Interstate 295 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)
Interstate Highway in Rhode Island and Massachusetts
Interstate 295 (I-295), sometimes called the Providence Beltway, is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It is maintained by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Spanning nearly 27 miles (43 km), it forms a western beltway around Providence, Rhode Island, and is a bypass of I-95 as it travels through the capital city. I-895 was proposed as a complementary eastern beltway to complete a full loop around the city in the 1960s but was ultimately scrapped in the 1980s.
The southern terminus of I-295 is at its split from I-95 in Warwick, Rhode Island. Among several state highways, it intersects with US Route 6 (US 6) in Johnston, Rhode Island, and US 44 in Smithfield, Rhode Island, before entering North Attleborough, Massachusetts, from Cumberland, Rhode Island. It intersects with US 1 in North Attleborough before arriving at its northern terminus as it merges into I-95 in Attleboro. I-295 was the first highway in Rhode Island to convert to an exclusive mileage-based exit numbering system, having transitioned from a sequential numbering system in 2017. Exit signs north of the interchange with US 6 previously included both milemarkers and exit numbers before being replaced in 2007.
Route description
Rhode Island
I-295 serves as a partial circumferential highway around Providence, bypassing the city to the west and north.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Interstate 295 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)” as interstate Highway in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 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 interstate Highway in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
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 Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q821197. Authority coordinates are 41.821, -71.513. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2017 and 2007.
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 “Interstate 295 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Interstate 295 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts) primary sources, Interstate 295 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts) archive and Interstate 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 “Interstate 295 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)”?
- 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 “Interstate 295 (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.