Existed: 1963 – 1981 Length 10.3 km | North end: I-95 in Bristol, PA Constructed 1963 | |
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South end: I-295 in Burlington, NJ States: New Jersey, Pennsylvania Counties: NJ: Burlington
PA: Bucks | ||
Interstate 895 (I-895) was a planned 6.4-mile-long (10.3 km) Interstate Highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that would have provided a freeway between I-295 near Burlington in Burlington County, New Jersey and Interstate 95 near Bristol in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
History
In 1963, the Delaware River Port Authority proposed several new bridges across the Delaware River in the Philadelphia area, including a high-level crossing between Bristol, Pennsylvania and Burlington, New Jersey near the existing Burlington-Bristol Bridge. Following this proposal, a freeway was planned to link this bridge to I-295 near Burlington and I-95 near Bristol. This proposed freeway would be designated I-895 in the late 1960s. I-895 would have completed the partial beltway around Trenton formed by I-95 and I-295 as well as provided a beltway around Philadelphia along with the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-476, and I-295. The proposed six lane freeway was meant to have two mainline interchanges with US 13 in Pennsylvania and US 130 in New Jersey, and the terminus interchanges with I-95 and I-295, giving the freeway four total interchanges from start to finish. Once the freeway met I-295, there were plans to extend it as the Route 72 freeway towards Long Beach Island where it would meet the existing Route 72 at Route 70.
In the early 1970s, I-895 gained opposition from area residents, who feared the road would cause disruption to residential areas in both Burlington and Bristol. The alignment for I-895 was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in 1973. The approach roads to the bridge were approved by New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne in December 1975, but Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp opposed it because there was not a connection to I-95. As a result, the Burlington County Bridge Commission decided to build the Pennsylvania portion of the freeway. However, rising costs and desire of funds for mass transit led to the cancellation of I-895 in 1981, with the money allocated to the road transferred to other road and mass transit projects.