Interstate 295 northbound peels away from the left-hand lanes of Interstate 95 northbound at West Warwick. Even before the Interstate 95 mainline disappears from view, the first reassurance marker comes into focus. Interstate 295 and 95 split via a partial "Y" interchange just south of their respective interchanges with Rhode Island 113 (East Avenue). Photo taken 06/26/05.
The first three interchanges of Interstate 295 join the freeway with Rhode Island state highways in the West Warwick and Cranston vicinity. A mileage sign featuring just the state route shields appears shortly after the partition with Interstate 95 north. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Rhode Island 113 (East Avenue) travels across Interstates 95 and 295 between Rhode Island 2 (Bald Hill Road) and Rhode Island 5 (Greenwich Avenue). Exit 1 serves the westbound direction of East Avenue toward West Warwick. Drivers bound for Rhode Island 113 eastbound should use Interstate 95 north's Exit 12 for Warwick. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Interstate 295 spans the Pawtucket River between Rhode Island 113 (Exit 1) and junction Rhode Island 2 (Bald Hill Road) at Exit 2. Rhode Island 2 parallels Interstate 95 northward from Frenchtown to Cranston. The freeway locally serves the city of Cranston via New London Avenue. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Interstate 295 enters Providence County ahead of the Exits 3A/B three-quarter cloverleaf interchange with Rhode Island 37. Rhode Island 37 composes an east-west freeway between nearby Phenix Avenue and U.S. 1 near T.F. Green State Airport. Photo taken 06/26/05.
One quarter mile south of the Exit 3 interchange at the Wilbur Avenue under crossing in Cranston. The Rhode Island 37 freeway ends just west of Interstate 295 at Natlick Avenue, midway between its intersections with Phenix and Wilbur Avenues. Phenix Avenue meanders southwest from Meshanticut to Phenix locally in Cranston. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Exit 3A departs Interstate 295 northbound onto Rhode Island 37 eastbound for junction Rhode Island 2 (New London Avenue) and Warwick. Rhode Island 37 meets Interstate 95 in two miles. Meanwhile an original button copy overhead advises motorists of the upcoming Exit 3B loop ramp onto Rhode Island 37 west to Rhode Island 51 and Phenix Avenue. A left-hand on-ramp brings traffic onto northbound from Rhode Island 37 east. Photo taken 06/26/05.
The Rhode Island 37 freeway passes overhead Interstate 295 northbound. Devoid is the Exit 3B guide sign for the westbound off-ramp to Phenix Avenue. Rhode Island 37 officially ends at its interchange with Interstate 295. Rhode Island 51 represents a non-state maintained roadway following Phenix Avenue through West Warwick and Cranston.1 Photo taken 06/26/05.
Interstate 295 passes through several rock cuts on its 22.35-mile routing through the Ocean State. This scene resides along the freeway near Meshanticut State Park in Cranston. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Another old button copy sign directs motorists onto the Exit 4 off-ramp to Rhode Island 14 (Plainfield Pike). Rhode Island 14 travels in an east-west fashion from the Connecticut state line near Rice City to the city of Providence. Plainfield Pike locally serves the Thornton and north Cranston areas. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Exit 5 serves the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Industrial Park in Johnston. The forthcoming diamond interchange joins Interstate 295 with a disjointed section of Scituate Avenue. Scituate Avenue was severed at the east end of the interchange, likely to discourage truck traffic from using the road to reach Rhode Island 5 (Atwood Avenue) to the east. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Now one half mile south of the Exit 5 off-ramp to Scituate Avenue westbound to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Industrial Park. The industrial park is run by the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, a state environmental agency that deals with waste management and materials recycling. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Northbound at the Exit 5 ramp departure to Scituate Avenue west. Scituate Avenue meets Shun Pike and a disjointed section of Old Pocasset Road to the west. Shun Pike serves industrial areas west and south to Rhode Island 14 (Plainfield Avenue) and Peck Hill Road in west Johnston. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Interstate 295 next meets the U.S. 6 freeway leading west from Providence at Exit 6. The east-west freeway was built in anticipation of Interstate 84, and the directional-cloverleaf interchange between Interstate 295 and U.S. 6 includes provisions for the unconstructed freeway west to Hartford. Interstate 84 was never built between Manchester and Providence with the exception of the Willimantic Bypass in Connecticut. Therefore ghost ramps and unused underpasses remain at the Exit 6 interchange from the planned construction. Photo taken 06/26/05.
A lengthy collector/distributor roadway system joins Interstate 295 and U.S. 6 at the Exits 6A/B/C complex. U.S. 6 utilizes the c/d roadway to make the jump between the freeway and Hartford Avenue (U.S. 6A), an east-west arterial out of Johnston. U.S. 6 resumes its westward course via Exit 6C for South Foster and Danielson, Willimantic, Manchester, and ultimately Hartford, Connecticut. Photo taken 06/26/05.
Exit 6A quickly departs the c/d roadway onto U.S. 6 eastbound for Johnston and Providence. U.S. 6 follows a freeway east to junction Rhode Island 10, merging with the state highway on the approach to downtown and Interstate 95. U.S. 6A parallels the freeway along Hartford Avenue, the original routing of U.S. 6. Photo taken 06/26/05.
