Interstate 195 in Rhode Island

 

I-195
Get started Providence
End East Providence
Length 4 mi
Length 6 km
Route
  • 0 → New York / Boston1A Downtown Providence
  • 1B Gano Street
  • 1C East Providence
  • 1D Veterans Memorial Parkway
  • 2A Broadway
  • 2B State Route 114
  • Massachusetts

Interstate 195 or I -195 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The highway forms an east-west route from the state capital Providence to Fall River in the east. I-195 continues into Massachusetts and the section in Rhode Island is 6 kilometers long.

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Travel directions

I-195 begins just south of downtown Providence at an interchange with Interstate 95, the highway from New York to Boston. The highway has 2×3 lanes here and one crosses the Seekonk estuary. There are 2×3 lanes available throughout, but there are 2×4 lanes between exits. At East Providence, I-195 crosses the Massachusetts border, then Interstate 195 in Massachusetts continues to Fall River.

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History

The diversion of I-195 in Providence.

The Washington Bridge over the Seekonk River in Providence is the oldest part of what later became I-195 and opened to traffic on September 25, 1930. In 1968 a second parallel bridge was opened. In November 1958, the first highway section in Providence opened to traffic. In the fall of 1964, the interchange with I-95 opened to traffic. On December 15, 1959, a two-mile stretch opened in East Providence. By August 1960, this section was extended into Massachusetts and the Rhode Island route was completed.

I-195 has been moved south of downtown Providence because the original stretch connecting to I-95 was very twisty and dangerous. I-195 joins I-95 via a new bridge a little further south. The project cost $446 million and was completed in 2012. The actual diversion was already completed in 2009.

In December 2019, the exit numbering was changed from a sequential exit numbering to an exit numbering by distance.

Between 2021 and 2026, the Washington Bridge over the Seekonk River between Providence and East Providence was reconstructed. A fifth lane to the west was also constructed at the time, creating a profile of 2×5 lanes for through traffic. Work began on December 10, 2021. The project cost $78 million.

Traffic intensities

The highway is quite busy with up to 135,000 vehicles per day near the center. This drops very quickly to 50,000 at the Massachusetts border.

Interstate 195 in Rhode Island