Interstate 95
Route information
Length:	1,919.74 mi[1] (3,089.52 km)
Existed:	1957 – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 1 in Miami, FL
	I-10 in Jacksonville, FL I-16 in Savannah, GA I-20 near Florence, SC I-40 near Benson, NC I-85 in Petersburg, VA I-64 in Richmond, VA I-80 in Teaneck, NJ I-87 in Bronx, NY I-91 in New Haven, CT I-90 near Boston, MA
North end:	Route 95 / US 2at Canadian border near Houlton, ME – Woodstock, NB
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business

Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States,^[2] running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Savannah, Jacksonville and Miami. It is the longest north–south route of the Interstate Highway System, and supersedes older U.S. Highways, mainly U.S. Route 1. The oldest sections of I-95, including several toll roads, predate the Interstate System; the route has yet to be completed in the Pennsylvania–New Jersey area. Construction of the missing connection is scheduled to be completed by the 2010s (tentatively 2018).^[3]

I-95's two pieces total 1,925 mi (3,098 km).^[4][5] The southern terminus of I-95 is at U.S. Route 1 in southern Miami, Florida. The highway heads north along the Atlantic through Jacksonville, Florida to Savannah, Georgia, and then takes a slightly more inland route through South Carolina and North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia. From Richmond past Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland, I-95 follows the fall line, where the Atlantic Coastal Plain meets the Appalachian Piedmont. The highway continues northeast through Wilmington, Delaware and Philadelphia, after which traffic must use other roads to continue towards Newark, New Jersey until the completion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project (planned for 2017). I-95 crosses the George Washington Bridge into New York City, and then passes through New Haven, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island, around Boston, Massachusetts, and through Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine on its way to U.S. Route 2 and the Houlton/Woodstock Border Crossing to the short New Brunswick Route 95, which connects to the Trans-Canada Highway.

It is the longest north–south Interstate Highway (five east–west routes are longer: Interstate 10 (2,460 mi (3,959 km)), Interstate 40 (2,555 mi (4,112 km)), Interstate 70 (2,153 mi (3,465 km)), Interstate 80 (2,899 mi (4,665 km)), and Interstate 90 (3,099 mi (4,987 km))),^[6] and it passes through fifteen states, more than any other Interstate; the Interstate that passes through the second-most number of states is Interstate 90, at thirteen. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only five counties along the route—two in South Carolina, one in southern Virginia, and two in northern Maine—are completely rural.^[7] According to the I-95 Corridor Coalition, the region served by I-95 is "over three times more densely populated than the U.S. average and as densely settled as much of Western Europe".^[8]

As of 2007, I-95 is the only non-canceled long-distance Interstate in the original plans that has not been completed. A discontinuity exists between two separate sections in New Jersey and Pennsylvania 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, since the two sections are about 10 miles (16 km) apart from each other (though this gap is currently being addressed). Most travelers go over the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the New Jersey Turnpike in order to bridge the gap, which is much easier than traveling the exact I-95 mileage.

Route description[link]

Florida to South Carolina[link]

Interstate 95 begins at U.S. Route 1 just south of downtown Miami, Florida,^[19] and follows a path north along the Atlantic coast of Florida, passing near such locations as Florida's Space Coast, Port Orange and Saint Augustine, Florida before continuing north through Jacksonville and entering Georgia. Interstate 95 in Georgia travels through the marshlands of eastern Georgia, closely following the coast to Savannah, where it intersects Interstate 16, then 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 attraction immediately before crossing into North Carolina.

The Florida section of I-95 had the most fatalities of all US Turnpikes in 2010.^[20]

North Carolina and Virginia[link]

Northbound I-95 at its interchange with I-40.

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 then crossing via the Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Maryland.

Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania[link]

Interstate 95 enters Maryland on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, where a small, approximately 0.07-mile (0.11 km) portion of the highway passes through the southernmost corner of the District of Columbia. In Maryland, I-95 follows the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C. 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). After this, I-95 goes through northeastern Maryland, crossing over the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River in Havre de Grace along the way. On the other side of the bridge is a tollbooth for northbound traffic only.^[21] The highway then goes east to the Delaware border and then toward the city of Wilmington.

I-95 is the most heavily traveled route in Delaware, linking Washington and south with Philadelphia and north. After the road enters Delaware from Maryland, a Delaware Turnpike toll barrier is placed about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the Maryland border. I-95 continues for 23 miles (37 km) to Pennsylvania.

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; completion of last gap in the highway[link]

There is currently a gap in I-95 that is in the process of being filled via the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project. I-95 ends north of Trenton, NJ, 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 get off 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 (Turnpike Exit 7A, and the continuation of Interstate 95) in Robbinsville Township.

I-95 then follows the New Jersey Turnpike north through Newark and into New York on the George Washington Bridge. I-95 travels across Manhattan, The Bronx, and southern Westchester County in New York before reaching Connecticut.

New England[link]

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 not into but around Boston via Route 128 before turning north and passing briefly into and through New Hampshire, and then into Maine, following the Maine Turnpike to the Canadian border, intersecting the east end of US 2, and entering the province of New Brunswick^[22] as Route 95.

History[link]

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. Every current toll facility is compatible with the E-ZPass electronic payment system.

Florida[link]

Interstate 95 as it goes through Fort Lauderdale

Originally, I-95 ran concurrently on Florida's Turnpike for 41 miles (66 km) from Palm Beach Gardens north to Ft. Pierce on the Treasure Coast.^[23][24] Over time, the I-95 adopted a separate route, including parallel from the Turnpike between Palm Beach Gardens and Stuart, with the turnpike being removed from the I-95 alignment in 1973, and I-95 being completed in 1987.^[25][26]

The Fuller Warren Bridge spans the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. The old bridge was a drawbridge that was tolled until the 1980s. The current bridge was completed in 2002.

Virginia[link]

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 1958, most of the route was designated Interstate 95. Tolls were removed in 1992.

Maryland and Delaware[link]

Fort McHenry Tunnel is underneath the harbor of Baltimore, Maryland. This tunnel opened in 1985 and completed, with the exception of the large gap in New Jersey, Interstate 95.

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway is north of Baltimore. This highway was 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.

The Delaware Turnpike, which was opened in 1963, extends I-95 from the Maryland state line to the south side of Wilmington at the I-295 interchange. There is a toll for both directions between Delaware Route 896 (exit 1) and the Maryland state line. It is the most expensive toll road in the United States, based on cost-per-mile average; $4.00 in each direction; 35.7 cents per mile.

Pennsylvania[link]

I-95 continues north into Pennsylvania, along the Delaware River through Philadelphia, and further north. It continues north past the future site of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project, where it currently passes over the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 276); the two highways were not built to connect with each other. North of I-276, I-95 interchanges with U.S. Route 1 Business/Pennsylvania Route 413 and U.S. Route 1. The route heads into Lower Makefield Township, where it has interchanges with Pennsylvania Route 332 and Taylorsville Road (which provides access to Pennsylvania Route 32) before crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey on the Scudder Falls Bridge.

This section requires expansion.

New Jersey and New York[link]

The 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 2017, I-95 should follow said connector into Pennsylvania.^[27]

The George Washington Bridge carries I-95, US highways 1 and 9, and US 46 across the Hudson River between New Jersey and Upper Manhattan. The upper deck of this two-level, fourteen-lane bridge was opened in 1931, and the lower deck was opened in 1962. Northbound traffic (which actually travels slightly southward over this bridge) must pay a toll on the New Jersey end before crossing this bridge into New York.

The 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 highway was not completed until 1961. In 1956, this Thruway was designated as part of I-95. Tolls were originally levied in both directions, but these were removed from the southbound direction in the late 1980s during a reconstruction of the NET. Currently, tolls are levied on northbound traffic only.

New England[link]

Interstate 95 begins southbound sign at U.S. border

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 in Waterford, 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.^[28]

The New Hampshire Turnpike is designated as I-95 in New Hampshire. All of I-95, except approximately the northernmost one mile (1.6 km), 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.^[29] 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 (164 km) to just south of Augusta. The Maine Turnpike uses entrance tolls at exits south of and including Gray, and uses barrier toll plazas north of Gray. This allows travel on the southern section without having main line tolls causing major backups and the northern section saves money by requiring fewer toll collection employees.^{[citation needed]} The shifting of I-95 onto the Maine Turnpike also changed the sequentially-numbered exits to a mile-based system, making these the only such marked exits in New England on I-95.

Parallel US Routes[link]

Although primarily considered to be the interstate upgrade of U.S. 1, the two routes diverge substantially for large portions of the route northward. After paralleling U.S. 1 from 95's southern terminus to Jacksonville, FL, the federal route bears west and I-95 picks up U.S. 17 through Georgia and into southern South Carolina, even multiplexing with it at times. In Walterboro, SC, U.S. 17 heads east towards Charleston, SC and U.S. 15 begins paralleling the interstate. This continues for a short distance to Summerton, SC, where I-95 begins its long close parallel with U.S. 301. The two never stray more than a few miles from each other all the way to Petersburg, VA, where U.S. 1 rejoins the parallel of I-95. With the exception of I-95's brief hiatus on the DC beltway, this remains the case all the way to Baltimore. Here, though still somewhat paralleled by US-1, I-95 is more closely followed by U.S. 40, which stays with the interstate to Wilmington, DE. In Wilmington, U.S. 40 heads east to Atlantic City, NJ and U.S. 13 begins to follow I-95. This continues to the discontinuity near Trenton, NJ. Assuming I-95's route to take the soon-to-be-completed connection, the interstate is paralleled by U.S. 130 to New Brunswick, NJ, where US-1 again picks up the route. U.S. 1 repeatedly crosses the interstate all the way to Pawcatuck, where I-95 leaves all US routes and instead follows the RI-3 corridor. U.S. 1, however, again finds the interstate in Providence, RI and follows it to Boston, where I-95 was forced to take the beltway around the city. U.S. 1 in Boston actually follows some of the right-of-way intended for I-95 before its routing was blocked. North of the City, U.S. 1 and I-95 stick together all the way to Portland, ME, where I-95 takes a more northerly route paralleled by ME 100 to Newport, ME. Here it picks up U.S. 2, which it keeps all the way to its northern terminus just past Houlton, ME. Less than three miles from the Canadian border, I-95 intersects U.S. 1 for the last time; the federal route is headed due north for Fort Kent, ME.

Future[link]

A study that could lead to the imposition of tolls on I-95 in North Carolina is under way as of March 2010.^[30]

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, helped 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. With the exception of HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway (I-495/95), this project was completed in July 2007.^[31] 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 is actually two bridges comprising a total of twelve lanes; five in each direction, with an additional lane in each direction for future use (rapid-bus or train). This project is nearly complete. The ten lanes opened on the December 13, 2008 greatly reducing the traffic delays on the beltway. The lanes are divided into two thru-lanes and three local lanes in each direction. About 30 miles north of the Wilson Bridge (and about 20 miles south of Baltimore) near the City of Laurel, a large new interchange is under construction as of 2008 and scheduled for completion in late 2011, which will connect I-95 to Maryland Route 200, the long-planned InterCounty Connector toll road.

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,^[32] as I-95 will no longer go through Trenton, New Jersey (actually the townships of Hopewell, Lawrence and Ewing). This project will result in another toll being added to the route, that of the Delaware River-Turnpike Toll Bridge over the Delaware River.^[33] The toll, much like the other crossings of the river, will be for traffic leaving New Jersey only (I-95 southbound). More critically, completion of this project will close the remaining gap in the route.

In 2006, the Virginia General Assembly passed SJ184, a resolution calling for an interstate compact to build a toll highway between Dover, Delaware and Charleston, South Carolina as an alternative to I-95 that would allow long-distance traffic to avoid the DC Metropolitan area.^[34]

Federal legislation has identified I-95 through Connecticut as High Priority Corridor 65. A long-term multibillion dollar program to upgrade the entire length of I-95 through Connecticut has been underway since the mid-1990s and is expected to continue through at least 2020. Several miles of the Connecticut Turnpike through Bridgeport were recently widened and brought up to Interstate standards. Work has shifted to reconstructing and widening 12 miles (19 km) of I-95 through New Haven, which includes replacing the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge. Environmental studies for reconstructing and widening 60 miles (95 km) of I-95 from New Haven to the Rhode Island state line are also progressing.

There are plans to expand the 1,054-mile (1,696 km) I-95 corridor from Petersburg, Virginia to Florida through a U.S. multi-state agreement to study how to improve the corridor through widening and reconstruction, with the goal of reducing congestion and improving overall safety for years to come.^[35]

Georgia and Florida continue to complete widening projects. Most of Interstate 95 through Georgia and south to Jacksonville, Florida has been upgraded to six lanes. The section from Jacksonville to the Interstate 4 junction in Daytona Beach was expanded to six lanes in 2005. As of 2009, widening projects continue in Brevard County from the SR 528 junction in Cocoa to Palm Bay, as well as in northern Palm Beach County.

In 2009, state legislators representing Maine's Aroostook County proposed using federal economic stimulus funds to extend Interstate 95 north to Maine's northernmost border community of Fort Kent via Caribou and Presque Isle.^[36] The proposed route would parallel New Brunswick's four-lane, limited access Trans-Canada Highway on the U.S. side of the Canada–United States border. Legislators argued that extension of the interstate would promote economic growth in the region.

Major intersections[link]

Interstate 95 bridge over Lake Marion, Santee, SC; the old bridge (on the left) is now a fishing pier

• Interstate 4 in Daytona Beach, Florida^[37]
• Interstate 10 in Jacksonville, Florida^[38]
• Interstate 16 in Savannah, Georgia^[39]
• Interstate 26 near Harleyville, South Carolina^[40]
• Interstate 20 in Florence, South Carolina^[41]
• Interstate 74 near Lumberton, North Carolina
• Interstate 40 in Benson, North Carolina^[42]
• Interstate 85 in Petersburg, Virginia^[43]
• Interstate 64 for 4 miles (6.4 km) in Richmond, Virginia^[44]
• Interstate 76 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania^[45]
• Interstate 78 in Newark, New Jersey^[46]
• Interstate 80 in Teaneck, New Jersey^[47]
• Interstate 87 in New York City, New York^[48]
• Interstate 91 in New Haven, Connecticut^[49]
• Interstate 93 in Canton, Massachusetts^[50]
• Interstate 90 in Weston, Massachusetts^[51]
• Interstate 93 in Reading, Massachusetts^[52]

Auxiliary routes[link]

Interstate 95 has many auxiliary routes.

• Florida: I-195- Spur to Miami Beach; I-295- Beltway around Jacksonville; I-395- Spur to south Miami Beach; I-595- Spur between Interstate 75 and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
• North Carolina: I-295- Future loop around Fayetteville; I-795- Spur to Goldsboro
• Virginia: I-195- Spur into Richmond; I-295- Bypass of Petersburg and Richmond; I-395- Spur into Washington, D.C.; I-495- Beltway around Washington, D.C.

Defunct: I-595

• Washington, D.C.: I-295, I-395- Spurs 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- Beltway around Washington, D.C.; I-595- Unsigned spur to Annapolis; I-695- Beltway around Baltimore; I-795- Spur between I-695 west of Baltimore and Reisterstown; I-895- Loop inside Baltimore containing the Harbor Tunnel

Defunct: I-595 (Baltimore)

• Delaware: I-295- Bypass of Wilmington, Pennsylvania, and Trenton; I-495- Bypass of Wilmington

Defunct: I-895

• Pennsylvania

Defunct: I-695; I-895

• New Jersey: I-195- Spur to the New Jersey Shore; I-295- Bypass of Trenton, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington; Route 95W- Western spur of the New Jersey Turnpike

Defunct: I-495; 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 Wareham, Massachusetts; I-295- Bypass of Providence

Defunct: I-895

• Massachusetts: I-395- Spur from Connecticut to Worcester; I-495- Wide radius bypass of Boston and its suburbs

Defunct: I-695

• Maine: I-195- Spur to Old Orchard Beach, Maine; I-295- Loop into Portland; I-395- Spur into Bangor and Brewer; I-495- Unsigned connector between I-95 and I-295 in Falmouth

v t e Auxiliary routes of Interstate 95 Florida 195 295 395 595 7952 North Carolina 2952 795 Virginia 195 295 395 495 5951 8953 District of Columbia 295 395 495 695 Maryland 195 295 395 495 5955 695 795 895 Delaware 295 495 8951 Pennsylvania 1952 6954 8954 New Jersey 195 295 4951 6954 8954 New York 295 495 695 895 Connecticut - Rhode Island - Massachusetts 195 295 395 495 6954 8954 Maine 195 295 395 495 1Former 2Future 3Proposed 4Unbuilt 5Unsigned

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 95

• Geographic data related to Interstate 95 at OpenStreetMap
• I-95: The Road Most Traveled (special series). NPR, 2010.

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