Washington Street

The beginning of Washington Street in Brookline. Looking east below the Jamaicaway overpass
Length	13.5 mi (21.7 km)
Location	Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates	42°21′25″N 71°11′10″W / 42.3570°N 71.1862°W / 42.3570; -71.1862
Northeast end	Huntington Avenue
Southwest end	Eliot Street

Washington Street is a street in Massachusetts, United States. It runs for around 13.5 miles (21.7 km), from a convergence with Huntington Avenue in Brookline in the east to Wellesley's boundary with South Natick in the west.

Forming part of both Massachusetts State Route 9 and State Route 16, it is the main east–west street in Brookline, Brighton, Newton and Wellesley.

Route

Washington Street begins in Brookline, Massachusetts, beneath the Jamaicaway overpass immediately to the north of Leverett Pond. For around 0.2 miles (0.32 km), Washington Street assumes the Massachusetts State Route 9 designation from Huntington Avenue, which approaches the overpass from the east.

At the intersection with High Street, Boylston Street (not the one originating in downtown Boston) continues west as Route 9, while Washington Street turns north into Brookline Village.^[1] It continues northwest, crossing Commonwealth Avenue and the MBTA's Green Line B branch, before entering Brighton.^[2]

Where Washington Street meets Cambridge Street, beside St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, it turns west en route to Oak Square. At a traffic circle where Faneuil Street and Tremont Street converge, Washington Street continues northwest again.

As it enters Newton Corner, Washington Street turns north and crosses the Massachusetts Turnpike (known colloquially as "the Pike"), joining a convergence of the Pike's on- and off-ramps and, from the north, Centre Street.^[3]

Washington Street turns southwest, with a Sheraton Hotel in view on the southern side of the street. The hotel spans the Pike, which Washington Street follows on its northern side for much of the remainder of its course as it passes through Newtonville and West Newton.

In West Newton, Washington Street assumes the State Route 16 designation from Watertown Street.^[4] It continues to the north of Interstate 90, but also loops around over the interstate (with West Newton's commuter rail station immediately below) to carry traffic leaving the Pike, as well as traffic approaching from the south and west.

For traffic continuing along Washington Street, the road leaves the loop to the southwest and continues in that direction, still as Route 16, toward Wellesley. After passing Newton-Wellesley Hospital,^[5] it crosses Interstate 95 to the northeast of the Charles River Reservation. After crossing State Route 9,^[6] Washington Street continues southwest through Wellesley Hills, then turns south as it climbs a hill through Wellesley Lower Falls. It is in this stretch that Washington Street is one of the busiest corridors in Wellesley,^[7] peaking at over 50,000 vehicles on a daily basis.^[8]

Immediately east of downtown Wellesley, Washington Street turns south and passes by Wellesley College.

Washington Street, and Route 16, becomes Eliot Street as it enters South Natick.^[9]

Public transport

The following bus routes run on Washington Street: MetroWest Regional Transit Authority's route number 1, and the MBTA bus routes 52, 57, 65, 66, 501, 504, 505, 553, 554, 556 and 558.^[10]

The rail stations are: West Newton and Wellesley Hills commuter rail and the Woodland Green Line D branch of the MBTA.

References