Route 37 is a
state highway running in
Providence County
Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state cap ...
and
Kent County,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. A
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
for its entire length, it serves the cities of
Cranston and
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
and is also a major east–west freeway in the
Providence metropolitan area
The Providence metropolitan area is a region extending into eight counties in two states, and is the 38th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Anchored by the city of Providence, Rhode Island, it has an estimated population of 1,622,5 ...
, linking
T. F. Green Airport
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport is a public international airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, south of the state's capital and largest city of Providence. Opened in 1931, the airport was named for former Rhode Islan ...
with
Interstate 295. The western terminus of Route 37 is an
at-grade intersection with Natick Avenue in Cranston. The freeway has numbered interchanges with I-295,
Rhode Island Route 2
Route 2 is a state highway in Rhode Island, that runs from U.S. Route 1 in Charlestown to US 1 in Providence.
Route description
Route 2 starts at US 1 in Charlestown, which is also the southern terminus of Route 112. Route 2 ...
, Pontiac Avenue, and I-95 before terminating at a
trumpet interchange
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usi ...
with
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...
in Warwick.
Originally conceived as a freeway linking
Scituate with suburban Warwick, the proposed alignment of Route 37 was later shortened to an alignment linking I-295 with I-95. Construction on the freeway began in 1963 and was completed by 1969. An eastward extension across upper
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sm ...
was proposed in 1966; this proposal would have extended Route 37 north to
I-195 and I-295 in
Attleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, Attleboro had a population ...
, completing a
beltway
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
around the city of
Providence. This extended route was approved and given the
I-895 designation in 1968, but the extension was ultimately canceled by the
Rhode Island Department of Transportation
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is a Rhode Island state government agency charged with design, construction, maintenance and inspection of a wide range of transportation infrastructure. These include 3,300 lane miles of stat ...
(RIDOT). In the 1980s, Route 37 was included in proposals for an eastward extension of
Interstate 84 from
Hartford, Connecticut, to Rhode Island, but this alignment was also canceled. RIDOT has long-range plans to extend Route 37 east to
Route 117 in Downtown Warwick, but plans for a westward extension have been abandoned.
Route description
Route 37 begins at an
at-grade intersection with Natick Avenue in the city of
Cranston; Natick Avenue is an unnumbered road that is used to access
Rhode Island Route 51 (Phenix Avenue).
Shortly after the intersection with Natick Avenue, Route 37 begins to head in a northeastern direction and has its first numbered exit at a
cloverleaf interchange with
I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville
* Interstate ...
. The interchange is signed as Exits 1A-B from Route 37 west, but both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-295 are served via a single on-ramp from Route 37 east. After the junction with I-295, Route 37 passes through a densely settled region of Cranston and passes over
Route 5 on a single-span bridge. After passing under Glen Hills Drive, the freeway turns to head in a southwestern direction before intersecting
Route 2 at a
cloverleaf interchange signed as Exits 2A-B.
After the interchange with Route 2, Route 37 passes over Power Road before intersecting with Pontiac Avenue, an unnumbered, four-lane highway in Cranston.The interchange, numbered as Exit 3, is the only one along the length of Route 37 that does not have a
suffixed
exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit. In some countries, such as the United States, it is also marked on a sign in the go ...
in either direction. Shortly after Exit 3, Route 37 crosses over the
Pawtuxet River
The Pawtuxet River, also known as the Pawtuxet River Main Stem and the Lower Pawtuxet, is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...
and enters the city of
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
. In Warwick, the freeway has a complicated interchange with
I-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 ...
that is signed as Exits 4A-B.
From westbound Route 37, exit 4B is a right-hand exit that is used to access I-95 north, while exit 4A is a left-hand exit that is used to access I-95 south. Both ramps from eastbound Route 37 are right-hand exits.
After the I-95 interchange, Route 37 widens to three lanes in each direction. The freeway crosses Jefferson Boulevard and
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
's
Northeast Corridor railroad on twin-span bridges and passes to the north of the Lincoln Park
Cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
before interchanging with
US 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...
at exits 5A-B.
The freeway terminates at a
trumpet interchange
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usi ...
with US 1, with the two left-hand lanes defaulting onto US 1 north and the right-hand lane serving US 1 south, which connects to
T. F. Green Airport
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport is a public international airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, south of the state's capital and largest city of Providence. Opened in 1931, the airport was named for former Rhode Islan ...
.
History
Construction of the freeway
The origins of Route 37 date back to 1956, when the
Rhode Island Department of Public Works (RIDPW) included the Route 37 Expressway on its list of proposed freeways for the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
. The freeway was originally proposed to begin at
Route 116 in
Hope, a village of
Scituate, and extend east through
Cranston to
Route 117 in
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
. The route would also have connections with the proposed I-295 in Cranston and I-95 in Warwick.
In 1959, RIDPW approved construction of the expressway, amending the proposed route to an alignment extending roughly from I-295 to a junction with
Route 10 (Huntington Expressway) in Warwick; Route 10 would be extended south to Warwick as part of the plan. The routing was officially designated as Route 37, but was at one time referred to as the "Lincoln Avenue Freeway" after a local road in Warwick that the new route would bypass. RIDPW originally planned to begin construction in 1960, but it was delayed until 1963 due to ongoing construction projects with I-95 and I-195 in
Providence. Route 37 was routed through mostly undeveloped land in the cities of Warwick and Cranston, and in 1969, the construction of the freeway to an interchange with US 1 in Warwick was completed. The proposed southern extension of Route 10 was ultimately canceled by RIDPW.
Proposed extensions
In 1966, Route 37 was included in a proposal to extend
I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville
* Interstate ...
across
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sm ...
to make a full
beltway
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
around the city of
Providence. The plan, which was approved by both RIDPW and the
Massachusetts Highway Department
The Massachusetts Highway Department (abbreviated MassHighway) was the highway department in the U.S. state of Massachusetts from 1991 until the formation of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in 2009.
The responsibilities ...
(MassHighway), involved extending Route 37 eastward from its existing terminus at US 1 across Narragansett bay via a new bridge that would connect Warwick with the town of
Barrington.
The expressway would then head northward into the town of
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...
, intersecting
I-195 in the town of
Swansea after crossing into
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. Eventually, the freeway would connect with I-295 at its existing northern terminus in
Attleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, Attleboro had a population ...
.
In 1969, the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
(FHWA) designated the proposed expressway as
I-895 instead of the originally proposed I-295. The expressway was planned to extend the existing Route 37 by , and was scheduled to be completed by 1975.
In 1971, however, the expressway's original routing was canceled due to community opposition in the towns of Barrington and Warren and concerns that a new bridge across Upper Narragansett Bay would interfere with aviation traffic at
T. F. Green Airport
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport is a public international airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, south of the state's capital and largest city of Providence. Opened in 1931, the airport was named for former Rhode Islan ...
. In 1971,
RIDOT submitted a new proposed alignment for I-895 that utilized the
Jamestown and
Newport Bridges in southern
Newport County and bypassed Barrington and Warwick altogether, but the interstate was ultimately canceled in 1982.
In 1981, ten years after the eastern extension of Route 37 was canceled, RIDOT began planning studies for a western extension of the freeway. The expressway was included in a proposal to extend
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 ...
eastward from
Hartford, Connecticut, to Providence; more northern alignments for the freeway had been rejected due to concerns of potential damage to the
Scituate Reservoir
The Scituate Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in the state of Rhode Island. It has an aggregate capacity of and a surface area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²). It and its six tributary reservoirs—which make up a total surface a ...
. The southern routing of I-84, which would have utilized Route 37 and terminated in Warwick, largely bypassed the reservoir's
watershed. In 1982, however, I-84 was officially canceled by RIDOT after studies indicated that the southern alignment was not a feasible alternative.
Recent history
In June 2006, erosion resulting from heavy rains exposed human remains near the westbound lanes of Route 37 in Cranston. Subsequent drainage improvements to the freeway led to the discovery of human remains from more than 70 individuals buried in late 19th and early 20th centuries. Archaeological research indicated that the portion of Route 37 in Cranston between Exits 2 and 3 was inadvertently constructed over a portion of the
State Farm Cemetery in the 1960s.
The cemetery's wooden burial markers had deteriorated by the time Route 37 was constructed, and environmental studies that would have indicated the location of the cemetery were not conducted prior to the expressway's construction.
In late 2006, the remains of 71 individuals were
exhumed from the site of the previous cemetery and re-interred at the State Institution Cemetery in Warwick. On July 14, 2009, RIDOT hosted a memorial service for the 71 people re-interred in Warwick.
A 2021 investigation by
WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to dual Fox/ CW affiliate WNAC-TV (channel 64) ...
revealed that the remains of at least 1,000 individuals remained buried under Route 37 after the Rhode Island Department of Transportation built the highway over State Farm Cemetery in the 1960s and inadvertently did not exhume and remove the remains. The findings were confirmed by an RIDOT spokesperson.
Future
In 1992, RIDOT reviewed plans for an eastern extension of Route 37. The department conducted planning studies on two proposed freeway alignments that would extend Route 37 into Downtown Warwick. The first proposal continued the freeway southeast from US 1 to Airport Road for , while the second proposal extended the freeway east for , intersecting
Route 117 and
Route 117A in the village of
Hoxsie before terminating at Route 117 (West Shore Road). The first option was ultimately dropped by RIDOT after studies indicated the routing would interfere with aviation traffic at T. F. Green Airport. The freeway extension to Route 117, however, remains on RIDOT's long-term plans.
Exit list
RIDOT is currently in the process of converting its sequential exit numbering to mileage-based numbering to conform with federal highway standards. In November 2019, RIDOT announced that Route 37 would be part of the third round of exit renumbering to begin on/after December 9, 2019.
References
External links
2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island
{{good article
Freeways in the United States
037
Transportation in Kent County, Rhode Island
Transportation in Providence County, Rhode Island