Interstate 391

Interstate 391
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap I-391 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-91
Maintained by MassDOT
Length	4.86 mi[1] (7.82 km)
Existed	1982[2]–present
Major junctions
South end	I-91 in Chicopee, MA
North end	High Street in Holyoke, MA
Location
Counties	Hampden
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State ← Route 295 → I-395

Interstate 391 (I-391) is an Auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. State of Massachusetts. It runs from the I-91/I-391 interchange in Chicopee to the center of Holyoke, a distance of about 4.86 mi (7.82 km). It runs near the Connecticut River throughout its journey in Chicopee, and crosses into Holyoke and abruptly ends at High Street 0.4 miles (0.64 km) south of U.S. Route 202.^[1]

Route description[]

I-391 during construction, 1980

Interstate 391 begins at an interchange with I-91 (at Exit 12) in southern Chicopee, just north of the Atwater Park and the Calvary Cemetery. Initially running parallel to the Connecticut River, it intersects with Route 116 in Chicopee center and crosses the Chicopee River. I-391 then has another junction with Route 116 in the Sandy Hill section of town, and in less than one mile (1.6 km), it crosses underneath the Massachusetts Turnpike without an interchange. I-391 continues north through the rest of northern Chicopee, intersecting Route 141 along the way and then passing just east of Rivers Park. I-391 then crosses the Connecticut River into the city of Holyoke, where it has two closely spaced exits for local streets in the town. I-391 officially comes to an end at High Street in Holyoke, with the road continuing as Resnic Boulevard, which connects to US 202 after 0.4 miles (0.64 km).^[3]

History[]

Plans for the highway originated from the Master Highway Plan for the Springfield Metropolitan Area in 1953, which planned for a "major street improvement" to Route 116. By the 1960s, freeway access was needed between Chicopee and Holyoke to improve traffic flow which prompted a spur route of Interstate 91 to be built.^{[citation needed]} I-391's planned six lanes were built to handle up to 50,000 vehicles every day, and the total cost of the proposed highway was estimated at about $35 million. In 1965, an alignment of the highway had been set, along with two alternative alignments. Construction for Interstate 391 began in 1967 with a short 0.75-mile-long (1.21 km) highway, which was completed in 1970. After years of no progress, construction started again in 1978. The highway was completed in 1982 after about 15 years of planning and construction.^[2]

An interchange with the Mass Pike (I-90) was part of the original proposal, as it would have connected the Mass Pike to Chicopee and Holyoke, though it was never built.^{[citation needed]}

I-391 just before the Route 141 interchange

Exit list[]

All exit numbers in Massachusetts were to eventually be renumbered to mileage-based numbers under a future project, but that project was postponed until on November 18, 2019, MassDOT announced that this route will not be changing the exit numbers.^[5][6][7]

The entire route is in Hampden County. ^[8]

Location[8]	mi[8]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Chicopee	0.00– 0.62	0.00– 1.00	1	I-91 – Springfield, Hartford, CT, Greenfield	Signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north); exit 9 on I-91
	0.95	1.53	2	Route 116 – Chicopee Center	To Elms College
	1.90	3.06	3	Route 116 – Westover ARB, Willimansett
	3.86	6.21	4	Route 141 – Chicopee Falls, Willimansett	Southern end of former overlap with Route 141; split into exits 4A (east) and 4B (west) southbound
Connecticut River	4.50	7.24	Bridge
Holyoke	4.59	7.39	5	Main Street	Former Route 141 north; northbound exit and southbound entrance
	4.94	7.95	6	Commercial Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	5.16	8.30	–	High Street Resnic Boulevard to US 202	At-grade intersection
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

References[]

Further reading[]

• U.S. Department of Transportation; Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Works (1974). I-391 Chicopee-Holyoke Massachusetts Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Report).

External links[]

Route map:

• I-391 Historical Overview from bostonroads.com
• Mass. I-391 Current and Future Exit Numbers List