Interstate 95 in Rhode Island
Encyclopedia
Route 84 redirects here. For the once-planned Interstate Highway, see Interstate 84 (Rhode Island).


Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

, runs generally southwest-northeast through the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

. It runs from the border with Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 near Westerly through Warwick and Providence and to the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 state line in Pawtucket. It has two auxiliary routes, both of which enter Massachusetts—Interstate 195, a spur from Providence east to Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...

, 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
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

. 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.

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
Old Mystic, Connecticut
Old Mystic is a census-designated place in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,205 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

 to Route 3 in Hopkinton, Rhode Island
Hopkinton, Rhode Island
Hopkinton is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 8,188 at the 2010 census.The villages of Ashaway and Hope Valley are located in Hopkinton.-Geography:Hopkinton is found at 41.461 N latitude and 71.778 W longitude...

. 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 with the North side of the turnpike paved, has an interchange with Interstate 95 (exit 7), continues for 1.85 before multiplexing with Route 3 in West Warwick for a ¼ mile. New London Turnpike turns into New London Ave and continues straight for 2¼ before multiplexing 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 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.

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
Big River (Rhode Island)
The Big River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows . There are no dams along the river's length.-Course:The river is formed in West Greenwich by the confluence of the Congdon and Nooseneck rivers...

 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 interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...

s were with Route 3 east of the Big River (a diamond interchange
Diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...

) 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 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. 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
Frontage road
A frontage road is a non-limited access road running parallel to a higher-speed road, usually a freeway, and feeding it at appropriate points of access...

 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. 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
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...

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

Exit list

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 station
Weigh station
A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights. Usually, trucks and commercial vehicles are subject to the inspection....

s.

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