Group Challenges I‑95 Route, Citing $75 Million Lost Development Potential

A major new challenge to the state’s proposed routing of Interstate 95 through the Norwood–Canton–Westwood corridor emerged this week, as a group of Canton residents unveiled an alternate highway alignment they say would unlock tens of millions of dollars in industrial development.

The proposal—prepared by professional planner Sidney N. Shurcliff of Boston—was presented at a regional meeting in Norwood attended by representatives of the Boards of Selectmen, Planning Boards, and industrial development committees from all three towns.

Shurcliff argued that the State Department of Public Works (D.P.W.) had designed its current route “entirely on the basis of easy engineering,” without adequately considering the long‑term economic impact on surrounding communities.

“A $75 Million Opportunity”

According to Shurcliff, the alternate route could create over $15 million in new land value, with an additional $60 million in industrial construction—“a $75 million opportunity which will be lost unless the D.P.W. will reconsider,” he warned.

He said he represented a coalition of Canton residents and supporters in Milton, all concerned that the state’s plan would bypass large tracts of land that could otherwise be developed.

State Says Route Is Already Underway

A spokesman for the D.P.W. responded that engineering for this segment of I‑95 is already 25 percent complete, and that the proposed interchange at Route 128 has been approved by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads.

“We are committed to this line,” the official said, adding that all agencies involved “agree it is the best possible routing at this point.”

No date has been set for advertising construction bids.

Norwood Shows Interest; Westwood Raises Concerns

Norwood Town Manager Walter A. Blasenak expressed interest in the alternate alignment but questioned how a feeder road from the proposed interchange to Route 1 at Pleasant Street would be funded.

Canton officials withheld judgment, saying they needed more time to study the proposal.

Westwood representatives, however, voiced strong reservations, noting that the Shurcliff route would bisect an industrial development tract in their town—potentially disrupting long‑planned growth.

Two Competing Visions for the Neponset Valley

Under the D.P.W. plan, I‑95 would run east of the Neponset River and the New Haven Railroad tracks, with an interchange on Route 128 near Blueview Nurseries in Canton.

Shurcliff’s alternate alignment would instead run west of the river and railroad, closer to Norwood Airport, opening what he described as “a vast area… which otherwise would be almost inaccessible” for industrial use.

His plan also calls for a new interchange north of the airport, providing direct access to both Norwood Center and Canton Center—access he claims the state’s plan fails to provide.

Mixed Reaction, No Decision Yet

While the alternate route drew interest—particularly from Norwood officials eager to expand industrial tax base—others questioned whether the state would reconsider a project already well into its engineering phase.

For now, the debate underscores the high stakes of highway planning in the early 1960s, as communities across the Neponset Valley grapple with the transformative impact of the coming interstate.

SOURCE

“Neponset Valley Roads,” The Boston Globe, May 28, 1962, p. 7.

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Mon, May 28, 1962 – 24 · The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) · Newspapers.com