Interstate 895 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)
former proposed Interstate Highway in Rhode Island and Massachusetts
Interstate 895 was a proposed Interstate Highway in Rhode Island and Massachusetts that would have supplemented Interstate 295 to create a full beltway around Providence.
History
In the mid-1950s, highway officials in Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Department of Public Works (RIDPW; now the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, or RIDOT) proposed the East Shore Expressway to "bypass the existing two-lane RI 114 in East Providence, Barrington, Warren, and Bristol". The first (and only) portion to be completed was done as part of the construction of Interstate 195 in East Providence; this 1.8-mile piece of highway connected I-195 to RI 114 (Wampanoag Trail).
In 1966, officials in Rhode Island and Massachusetts undertook additional planning for a southern bypass of Providence, which would connect to I-295 at both ends and make a full beltway around Providence and Pawtucket. Interstate 895 was officially added to the Interstate System in 1968 and officially deleted in 1982. Throughout the planning process, there were two different routes proposed, the second of which was proposed only after the first route met with considerable opposition from residents in Warwick, Barrington, and Warren.
Original route
The original route for Interstate 895 was the shorter of the two routes and would have stayed completely within the Providence metro area.
Interstate 895's southern terminus would have been at the present-day Route 37/Interstate 295 interchange in Cranston. From that point, it would have used the current RI 37 freeway, which was completed in 1965, and which would have been extended past its current eastern terminus with U.S. Route 1, through Cranston and Warwick to Conimicut Point where it would have used a new bridge over Narragansett Bay to reach Barrington. The Highway would have proceeded east through Barrington along Nayatt Road then turned northeast in the vicinity of Rumstick Road along Route 114, Rhode Island Route 136, and Massachusetts Route 136 to interchange with Interstate 195 near Exit 2 (now Exit 5) in Swansea, Massachusetts.
“Interstate 895 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)” enters the record as former proposed Interstate Highway in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Interstate, Rhode and Island can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Interstate 895 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Interstate, Rhode and Island provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 11, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q821239. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1966, 1968, 1982 and 1965.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Interstate 895 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)”, its source revision and the description used here.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Interstate 895 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.