'Interstate 95' (abbreviated 'I-95') is a well-known, important, and heavily traveled highway in the
United States Interstate Highway System.
[1] I-95 runs 1,927 miles (3,101 kilometers) along the
east coast of the
United States, between its northern terminus at the
Canadian border at
Houlton, Maine, where it becomes
New Brunswick Route 95 and its southern terminus in the city of
Miami, Florida, at a junction with
U.S. Route 1, and is the major north-south highway along the east coast, connecting the
Atlantic Provinces of
Canada with
Boston,
New York City,
Philadelphia,
Washington, DC through
Florida. Its approximate center is at Mile 83 north of
Richmond, Virginia, near the intersection with
Interstate 295. Like most Interstate Highways, I-95 provides a high-speed alternative to the older
U.S. Highway system. The highway's route generally parallels that of
U.S. Route 1.
The Interstate system, officially the "National System of Interstate and Defense Highways," was created to provide both an easier way to travel across the country and as a means for rapid military transport in times of emergency. System-wide planning began in the 1930s, but funding and legislative commitment was not available until 1956. Much of Interstate 95 incorporated existing highways and
toll roads, particularly in the
Northeast, where Interstate 95 serves and connects the major cities along the
Northeast corridor.
It is the longest north-south Interstate highway (five east-west routes —
Interstate 10 (2,460 mi),
Interstate 40 (2,555 mi),
Interstate 70 (2153 mi),
Interstate 80 (2,899 mi), and
Interstate 90 (3,020 mi) — are longer),
[2] and it passes through more states - fifteen - than any other Interstate; the Interstate that passes through the second-most number of states is
Interstate 90, at twelve.
As of 2007, I-95 is the only non-cancelled long-distance Interstate in the original plans that has not been completed. A
discontinuity exists between two separate sections in
New Jersey due in part to the
freeway revolts of the 1960s and 1970s; thus it is not possible to directly travel the entire length of I-95 without interruption (though this gap is
currently being addressed).
Route description
Major cities
'Cities in boldface' are officially-designated control cities for signs |
|---|
★ 'Miami, Florida'
★ Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
★ 'West Palm Beach, Florida'
★ Port St. Lucie, Florida
★ Melbourne, Florida
★ 'Daytona Beach, Florida'
★ 'Jacksonville, Florida'
★ Brunswick, Georgia
★ 'Savannah, Georgia'
★ 'Florence, South Carolina'
★ 'Fayetteville, North Carolina'
★ 'Benson, North Carolina'
★ 'Rocky Mount, North Carolina'
★ 'Petersburg, Virginia'
★ 'Richmond, Virginia'
★ Alexandria, Virginia
★ 'Washington, D.C.'
★ 'Baltimore, Maryland'
★ 'Wilmington, Delaware'
★ 'Chester, Pennsylvania'
★ 'Philadelphia, Pennsylvania'
★ 'Trenton, New Jersey'
★ 'New York City, New York'
★ Bridgeport, Connecticut
★ 'New Haven, Connecticut'
★ 'New London, Connecticut'
★ 'Providence, Rhode Island'
★ 'Boston, Massachusetts'
★ 'Portsmouth, New Hampshire'
★ 'Kittery, Maine'
★ 'Portland, Maine'
★ 'Augusta, Maine'
★ 'Bangor, Maine'
★ 'Houlton, Maine' |
|-
|
FL
|382.17
[3]
|615.04
|-
|
GA
|112.03
[4]
|180.29
|-
|
SC
|198.76
[5]
|319.87
|-
|
NC
|181.71
|292.43
|-
|
VA
|178.73
|287.64
|-
|
DC
|0.11
|0.18
|-
|
MD
|109.05
[6]
|175.50
|-
|
DE
|23.43
|37.71
|-
|
PA
|51.08
|82.21
|-
|
NJ
|77.96 (main route)
8.77 (Trenton area)
11.03 (west spur)
97.76 (total)
[7]
|125.46
14.11
17.75
157.33
|-
|
NY
|23.50
|37.82
|-
|
CT
|111.57
[8]
|179.55
|-
|
RI
|43.3
[RIGIS data - "Roads - Primary" and "Roads - State"]
|69.7
|-
|
MA
|91.95
|147.98
|-
|
NH
|16.20
[9]
|26.08
|-
|
ME
|305
|491
|-
|
|
|
|}
Florida to South Carolina
:''Main articles: Interstate 95 in:
Florida |
Georgia |
South Carolina''
Interstate 95 begins at
U.S. Route 1 just south of downtown
Miami, Florida[10], and follows a path north along the
Atlantic coast of Florida, passing near such locations as Florida's
Space Coast and
Daytona Beach before continuing north past
Jacksonville and entering
Georgia. Interstate 95 in Georgia travels through the marshlands of eastern Georgia, closely following the coast to
Savannah, where it crosses into
South Carolina. In South Carolina, I-95 travels further inland than its paths to the south, and passes the
South of the Border tourist trap immediately before crossing into
North Carolina.
North Carolina and Virginia
:''Main articles: Interstate 95 in:
North Carolina |
Virginia''
Interstate 95 in North Carolina is one of four major north-south corridors through the state (the others being
U.S. Route 220 (
Interstate 73)/
U.S. Route 29,
Interstate 77, and
Interstate 26). I-95 informally serves as separation between the
piedmont and
coastal plain regions of North Carolina. In
Virginia, Interstate 95 roughly follows the same line between the regions, and passes by its
state capital,
Richmond, before entering into
Northern Virginia and the
Washington, DC area, then crossing over the
Woodrow Wilson Bridge into
Maryland.
Maryland to Pennsylvania
:''Main articles: Interstate 95 in:
Maryland |
Delaware |
Pennsylvania''
Interstate 95 enters Maryland on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, where a small, .11-mile portion of the highway passes through the southernmost corner of the
District of Columbia. In Maryland, I-95 follows the
Capital Beltway around Washington, DC. Once leaving the Beltway north of the city, I-95 travels diagonally through the middle of the state, through
Baltimore (see
Interstate 95 in Baltimore) and into
Delaware, passing through
Wilmington, passing the Maryland toll barrier north of the
Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge, south of Exit 89, which collects tolls from northbound traffic only.
I-95 is the most heavily traveled route in Delaware, linking Washington and south with
Philadelphia and north. A toll barrier is placed about two miles north of the Maryland border.
Interstate 95 enters
Pennsylvania along the
Delaware River near
Marcus Hook, traveling along its western bank through the city of Philadelphia, and heading north where it
currently enters New Jersey near
Trenton in
Ewing Township via the toll-free
Scudder Falls Bridge.
New Jersey and New York
:''Main articles: Interstate 95 in:
New Jersey |
New York''
There is currently a gap in I-95 that is
in the process of being filled. I-95 ends north of Trenton, but begins on the
New Jersey Turnpike south of Trenton.
Traffic is directed to continue south in
Lawrence Township where I-95 becomes
Interstate 295 south at I-95 milepost 8.7/I-295 milepost 68 near the
U.S. 1 exit. Traffic is led down the 295 expressway, and directed to exit at Exit 60A for
Interstate 195 east in
Hamilton Township. Traffic is instructed to continue on the 195 expressway east upon reaching Exit 6 for the
New Jersey Turnpike (NJ Turnpike Exit 7A) in
Washington Township.
I-95 (temporarily identiefied as State Route 95 to the Port Reading/Carteret border just north of Exit 8A) then follows the New Jersey Turnpike north through
Newark and into
New York on the
George Washington Bridge. I-95 travels through
Upper Manhattan,
The Bronx, and southern
Westchester County before crossing into the state of
Connecticut.
New England
:''Main articles: Interstate 95 in:
Connecticut |
Rhode Island |
Massachusetts |
New Hampshire |
Maine''
Interstate 95 enters
New England in Connecticut, and follows along the southern part of the state within miles of the coast in a more east-west direction. It then curves back northward, passing into Rhode Island, and traveling through its capital of
Providence. Interstate 95 then enters
Massachusetts, heading north to and around
Boston before passing briefly into and through
New Hampshire, and then into
Maine, following the
Maine Turnpike to the
Canadian border and entering the province of
New Brunswick[11].
History
Plans for the Interstate Highway System, 1955
Portions of the highway have or used to have tolls. Many parts of I-95 were made up of various toll roads that had already been constructed or planned, particularly in the northeast. Many of these routes still exist today, but some have removed their tolls. An interesting aspect of the highway is that every current toll facility utilizes the
E-Z Pass electronic payment system.
Florida
The
Fuller Warren Bridge spans the
St. Johns River in
Jacksonville, Florida. The old bridge was a drawbridge that until the 1980s was tolled. The current bridge was completed in
2002.
The other bridge is the
Trout River Bridge over the
Trout River north of Jacksonville.
Virginia
Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike was a toll road in central
Virginia. The Turnpike was established in
1955, and opened in July
1958. It extended from the northern limits of
Richmond to just south of
Petersburg on what is now
Interstate 85. In August of 1958, a majority of the route was designated Interstate 95. Tolls were removed in 1992.
Maryland and Delaware
Fort McHenry Tunnel under the
Baltimore Harbor in
Baltimore, Maryland. The tunnel opened in 1985 and completed, with the exception of the New Jersey gap, Interstate 95.
John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway north of Baltimore. The highway opened in
1963, and it and the Delaware Turnpike were both dedicated by President
John F. Kennedy. The highway extended from the northern Baltimore city limits to the
Delaware state line. After
his assassination, the highway and the Delaware Turnpike were named the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. It was tolled both directions until
1991, when southbound tolls were removed. It is currently tolled only northbound.
The
Delaware Turnpike opened in
1963, extends along I-95 from the
Maryland state line to south of
Wilmington at the
I-295 interchange.
New Jersey and New York
New Jersey Turnpike opened in
1952, and currently I-95 is signed from Exit 6 (the
Pennsylvania Turnpike Connector) outside Philadelphia north to the New York state line. By
2012, I-95 should follow said connector into Pennsylvania.
George Washington Bridge carries I-95 and various other routes across the
Hudson River between New Jersey and
Upper Manhattan, New York. The two-level, fourteen-lane bridge's upper deck opened in
1931, and the lower deck opened in
1962. Northbound traffic must pay a toll on the New Jersey end before crossing the bridge into New York.
New England Thruway in New York extended from the Pelham Parkway interchange in the
Bronx, just north of
I-695 to the
Connecticut state line. Construction of the NET began in 1951, but the 16 miles of highway were not completed until 1961. In 1956, the Thruway was designated as part of I-95. Tolls were originally levied in both directions, but were removed from the southbound direction in the late 1980s during reconstruction of the NET. Currently, tolls are levied northbound only.
New England
The
Connecticut Turnpike was completed in 1958 and designated as part of I-95. I-95 follows the turnpike through Connecticut from the New York state line to its intersection with
I-395 west of
New London, then continues eastward to the Rhode Island state line. Tolls were removed from the turnpike in 1985 after a notorious fatal car accident at a toll plaza in 1983. In January 2007, the
Connecticut Department of Transportation announced a $4-million study into the feasibility of reinstating tolls on the Connecticut Turnpike.
[12]
The
New Hampshire Turnpike is designated as I-95 in
New Hampshire. All of I-95 except approximately the northernmost one mile in New Hampshire is designated the Blue Star Turnpike, part of the New Hampshire Turnpike System. The Turnpike System diverges from I-95 in Portsmouth at the interchange with
U.S. Route 4. Tolls are collected once at a mainline plaza in
Hampton.
The
Maine Turnpike was built in two sections, completed in 1947 and 1955
[13]. Beginning in 2004, the entirety of the Maine Turnpike was designated as Interstate 95. The Turnpike extends from the
New Hampshire line north 102 miles to just south of
Augusta. Tolls are collected at almost each entrance and three times at barrier toll plazas.
Unique disasters
On
June 28,
1983, a section of the
Mianus River Bridge in
Cos Cob,
Connecticut collapsed, killing three people and seriously injuring three. A section of the northbound lanes was closed for six months.
In
March 1996, an illegal
tire dump in the Port Richmond section of
Philadelphia caught fire, destroying 22 spans of the Port Richmond
viaduct. Although the fire occurred during the overnight hours, it caused major traffic delays within Philadelphia itself, along with paralleling
I-295 and the
New Jersey Turnpike in New Jersey. The entire span and its support columns were replaced in an emergency repair project that took nearly 3 months to complete. The property owners were later convicted in both federal and state court.
In May 1996, a tractor-trailer carrying
gasoline from a
Texaco refinery in
Delaware City, Delaware, crashed through the
Jersey barrier in
Chester, Pennsylvania, crossed into the oncoming southbound lanes and crashed into a small pickup truck, killing both the tractor-trailer and pickup truck drivers and causing a massive fire that destroyed the southbound span (luckily, the supports were undamaged). The span was replaced and reopened by the
4th of July holiday by, coincidentally, the same contractors that rebuilt the Port Richmond viaduct in March 1996.
On
January 13,
2004, a tanker truck fell onto the northbound lanes of I-95 as it was entering the southbound side from the
Harbor Tunnel Thruway in
Howard County, Maryland, just south of
Baltimore. The truck driver was killed, along with the occupants in additional vehicles traveling north on I-95 (including a pickup truck). The northbound lanes of I-95 were closed to traffic overnight, as cleanup crews cleared the highway of debris from the crash.
On
March 26,
2004, a bridge on I-95 in
Bridgeport, Connecticut was partly melted by the explosion of a tanker truck carrying over 11,900 gallons (45,000 liters) of
fuel oil. Repairs were estimated to take at least two weeks, but the highway was opened to northbound traffic in only a few days. Southbound traffic resumed using a temporary bridge about a week later.
On the morning of
November 23,
2005, a tanker truck exploded on southbound I-95 just north of the
Capital Beltway (I-495) near
Beltsville, Maryland. The highway was damaged and was closed for several hours on the day before
Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Future
Between
Richmond, Virginia and
New Jersey are a few large projects that are helping to ease traffic along the corridor. The reconstruction of the
Springfield Interchange in
Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, is helping to ease traffic at the intersection of Interstate 95,
Interstate 495, and
Interstate 395, and surrounding interchanges. The Springfield Interchange is one of the busiest highway junctions on the
East Coast, serving between 400,000 and 500,000 vehicles per day. This project is nearly complete.
A few miles to the east is another major project: the
Woodrow Wilson Bridge replacement. The bridge carries Interstates 95 and 495 over the
Potomac River. The former Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which has since been demolished, was a six-lane bridge that was severely over-capacity. The new bridge will be two bridges comprising a total of twelve lanes; six in each direction. This project is half-complete. The I-95/495 North bridge is complete, and is currently carrying traffic for both directions while the I-95/495 South bridge is constructed.
Farther north in
Pennsylvania, a project is underway at the intersection of I-95 and I-276. The
Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project will construct an interchange between Interstate 95,
Interstate 276, and once completed,
Interstate 195,
[14] as I-95 will no longer go through
Trenton, New Jersey. This project will result in another toll being added to the route, that of the
Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge over the
Delaware River.
[15] The toll, much like the other crossings of the river, will be for traffic leaving New Jersey only - that's I-95 southbound. More critically, completion of this project will close the remaining gap in the route.
Major intersections
Interstate 95 bridge over Lake Marion, Santee, SC; old bridge is fishing pier
★
Interstate 4 in
Daytona Beach, Florida[16]
★
Interstate 10 in
Jacksonville, Florida[17]
★
Interstate 16 in
Savannah, Georgia[18]
★
Interstate 26 near
Harleyville, South Carolina[19]
★
Interstate 20 in
Florence, South Carolina[20]
★
Interstate 40 in
Benson, North Carolina[21]
★
Interstate 85 in
Petersburg, Virginia[22]
★
Interstate 64 for 4 miles (6.4 km) in
Richmond, Virginia[23]
★
Interstate 76 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[24]
★
Interstate 78 in
Newark, New Jersey[25]
★
Interstate 80 in
Teaneck, New Jersey [26]
★
Interstate 87 in
New York City, New York[27]
★
Interstate 91 in
New Haven, Connecticut[28]
★
Interstate 93 in
Canton, Massachusetts[29]
★
Interstate 90 in
Weston, Massachusetts[30]
★
Interstate 93 in
Woburn, Massachusetts[31]
Auxiliary routes
Interstate 95 has many auxiliary routes.
★
Florida: '
I-195'-
Miami to
Miami Beach; '
I-295'- bypass of
Jacksonville; '
I-395'- Miami to south Miami Beach; '
I-595'-
Interstate 75 to
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and
Port Everglades
★
North Carolina: '
I-295'- Future loop around
Fayetteville
★
Virginia: '
I-195'- Spur into
Richmond, Virginia; '
I-295'- Bypass of
Petersburg and
Richmond; '
I-395'- Spur into
Washington, D.C.; '
I-495'- Loop around Washington, D.C.
::''Defunct:
I-595;
I-795''
★
Washington, D.C.: '
I-295'- Spur into Washington, D.C.; '
I-395'- Spur into
Washington, D.C.; '
I-695'- Short, unsigned connector between I-395 and I-295
::''Defunct:
I-195''
★
Maryland: '
I-195'- Spur to
Baltimore-Washington International Airport; '
I-295'- Spur into Washington, D.C.; '
I-395'- Spur into
Baltimore; '
I-495'- Loop around Washington, D.C.; '
I-595'- Unsigned spur to
Annapolis, Maryland; '
I-695'- Loop around Baltimore; '
I-795'- Loop off of I-695 east of Baltimore to
Reisterstown; '
I-895'- Bypass of Baltimore
::''Defunct: I-595 (Baltimore)''
★
Delaware: '
I-295'- Bypass of
Wilmington,
Philadelphia, and
Trenton, New Jersey; '
I-495'- Bypass of
Wilmington, Delaware
::''Defunct:
I-895
★
Pennsylvania
::''Defunct:
I-695;
I-895''
★
New Jersey: '
I-195'- Spur to
Jersey Shore; '
I-295'- Bypass of Philadelphia and Trenton; '
Route 95W'- Western spur of the
New Jersey Turnpike
::''Defunct:
I-695
★
New York: '
I-295,
I-695,
I-895'- Various connectors around
New York City; '
I-495'- Spur to
Long Island
★
Connecticut: '
I-395'- Spur to
Worcester, Massachusetts
★
Rhode Island: '
I-195'- Spur to I-495 in Massachusetts; '
I-295'- Bypass around
Providence
::''Defunct:
I-895''
★
Massachusetts: '
I-395'- Spur from Connecticut to
Worcester; '
I-495'- Outer loop around
Boston
::''Defunct:
I-695''
★
Maine: '
I-195'- Spur to
Saco; '
I-295'- Bypass of
Portland; '
I-395'- Spur past
Bangor; '
I-495'- Unsigned connector between I-95 and I-295 in
Falmouth
See also
★
Interstate Highway System
★
List of gaps in Interstate Highways
★
Mark H. Coates Highway
★
Tom Coleman Highway
References
1. http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-095.html Interstate 95 @ Interstate-Guide.com
2. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table1.htm FHWA Interstate Highway Route Log
3. FDOT GIS data
4. (PDF)
5. Federal Highway Administration Route Log and Finder List, Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002
6. Maryland State Highway Administration, December 31, 2004 Highway Location Reference
7. New Jersey Department of Transportation, 2005 Straight Line Diagrams
8. Connecticut State Numbered Routes and Roads as of December 31, 2004 (PDF)
9. GRANIT GIS data - NH Public Roads
10. Map
11. Map
12. AP: Legislators consider possibility of reviving tolls
13. http://www.maineturnpike.com/html/about/history.html Maine Turnpike Authority
14. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission I-95/I-276 Interchange Project Meeting Design Management Summary - DRAFT: Design Advisory Committee Meeting #2
15. Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project
16. Map
17. Map
18. Map
19. Map
20. Map
21. Map
22. Map
23. Map
24. Map
25. Map)
26. (Map
27. Map
28. Map
29. Map
30. Map
31. Map
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