Route 103 is a numbered state highway running in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, United States. It runs from Interstate 195 (I-195) in East Providence to the

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

state line in the town of

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

, where the road continues as Massachusetts Route 103. Route 103 is a major commercial corridor in East Providence.

Route description

Route 103 begins at the eastbound Exit 1D off-ramp of

I-195 Interstate 195 (I-195) is the designation for the following six existing Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 195 (Maine), a spur in Saco *Interstate 195 (Maryland), a spur to BWI Airport *Intersta ...

in East Providence, running along Warren Avenue until the intersection with Route 114. Route 103 turns south with Route 114 along Pawtucket Avenue, with Route 114 soon separating. Route 103 continues south then veers to the southeast along Willett Avenue as it heads towards the town of Barrington. In Barrington, it continues east as County Road, then meets with and overlaps Route 114 for a second time as the routes cross the Barrington and

Palmer Palmer may refer to: People and fictional characters * Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land * Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Palmer (surname), including a list of people and f ...

rivers into the town of

. Route 103 separates from Route 114 along Child Street as it continues east towards the Massachusetts state line, where the road continues as Massachusetts Route 103.

History

Route 103 was an original route assigned in 1923. It used to be much longer, extending through Providence and along present-day Route 14 to

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, where it used to continue as Route 103. In 1932, Connecticut renumbered its 1920s Route 103 to Route 14. Rhode Island renumbered the portion of Route 103 west of Providence to match the new Connecticut route number. Route 14 was not extended through Providence to East Providence, leaving Route 14 to end at US 6 in Providence and RI 103 to start from US 6 in East Providence. At one time, the main road east from Providence (at first NE 3, now

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...

or US 6) used Route 103 rather than the current US 6 alignment.

Maps A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...

disagree on when the change to the current alignment took place. However, rather than using Warren Avenue to the Washington Bridge, the main road continued north on Pawtucket Avenue to Waterman Avenue, and used Waterman Avenue over the old Red Bridge to

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

. When the main road was moved to current US 6, it at first continued to use Waterman Avenue via MA 114A and County Street to the state line. The current alignment of Route 103 along Warren Avenue in East Providence was also US 6 before I-195 was built. Some signs still mark it as US 6, including some signs placed since 2000.

Major intersections

Route 103A

Route 103A is a loop route of Route 103 in the Riverside section of East Providence. It leaves Route 103, continuing straight along Bullocks Point Avenue where Route 103 veers southeast on Willett Avenue. At the south end of Bullocks Point Avenue in

Crescent Park Crescent Park was an amusement park in Riverside, East Providence, Rhode Island which ran from 1886 to 1979. The park was known for its Rhode Island Shore Dinners, the Alhambra Ballroom, and its midway. Declining attendance during the 1970s fo ...

, Route 103A turns east onto Crescent View Avenue, which later ends back at Willett Avenue/Route 103. Route 103A was coordinated as a numbered State Highway in 2001.

References

External links

*
2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island
{{Numbered routes in Rhode Island, state=expanded

103 103 may refer to: *103 (number), the number *AD 103, a year in the 2nd century AD *103 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 103 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron, a territorial regiment * 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers * 103 ...

Transportation in Bristol County, Rhode Island