Route 3 is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the
U.S. state of
Rhode Island. Route 3 serves as a local alternative to
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
(I-95) as it parallels I-95 for almost its entire length. Route 3 in
West Warwick was the site of
The Station nightclub fire.
Route description
Route 3 starts at
US 1 in
Westerly. It begins heading north, and it has a partial interchange with the
Westerly Bypass
Westerly may refer to:
* Westerlies, the prevailing winds in the middle latitudes
Places in the United States
* Westerly, Rhode Island, a town
** Westerly (CDP), Rhode Island, the urban center of the town of Westerly
** Westerly (Amtrak statio ...
. Route 3 continues north, intersects
I-95 at exit 1, and turns to the northeast to parallel I-95. After two more interchanges with I-95, Route 3 passes through downtown
Coventry. Continuing east into
West Warwick, Route 3 terminates at Route 2 on the West Warwick/
Warwick town line.
History
In about 1835, the New London Turnpike was established as the primary road between Providence, Rhode Island and New London, Connecticut. As such, it was one of the earliest interstate highways in the country. The New London Turnpike proved a viable alternative to the Old Post Road, which followed the coastal route, as it was more direct and faster.
The New London Turnpike (also called New London Avenue in parts of Rhode Island and the Gold Star Highway in Connecticut) was a primary route until the advent of automobiles in the early 20th century. The increased need for roadways led to the development of a more improved interstate highway system. The Connecticut portion of the New London Turnpike is now Route 184, and in Rhode Island parts of the New London Turnpike are on Routes 2 and 3.
In 1922, the
Westerly–
Providence road was assigned
New England Interstate Highway
,
,
,
,
,
The New England road marking system was a regional system of marked numbered routes in the six-state region of New England in the United States. The routes were marked by a yellow rectangular sign with black numbers and border. M ...
1A, as an alternate to
New England Interstate Highway 1. The road was only paved north of
Nooseneck Hill. When NE 1 became
US 1 in 1927, NE 1A became Route 1A (now assigned to a
different route).
The original NE 1A alignment differed from the current Route 3 alignment in the following places:
*On a
1922 map, the main road appears to follow Route 3 out of downtown Westerly and then Potter Hill Road, and either Maxson Street and Route 3 or Laurel Street into
Ashaway
Ashaway () is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hopkinton, Rhode Island, USA. It is a principal village of Hopkinton, along with Hope Valley, although it is the smaller of the two. The population was 1,48 ...
.
*Maxson Hill Road and Town House Road from Ashaway to
Hopkinton.
*Bank Street, Arcadia Road,
Route 165, Black Plain Road and Austin Road from
Locustville to
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
. An old bridge still exists over a creek just north of Route 165, a bit east of the intersection with Arcadia Road.
*Weaver Hill Road and Kitts Corner Road north of Nooseneck Hill.
*Lake Drive and Mishnock Road, and then Maple Root Road and
Route 118.
*South Main Street and
Route 117 through
Washington.
From there, the main road used Route 33 to where the Meshanticut Interchange is now, and then roughly
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 ...
(though the exact route is unclear; it may have originally used Cranston Street into Westminster Street) to end
concurrent with US 1 and Route 2 in
Providence, possibly at Broad Street (former Route 117).
By 1934, the number had been changed to Route 3, and it was on its current alignment (though still extending north to Providence, via
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 ...
and
US 1), and was fully paved with
concrete except for a bit in downtown Westerly (and along Route 2 and US 1 north of
Route 12). Route 3 was part of a major through route, serving as a cutoff for US 1, along with
Rhode Island–
Connecticut Route 84. In fact, in 1947,
Connecticut proposed moving US 1 to this route, but
RIDOT
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 ...
declined, wanting US 1 to continue through the shore towns. RIDOT offered US 1A as a compromise, but this was never signed.
The old alignment through Washington to the Meshanticut Interchange site became
Route 3A and later
Route 33; by 1939 this was on its current alignment, bypassing Washington.
1952 and 1953 saw the building of a new high-speed relocation of Route 3 from
Route 84 to north of
Wyoming, where Route 3 left the New London Turnpike. This was built as a four-lane surface road, with interchanges at the Route 3/Route 84 split and
Route 138.
When the
Huntington Expressway
Route 10 is a numbered state highway connector in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, traveling along the Huntington Expressway, the first freeway in the state. It connects Route 12 (Park Avenue) on the Cranston–Providence city line wi ...
was built in 1959,
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 ...
was moved onto it, leaving Route 3 as the only road on Reservoir Avenue north of the Expressway. Later the Expressway was designated
Route 10, and Route 2 was moved back. At or after that time, Route 3 was truncated to Route 2.
In 1957 and 1958, the
Kent County Freeway was built, splitting from Route 3 near
Nooseneck Hill and heading east to Route 2. The original designation of this is unknown. However, the westernmost section carried Route 3, at least southbound, due to southbound access along the old road being cut off at the merge. This access was brought back in 1969 when the freeway extension was built to the south.
1959 also saw the assignment of the
Interstate Highways
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
, including
I-95 along the Route 3 corridor.
Route 84 and Route 3 were temporarily designated
Route 95 from Connecticut to the beginning of the Kent County Freeway, which was I-95. Route 3 was moved back to the old alignment at the 1952–1953 relocation.
The southernmost several blocks in
Westerly may have at one time used Canal Street and one of the diagonal streets to cut over to current Route 3.
Major intersections
See also
*
Numbered routes in Rhode Island
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
1939 RIGIS aerial photos2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island
003
003
Transportation in Washington County, Rhode Island
Transportation in Kent County, Rhode Island
West Greenwich, Rhode Island
Coventry, Rhode Island
West Warwick, Rhode Island
Richmond, Rhode Island
Exeter, Rhode Island
Westerly, Rhode Island
Hopkinton, Rhode Island