What's Actually Changing at Kingston's Smiths Lane Exit, and When

When will the Smiths Lane exit you use for Target, Regal, and the Route 3 ramps actually look different? As of this fall, MassDOT has a written answer, and it runs through 2031. The mall that exit serves has no answer yet. Its future is tied up in a zoning fight over a gas station half a mile away in Plymouth. The most recent town records and news reports we found show no redevelopment application filed for the closed Macy's site.

The dates MassDOT has put on paper

MassDOT project 608615 replaces the bridge that carries Smiths Lane over Route 3, known as bridge K-01-04. It also turns the two signalized intersections at each end into modern roundabouts. One of those intersections is the Route 3 southbound ramps at Kingston Collection Way. The project page lists its status as "Design Public Hearing (as of 06/09/2026)." It also shows a 25% design package resubmitted in December 2025.

The project has been in the system a long time. MassDOT's records show initiation forms dated June 2016 and Project Review Committee approval that September. Here is the schedule from the June 9 hearing handout and the FAQ MassDOT updated in July 2026:

1. Winter 2026: 75% design milestone, with design approval expected the following year.
2. Spring/Summer 2028: Advertise to contractors.
3. Fall 2028: Construction begins.
4. Fall 2030: New bridge opens fully to traffic.
5. Fall 2031: Roundabouts in service.

Counting from today, October 12, 2026, that means two more years of the current bridge and signals before any crew arrives. The finished interchange is about five years out. The handout puts construction at about three years and describes the drawings shown in June as 25% preliminary design. Public comments are still being worked into the final plans.

What the finished interchange changes about a daily drive

Today the bridge has one lane in each direction. The new one would have two in each direction. A shared-use path would run along the north side and a sidewalk along the south, and both would continue through the roundabouts. Past each roundabout, Smiths Lane would narrow back to two lanes to match the road on either side. The widening runs between Independence Mall Way and the northbound ramps. Smiths Lane has no sidewalk or path on that stretch today.

People on foot would cross at 10-foot-wide crosswalks, which MassDOT says are much shorter than the current crossings. Pedestrian refuge areas would sit in the splitter islands. Flashing pedestrian beacons are not part of the design, because MassDOT says current roundabout guidance relies on shorter crossings and better visibility instead. The roundabouts would also include truck aprons so larger vehicles can get through at low, controlled speeds.

Ocean Hill Drive sees the biggest change. It meets Smiths Lane just south of the northbound ramps and curves through a residential neighborhood to Braunecker Avenue. Under the proposed design, the splitter island at the northbound-ramps roundabout would block left turns into and out of Ocean Hill Drive. A driver heading out toward the Kingston Collection would turn right and use that roundabout to reverse direction. A driver coming off Route 3 northbound would cross the bridge, go around the southbound-ramps roundabout, cross back, and turn right into Ocean Hill Drive.

The widening between the roundabouts pushes north to limit impacts on nearby properties. On the south side, a retaining wall about 300 feet long would protect homes that front on Anderson Avenue. MassDOT says the project does not plan to change access to any property or take any home or business.

Getting through the construction years

The bridge would come down and go back up one half at a time, with one lane open in each direction the whole time. Roundabout construction comes after the bridge is done, in several stages. On Route 3, MassDOT expects minor lane shifts but no reduction in the number of lanes. If needed, there could be occasional nighttime lane and ramp closures, with detours and advance notice.

MassDOT plans to start construction with a public information meeting and send regular email bulletins previewing upcoming work. GATRA runs a bus route over the bridge. MassDOT says it will ask GATRA for a point of contact so the route gets construction updates.

The FAQ also says the traffic study included forecast growth from the Amazon facility, including more trucks and cars. When Wicked Local reported the lease in January 2021, it described a 145,000-square-foot delivery station on the Kingston-Plymouth line, with addresses on William C. Gould Jr. Way and Prestige Way. At the hearing, people also raised the condition of the pavement on the Route 3 connecting ramps. MassDOT has passed those concerns to District 6 maintenance to investigate.

The cost figure depends on which document you read

The handout gives the total anticipated cost as roughly $29.9 million, funded by the Commonwealth and the Federal Highway Administration. The regional planning documents show other figures:

The TIP entry matters. Appendix N is a list of candidate projects with years and estimates. It is not a confirmed funding award. MassDOT's fall 2028 start assumes the money comes through on that schedule. The same appendix lists another nearby project, MassDOT 606002, at the Route 3 ramps and Route 3A (Tremont Street) on the Kingston-Duxbury side. It is listed for 2028 with an estimate of $8,828,682.

The mall at the end of the exit has no plan on file

At the April 26, 2025 Annual Town Meeting, Kingston voted on two items tied to the Kingston Collection. The first, which passed 44–19, authorized a land exchange with the mall's owner, Second Horizon Capital. About 0.84 acres near the Smiths Lane fire station would be traded for about 0.84 acres on William C. Gould Way, pending Planning Board endorsement of the plans. Town Meeting minutes record that Second Horizon wanted the Kingston Collection Way parcel so it could site a gas station outside the water-resource protection boundary. The second created a Mixed-Use Redevelopment Overlay District. It allows up to 300 apartments by special permit and site-plan review, and it bars gas stations inside the Watershed Protection Overlay District.

Both votes set up later permitting steps. In March 2026, the Plymouth Independent reported that Kingston had received no Costco-related application, the land swap was not finalized, and the possible Kingston gas station faced well-protection concerns. The same report described Costco as the rumored big-box tenant for the closed Macy's. Neither Costco nor Second Horizon had confirmed a deal, and Second Horizon said it would share details as plans moved forward. The Kingston Planning Board's September 14, 2026 agenda listed fall Town Meeting articles on battery storage and data centers, with nothing about the mall or the Macy's site.

A gas station half a mile away now sets the pace

Costco usually wants a gas station at its stores, so the gas station has become the deciding piece. On June 15, 2026, Plymouth's Zoning Board of Appeals approved a gas station and convenience store at the T.L. Edwards site at Cherry Street and Commerce Way. The Plymouth Independent reported in July that the Town of Kingston had asked Massachusetts Land Court to overturn that decision. The appeal argues the fueling operation raises the risk of groundwater contamination. Two of Kingston's drinking-water wells are near the mall property, and the state protection zone for those wells touches a small part of the T.L. Edwards site. The two sites are about half a mile apart. The owner of a gas station across the street filed a second appeal.

Both cases are on the Land Court's fast track. The Independent reported that trial was expected in about 16 months unless the cases settle or are decided on summary judgment. Counting from July 2026, that lands around late 2027, a few months before MassDOT plans to advertise the bridge contract. Our latest check of reporting and town records found no court filings, Costco confirmation, or Kingston site application after mid-July 2026.

Where to see the plans and send comments

MassDOT has placed a set of preliminary right-of-way plans at the Kingston Public Library for public review. Affected property owners will hear directly from MassDOT's Right of Way Bureau or its consultants. The June 9 hearing recording is posted online. Questions and comments go to [email protected], with "Attention: Major Projects, Project File No. 608615" in the subject line. You can also mail them to Carrie Lavallee, P.E., Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116. The project status page is where the 75% design milestone will show up this winter.

Kingston's next Special Town Meeting is Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Kingston Intermediate School, 65 Second Brook Street.

At The Guimares Group, we follow approval and construction timelines for a living, because we track milestones for every build we represent. If you'd like to talk through how the Smiths Lane schedule or the mall's redevelopment status could affect a property near the interchange, start a conversation with a New Construction Specialist.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.