Signs For New Massachusetts Exit Numbers Will Start Going Up In October
BOSTON (CBS) -- Change is coming soon to Massachusetts highway exit numbers. MassDOT Sec. Stephanie Pollack said construction is set to start next month on the project to renumber exits in the state based on mileage.
The coronavirus pandemic has slightly delayed the project, which is part of a federal mandate the state has to meet or risk losing funds. New Hampshire and Delaware are the only other states who have yet to implement the change.
Construction will begin the week of Oct. 18 on Route 140 between New Bedford and Taunton. The project will continue through at least next summer. "Old" exit numbers will stay up alongside the new mileage-based signs for about two years.
Route 3, Route 24, Route 128, Route 140, Route 3, Route 6 and interstates I-93, I-95, I-195 and I-295 will all be getting new exit numbers, MassDOT said. The agency has said there are several benefits to the change, including making it easier for drivers to calculate the distance to their destination and better emergency response.
MassDOT has launched an interactive website, NewMassExits.com, to show what the new mileage-based exit numbers will be.
A public meeting to finalize the schedule for the eastern part of the state is planned for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Work schedules have not yet been submitted by contractors for the central and western regions of Massachusetts, according to MassDOT.
