Massachusetts Roads - MA 30


Certified Wicked Old.
Green signs with cut corners date from the 1960's; there are more on Maple Ave. connecting US 1 and MA 62.

Two errors: shield width and bad paint.


MA 30 EB touches MA 9 here, but then strikes out on its own again before beginning a short multiplex. The WB side of that duplex is perfectly fine, but the EB side is all screwed up - traffic uses local streets to get to MA 9 EB, and then uses MA 126 to get back to 30 from there.


Three old (embossed) signs heading westbound. The first sign (cats eyes) is the oldest, and the arrow is probably second-oldest. Not to call the embossed GO SLOW sign young.


Common St. in Southborough is a small loop up a hillside that was likely the original turnpike, though the stone says to use it as part of a cutoff for Hudson and Concord instead of proceeding to the traffic light at MA 85.


The first is on Edgell Rd. SB, which is carrying MA 30 EB traffic that was forced off of Pleasant Street due to one-wayness. The second is on the ramp down to MA 9-30, when you already have no choice. For photos from the MA 9 multiplex, please visit the link at the bottom.


Speaking of Edgell Rd., the first photo is on Grove St. EB at Centre Common in Framingham, where traffic turning left picks up MA 30 EB around the common and traffic turning right will soon be brought to MA 30 WB. The second photo is leaving MA 9 on the ramp to Edgell Rd./Main St.


A new-looking sign still has a straight-through arrow, as if it were copying an older sign in the area.


The handmade sign is EB at Wellesley Ave. (turns into Weston Ave. once it crosses the border, guess which two towns it connects), and the paddle sign is NB on Wellesley Ave. at MA 30.

WB at Newton St.

The next five pictures, and the one atop this page, were taken WB on MA 30 at the interchange with I-90 and I-95.


I bet there was a Pilgrim hat to the left of the I-90 shield once. I then lost that bet, because according to Chris Commans, there was never anything in that space. A hat seems like the most likely option, though.


These are all at the same intersection, left to right. The center sign must have said GREEN instead of LEFT once, with a different signal arrangement perhaps.


Through Newton, MA 30 uses half of Commonwealth Avenue, the half that would be eastbound-only if both sides were in use. The EB side was widened for this purpose, while the WB side is a local-access WB-only road with one travel and one parking lane. This closed-off bridge is the WB side - the local traffic must merge back into the EB side to cross I-90. What's interesting is that you can plainly see a double-yellow stripe over the center of the bridge - my guess is that the bridges were reconstructed, and this one temporarily carried two-way MA 30 through traffic (according to John F. Carr, the last time was in 1995).

Now moving on to the MA 16 intersection. Only at 16 does 30 break stride and widen into both sides of the road ever so briefly.


Where the WB side crosses back over to the EB side, west of MA 16.


Closeups of the barricade, with old sign and creative reflective arrows. Notice that due to lack of traffic, dead foliage accumulates around the barrier.


EB and WB at the eastern divergence - there are no barricades here because there is no chance of fast traffic entering the local road, but rather local traffic may want to exit. The EB side is wider and has a new pavement job, while the WB side doesn't even get useful pavement markings.


EB and WB, opposite sides of the same sign. Signage assumes no traffic on MA 30 would want to turn the opposite direction on MA 16, while signage on 16 is just the generic 30 square with a double arrow. Like old LGS's, these have arrow through number, but unlike them, these also have a fat font.


It's getting better. The top faces the WB side of the road, and bottom faces EB, opposite sides of the same sign just west of MA 16. MINUS and PLUS refer to house numbers, though 1754 could be mistaken for the date of this sign. The letters and numbers look hand-placed, as if set in a die.


Of course, the best for last. MA 30 EB just after Comm. Ave. has widened out for the 16 intersection. Click for a closeup of the amazingly old shield whose numerals turn white in flash photography, while the background doesn't reflect any light.


Moving on toward Boston, Comm. Ave. bears left while another road doesn't, followed by the easternmost green sign on the route at Chestnut Hill Ave. It's about to end at US 20.

Onto MA 9 and the 9/30 duplex

Onto I-90
Onto I-95
Onto MA 16
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