City of Methuen Master Plan

T RANSPORTATION AND C IRCULATION
Located in the upper Merrimack Valley, Methuen is approximately 26 miles from Boston and 5
miles from Salem, New Hampshire. The city is bordered by the state of New Hampshire and the
City of Haverhill to the north, the Town of Dracut to the west, and the City of Lawrence, the Town
of North Andover, and the Town of Andover to the south and southeast. Residents of Methuen
have the benefit of convenient access to Route 28 and Interstates I-93 and I-495. Access to these
major highway corridors enhances linkages between local routes as well as providing strategic
connectivity between regional markets.
MILES OF ROADWAY
Methuen has approximately 200 total miles of roadway, with 165 miles of this total owned and
maintained by the City. The extent of maintained roadway under the jurisdiction of Methuen is
comparable to the other cities and towns of similar size in the region (see Table 34: Miles of
Roadway.)
Table 34: Miles of Roadway
Town Land Area Miles of Roadway
Andover 32 Sq. Mi. 236.4 Mi.
Dracut 21 Sq. Mi. 148 Mi.
Haverhill 36 Sq. Mi. 370 Mi. (Est.)
Lawrence 7 Sq. Mi. 140 Mi.
Lowell 14 Sq. Mi. 260 Mi. (Est.)
Methuen 23 Sq. Mi. 200 Mi.
North Andover 28 Sq Mi. 150 Mi.
AUTO OWNERSHIP
An increase in vehicles per household is typically expected where household sizes are large.
However, in Methuen over 55% of residents live in one- or two-person households, and the number
of vehicles per household is still increasing significantly. Since 1980, the number of cars per
household has increased by about 18%. The number of households with 2 cars increased the
most—71%. The number of households with 3 cars increased by about 41% (see Figure 18). The
average number of cars per household is close to 1.7
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