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For the most part, the Massachusetts Turnpike is a relatively safe road, but there are several deficiencies. The most notable ones are the inconsistency of the placement of Fast Lane / EZ-Pass lanes at the toll plazas, and along the Boston Extension, the lack of shoulders. Some high-speed Fast Lane / EZ-Pass lanes in the far left lanes would help motorists. Also notable is the use of median guardrail, though safer concrete ("Jersey") barriers are gradually replacing the old median guardrails.
The amount of congestion on the Mass Pike is fairly tolerable, though there are the usual weekend / seasonal delays at EXIT 9 (I-84), EXIT 10 (I-290 and I-395) and EXIT 11A (I-495); and rush hour delays at EXITS 14-15 (I-95 / MA 128) and EXIT 18 (Allston-Brighton-Cambridge). Some congestion would be alleviated (and therefore safety improved) by the extension of exit-only lanes.
In terms of aesthetics, the Mass Pike is a tale of two different roads. The original 123 miles from Stockbridge to Weston features rolling hills interrupted only briefly by interchange-area development. Traveling east along the Boston Extension, the landscape becomes more urbanized, building up to a crescendo through the tunnels of the Back Bay and South Boston.
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