Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is an interstate highway that runs 1907 miles north and south along the eastern United States coast. The southernmost point is in the city of Miami, Florida; the northern terminus is at the Canadian border at Houlton, Maine.
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2 Major Cities Along the Route 3 Intersections with other Interstates 4 Spur Routes 5 Notes |
The highway's spurs have set two records. There are seven separate I-295s, making this designation used for the most number of highways. Also, six I-695s were planned, but postponed or never built, setting another record.
There is a gap in New Jersey where local opposition groups managed to stop construction of the interstate through the area. This situation is scheduled to be fixed sometime in the 2010s when a new interchange is to be built, updated signage posted, and I-95 re-routed north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike. Some highway mavens think that this will be an inadequate solution, and want the Somerset Freeway built; others want the entire main trunk of the New Jersey Turnpike designated as I-95, as that is where most of the traffic goes anyway; however, this would bypass Philadelphia.
Originally, I-95 was supposed to go through Washington, D.C instead of around it. The section through the city was re-designated as I-395; it does not connect with I-95 at the northern end, but does at the southern end. The Baltimore-Washington Parkway is not an interstate, but if it were, it would have been I-295; it is currently designated DC 295 and MD 295. The Capital Beltway article has more about this stretch of highway.
I-95 was also supposed to go through Boston, Massachusetts instead of around it but locals nixed the idea of having the highway go through the city. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation did build a part of the highway north of Boston, then abandoned that section of road. One can still find sections of that highway.
On March 26, 2004 a bridge on I-95 near Bridgeport, Connecticut was partly melted by the explosion of a tanker truck carrying over 45,000 litres of fuel oil. Repairs were estimated to take at least two weeks, but the highway was opened to northbound traffic in only a few days. Southbound traffic resumed about a week later.
The Miami hip-hop group 95 South is named after this highway.
On the morning of June 28, 1983, a 100ft. section of the Mianus River Bridge in Cos Cob, Connecticut collapsed, plunging northbound I-95 traffic into the river below, killing three. The collapse was blamed on the failure of the steel pins to hold the horizontal beams together and inadequete inspection prior to the collapse. Northbound traffic was diverted on this section of I-95 for 25 days. Southbound traffic was unaffected.Length
Major Cities Along the Route
Intersections with other Interstates
Spur Routes
Notes
Interstate 95 is one of the most well-known and travelled highways in the Interstate system, connecting the cities along the Northeast corridor with the sunny environs of Florida.