Route 53 is a 22.138-mile-long (35.628 km) south–north state highway in southeastern Massachusetts. Its southern terminus is at Route 3A in Kingston and its northern terminus is at Route 3A in Quincy. Along the way it intersects Route 3 in Hanover.

Quick Facts Route 53, Route information ...

Route 53
Route 53 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MassDOT
Length	22.138 mi[1] (35.628 km)
Existed	1963–present
Major junctions
South end	Route 3A in Kingston[1]
Major intersections	Route 14 in Pembroke Route 3 in Hanover
North end	Route 3A in Quincy
Location
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
Counties	Plymouth, Norfolk
Highway system
Massachusetts State Highway System Interstate US State
← Route 52 → Route 56

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Route 53 follows the former routing of the Kingston to Quincy section of Route 3 which was moved onto the Southeast Expressway and Pilgrim's Highway expressway when they were fully completed in 1963. The remaining former sections of Route 3 became extensions of Route 3A.^[2]

For a period of time, from at least the early 1930s through 1967, a mile of what is now Route 53, between Derby Street and Main Street (Route 228), was also coextensive with Route 128. In 1967 that route was cut back to the Braintree Split, and again in 1997 it was officially cut back to the I-95/I-93 junction in Canton.

Route 53 begins in Kingston at Route 3A, just a third of a mile west of where that route meets Route 3 at Exit 10. It heads north, almost immediately entering the town of Duxbury. It passes through the southwestern part of that town before meeting Route 14 just over the line into Pembroke. The two routes pass concurrently for over a mile and a half before splitting in the area of North Pembroke. Route 53 is alone for just over a mile and a quarter before becoming concurrent with Route 139. The two routes pass over the North River into Hanover together before splitting.

Route 53 heads northwards through the eastern part of Hanover until it passes the Hanover Mall and meets Route 3 once more, at Exit 13. From Route 3 it bends northwestward, going through the western portion of Norwell before meeting Route 228 just over the town line into Hingham. The route passes through the southwest corner of that town before entering Weymouth. In Weymouth, the route bisects the town from southeast to northwest, passing Whitman's Pond and the northern end of Route 18. Route 53 then enters Braintree, crossing the Monatiquot River before entering Quincy, passing the site of the Fore River Shipyard. After just a mile, Route 53 ends at Route 3A, with that route resuming the former route of Route 3.