MA 57

Length: 45.42 mi (73.10 km)

From: MA 23/MA 183 in Monterey

To: US 5 in Agawam

Eastbound

EB bearing right at Steepletop Rd. in New Marlborough. Then crossing the Tolland town line into Granville.

EB in Southwick with some fun intersection signs, in order: approaching Fred Jackson Rd./Hastings Rd., Hillside Rd., and Maple St.

A few paddle signs on the multiplex with US 202/MA 10 through central Southwick.

EB along Feeding Hills Rd./Southwick St.; first sign was at the end of Powder Mill Rd. and pointed to 57 EB (see the little arrow?), but has since been removed; second sign was after Foster Rd./N. Longyard Rd. but has been moved about 50 feet closer to the intersection and had the order of the signs switched (as they should be); now approaching MA 187 in Agawam, the paddle signs are fine but the shields are so close to the CT border that they've been contaminated! I guess it's a good thing they're gone now.

EB with MA 187 SB, though the roads would rather be in Connecticut; the first pair of shields are gone and were replaced by a correct MA 57, but MA 187 was disregarded, second pair still exists after Shoemaker Lane.

EB shield and paddle sign as MA 57 separates from MA 187 to become the Henry E. Bodurtha Highway; the assembly with the bent over freeway-size 57 shield has since been replaced and now sports a normal-size shield.

EB shield on the still-incomplete freeway and a MA 57-specific mile marker.

For some history, the freeway section between US 5 and MA 159 opened first, in 1959, then it was completed to Mill St. in 1966, before finally being extended to MA 187 starting in 1991, though it wouldn't open until 1995. Plans still exist to complete the freeway to Southwick, but these remain on hold.

The downtown Springfield viaduct on I-91 was being reconstructed when I came thru in 2017; that viaduct originally opened to traffic in December 1970.

Photos continue EB approaching the MA 75 exit.