is a
Freeway south of
I-93 in Southeastern
Massachusetts , linking
Fall River with the
Boston Metropolitan Area . Route 24 is also known as the ''Fall River Expressway'', and officially as the ''Amvets Highway''. Route 24 has a total of 21 exits including the split at its northern terminus with
Interstate 93 .
The
Highway starts at the
Rhode Island border as a continuation of
Route 24 and meets
Interstate 195 in
Fall River . It briefly runs concurrently with
I-195 east (for less than a mile), then travels north, merging with
Route 79 around Exit 7 (Fall River). From here they travel north until Exit 9 (
Assonet ). At this point, 79 exits and 24 continues north, ending at a split junction with
Interstate 93 in
Randolph . This section of I-93 from Braintree to its junction with I-95 is frequently referred to by its former designation of
Route 128 .
The original portion of Route 24 opened in 1951, and brought commuters from Exit 10 in Assonet to
Raynham . Route 24 is currently 40 miles (65 km) in length with 20 exits.
There have been calls over the years for Route 24 to be upgraded to an interstate highway. In April 2007 the Old Colony Regional Planning Council included this proposal in its 25-year regional transportation plan draft. The Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) endorsed a similar proposal the month before. In 1997, a study was initiated by the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) and the SRPEDD on what improvements were necessary in order to convert the route to an Interstate highway. The project would require major upgrades to 11 interchanges and minor work on 6 others. The proposal was tabled due to high costs projected for reconstruction of part of the highway south of
Interstate 495 . The current proposal seeks to have the route improved to interstate standards by 2020, the cost for the Stoughton to Bridgewater portion alone is estimated at $224 million.
The original Route 24 the one before 1951, is now known as
Route 124 on
Cape Cod . Route 24, along with
Route 138 , are both built parallel to an old Indian trail that went along the same north/south route from south of the Boston area into Boston.
- The speed limit on Route 24 is 65 MPH .
MA 24 Fall River Expressway on Bostonroads.com
Sandy Coleman. "Route 24 Crashes Raise Call for Study." The Boston Globe. October 15, 2006.
Kevin Tocci. "Old Colony Planning Council Backs Interstate Status for Route 24." The Brockton Enterprise. April 17, 2007.
