Interstate 895

I-895 (numbered as another interstate) Delaware (link)

A temporary renumbering for an under-construction segment of I-95 in Wilmington circa 1980. Soon after nearby I-495 opened in 1977, the I-95 viaduct south of downtown Wilmington needed major rehabilitation. The viaduct is a twin-span elevated structure about a mile long. DelDOT closed one span at a time, and maintained two-lane two-way traffic on the other span, while the closed span had the old bridge deck removed, replaced, and widened. During the 2 1/2 year project, I-95 became I-895, and link(495ri) became I-95.

Scott Kozel writes: "That was logical, because part of the real I-95 had only two lanes for the duration of the project. I'm not sure of the exact date range of the construction, but my best recollection would be from 1979 to 1982." [8]

Chris Blaney reports seeing a 1964 planning map showing the I-95 viaduct as I-895, and the proposed link(495ri) route as I-95. He offers three possible explanations for this: [10]

...how can this explain the 1964 dated map with this "temporary" designation, 15 years before it happened? A few come to mind.

The original map was from 1964, but it could have been revised at a later date without changing the original date.
The original 1964 plan was for the viaduct to be I-895 and the bypass to be I-95, but as the bypass was delayed for so long, it was decided for continuity sake to give I-95 to the through route and I-495 to the bypass route, when completed. The original plan was then only revived as a temporary solution for the construction.
I-895, I understand, was a proposed number for the Betsy Ross Bridge and its (unbuilt) approaches between the western I-95 and the eastern I- 95 (NJ Turnpike). NJ and PA may have prevailed upon Delaware to drop the I-895 designation, as it would have been too close to the other, aborted I-895. I-495 in DE and (NJ-495) in NJ are over 100 miles apart so there's less chance of confusion.

A March 2000 bill in the Delaware legislature aimed to permanently change the I-95 viaduct to I-195, and the I-495 bypass to I-95. [11

Why an odd starting number for a highway that's not a spur? Wilmington city residents believed this would help decrease traffic in the area, as I-195 would connote that the road is for local traffic. [12]

I-895 Maryland (link)

11.44 miles [1]; Harbor Tunnel Thruway in Baltimore. The Thruway was part of I-95 until about 1981 [9]. The Harbor Tunnel itself opened on Nov. 29, 1957 [7].

See also:

Baltimore Harbor Crossings (Scott Kozel)
MDRoads: I-895 (Mike Pruett)
Interstate Guide: I-895 (AARoads)

I-895 (cancelled) New Jersey; Pennsylvania (link)

This was once a proposed 6.4-mile Delaware River crossing northeast of Philadelphia, from from the I-95/PA 413 spur interchange in Croydon, Pa., bypassing Burlington, N.J. to the west, and ending at I-295 south of the NJ 541 interchange (Mt Holly - Burlington Rd.) [2] [5]

In 1975, the highway was still planned; the location was approved, but design was delayed. The Burlington County Bridge Commission opposed the project, preferring to build a new toll bridge. [14]

In the late 1970s, $180 million earmarked for I-895 was traded in for a several local road projects, including the Exton Bypass, the Newtown Bypass and the Pottstown Expressway. [13] Interstate 895 was cancelled in 1980. [15]

I-895 (numbered as another interstate) New Jersey; Pennsylvania (link)

I-895 is an old number for the Vine Street Expressway, today's I-676. In 1958 it was renumbered to I-80S; [23] in 1964, I-76; and in 1974, I-676.

See also:

Interstate system route numbering (Stephen Summers; FHWA and AASHTO info)

I-895 New York (link)

1.12 miles [1]; Sheridan Expressway connecting I-95 and I-278 in the Bronx. It was originally part of I-278, before I-278 was rerouted east along the Bruckner Expwy to I-678.

New York (and Robert Moses) had planned to extend the Sheridan (as I-278) northeast another 6 miles to I-95 at exit 10, to help New England-bound traffic. However, community groups and benefactors of the Bronx Zoo (in the highway's path) acted to stop work on the road in 1962. In 1972, Gov. Rockefeller declared the Sheridan extension dead. [16]

See also:

Sheridan Expressway (Steve Anderson)
Reasons to tear the Sheridan expressway down (Tri-State Transportation Campaign; includes declining usage, truck traffic problems, and the need for open space)

I-895 (cancelled) Rhode Island; Massachusetts (link)

Proposed eastern beltway for Providence, from I-95 at RI 138 in Richmond to the I-95/I-295 interchange in Attleboro, Mass. Added to the interstate system in 1968, it was rerouted in 1971, and was cancelled in 1982. [3] [4] [22]

Original route

The 1968 proposal started I-895 near the I-95/RI 37 interchange in Warwick, circling east then north (along RI 136) to I-195 near Exit 2 in Massachusetts; then north to intercept I-95 at I-295. The 295 interchange is a "half-cloverleaf," with space left for the 895 roadway and ramps. The 12.2 miles from I-95 in Warwick to I-195 was priced at $114.8 million in 1970. [18]

The route was originally to be part of Interstate 295 when approved in 1968. But on June 21, 1971, possibly because of uncertainty over its alignment, the number was changed to 895. [23]

Warwick route alternatives

At the time, there were three alignments contemplated. Each would extend eastward from RI 37, which opened in October 1965. [24]. These were:

"Through the villages of Lincoln Park, Hoxsie and Conimicut; [a] bridge would then be built linking Conimicut Point with the Barrington shoreline."
a cut through Pilgrim Park and Governor Francis Farms to Gaspee Point, and a bridge to Warwick and Barrington
a cut through Gaspee Plateau to Gaspee Point, and a bridge as above

(all [24

])

Revised route

The proposed segment through Warwick met strong opposition. In October 1971, Rhode Island lobbied for a rerouting of its portion of 895, creating a longer route through Newport as follows:

From I-95/RI 138 to US 1/RI 138 interchange
Along RI 138 through Jamestown and Newport
North paralleling RI 114 and RI 136 to the original I-895 corridor

The Rhode Island portion would total 40.5 miles and $145 million. [18

] In 1971, Massachusetts canceled most of its portion of I-895 -- from I-195 north to I-295/95.

The Fall River route

There was another plan to connect I-895 to I-195 at Fall River using RI/MA 24. [19] This plan probably omitted the connection further north to I-95. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted for I-895 included the RI 136 route and the RI 24 route. [20]

What was built

Signs of the planned I-895 are still visible. There's a "New England cloverleaf" where the westbound RI 138 ends at US 1; a roadway continues for about 1/4 mile into the deep woods of North Kingstown. Leading east from there, RI 138 is a freeway for most of the way into Newport. (The final portion of this freeway was completed summer 1996 when the section across the island of Jamestown was finished.)

The $160 million Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge, which was to be part of I-895, was built after 895 was cancelled, though using funds allocated for it. [19]

See also:

Nearby 3di's: I-195, I-295
I-295 (and 895) (Steve Anderson)

VA 895 Virginia

Virginia State route 895 is an 8.9-mile, four-lane, $324M connector proposed for some time between the Chippenham Parkway (VA 150) and I-295 in the Richmond area, to allow easier airport access (it's the only bridge across the James River between I-95 and I-295). [6

] Route 895 was completed on Sept. 20, 2002. [21

]

Although this page (among others) has referred to the highway as Interstate 895, and it was constructed to Interstate standards, it will actually be called state route 895 for the forseeable future. [17]

See Scott Kozel's excellent pages for more 895 history, updates, and photos:

Route 895 Connector (Scott Kozel)
Route 895 Connector Map (Scott Kozel)

Sources

Route Log and Finder List - Interstate Highways, FHWA, Oct. 31, 2002.
Route Log and Finder List - Interstate Highways, USDOT, 1978
"Recommendations for Northeast Corridor Transportation: Final Report", US DOT, Sept. 1971.
RI Dept. of Trans., "Proposal to Congress to Substitute for I-895", Oct. 1971.
United States Road Atlas, Rand McNally, 1976
Commiskey, Stephen W.
Kozel, Scott
Kozel, Scott. "Re: Interstate rerouting through Wilmington DE." Online posting, misc.transport.road, Jan. 19, 1999.
Yurasko, William F.
Blaney, Chris. "Re: Interstate 895 in Delaware." Online posting, misc.transport.road, March 2, 2000.
Taylor, Jeff. "Re: Interstate 895 in Delaware." Online posting, misc.transport.road, March 2, 2000.
Nitzman, Alex. "Re: Interstate 895 in Delaware." Online posting, misc.transport.road, March 2, 2000.
"Schuylkill carries the load of many routes left unbuilt." Philadelphia Inquirer, Aug. 19, 1984.
"Increasing the federal share of highway projects..." US House of Representatives, Committee on Public Works and Transportation, March 1975.
Anderson, Steve. "Re: Unused I-x95's." Online posting, misc.transport.road, Jan. 17, 2001.
"Boondoggle highway: $420m face lift for 'road to nowhere'." New York Post, Oct. 2, 2000.
"Route 895 in Virginia - Designation." Post to misc.transport.road, Jan. 31, 2002. (thanks to Steve Anderson)
Congressional Hearings, Federal Aid Highway Act of 1970
"Defunct I-895 made bridge toll-free: Fees banned on highway projects using federal money." Journal-Bulletin (Providence, R.I.), Oct. 21, 1992. (Thanks to Joshuah Mello)
Moraseski, Dan. "Turns out one of the plans for I-895 was along RI/MA 24." Post to misc.transport.road, July 17, 2002.
"Pocahontas Parkway opens in both directions." NBC12 Traffic [Richmond, Va.], Sept. 20, 2002. (Thanks to Scott Kozel)
"Funds for scrapped highways rebuilding R.I." Journal-Bulletin (Providence, R.I.), Oct. 27, 1991.
Summers, Stephen. "Interstate system route numbering." http://www.nwindianahwys.homestead.com/INTER_MAIN.HTML. (23 April 2003)
"Interstates: Life in the fast lane, landmarks in the dust." Journal-Bulletin (Providence, R.I.), Aug. 30, 1999.