Here is a video covering the issues facing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation - and the concerns of the public – arising from a project to replace the Route 20 bridge in West Springfield, MA. (Four lanes of traffic will be reduced to two during construction.)
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Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
US 20 In Massachussets: Start Point Video
The DemocratHerald.com (an Albany, Oregon newspaper) has listed an on-line editor entry covering their discovery of the eastern terminus of US Route 20 in Massachusetts. There is a short video on the blog, which can only be viewed on the blog page. If you click on the article link below, it will take you to the video.
The eastern end of U.S. Route 20
Posted by Graham Kislingbury July 15, 2008
One day while in Boston in the early 1990s, I noticed a highway sign with the number 20.
“Is this the Highway 20 that starts in Newport, Oregon?” I asked a guy.
“It’s the one,” he told me, adding that it ends (or starts, depending on your geographic perspective) right there in Boston.
I couldn’t believe it. I had no idea that our Highway 20 meandered through parts of 12 states from coast to coast.
And that got me thinking about someday traveling Highway 20 from Boston to Newport and doing stories and photos about the people I’d encounter along the way. I envisioned starting with the guys from “Car Talk,” who are based across the Charles River from Boston in Cambridge. Mass, and ending with a Vietnam veteran in on the Vietnam veterans memorial pathway to the beach in Newport, about one mile from the western terminus of U.S. 20 at the intersection with U.S. Route 101.
I’ll probably never do that cross-country storytelling journey. It’s been done many times, I’ve been told. What could I add to it?
Last Saturday, however, I decided to satisfy my curiosity about one Highway 20 question: Where exactly does it end in Boston? After spending 10 days in Massachusetts visiting my wife Nancy’s family, we had three hours to wander around Boston before heading to Logan Airport for our flight back to Oregon. So after driving downtown and past Boston Common, we steered toward the end of Highway 20.
The rental car company’s map wasn’t very detailed, but it showed Highway 20 ending at Route 2. We parked on a nearby street with attractive brownstone residences and offices — all owned by Boston University — then walked west along busy Commonwealth Avenue. In about two blocks, Nancy saw a sign mounted at the intersection of Commonwealth and Beacon Street: “End 20.”
This spot is in the heart of Kenmore Square (really more of a triangle). It’s the site of a lot of road construction this summer. I pulled out the video camera (see the video below) to record the moment. Red Sox fans walking toward Fenway Park two blocks away, cars going through the intersection and some commentary by Nancy, who is happy I’ve gotten Highway 20 out of my system.
Here’s some other tidbits about U.S. 20 that I found in Wikipedia:
At 3,365 miles, it’s the longest road in the U.S.
In addition to Oregon and Massachusetts, it goes through parts of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
The Oregon section of Highway 20 comprises seven highways, including the Corvallis-Newport Highway No. 33 and the Albany-Corvallis Highway 31.
Until 1940, the western endpoint of U.S. 20 was the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found here.
The eastern end of U.S. Route 20
Posted by Graham Kislingbury July 15, 2008
One day while in Boston in the early 1990s, I noticed a highway sign with the number 20.
“Is this the Highway 20 that starts in Newport, Oregon?” I asked a guy.
“It’s the one,” he told me, adding that it ends (or starts, depending on your geographic perspective) right there in Boston.
I couldn’t believe it. I had no idea that our Highway 20 meandered through parts of 12 states from coast to coast.
And that got me thinking about someday traveling Highway 20 from Boston to Newport and doing stories and photos about the people I’d encounter along the way. I envisioned starting with the guys from “Car Talk,” who are based across the Charles River from Boston in Cambridge. Mass, and ending with a Vietnam veteran in on the Vietnam veterans memorial pathway to the beach in Newport, about one mile from the western terminus of U.S. 20 at the intersection with U.S. Route 101.
I’ll probably never do that cross-country storytelling journey. It’s been done many times, I’ve been told. What could I add to it?
Last Saturday, however, I decided to satisfy my curiosity about one Highway 20 question: Where exactly does it end in Boston? After spending 10 days in Massachusetts visiting my wife Nancy’s family, we had three hours to wander around Boston before heading to Logan Airport for our flight back to Oregon. So after driving downtown and past Boston Common, we steered toward the end of Highway 20.
The rental car company’s map wasn’t very detailed, but it showed Highway 20 ending at Route 2. We parked on a nearby street with attractive brownstone residences and offices — all owned by Boston University — then walked west along busy Commonwealth Avenue. In about two blocks, Nancy saw a sign mounted at the intersection of Commonwealth and Beacon Street: “End 20.”
This spot is in the heart of Kenmore Square (really more of a triangle). It’s the site of a lot of road construction this summer. I pulled out the video camera (see the video below) to record the moment. Red Sox fans walking toward Fenway Park two blocks away, cars going through the intersection and some commentary by Nancy, who is happy I’ve gotten Highway 20 out of my system.
Here’s some other tidbits about U.S. 20 that I found in Wikipedia:
At 3,365 miles, it’s the longest road in the U.S.
In addition to Oregon and Massachusetts, it goes through parts of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
The Oregon section of Highway 20 comprises seven highways, including the Corvallis-Newport Highway No. 33 and the Albany-Corvallis Highway 31.
Until 1940, the western endpoint of U.S. 20 was the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found here.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
US 20 in Massachusetts: Jacob’s Ladder Scenic Byway
In Massachusetts, the state where Route 20 has its beginning, there is a 33-mile stretch called “Jacob’s Ladder.” It was designated a Massachusetts scenic byway in 1992, and is located between the towns of Russell and Lee, Massachusetts. It represents the perfect picturesque view of small town New England, with the backdrop of the Berkshires.The web site for National Scenic Byways describes the history of this trail:
“The Jacob's Ladder Trail originated centuries ago when people from the Mohican and Woronoake tribes walked between Connecticut and the Hudson River Valleys. The trail has now been transformed into one of the most beautiful roads in the United States. During 1910, authorities had the road built as the first highway specifically constructed for the new state-of-the-art horseless wagons, or automobiles. Adventurers from many places came to test themselves and their machines against the rugged terrain. At the time, there were potholes that could hide a tire, mud so deep it could bury a car, and small boulders blocking the road. Today, however, Jacob's Ladder Trail is a pleasant drive for motorists of a less venturesome sort. Many have appreciated the inspiring landscape of the Berkshire Hills while driving this relaxing route.
Not long after the road was built, it became known as the "Yellowstone Trail." This was because it joined with a highway that linked the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans together. The road stretched from Boston to Oregon. However, locals know this byway best as "The First of the Great Mountain Crossovers" because of the audacity and vision the engineers demonstrated by constructing this road over the wild mountains and through Jacob's Ladder Corridor.
In addition to sightseeing, visitors will find a lot of fun activities in the surrounding areas. Some of these include participating in the annual canoe race, visiting the abundant art and craft shops, or fishing some of the many lakes and streams. For those interested in the performing arts, dancers from all over the world converge at the annual Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival to put on many wonderful shows. Dancers from China, Russia, and other countries have expressed their fondness for this special community event.”
There are several web sites dedicated to this beautiful stretch of US Route 20:
Jacob’s Ladder Trail Scenic Byway This site explains what may be the history behind the name of the trail.
Jacob’s Ladder Scenic Byway
The Berkshire Web (Jacob’s Ladder Trail Page)
It sounds like a great drive in any season, rich in history and beautiful sights!
The US Route 20 Blog homepage can be found here.
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