only. Exit 5 is nearby in order to reverse direction on Route 3. The highway serves Plimoth PlantationPlimoth Plantation
Plimoth Plantation is a living museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts that shows the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by English colonists, some of whom later became known as Pilgrims. They were among the first people who emigrated to America to avoid religious...
, Plymouth Beach
Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts
Plymouth Beach is a small village located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is located directly south of Plymouth Center, and is adjacent to Plimoth Plantation...
and the village of Chiltonville
Chiltonville, Massachusetts
Chiltonville is a small village in Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is located south of Wellingsley, northeast of South Pond, and consists of the Eel River valley and the land that stretches south of the river to the Pine Hills. Plimoth Plantation is in the northeastern part of the village...
and heads toward White Horse Beach
White Horse Beach, Massachusetts
White Horse Beach is a village of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It consists of 560 feet of public beach in the White Horse Beach, Massachusetts section of Plymouth and is located on Cape Cod Bay, south of Priscilla Beach...
and Manomet
Manomet, Massachusetts
Manomet is a seaside village of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is named for the Manomet Native American sub-group of the Wampanoag whose settlement was located atop the dominant hill in the region when European settlers arrived in Plymouth in 1620. Manomet has a Post Office in the...
via Route 3A.
History
The first segment of Route 3 opened up in 1951 from what is now Exit 9 to Exit 4 and used Plimoth Plantation Highway temporarily to detour around the old Route 3 in KingstonKingston, Massachusetts
Kingston is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the 2010 Census, it had a population of 12,629.-History:Before European settlers arrived in Kingston it was within the tribal home to the Wampanoag people...
and Plymouth, now renamed Route 3A, until 1957 when Route 3 south of Exit 4 opened and assumed its current alignment. An Act naming the two-mile (3 km) spur Plimoth Plantation Highway was approved on April 3, 1969, 18 years after the highway had opened. The Act references the highway as being Exit 40, the old exit number before the Massachusetts Highway Department
Massachusetts Highway Department
The Massachusetts Highway Department was the former name of the highway department in the United States Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1991 until it became the highway division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on November 1, 2009...
renumbered the exit in 1978.
Exit list
Exits are unnumbered on Plimoth Plantation Highway. They are listed from west to east.The entire highway is located in Plymouth, in Plymouth County
Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton...
.
| Mile | Intersecting roads | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.00 |  Route 3 |
Route 3, exit 4: southbound exit and northbound entrance only |
| Sandwich Road | Chiltonville Chiltonville, Massachusetts Chiltonville is a small village in Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is located south of Wellingsley, northeast of South Pond, and consists of the Eel River valley and the land that stretches south of the river to the Pine Hills. Plimoth Plantation is in the northeastern part of the village... , Plymouth Beach Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts Plymouth Beach is a small village located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is located directly south of Plymouth Center, and is adjacent to Plimoth Plantation... |
|
| Plimoth Plantation Plimoth Plantation Plimoth Plantation is a living museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts that shows the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by English colonists, some of whom later became known as Pilgrims. They were among the first people who emigrated to America to avoid religious... |
Eastbound exit empties onto River Street, the street name of which is unsigned. This exit is always open. Entrance to Plimoth Plantation is ¼ mile on right after turning right from ramp. Westbound exit leads directly into Plimoth Plantation. There is no access onto River Street. This exit is open seasonally, approximately from late March until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and only during the museum’s operating hours. | |
| 2.04 |  Route 3A |
Highway merges onto Route 3A south toward Manomet Manomet, Massachusetts Manomet is a seaside village of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is named for the Manomet Native American sub-group of the Wampanoag whose settlement was located atop the dominant hill in the region when European settlers arrived in Plymouth in 1620. Manomet has a Post Office in the... but two left-hand modified jughandle Jughandle A jughandle is a type of ramp or slip road that changes the way traffic turns left at at-grade intersections. Instead of a standard left turn being made from the left lane, left-turning traffic uses a ramp on the right side of the road... s (the first with a guide sign, the other without) are nearby to reverse direction onto Route 3A north toward Plymouth Beach Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts Plymouth Beach is a small village located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is located directly south of Plymouth Center, and is adjacent to Plimoth Plantation... . Plimoth Plantation Highway westbound is accessed from Route 3A via a left exit from Route 3A north. Motorists on Route 3A south wishing to access Plimoth Plantation Highway can choose either of the two left-hand jughandles mentioned previously. |
Overpass and Underpass List
This is a list of the crossings that pass over or under the Plimoth Plantation Highway. They are listed from west to east.- Route 3 North (Overpass; only over the eastbound side of the Plimoth Plantation Highway)
- Sandwich Road (Overpass)
- River Street (Overpass)
- Eel RiverEel River (Massachusetts)The Eel River is a river mostly in the village of Chiltonville in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Its headwaters are springs and small ponds above Russell Millpond. Its watershed encompasses approximately...
(Underpass) - Clifford Road (Underpass)
- Route 3A South (Overpass; only over the westbound side of the Plimoth Plantation Highway)