Progress report:
I had to make a trip to Manchester to see a "Headhunter" this afternoon. They called me into work again for a couple hours, so I left from Brattleboro to Keene, and then across 101 to Manchester.
I took 3 South to Lowell and then got on 495.
Now, I bought the Scion in Lancaster in September, but what they have done to Rt 2 is amazing!
From 495 to Leominster is about the same as it always was. They have repaved it, but basically, just like it was.
But, when you get out of Leominster and start heading for Gardener it gets fun. They repaved the whole stretch, and got rid of that screwy concrete in Gardener. It's now a nice, smooth ribbon of nice black tarmac. Then, when you get to Templeton, headed towards Athol (watch it there!) it narrows down to a two lane, but the lanes are MUCH wider, they have a REAL shoulder, and there is another 'shoulder' etween the lanes with ribbed pavement. It felt much, much safer doing an average speed! Especially since they paved it all the way to Athol.
I was wondering why they didn't widen the middle section and make it a Passing Zone for both lanes, til I realized you would get SOME moron who would just sit there and end up killing someone. It's not as good as 4 lanes, but it is better.
After Athol, the middle 'shoulder' disappears, but they paved it! I've been riding that road since 1978 whe I got a job in Andover until 1982, and it needed paving THEN. Then I was going to Leominster at least once a week a few years ago, and I couldn't believe they STILL hadn't paved it! This time, they did it.
Now, for the piece de resistance...they did away with that horrible "S" curve right in front of the Erving Paper Mill. I *KNOW* you know what I'm talking about. What a freakin' trap that was!. You bypass it totally now, about 100 ft to the north; it's still not straight, but it's wide, with sloping, sweeping curves that you can negotiate at speed, a smooth ride, and you don't have to worry about a truck pulling out of a paper mill!
Hell, it's only been 50 years since they started talking about it!
Now, for rt 2 west from Greenfield to N. Adams... (Hey, you have to admit, the ride through Savoy is nice, as long as it isn't snowing or the water coming out of the ledge faces isn't FREEZING!)