MASSACHUSETTS ROUTE 128: A NONEMULATIVE ENIGMA

The objective of this paper is to examine the history of one of the first urban circumferential highways, Massachusetts Route 128, to determine the relationship between roadway economic development and development of the road. This economic development has long been thought to be directly related to the advent of the roadway. Therefore, many people have felt that similar economic attributes would follow construction of a similar roadway in an urban area. The results of this research tend to obviate that concrept. The research covered the years 1925 through 1965 because initial construction occurred around 1925 and "completion" and widening (in several locations) had occurred by 1965. Furthermore, by 1965 substantial economic development had taken place along the highway. The results of this investigation indicated that the initial economic development along the roadway may be ascribed to previous events (antecedent development) and as such was a continuation of earlier processes. Thus the possibility exists that this initial economic development would have occurred without the construction of the road. Economic development associated with this roadway was concluded to be part of the developmental forces operating in the Boston urban area rather than as a benefit from the roadway itself.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1976/583/583-005.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=MASSACHUSETTS+ROUTE+128%3A+A+NONEMULATIVE+ENIGMA&author=D.+Levitan&publication_year=1976
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors of Transportation. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Levitan, Don
• Conference:
  • 54th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia
  • Date: 1975-1-13 to 1975-1-17
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 45-54
• Monograph Title: Social, Economic, and Environmental Implications in Transportation Planning
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 583
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Beltways; Economic development; Road construction; Urban highways
• Geographic Terms: Massachusetts
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00141407
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309024978
• Report/Paper Numbers: Conf Paper
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Nov 3 1976 12:00AM