Interstate 395 (I-395) is an
auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of Connecticut and Massachusetts; it is maintained by the
Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the US state of Massachusetts. It was created on November 1, 2009, by the 186th Session of t ...
(MassDOT). Spanning nearly on a south–north axis, it is the only
spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the ...
of
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
in Connecticut. The section between its splits from I-95 in
East Lyme
East Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,693 at the 2020 census. The villages of Niantic and Flanders are located in the town.
Geography
East Lyme is located in southern New London County, w ...
and Route 695 in
Plainfield is a component highway of the
Connecticut Turnpike. Within that state, the highway is named the American Ex-Prisoner of War Memorial Highway from Plainfield to
Thompson
Thompson may refer to:
People
* Thompson (surname)
* Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician
Places Australia
*Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality
Bulgaria
* Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province
Canada ...
.
The highway was first established as part of the Connecticut Turnpike in 1958, while the Route 52 designation was applied to the portion north of the turnpike in 1967. Route 52 was intended to become a southern extension of
I-290, although the current designation of I-395 was ultimately assigned in 1983.
Route description
I-395 begins at the
East Lyme
East Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,693 at the 2020 census. The villages of Niantic and Flanders are located in the town.
Geography
East Lyme is located in southern New London County, w ...
-
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
town line as the Connecticut Turnpike leaves
I-95 as the latter route turns more easterly toward
New London. It is a relatively rural interstate for most of its length. It passes through Waterford into
Montville where it meets
Route 2A at exit 9. Eastbound Route 2A provides access to the
Mohegan Sun Casino, while westbound Route 2A
runs concurrently with I-395 into
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...
, and ends at exit 13, where it terminates as it joins its parent route,
Route 2
The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads.
International
* AH2, As ...
. After passing Route 2, I-395 bends to the east, and continues into
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
,
Griswold, and
Plainfield, where it bends more northerly and parallels
Route 12 for most of the rest of its length. At the Plainfleld–
Killingly town line, the Connecticut Turnpike splits to the east as unsigned SR 695 providing access to
US 6 at the
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
state line. I-395 continues north, and meets US 6 in Killingly. After crossing into
Putnam, it has an interchange with
US 44. It then passes through
Thompson
Thompson may refer to:
People
* Thompson (surname)
* Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician
Places Australia
*Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality
Bulgaria
* Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province
Canada ...
before crossing the
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
state line into
Webster
Webster may refer to:
People
*Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname
*Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name
Places Canada
*Webster, Alberta
* Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario
United Stat ...
. After passing through Webster and
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, it enters
Auburn where it has an interchange with
US 20, which provides access to the
Route 146 expressway. The I-395 designation for the highway ends as it meets
I-90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, an ...
(the
Mass Pike
The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state ...
) at exits 11A & 11B and becomes
I-290 as it heads toward
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
, although the mileage for I-395 runs in parallel with its I-290 counterpart until it reaches
I-495 in
Marlboro.
Service plazas
In Connecticut, there are three service plazas (a legacy of the Turnpike) that provide 24-hour gas stations, convenience stores, plus a Subway and Dunkin' Donuts.
*Montville — MP 8 - southbound only between exits 9 and 6.
*Plainfield — MP 35 - northbound and southbound between exits 32 and 35.
The Connecticut State Police Troop E barracks occupies the former service plaza on the northbound side at Montville.
History
The highway that is now I-395 from its southern terminus with
I-95 in East Lyme to exit 35 in Plainfield opened on January 2, 1958, as part of the
Connecticut Turnpike from
Greenwich at the New York state line to
Killingly at the Rhode Island state line. In 1964, work began on a freeway extension beyond the turnpike in Plainfield north towards
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
, connecting to the
Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). This new freeway, as well as the existing section of the Connecticut Turnpike from East Lyme to Plainfield would be designated as Route 52. The section between Plainfield and
US 44 near
Putnam opened in 1967, and the section from US 44 to the Massachusetts state line opened in 1969. Massachusetts completed its section of the freeway in 1977.
In 1983, in response to the cancellation of the proposed
I-84
Interstate 84 may refer to:
* Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)
Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...
extension from
Hartford to
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, the
Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) wished to supplement the state's loss of Interstate mileage by applying an Interstate designation to Route 52. Initially,
I-290 was to be extended from its southern terminus in
Auburn, Massachusetts
Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,889 at the 2020 census.
History
The Auburn area was first settled in 1714 as of today outer parts of Worcester, Sutton, Leicester and Oxford, Massachus ...
. However, in 1983, it was decided to instead apply the I-395 designation to the freeway south of I-90.
In May 2013, ConnDOT announced that a project that would begin in early 2014 that included renumbering exits along its section of I-395, and
Route 2A from the then-current sequential numbering system to a distance-based scheme to conform with federal exit numbering standards. During the transition, old exit numbers were posted atop the new exit numbers through 2017 to lessen any confusion. The renumbering began on June 24, 2015, and ended in January 2016; the project included renumbering one sign in Massachusetts announcing the first southbound Connecticut exit.
Exit list
Exit numbers were changed from sequential to distance-based numbering in Connecticut between July and December 2015. Along with Connecticut Route 2A, these are Connecticut's initial distance-based exit numbers.
MassDOT also planned to switch exit numbers on all of its interstates, including I-395, to distance-based numbering in 2016. But the contract to change exit numbers which was to be awarded in December 2015 was indefinitely postponed in the middle of 2016. It wasn't until November 18, 2019 that MassDOT confirmed that beginning in late summer 2020 the exit renumbering project will begin. On July 29, 2021, MassDOT announced that the exit renumbering on I-395 and I-290 will start on August 8, and it will last for two weeks.
References
External links
Kurumi - I-395 Connecticut; Massachusetts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 95-3 (Connecticut-Massachusetts)
95-3 Connecticut
3 Connecticut
95-3
95-3
Transportation in New London County, Connecticut
Transportation in Windham County, Connecticut
Transportation in Worcester County, Massachusetts