The Falmouth Spur Got Me Thinking: What’s A Spur Anyway?

Am I the only one who does this? Sometimes after I hear a word or a phrase a gazillion times, I stop and wonder, "what does that actually mean??" I've heard people refer to the Falmouth Spur so much around here, but never really gave it a second thought. Come to think of it, never before have a heard a road referred to as a "spur." So what the heck does that mean, anyway?

Well according to Wikipedia, a spur route is usually a a short road that branches off a longer road. Think spurs on a boot.

But here's where it gets confusing. Usually, a spur does not reconnect with another or the same major road. If it does, it's considered a bypass or beltway. However, if you look at the map, you'll see that the Falmouth Spur does in fact reconnect with another major road. It connects I-95 and I-295. So technically, it should be called the Falmouth Bypass, or Falmouth Beltway!

Another Wikipedia article says that the road was built in 1955 to alleviate traffic on Falmouth Road. And here's another fun fact - the Falmouth Spur is technically I-495, although the state does not sign or publicize it as such, to avoid confusion.

So there you go, everything you ever wanted to know about the Falmouth Spur, but were afraid to ask. The more you know!