Interstate 295 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)

Interstate 295 marker

Interstate 295
Providence Beltway
I-295 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by RIDOT and MassDOT
Length 26.58 mi (42.78 km)
Existed 1969 – present
South end I‑95 in Warwick, RI
 
North end I‑95 in Attleboro, MA
Location
Counties
Highway system
Rhode Island Routes
← Route 246RIRoute 401 →
← I‑291MARoute 295 →

Interstate 295 (I-295), sometimes called the Providence Beltway, is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; it is maintained by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Spanning nearly 27 miles (43 km) it forms a western beltway around Providence, and is a bypass of I-95 as it travels through the capital city. I-895 was proposed as a complimentary eastern beltway to complete a full loop around the city in the 1960s, but was ultimately scrapped in the 1980s.

The southern terminus of I-295 exists at its split from I-95 in Warwick, Rhode Island. Among several state highways, it intersects with US 6 in Johnston and US 44 in Smithfield before entering North Attleborough, Massachusetts from Cumberland, Rhode Island. It intersects with US 1 in North Attleborough before arriving at its northern terminus as it merges into I-95 in Attleboro. I-295 is the first highway in Rhode Island to convert to a exclusive mileage-based exit numbering system, having transitioned from a sequential numbering system in 2017. Exit signs north of the interchange with US 6 previously included both miletabs and exit numbers before being replaced in 2007.[1]

Route description

Interstate 295 serves as a partial circumferential highway around Providence. The terminals of Interstate 295 are located in Warwick (interstate 95 exit 11 Northbound/12B Southbound), a partial access Y interchange (no direct ramps from interstate 295 south to interstate 95 north) and Attleboro (interstate 95 exit 4/ interstate 295 exit 2 Northbound) as a truncated/stubbed cloverleaf interchange.

History

In the mid-1950s, the state of Rhode Island introduced plans to build a beltway around Providence, then known as Relocated Route 5 for inclusion in the Interstate Highway System. A modified version of this plan was accepted, with another modification done in 1960 resulting in a planned alignment. Construction began in 1964 and the original route was completed by 1975. The original intention was to have Interstate 295 act as a full ring road around the greater Providence area with the alignment roughly following Route 37 across Narragansett Bay and continuing in a northern direction with a major interchange located at Interstate 195 exit 2 in Swansea, Massachusetts before heading west towards Attleboro. Due to opposition from communities in the proposed alignment, cancellation occurred in 1982.

The original alignment of Interstate 84 called for an east-west right of way from the Rhode Island and Connecticut state line (Willimantic, Connecticut and Foster, Rhode Island) to Johnston, Rhode Island through the Scituate Reservoir. The connection with Interstate 295 was planned as a full interchange with flyover ramps. Due to fears of runoff affecting the Scituate Reservoir, this alignment of Interstate 84 was cancelled. This interchange (Exits 9A-C) currently acts as multiplex for US 6 with a partial interchange with Route 10 further down US 6. The ramp that was originally going to be used to merge onto I-84 West from I-295 North has been converted to a turnaround ramp (Exit 9B) from I-295 North to I-295 South.

Exit list

In 2016, it was announced that both Rhode Island and Massachusetts interchanges were to have new numbers based on route mileage. Massachusetts was scheduled to start in 2016[2] with the proposed exit numbers being 2 and 4. However, in mid-2016, MassDOT decided to indefinitely postpone the project.[3] RIDOT is still slated to renumber its portion of Interstates 295's exits by the end of 2017 in a plan announced in March 2016.[4][5] On August 25, 2017, RIDOT awarded a contract to renumber exits on I-295 and RI 99 to Liddell Bros. Inc. for $348,500. The project started November 27, 2017 and was completed less than 2 weeks later on December 8, 2017.[6][7][8][9]

StateCountyLocation[10]mi[10]kmOld exitNew exit[11]DestinationsNotes
Rhode IslandKentWarwick0.000.00–– I‑95 south – New YorkIncludes a ramp from I-95 south to I-295 north, exits 11-12B on I-95
0.701.1311A Route 113 west – West Warwick
1.101.7721B Route 2 north – OaklawnNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
1.502.41 Route 2 south – WarwickSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
ProvidenceCranston3.705.9533 Route 37 to Route 2 / Route 51 – Cranston, T. F. Green Airport, CoventrySigned as exits 3A (east) and 3B (west)
Johnston6.5010.4646 Route 14 (Plainfield Pike)
7.6012.2357Rhode Island Resource Recovery Industrial ParkOpened in 2005
8.8014.1669 US 6 (US 6A east) – Providence, HartfordSigned as exits 9A (US 6 east), 9B (northbound U-turn to I-295 south), and 9C (US 6 west/US 6A east) northbound
10.6017.06–10 Route 5 – Johnston, SmithfieldOpened on July 28, 2018[12]
Smithfield12.2019.63712 US 44 – North Providence, SmithfieldSigned as exits 12A (east) and 12B (west)
15.4024.78815 Route 7 – North Smithfield, North ProvidenceSigned as exits 15A (south) and 15B (north)
Lincoln18.7030.09918 Route 146 – Woonsocket, WorcesterSigned as exits 18A (south) and 18B (north)
Cumberland21.1033.961020 Route 122 – Cumberland
22.8036.691122 Route 114 – Cumberland
RI–MA border23.50
0.00		37.82
0.00		Rhode Island–Massachusetts state line
MassachusettsBristolNorth Attleborough1.862.9911 US 1 south – Pawtucket, RI, North AttleboroSigned as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north)
Attleboro4.036.4922 I‑95 – Boston, Providence, RISigned as exits 2A (south) and 2B (north); exit 4 on I-95
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ https://www.aaroads.com/guides/i-295-south-ri/
  2. ↑ Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2015). "COMMBUYS - Bid Solicitation FAP# HSIP-002S(874) Exit Signage Conversion to Milepost-Based Numbering System along Various Interstates, Routes and the Lowell Connector". Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  3. ↑ Robert H. Malme (2017). "Massachusetts Interstate Highways Exit Lists". Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  4. ↑ http://wpri.com/2016/03/29/ri-set-to-renumber-all-its-highway-exit-signs/
  5. ↑ Robert H. Malme (2017). "I-295 and I-395 in Mass. Current and Future Exit Lists". Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  6. ↑ RIDOT (2017). "Engineer's Estimate/Bidder's Comparison Detail, Mileage Based Exit Renumbering I-295 and Route 99, RIDOT Contract No. 2017-CT-044". Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  7. ↑ Shiina LoSciuto and Sarah Doiron (2017). "RIDOT to Renumber I-295 Exits". Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  8. ↑ RIDOT (2017). "RIDOT announces date for start of I-295 Highway Renumbering Program". Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  9. ↑ RIDOT (2017). "Interactive Google Map of I-295 Exit renumbering". Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  10. 1 2 MassDOT Planning Division. "Massachusetts Route Log Application". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  11. ↑ http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20171004/rhode-island-set-to-renumber-all-highway-exits, "There are 11 interchanges on Route 295 and the DOT said it plans to start putting up the new numbers from north to south starting in early November and finishing before the end of the year. (A 12th interchange being built for Citizens Bank’s new campus at Putnam Pike will come later.)"
  12. ↑ http://turnto10.com/news/local/officials-mark-opening-of-new-i-295-exit-in-johnston

Route map:

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