Interstate 95

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Interstate 95 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	1,927 mi (3,101 km)
Formed:	1957
South end:	US 1 in Miami, FL
Major junctions:	I-10 in Jacksonville, FL I-20 near Florence, SC I-40 near Benson, NC I-85 in Petersburg, VA I-80 in Teaneck, NJ (near NYC) I-90 in Weston, MA (near Boston)
North end:	NB 95 near Houlton, ME
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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 Maritime Provinces of Canada with Boston, New York City, 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).

Contents 1 Route description 1.1 Florida to South Carolina 1.2 North Carolina and Virginia 1.3 Maryland to Pennsylvania 1.4 New Jersey and New York 1.5 New England 2 History 2.1 Tolls 2.2 Unique disasters 2.3 Current and future projects 3 Intersections with other interstates 4 Auxiliary routes 5 See also 6 References

[edit] Route description

Major cities Cities in boldface are officially-designated control cities for signs

Miami, Florida Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Boca Raton, Florida West Palm Beach, 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 Fredericksburg, Virginia Alexandria, Virginia Washington, D.C. Baltimore, Maryland Wilmington, Delaware Chester, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Trenton, New Jersey Newark, 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

Lengths
	mi	km
FL	382.17[3]	615.04
GA	112.03[4]	180.29
SC	198.76[5]	319.87
NC	181.71[5]	292.43
VA	178.73[5]	287.64
DC	0.11[5]	0.18
MD	109.05[6]	175.50
DE	23.43[5]	37.71
PA	51.08[5]	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[5]	37.82
CT	111.57[8]	179.55
RI	43.3[9]	69.7
MA	91.95[5]	147.98
NH	16.20[10]	26.08
ME	305	491

[edit] 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 (Map), 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 infamous South of the Border immediately before crossing into North Carolina.

[edit] 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 first state capital, Richmond, Virginia, before entering into Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC area, and crossing over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Maryland.

[edit] Maryland to Pennsylvania

Main articles: Interstate 95 in: Maryland | Delaware | Pennsylvania

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 and into Delaware, passing through Wilmington. I-95 is the most heavily traveled route in Delaware, linking Washington and south with Philadelphia and north. Interstate 95 enters Pennsylvania along the Delaware River, traveling along its western bank through the city of Philadelphia, and heading north where it currently enters New Jersey in Trenton.

[edit] New Jersey and New York

Main articles: Interstate 95 in: New Jersey | New York

See also: List of gaps in Interstate Highways

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. I-95 follows the New Jersey Turnpike north through Newark and into New York on the George Washington Bridge. I-95 travels through Upper Manhattan and The Bronx before crossing into the state of Connecticut.

[edit] 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 (Map).

[edit] History

[edit] Tolls

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.

• Fuller Warren Bridge (defunct) over 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.
• Trout River Bridge (defunct) over the Trout River north of Jacksonville.
• Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (defunct) 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.
• 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.

Toll: Cars- $2.00

• 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.

Toll: Cars- $5.00

• Delaware Turnpike. The Turnpike, opened in 1963, extends along I-95 from the Maryland state line to south of Wilmington at the I-295 interchange.

Toll: Cars- $3.00

• New Jersey Turnpike. 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 2012, I-95 should follow said connector into Pennsylvania.

Toll: Cars- Varies by mileage

• 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.

Toll: Cars- $6.00 (peak), $4.00 (off-peak)

• New England Thruway in New York. The Thruway extends 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.

Toll: Cars- $1.25

• Connecticut Turnpike (defunct). The Connecticut Turnpike was completed in 1958 and designated as part of I-95. I-95 follows the turnpike for all of about 25 miles through Connecticut from the New York state line to its intersection with I-395 west of New London. 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.^[11]
• New Hampshire Turnpike. 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.

Toll: Cars- $1.00

• Maine Turnpike. The Maine Turnpike was built in two sections, completed in 1947 and 1955^[12]. 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.

Tolls: Cars- $.60 at entrances; Plazas: $1.75 at York, $1.25 at New Gloucester, $1.00 at West Gardiner

[edit] Unique disasters

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 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.

[edit] Current and future projects

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.^[1]

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 of 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,^[13] 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.^[14] 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.

[edit] Intersections with other interstates

From south to north:

• Interstate 4 in Daytona Beach, Florida (Map)
• Interstate 10 in Jacksonville, Florida (Map)
• Interstate 16 in Savannah, Georgia (Map)
• Interstate 26 near Harleyville, South Carolina (Map)
• Interstate 20 in Florence, South Carolina (Map)
• Interstate 40 in Benson, North Carolina (Map)
• Interstate 85 in Petersburg, Virginia (Map)
• Interstate 64 for 4 miles (6.4 km) in Richmond, Virginia (Map)
• Interstate 76 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Map)
• Interstate 78 in Newark, New Jersey (Map)
• Interstate 80 in Teaneck, New Jersey (Map)
• Interstate 87 in New York City, New York (Map)
• Interstate 91 in New Haven, Connecticut (Map)
• Interstate 93 in Canton, Massachusetts (Map)
• Interstate 90 in Weston, Massachusetts (Map)
• Interstate 93 in Woburn, Massachusetts (Map)

[edit] Auxiliary routes

Interstate 95 has many auxiliary routes.

• Florida: I-195- Miami to Miami Beach; I-295- Future 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

	edit Auxiliary routes of Interstate 95
	Current and Future (F)	Former
	Florida - Maine - Maryland - Massachusetts/Rhode Island - New Jersey - Virginia
	Delaware/New Jersey - District of Columbia/Maryland - Florida - Massachusetts/Rhode Island - Maine - New York - North Carolina - Virginia
	Connecticut/Massachusetts - District of Columbia/Virginia - Florida - Maryland - Maine
	Delaware - District of Columbia/Maryland/Virginia - Maine - Massachusetts - New York	New Jersey - Pennsylvania
	Florida - Maryland	Virginia
	District of Columbia - Maryland - New York	Massachusetts - New Jersey - Pennsylvania
	Florida (F) - Maryland	Virginia
	Maryland - New York	Delaware - New Jersey/Pennsylvania - Rhode Island/Massachusetts - Virginia

[edit] See also

• Interstate Highway System
• List of gaps in Interstate Highways

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} 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. ^ Georgia Department of Transportation, Office of Transportation Data (2003). "Interstate Mileage Report (438 Report)". (PDF)
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} 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. ^ RIGIS data - "Roads - Primary" and "Roads - State"
10. ^ GRANIT GIS data - NH Public Roads
11. ^ AP: Legislators consider possibility of reviving tolls
12. ^ http://www.maineturnpike.com/html/about/history.html Maine Turnpike Authority
13. ^ Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission I-95/I-276 Interchange Project Meeting Design Management Summary - DRAFT: Design Advisory Committee Meeting #2
14. ^ Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project

edit Main Interstate Highways (multiples of 5 in pink)
4	5	8	10	12	15	16	17	19	20	22	24	25	26	27	29	30
35	37	39	40	43	44	45	49	55	57	59	64	65	66	66 (W)		68
69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76 (W)		76 (E)		77	78	79	80	81	82
83	84 (W)		84 (E)		85	86 (W)		86 (E)		87	88 (W)		88 (E)		89	90
91	93	94	95	96	97	99	(238)		H-1		H-2		H-3
Unsigned			A-1		A-2		A-3		A-4		PRI-1		PRI-2		PRI-3
Lists		Main - Auxiliary - Suffixed - Business - Proposed - Unsigned Gaps - Intrastate - Interstate standards - Replaced