Rhode Island Route 138
highway in Rhode Island
Route 138 is a numbered State Highway running 48.3 miles (77.7 km) in Rhode Island. It is the longest state numbered route in Rhode Island, and the second longest highway after US 1. Route 138 begins in Exeter at the Connecticut state line in the west and runs to the Massachusetts state line in Tiverton in the east, and is the only state-numbered route to completely cross Rhode Island. Route 138 also keeps the same route number on the other side of both state lines.
Route 138 is a major thoroughfare in southern Rhode Island. The route ultimately connects Interstate 95 and the University of Rhode Island campus with the island town of Jamestown, the city of Newport, as well as the Tiverton-Little Compton coastal region. At the Massachusetts border in Fall River, the route continues as Massachusetts Route 138, which extends north into the Greater Boston area.
Route description
Route 138 enters Rhode Island from the west at the Connecticut state line in Exeter for a brief 0.5 mile (0.80 km) stretch as Spring Street. For the next 5.2 miles (8.4 km), Route 138 passes through Hopkinton first as Spring Street, then Nooseneck Hill Road, and lastly Main Street where it enters Richmond for the next 6.0 miles (9.7 km); in Richmond, Route 138 is Main Street and Kingstown Road and has a junction with Interstate 95. The Route next passes through South Kingstown for 8.9 miles (14.3 km) first as Usquepaugh Road, next Kingstown Road where it passes the University of Rhode Island and becomes Mooresfield Road until an intersection with US 1, with a 2.5 mile (4.2 km) long concurrency as Tower Hill Road which crosses into North Kingstown.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Rhode Island Route 138” as highway in Rhode Island. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as highway in Rhode Island. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q823950. Authority coordinates are 41.509, -71.460. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Rhode Island Route 138”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Rhode Island Route 138 primary sources, Rhode Island Route 138 archive and Rhode research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Rhode Island Route 138”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Rhode Island Route 138” 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.