Interstate 95 in Rhode Island

This article is about the section of Interstate 95 in Rhode Island. For the entire route, see Interstate 95.

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

Interstate 95
Route information
Maintained by RIDOT
Length:	43.3 mi (69.7 km)
Existed:	1957 – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-95 in North Stonington, CT
	Route 4 in Warwick I‑295 in Warwick Route 37 in Warwick Route 10 in Cranston US 1 in Providence I‑195 / US 6 in Providence Route 146 in Providence
North end:	I‑95 in Attleboro, MA
Location
Counties:	Washington, Kent, Providence
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Rhode Island Routes ← Route 94 I‑95E →

Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States, running 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 in 1922, a New England Interstate Route, but it has never been a U.S. Route.

History

Southern Rhode Island

Junction with Route 37 in Warwick

The diagonal corridor of Route 3 was a well-traveled shortcut to the older U.S. Route 1 even before any part of Interstate 95 was built. 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. (This alignment had been the Hopkinton and Richmond Turnpike - better known as the New London Turnpike - but had fallen into disrepair.) The right of way of New London turnpike goes though the Big river management area (as a dirt road), crosses division road as a four-way intersection with the North side of the turnpike paved, has an interchange with Interstate 95 (exit 7), continues for 1.85 miles before connecting with Route 3 in West Warwick for a ¼ mile. New London Turnpike turns into New London Ave and continues straight for 2¼ miles before connecting with Providence street (RI-33). It follows Providence Street until it hits the Meshanticut Interchange.

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 Richmond. 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 (modern day exit 1). 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) (modern day exit 3), as well as a bridge over the Wood River and Mechanic Street.

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 (modern day exit 6) and east across Route 3 to Route 2 on the West Warwick-Warwick line (modern day exit 8). 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).

The Interstate 95 designation was approved on June 27, 1958. 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 Richmond, 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. Connecticut also renumbered their section of Route 84 to Route 95 at that time.

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. 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 Richmond was upgraded to a freeway with construction ending May 1968. 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. 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. In 1983, a new interchange with Hopkins Hill Road opened.

Pawtucket area

The people of Pawtucket, RI feared the construction of Route 95 as early as 1949. Editions of the Pawtucket Times and Providence Journal in 1949 recalls how neighbors in the Woodlawn section of Pawtucket feared the construction of the highway. According to Rhode Island Department of Transportation blueprints, the highway was originally planned for the west side of Pawtucket, avoiding the Pawtucket River. The highway was originally designed to be constructed east of the New York-New Haven railroad tracks and create underpasses on Mineral Spring Avenue, Broad Street, and Dexter Street. The highway was meant to travel east of the Pawtucket-Central Falls train station and into South Attleboro, Massachusetts. {Pawtucket Times, Providence Journal, Rhode Island Department of Transportation. }

The Pawtucket River Bridge is part of Interstate 95 and has been replaced.

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Washington	Hopkinton	0.0	0.0	–	I-95 south – New London, New Haven	Southern Continuation into Connecticut
		0.7	1.1	1	Route 3 – Hopkinton, Westerly
		4.5	7.2	2	Hope Valley, Alton	Via Woodville Alton Road
	Richmond	7.3	11.7	3	Route 138 – Wyoming, Hope Valley, Kingston, Newport	Signed as exits 3A (east) and 3B (west)
		9.2	14.8	4	Route 3 to Route 165 – Arcadia, Exeter	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Kent	West Greenwich	13.9	22.4	5	Route 102 – West Greenwich, Foster, Exeter, North Kingstown	Signed as exits 5A (south) and 5B (north)
		18.2	29.3	6	Route 3 – Coventry, West Greenwich
		19.8	31.9	6A	Hopkins Hill Road
		21.4	34.4	7	Coventry, West Warwick	Via the New London Turnpike
	West Warwick	24.0	38.6	8A	Route 2 south to Route 401 east / Route 4 south – East Greenwich	Southbound exit is via exit 9
	Warwick	24.0	38.6	8B	Route 2 north (Quaker Lane) – West Warwick	Signed as exit 8 southbound
		24.5	39.4	9	Route 4 south – North Kingstown	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; northbound exit is via exit 8A
		27.0	43.5	10	Route 117 – West Warwick, Warwick	Signed as exits 10A (east) and 10B (west) southbound
		27.7	44.6	11	I‑295 north to Route 113 – Woonsocket	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; southbound exit is part of exit 12B
		28.3	45.5	12A	Route 113 east to Route 5 – Warwick	Signed as exit 12 northbound
		28.3	45.5	12B	Route 113 west / I‑295 north to Route 2 – West Warwick	Northbound exit is via exit 11
		29.3	47.2	13	US 1 / Airport Connector Road – T.F. Green Airport
		31.0	49.9	14	Route 37 to Route 2 / I‑295 / US 1 – Cranston, Warwick	Signed as exits 14A (east) and 14B (west)
		31.5	50.7	15	Jefferson Boulevard
Providence	Cranston	33.5	53.9	16	Route 10 to Route 2 (Reservoir Avenue) / Route 12 (Park Avenue) – Cranston
	Providence	34.0	54.7	17	US 1 (Elmwood Avenue)	Southbound exit only
		35.3	56.8	18	To US 1A / Thurbers Avenue
		36.0	57.9	19	I‑195 east / US 6 east – East Providence, Cape Cod	Northbound exit; southbound exit is via exit 20
		36.2	58.3	19	Eddy Street	Southbound exit only; no entrance
		36.4	58.6	20	Point Street	No southbound exit
		36.6	58.9	20	I‑195 east / US 6 east – East Providence, Cape Cod	Southbound exit; northbound exit is via exit 19; south end of US 6 overlap
		37.2	59.9	21	Broadway (US 1)	Northbound exit only; no entrance
		37.3	60.0	21	Atwells Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		37.5	60.4	22A	Memorial Boulevard – Downtown Providence
		37.5	60.4	22B	US 6 west / Route 10 south – Hartford, CT	North end of US 6 overlap
		37.5	60.4	22C	Providence Place
		38.2	61.5	23	Route 146 north to US 44 – State Offices, Woonsocket	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; southbound exit is via Charles Street
		38.3	61.6	23	Charles Street (Route 246)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		39.0	62.8	24	Branch Avenue
		39.7	63.9	25	Route 126 (Smithfield Avenue) to US 1 (North Main Street)	Signed as exits 25A (to US 1) and 25B (Route 126 north) northbound
	Pawtucket	40.9	65.8	26	Route 122 (Lonsdale Avenue / Main Street)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		41.4	66.6	27	US 1 / Route 15 – Pawtucket, North Providence
		41.8	67.3	28	Route 114 (School Street)	No southbound exit
		42.2	67.9	29	US 1 south to Route 114 (Route 15) – Downtown Pawtucket	South end of US 1 southbound overlap; no northbound exit
		42.3	68.1	29	US 1 north (Broadway) / Cottage Street	North end of US 1 northbound overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		43.0	69.2	30	East Street, Roosevelt Avenue – Central Falls	Northbound only
		43.3	69.7	–	I‑95 north – Boston	Continuation into Massachusetts
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Rest areas

• 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.

A former rest area and welcome center located on the northbound side of the highway between exits 2 and 3 in the town of Richmond was closed in September 2011.

References

Template:Attached_KML/Interstate 95 in Rhode Island

Interstate 95
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