Editing Interstate 93 (section)

==History==

===Southeast Expressway===
{{Attached KML|from=Southeast Expressway (Massachusetts)}}
The Southeast Expressway was constructed between 1954 and 1959, at the same time the [[John F. Fitzgerald Expressway]] (Central Artery) was built. Its northern terminus is at exit&nbsp;15 (southbound) or 15B (northbound) (former exit&nbsp;18; Frontage Road) in [[South Boston]], a former [[Y interchange]] where the canceled [[Southwest Corridor (Massachusetts)|Southwest Corridor]]/[[I-95]] was to meet with I-93 and run concurrent northward into downtown. The southern terminus is at the Y interchange (the "[[Braintree Split]]") at exit&nbsp;7 in [[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]] (the former southern terminus of [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route&nbsp;128]]). A section of the expressway, beginning south of the Savin Hill overpass and ending just before the Braintree Split, utilizes a [[zipper lane]], in which a movable barrier carves out a reversible [[high-occupancy vehicle lane]] (HOV lane) on the non-peak side of the highway during [[rush hour]]. Most of the right of way for the [[Granite Railway]] in [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]] and [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] was incorporated into the expressway.<ref name=Crane>{{cite web |title = The Successor Railroads |url = http://thomascranelibrary.org/legacy/chap9.htm |publisher = [[Thomas Crane Library]] |access-date = September 12, 2017 |archive-date = March 5, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010350/http://thomascranelibrary.org/legacy/chap9.htm |url-status = dead }}</ref>

On August 21, 1969, a train of three runaway locomotives burst out of what is now [[Cabot Yard]], across Frontage Road, and blocked the northbound side of the highway.<ref>[https://www.universalhub.com/comment/800012 The day some locomotives made a break for it on the Southeast Expressway]</ref>

===Boston===
{{further|John F. Fitzgerald Expressway|Big Dig}}
[[File:Boston-big-dig-oldtraffic.png|thumb|left|Route of the original Central Artery, as well as other roadways affected by the Big Dig]]
[[File:Boston-big-dig.png|thumb|Route of the new Central Artery after the Big Dig]]
[[File:Tunnel-large.jpg|thumb|right|I-93 through the O'Neill Tunnel]]
[[File:Leonard_P._Zakim_Bridge_view_from_Causeway_Street.jpg|thumb|right|I-93 passing by [[TD Garden]] as it travels on the Zakim Bridge]]
[[File:South Bay Interchange.jpg|thumb|right|The [[South Bay Interchange]] (looking south) to the [[Southeast Expressway (Massachusetts)|Southeast Expressway]] with [[Great Blue Hill]] visible in the background]]
[[File:South Bay Interchange Closeup.jpg|thumb|right|alt=South Bay Interchange Closeup|A closer view of the South Bay Interchange]]

The [[Central Artery]], officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway, was a section of highway in Downtown Boston constructed in the 1950s and was originally designed as a fully [[elevated highway]]. This new highway was greatly disliked by the citizens of the city because it cut the heart of the city in half; cast long, dreary shadows; and was an eyesore to the community. Because of the public outcry, Governor [[John A. Volpe]] ordered the southern half of the highway redesigned so that it was underground; this section became known as the [[Dewey Square Tunnel]]. With the cancelation of the highway projects leading into the city in 1972 by Governor [[Francis Sargent]], the Central Artery gained the designation of I-93 in 1974. It has also carried the local highway designations of [[U.S. Route 1|US&nbsp;1]] (since 1989) and [[Massachusetts Route 3|Route&nbsp;3]].

By the mid-1970s, I-93 had outgrown its capacity and had begun to deteriorate due to a lack of maintenance. State Transportation Secretary [[Frederick P. Salvucci]], aware of the issues surrounding the elevated roadway, proposed a plan conceived in the early 1970s by the [[Boston Transportation Planning Review]] to replace the rusting elevated six-lane Central Artery with a new, more efficient underground roadway. This plan was merged with a long-standing proposal to build a third harbor tunnel to alleviate congestion in the [[Sumner Tunnel|Sumner]] and [[Callahan Tunnel|Callahan]] tunnels to [[East Boston]]; the new plan became known as the Central Artery/Tunnel Project or the [[Big Dig]].

These new roadways were built during a 12-year period from 1994 to early 2006. The massive project became the largest urban construction project ever undertaken in US history.<ref name="The Associated Press">{{cite news |url = http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/07/12/bigdigdeath.ap/index.html |title = Review Begins After Big Dig Tunnel Collapse |publisher = CNN |date = July 12, 2006 |access-date = July 25, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060715075257/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/07/12/bigdigdeath.ap/index.html |archive-date = July 15, 2006 }}</ref> Construction on the new I-93 segment was not without serious issues: a lengthy federal environmental review pushed the start of construction back from approximately 1990, causing many inflationary increases, while funding for the project was the subject of several political battles between President [[Ronald Reagan]] and Representative [[Tip O'Neill]]. Major construction on the new roadway was done while maintaining the old roadway, a step that also greatly increased the cost of the project. The original [[Charles River]] crossing, named Scheme Z, was the object of great public outcry similar to that of the building of the original highway. The outcry eventually led to the replacement of Scheme Z with a newer, more sleek [[cable-stayed bridge]] and complementing exit for [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], increasing the cost even more.

In Downtown Boston, I-93 is made up of the [[O'Neill Tunnel]] and [[Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge]], which spans the Charles River. The underground construction of the tunnel system was completed as of October 2006; however, repairs continue to many parts of the tunnel due to water leakage because of improper construction of the [[slurry wall]]s supporting the O'Neill Tunnel. The former route of the above-ground Artery, so named "the other [[Green Monster]]" by Mayor [[Thomas Menino]], was replaced mostly by open space known formally as the [[Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway]].{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

Additional improvements were done in the [[South Bay Interchange|South Bay]] section of the highway: the I-90/I-93 interchange was completely redesigned, a new [[HOV lane]] extending from the zipper lane in Quincy was added and the South Boston Haul road that was constructed to bypass truck traffic around residential streets in the South End was opened to general traffic.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

Hazardous cargos are prohibited from I-93 in Boston over safety issues in the tunnels; these cargos must exit at either the [[Leverett Circle]] connector when traveling southbound or at the Massachusetts Avenue exit when traveling northbound.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

===Northern Expressway===
{{Attached KML|from=Northern Expressway (Massachusetts)}}
The Northern Expressway was constructed from [[Medford, Massachusetts|Medford]] to the New Hampshire border between 1956 and 1963. It was extended through [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]] and [[Charlestown, Boston|Charlestown]] to the [[Central Artery]], [[U.S. Route 1|US&nbsp;1]], and the planned route of the [[Inner Belt Expressway]] (proposed I-695) between 1965 and 1973. Because it was already under construction, the highway was granted an exception to the moratorium on highway expansion inside [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route&nbsp;128]] that was announced in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/northern/ |title = Northern Expressway (I-93) |access-date = October 4, 2014 }}{{self-published inline|certain=yes|date=May 2022}}</ref>

I-93 was originally planned with a southern terminus in Cambridge (just north of Boston), where it was to meet the Inner Belt (I-695). However, when that route was canceled and the I-95 section into Boston was canceled and rerouted onto [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route&nbsp;128]] in the mid-1970s, I-93 was extended an additional {{convert|18|mi|km}} southward down the Central Artery (which had been signed as a concurrency of I-95 and Route&nbsp;3 before I-95 was rerouted) and the [[Southeast Expressway (Massachusetts)|Southeast Expressway]] (what was then just Route&nbsp;3) from Boston to [[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]] and then west along Route 128 (which was later removed from this section of road in 1997) to terminate at I-95 in Canton.

In an attempt to alleviate rush-hour traffic jams, travel in the [[breakdown lane]] of I-93 is permitted between exit&nbsp;35 (formerly 41) and exit&nbsp;46 (formerly 43), where the highway currently has three lanes in each direction. This extra travel is permitted on the southbound side on weekdays between 6:00&nbsp;am and 10:00&nbsp;am and on the northbound side between 3:00&nbsp;pm and 7:00&nbsp;pm to align with commuting hours. However, on most busy days, this fails to prevent traffic delays. The [[Massachusetts State Police]] has expressed displeasure with this arrangement, citing that traffic in the breakdown lanes interferes with the ability of emergency vehicles to respond to accidents.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

====Rapid bridge replacement project====
In August 2010, in [[Medford, Massachusetts|Medford]], a {{convert|25|x|7|ft|adj=on|m}} section of bridge deck on the northbound side partially collapsed due to age-related structural fatigue.<ref name="globe-moskowitz2">{{cite news |last = Moskowitz |first = Eric |title = Officials expect I-93 north lanes in Medford to be open for a.m. commute |url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/08/pothole_forces.html |access-date = August 5, 2010 |newspaper = Boston Globe |date = August 4, 2010 }}</ref> The collapse forced the [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] (MassDOT) to evaluate the remaining bridges along the corridor, eventually deciding to replace several bridges along the highway in a plan called 93 Fast 14. MassDOT set in motion a plan to replace the superstructure and concrete decks on 14 overpass bridges along that section of the Interstate, using [[rapid bridge replacement]] methods. The $98.1-million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|98100000|2010}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}) project replaced bridges originally built in 1957 with a set of prefabricated modular concrete bridges in a series of weekend roadway closures. Traffic was diverted into a series of crossover lanes during construction. The main part of the project took place each weekend from June through August 2011, with the exception of the [[Independence Day (United States)|July 4 holiday]] weekend. One or two bridges were replaced each weekend during the construction time frame. The project was part of the commonwealth's Accelerated Bridge Program.<ref>{{cite web |title = I-93 Medford Bridges: 93Fast14 Video |url = http://transportation.blog.state.ma.us/blog/2011/05/i-93-medford-bridges-93fast14-video.html |publisher = Massachusetts Department of Transportation |access-date = June 20, 2011 |date = May 5, 2011 |archive-date = June 18, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110618042625/http://transportation.blog.state.ma.us/blog/2011/05/i-93-medford-bridges-93fast14-video.html |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = MassDot Accelerated Bridge Program: About the program |url = http://93fast14.dot.state.ma.us/about.html |publisher = [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] |access-date = June 20, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110608201046/http://93fast14.dot.state.ma.us/about.html |archive-date = June 8, 2011 }}</ref>

====Methuen Rotary====
Off exit&nbsp;43 (formerly 46) in [[Methuen, Massachusetts|Methuen]], the surface level [[traffic circle]] was rebuilt as part of an overall infrastructure improvement that also included constructing a new bridge carrying the Interstate over the local road, reconstructing on- and offramps to the highway, and realigning the Interstate itself.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Kashinsky |first = Leah |date = December 21, 2017 |title = MassDOT: 'Majority of construction' complete at former Methuen rotary |work = The Eagle-Tribune |location = North Andover, Massachusetts |url = https://www.eagletribune.com/news/massdot-majority-of-construction-complete-at-former-methuen-rotary/article_dd87aa66-e673-11e7-a1e4-13aaa2afdd2b.html }}</ref>

===New Hampshire===
As originally envisioned by the federal government, I-93 would have followed the route of present [[U.S. Route 3|US&nbsp;3]]/[[Northwest Expressway (Boston)|Northwest Expressway]]/[[Everett Turnpike]] from Boston to [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]]. By 1956, the two states had drawn up new plans for I-93 to the east, bypassing the tolled Everett Turnpike from [[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester]] southward along a new alignment, known as the "Northern Expressway" in Massachusetts and crossing into New Hampshire in [[Salem, New Hampshire|Salem]]. The New Hampshire section south of Hooksett would be named the Alan B. Shepard Highway, named for the [[Alan Shepard|first American in space]], a [[Derry, New Hampshire|Derry]] native.<ref name = bostonroads>{{cite web |title = Alan B. Shepard Highway Historic Overview |url = http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/I-93S_NH/ |website = Boston Roads |access-date = June 8, 2021 }}{{self-published inline|certain=yes|date=May 2022}}</ref>

The first part of I-93 completed in New Hampshire opened in Salem from the Massachusetts border to exit&nbsp;2 ([[New Hampshire Route 38|NH&nbsp;38]]/[[Massachusetts Route 97|NH&nbsp;97]]) in August 1961. The route was extended gradually northward over the next several years, reaching exit&nbsp;3 ([[New Hampshire Route 111|NH&nbsp;111]]) by the end of 1961, as well as a second segment from the I-293/NH&nbsp;101 west interchange to exit&nbsp;7 (NH&nbsp;101 east) at the same time. The two segments were connected in late 1962. This left a gap in I-93, as traffic was directed along NH&nbsp;101 West and the Everett Turnpike, while the southern segment of I-93 continued on and ended in a stub at exit&nbsp;7.<ref name = bostonroads/>

By 1963, the route had been completed from the end of the Everett Turnpike section, through Concord and north to [[Tilton, New Hampshire|Tilton]] (exit&nbsp;20), and to [[New Hampshire Route 104|NH&nbsp;104]] in [[New Hampton, New Hampshire|New Hampton]] by 1964 (exit&nbsp;23) and to [[Plymouth, New Hampshire|Plymouth]] by 1965 (exit&nbsp;26), and from there gradually northward until it reached the southern end of [[Franconia Notch]]. By 1977, I-93 was completed between exit&nbsp;7 and the Everett Turnpike in [[Hooksett]], completing the Alan B. Shepard Highway segment of I-93 and closing the gap that had stood for 15&nbsp;years. The Everett Turnpike section had been built in 1957 and incorporated into I-93 in 1958. After the completion of the Alan B. Shepard Highway portion, the portion concurrent with NH&nbsp;101 was widened to eight lanes, while the Everett Turnpike section from Hooksett to Concord was widened to six lanes in 1978.<ref name = bostonroads/>

A small segment was also completed from the northern end of Franconia Notch to [[Littleton, New Hampshire|Littleton]] prior to 1984, with the final stretch from Littleton to the Vermont border completed by 1984. This left a gap through Franconia Notch, with traffic directed along US&nbsp;3 between the two sections. For years, debates over how to minimize environmental impact on the road through the notch prevented it being built. As a compromise the Franconia Notch Parkway, a [[super-two]] roadway with {{convert|45|mph|km/h|adj=on}} speed limit, was completed in June 1988,<ref>{{cite news |date = June 3, 1988 |title = Parkway dedicated in Franconia Notch |page = 18 |work = The Boston Globe |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93253748/parkway-dedicated-in-franconia-notch/ |via = Newspapers.com |access-date = January 22, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last = Weingroff |first = Richard F. |date = Summer 1996 |title = Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways Engineering Marvels |url = https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/summer-1996/dwight-d-eisenhower-system-interstate-and-defense-highways-engineering |magazine = Public Roads |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = January 22, 2022 }}</ref> replacing US&nbsp;3. Originally, this road was not included in I-93, as it had its own exit numbers and was signed "TO I-93", though, later, the parkway was officially added to the Interstate System despite the substandard conditions and the exits renumbered. The parkway opened in June 1988, replacing Route&nbsp;3, and grade crossings were replaced by an overpass.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Begun in 2006 and continuing until 2021, the portion between the state border and the I-293 southern terminus was widened to eight lanes; this necessitated the rebuilding and/or relocation of several interchanges. An additional exit has been proposed near milemarker&nbsp;13 that would include a new connector road to [[New Hampshire Route 28|NH&nbsp;28]], effectively bypassing downtown [[Derry, New Hampshire|Derry]] and relieving traffic along [[New Hampshire Route 102|NH&nbsp;102]] at exit&nbsp;4.<ref>{{cite web |title = $755 million I-93 expansion project now complete |date = September 10, 2021 |url = https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-i-93-expansion-project-now-complete/37550353# |publisher = WMUR |access-date = December 9, 2021 }}</ref> Construction began in 2023.

===Vermont===
Construction of I-93 in Vermont was completed in 1982. It was planned to be built longer if I-91 did not change its designation eastward in the northeastern part of the state.{{cn|date=October 2024}} It was the last Interstate to be built in the state.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/everett/ |title = Everett Turnpike (US 3, I-293, and I-93) |website = www.bostonroads.com |access-date = May 22, 2017 }}{{self-published inline|certain=yes|date=May 2022}}</ref>