 Route 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Route 4 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byMassDOT | ||||
| Length | 18.2619 mi[1] (29.3897 km) | |||
| Existed | c. 1930–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  Route 2 inLexington | |||
| Major intersections |   I-95 /Route 128 in Lexington  I-495 /US 3 inChelmsford | |||
| North end |  Route 3A inNorth Chelmsford | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Massachusetts | |||
| Counties | Middlesex | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route 4 is an 18.26-mile-long (29.39 km)state highway in northeasternMassachusetts. It runs south to north, serving many ofBoston's western and northwestern suburbs, from an interchange withRoute 2 inLexington northwest to an intersection withRoute 3A inNorth Chelmsford. Much of it, north of Lexington, runs parallel toU.S. Route 3 (theNorthwest Expressway). The entire route is contained withinMiddlesex County.
Route 4 begins at Route 2's Exit 131 interchange in Lexington, just west of the border withArlington. This interchange also serves asRoute 225's eastern terminus, and the two routes begin overlapped with one another. Routes 4 and 225 proceed northward on Watertown Street, turning ontoMassachusetts Avenue and meetingRoute 2A in East Lexington, briefly sharing pavement with it. The two routes continue through the center of Lexington, where Mass Ave splits to the west, and Routes 4 and 225 continue northwest on Bedford Street. The concurrency passes near North Lexington and interchanges withInterstate 95 (Route 128) at Exit 49, before continuing northwest into the town ofBedford. Routes 4 and 225 pass into the center of town, meetingRoute 62 and running concurrent through the town center. After passing through town, Route 62 splits to the west, while Routes 4 and 225 turn northward, splitting themselves soon thereafter; Route 225 to the northwest and Route 4 to the north.
Route 4 proceeds northward out of Bedford by itself, where it begins to parallel US 3 as it passes intoBillerica. Route 4 does not intersect any other numbered highways in the town, but does intersect two local roads - Concord Road and Treble Cove Road - which provide nearby access to US 3, which lies to the east. Route 4 continues north intoChelmsford, where it meanders towards the center of town. Near the center, Route 4 intersects the northern end ofRoute 27 at a rotary-type intersection, and then crossesRoute 110, very briefly sharing pavement. Continuing to the north, Route 4 has a half-interchange withInterstate 495 at Exit 87. This interchange provides southbound-only access to I-495 and is a northbound-only exit from the freeway. Access to I-495 northbound is available via Route 110 East, at the nearby Exit 88 interchange. Route 4 continues to the northwest, where it comes to a rotary interchange with US 3 at Exit 84, crossing over the freeway, and continuing another half-mile to the northwest where it ends at an intersection with Route 3A inNorth Chelmsford.
The entire route is inMiddlesex County.
| Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | 0.00 | 0.00 | Route 2 (Concord Turnpike) –Cambridge,Boston,Concord,Fitchburg  Route 225 begins | Southern terminus; eastern terminus of Route 225; exit 131 on Route 2;partial cloverleaf interchange | |
| 1.40 | 2.25 |   Route 2A east –Arlington | Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 2A | ||
| 1.50 | 2.41 |  Route 2A west –Concord | Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 2A | ||
| 4.40 | 7.08 | I-95 /Route 128 –Providence, RI,Peabody,Portsmouth, NH | Exits 49A-B on I-95;cloverleaf interchange | ||
| Bedford | 6.20 | 9.98 |  Route 62 east –Burlington,Wilmington | Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 62 | |
| 7.20 | 11.59 | Route 62 west –Concord,Maynard | Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 62 | ||
| 7.40 | 11.91 | Route 225 west –Carlisle | Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 225 | ||
| Concord River | John F. Leary Bridge | ||||
| Chelmsford | 15.50 | 24.94 |   Route 27 south –Acton,Maynard | Traffic circle; northern terminus of Route 27 | |
| 15.60 | 25.11 |   Route 110 /Route 129 east –Lowell,Littleton,Billerica | Central Square; Western terminus of Route 129 | ||
| 16.00 | 25.75 |  I-495 south –Marlboro,Taunton | Exit 87 on I-495;partial diamond interchange | ||
| 17.50 | 28.16 | US 3 / Old Westford Road / Drum Hill Road –Boston,Nashua | Exit 84 on US 3;rotary interchange | ||
| North Chelmsford | 18.26 | 29.39 | Route 3A –Lowell,Billerica,Tyngsboro | Northern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Route 4 is known by the following street names:
Lexington
Bedford
Billerica
Chelmsford
North Chelmsford
