Existed: 1969 – present North end: I‑95 in Attleboro, MA MA Route 295 → Length 42.78 km | South end: I‑95 in Warwick, RI RI Route 401 → Constructed 1969 | |
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Interstate 295 (abbreviated I-295 also known as Providence Beltway) is an Interstate route 26.58 miles (42.78 km) in length within the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It serves as a western bypass around Providence, Rhode Island with the southern terminus located in Warwick, Rhode Island and the northern terminus in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Contents
Map of I-295, United States
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 interchanges 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 6A-C) currently acts as multiplex for US 6 with a partial interchange with Route 10 further down US 6.
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 with the proposed exit numbers being 2A/B and 4A/B. However, in mid-2016, MassDOT decided to indefinitely postpone the project. RIDOT is still slated to renumber its portion of interstates 295's exits by 2018 in a plan announced in March 2016.