Interstate 95 in Rhode Island

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Route 84 (Rhode Island) redirects here. For the once-planned Interstate Highway, see Interstate 84 (Rhode Island).

Interstate 95

Length:

43.3^[1] mi (69.7 km)

Formed:

1957

South end:

I-95 in North Stonington, CT

Major
junctions:

Route 4 in Warwick

I-295 in Warwick

I-195/US 6 in Providence

North end:

I-95 in Attleboro, MA

Rhode Island Routes
< Route 94		Route 96 >

Interstate 95, the main north-south Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States, runs generally southwest-northeast through the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It runs from the border with Connecticut near Westerly through Warwick and Providence and to the Massachusetts state line in Pawtucket. It has two auxiliary routes, both of which enter Massachusetts - Interstate 195, a spur from Providence east to Cape Cod, and Interstate 295, a western bypass of the Providence-Pawtucket area.

South of Warwick, I-95 does not follow U.S. Route 1, which it generally replaced in New England. It instead takes a shorter inland route, parallel to Route 3. Route 3 was designated Route 1A, a New England Interstate Route, in 1922, but has never been a U.S. Route.

1 Route description
2 History
3 Exit list
4 Rest Areas
5 References

[edit] Route description

[edit] History

[edit] Southern Rhode Island: Relocated Route 3, Route 84 and Route 95

Prior to any part of Interstate 95 being built, the diagonal corridor of Route 3 was already a well-traveled shortcut to the older U.S. Route 1. In the 1930s, a further cutoff was built in southeastern Connecticut and southwestern Rhode Island, joining Old Mystic, Connecticut to Route 3 in Hopkinton, Rhode Island. The existing Route 84 in Connecticut was rerouted to use the new road (now Route 184), and the short piece in Rhode Island was also numbered Route 84.^[2] (This alignment had been the Hopkinton and Richmond Turnpike - better known as the New London Turnpike - but had fallen into disrepair.)

The first section of what is now I-95 was planned as an upgrade and relocation of Route 84 and Route 3 from the state line north of Westerly to existing Route 3 of Wyoming. The short Route 84 was widened to a four-lane divided road with one intersection at Gray Lane. Instead of merging with Route 3, it was modified to continue northeast, passing under Route 3 with a folded diamond interchange. The rest of the new road was designated Route 3 once it was completed on December 12, 1955. It was not built to freeway standards, only having interchanges at Route 3 in Hopkinton and Route 138 in Richmond (a cloverleaf), as well as a bridge over the Wood River and Mechanic Street.^[3]^[4]

A section of freeway (known as the Kent County Freeway) opened in July 1958, running from Route 3 at Kitts Corner northeast across the Big River and east across Route 3 to Route 2 on the West Warwick-Warwick line. Its west end was a simple intersection with old Route 3, in which only northbound traffic could continue on the old road - southbound traffic had to enter the new freeway east of the Big River. The only two interchanges were with Route 3 east of the Big River (a diamond interchange) and with Route 2 at its east end (a four-ramp interchange providing half the ramps of a cloverleaf).^[5]^[4]

The Interstate 95 designation was approved on June 27, 1958.^[6] The section in southern Rhode Island was temporarily designated Route 95 until it could be upgraded to a freeway. This route ran from the Connecticut state line along what had been Route 84, continuing along the Relocated Route 3 to north of Wyoming, along normal Route 3 to Kitts Corner, and along the new freeway east to Route 2. As much as possible, Route 3 was moved back to the old road; it only used the new freeway by necessity in the area near Kitts Corner and over the Big River.^[7] Connecticut also renumbered their section of Route 84 to Route 95 at that time.^[2]

Interstate 95 in Connecticut was finished December 12, 1964 to the Rhode Island state line, where it connected to the older Route 95 divided highway.^[8] The old road from the border to Gray Lane was combined with the frontage road built when Route 84 was upgraded to form what is now known as Extension 184. The portion from the Connecticut state line to Route 3 north of Wyoming was upgraded to a freeway with construction ending May 1968.^[5] To the north, that freeway was connected with the Kent County Freeway by a new section, opened November 22, 1969 as the last section of I-95 in Rhode Island.^[3] The connection to Route 3 at Kitts Corner was removed, and Route 3 was moved back to the old road over the Big River. Route 95 was renumbered Interstate 95, as the whole road was now a freeway.

An interchange with the New London Turnpike was added to the Kent County Freeway by 1972.^[4] In 1983, a new interchange with Hopkins Hill Road opened.^[3]

[edit] Providence area

[edit] Pawtucket area

[edit] Exit list

Mile^[1]	Municipality	#	Destinations	Notes
0.7	Hopkinton	1	Route 3 - Hopkinton; Westerly
4.5	Hopkinton	2	to Route 3 - Hope Valley; Alton
7.3	Richmond	3	Route 138 - Kingston; Newport; Wyoming; Hope Valley	split into 3A and 3B
9.2	Richmond	4	Route 3 to Route 165 - Arcadia; Exeter	northbound exit and southbound entrance
13.9	West Greenwich	5	Route 102 - North Kingstown; Exeter; Foster; West Greenwich	split into 5A and 5B
18.2		6	Route 3 - West Greenwich; Coventry
19.8		6A	Hopkins Hill Road
21.4		7	Coventry; West Warwick (New London Turnpike)
24.0	West Warwick	8	Route 2 to Route 4 - Quaker Lane; East Greenwich; West Warwick	split into 8A and 8B northbound
24.0	Warwick	8		split into 8A and 8B northbound
24.5		9	Route 4 south - North Kingstown	southbound exit and northbound entrance
27.0		10	Route 117 - Warwick; West Warwick	split into 10A and 10B southbound
27.7		11	Interstate 295 north - Woonsocket	northbound exit and southbound entrance
28.3		12A	Route 113 east to Route 5 - Warwick	exit 12 northbound
28.3		12B	Route 113 west to Route 2; Interstate 295 north	southbound exit and northbound entrance
29.3		13	U.S. Route 1 - T. F. Green Airport
31.0		14	Route 37 to U.S. Route 1; to Route 2 - Warwick; Cranston
31.5		15	Jefferson Boulevard
33.5	Cranston	16	Route 10 - Cranston
34.0	Providence	17	U.S. Route 1 - Elmwood Avenue	southbound exit only
35.3		18	U.S. Route 1A - Thurbers Avenue
36.2		19	Eddy Street; Allens Avenue (U.S. Route 1A)	southbound exit only
36.6		20	Interstate 195 east; U.S. Route 6 east - East Providence; Cape Cod, MA	US 6 joins northbound and leaves southbound
37.2		21	Broadway; Atwells Avenue (U.S. Route 1)
37.5		22	U.S. Route 6 west; Route 10 - Downtown; Hartford, CT; Providence Place (Memorial Boulevard)	split into 22A (Memorial Boulevard), 22B (US 6/Route 10) and 22C (Providence Place); US 6 joins southbound and leaves northbound
38.2		23	Route 146 to U.S. Route 44 - Woonsocket; State Offices	northbound exit and southbound entrance
38.3		23	Charles Street to Route 146 north (Route 246)	southbound exit and northbound entrance
39.0		24	Branch Avenue
39.7		25	Route 126 to U.S. Route 1 - Smithfield Avenue; North Main Street	split into 25A and 25B northbound
40.9	Pawtucket	26	Route 122 - Lonsdale Avenue; Main Street	northbound exit and southbound entrance
41.4		27	U.S. Route 1 to Route 15 - North Providence; Downtown Pawtucket
41.8		28	Route 114 - School Street	no southbound exit
42.2		29	U.S. Route 1 to Route 114 - Broadway; Cottage Street; Downtown Pawtucket (Route 15)	US 1 joins and splits northbound between the entrance and exit
43.0		30	East Street; Roosevelt Avenue - Central Falls

[edit] Rest Areas

Welcome Center / Rest Area - MP 6 - Northbound only between Exits 2 and 3 - Tourist Info, Rest Rooms, Phones.
Parking Areas - MP 10 - Northbound and Southbound between exits 4 and 5 - Parking area, pay phone. No other facilities.

The MP 10 parking areas also serve as Weigh Stations.