Interstate 290 (Massachusetts)

Template:Routeboxint Interstate 290 (abbreviated I-290) runs for 20 miles from Auburn, Massachusetts to Marlborough, Massachusetts. It is a continuation of I-395 North of I-90 (the Mass Pike) and runs through downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, I-190 splits off, and I-290 runs across Lake Quinsigamond and east to I-495 in Marlborough. The portion in Worcester is elevated and much despised - it split the city in two. 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 is currently building a freeway connector (Route 146) from I-290 in Worcester to the Mass Pike and then south to Providence, Rhode Island.

Originally, I-290 was to rejoin I-90 in Westborough, roughly where I-495 sits now. But this route would have run through the town centers of Shrewsbury and Northborough. The current alignment misses both towns, and was to be extended all the way to I-95. This also was met with stiff local resistance, especially by Marlborough residents, and the plan was cancelled. A brief two-lane connector heads to Route 85, as a result of this aborted plan. The interchange was originally supposed to be a cloverleaf, but after the plan was cancelled, it was modifed with a flyover ramp onto 495-northbound.

List of interchanges

Interchange	Location	Road(s) Crossed	Distance from Last Exit (mi)	Notes
I-290 ends at the I-90/I-395 interchange Route and exit numbering continues on I-395
7	Auburn	(I-90/Route 12 northbound)	0
8	Auburn	(Route 12 southbound)	0	Westbound exit only
9	Auburn	Swanson Road (EB), Auburn Street (WB)	1.2
10	Worcester	(Route 12)	2.3	Westbound exit / Eastbound entrance only
11	Worcester	College & Southbridge Streets	0.3	To College Square, Federal Square
12	Worcester	(Route 146)	0.7	To Brosnihan Square, Millbury. Westbound exit / Eastbound entrance only.
13	Worcester	(Route 122A)	0.8	To Vernon Street, Kelley Square
14	Worcester	(Route 122)	0.4	To Barre, Uxbridge. No westbound entrance.
15	Worcester	Shrewsbury Street	0.2	Eastbound exit / Westbound entrance only.
16	Worcester	Central Street	0.2	To Downtown Worcester, Amtrak/Commuter Rail station
17	Worcester	(Route 9)	0.5	To Ware, Framingham/Worcester Regional Airport. Eastbound exit / Westbound entrance only.
18	Worcester	(Route 70)	0.2	To Route 9 (Ware, Framingham)/Worcester Regional Airport. Westbound exit / Eastbound entrance only.
19	Worcester	(I-190)	0.7	To Holden, Fitchburg
20	Worcester	(Route 70)	1.1
21	Worcester	Plantation Street	1.0	Eastbound exit / Westbound entrance only.
22	Shrewsbury	Main Street	0.8
23AB	Shrewsbury	(Route 140)	2.5	To Shrewsbury, Boylston
24	Northborough	Church Street	2.1	To Northborough, Boylston
25AB	Northborough/Marlborough	Hudson Street/Solomon Pond Mall Road	3.0	To Northborough, Berlin
26AB	Marlborough	(I-495)/Route 85 - I-290 Connector	2.0	To Cape Cod, Lowell, (Route 85)

External links

• History of I-290 MA - BostonRoads.com