Interstate 195 Rhode Island / Massachusetts
Overview
Interstate 195 serves regional traffic demands, joining Providence, Rhode Island and the I-95 corridor with Fall River, New Bedford and Cape Cod in southeast Massachusetts. With auxiliary lanes, the nearly 45 mile long route accommodates as many as ten lanes.
Starting in Downtown Providence across the Iway Bridge over Providence Harbor, I-195 travels to East Providence, Rhode Island and suburban areas of Seekonk and Swansea, Massachusetts. East from there, I-195 crosses the Taunton River on the Braga Bridge to the city of Fall River, where the freeway passes below the Fall River Government Center through a cut and cover tunnel. Route 24 also overlaps with I-195 between separate freeways leading south to Tiverton, R.I. and north to Taunton, Mass.
Continuing east from Fall River, Interstate 195 parallels U.S. 6 through rural sections of Westport and Dartmouth with six overall lanes. The freeway narrows to four lanes across the city of New Bedford, where it spans the Acushnet River along a short causeway. Curving northeast, I-195 heads through Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Marion to the exchange with Interstate 495 and Route 25 in Wareham.
Massachusetts Route 25 extends the freeway from Interstate 495 east from I-195 to Buzzards Bay, U.S. 6 and the Bourne Bridge to Cape Cod. The Bourne Bridge provides one of two spans across Cape Cod Canal, with U.S. 6 east over the Sagamore Bridge being the other.
Costing $78 million, the Washington Bridge project in Providence, Rhode Island got underway in 2021. Work extending into 2026 widens westbound I-195 to five overall lanes across the Seekonk River, both removes Exit 1 D to Gano Street and relocates the entrance ramp from Gano Street to address weaving traffic, and builds a new exit ramp to Waterfront Drive.
History
HistoryInitially planned as Interstate 95E in 1957, the East Providence Expressway was renumbered as I-195 in 1959. Work on the route through Providence was already underway by 1956, with a one mile section completed through the Jewelry District in 1958. Construction of I-195 through East Providence was underway in 1957, and completed to the state line in 1960.1
Interstate 195 was originally proposed east only as far as New Bedford, Massachusetts. Construction on the freeway in the Bay State started in 1958, with the first segment opened to traffic between Seekonk and Swansea in 1960. Another seven miles of I-195 were completed from Exit 3 to Exit 10 in Westport in 1965.1
Interstate 195 completed from Providence to U.S. 6 and Route 118 in 1963.
Costing $610 million, the Iway Project in Providence, Rhode Island relocated 1.6 miles of Interstate 195 onto a new seven span, 1,250 foot long bridge3 over the Providence River. The 2,000 foot realignment of I-195 passes south of the Hurricane Barrier along the Providence River, connecting with a new three-wye interchange with Interstate 95 to the west, and leading east to India Point Park. Improvements included rebuilding a 0.8 mile section of I-95 as well.4
The Iway Project addressed regular congestion along the curved portions of both I-95 and I-195 south of Downtown Providence. Work involved 14 new bridges, including the eight lane Iway Bridge. 20 acres of land were made available for redevelopment along the former I-195 right of way. The Iway Bridge was constructed off site and transported by barge in August 2006 for installation.4 The main span is a 400 foot long network arch bridge.3
The new Iway Bridge opened to eastbound traffic on November 4, 2007. Westbound traffic shifted to the span on June 18, 2009.5 Final work on the Iway Project wrapped up by the end of 2010.3
Route Information
Mileage
Rhode Island – 3.82
Cities – Providence, East Providence
- Junctions –
Massachusetts – 40.73
Cities – Fall River, Somerset, New Bedford, Fairhaven
- Junctions –
Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List
I-195 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
Source: 2015 AADT Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Traffic Flow Map 2016
2019 AADT – Mass Highway Traffic Data Management System
The initial section of Interstate 195 connected U.S. 6/44 with Pine and Friendship Streets west of the Providence River
Massachusetts previously continued the sequential exit numbering system for Interstate 195 started in Rhode Island. Exits 10, 11 and 12 here are now Exits 4, 5 and 6.
Costing $610 million, the Iway Project in Providence, Rhode Island relocated 1.6 miles of Interstate 195 onto a new seven span, 1,250 foot long bridge3 over the Providence River. The 2,000 foot realignment of I-195 passes south of the Hurricane Barrier along the Providence River, connecting with a new three-wye interchange with Interstate 95 to the west, and leading east to India Point Park. Improvements included rebuilding a 0.8 mile section of I-95 as well.4
The Iway Project addressed regular congestion along the curved portions of both I-95 and I-195 south of Downtown Providence. Work involved 14 new bridges, including the eight lane Iway Bridge. 20 acres of land were made available for redevelopment along the former I-195 right of way. The Iway Bridge was constructed off site and transported by barge in August 2006 for installation.4 The main span is a 400 foot long network arch bridge.3
The new Iway Bridge opened to eastbound traffic on November 4, 2007. Westbound traffic shifted to the span on June 18, 2009.5 Final work on the Iway Project wrapped up by the end of 2010.3
 Photo Guides
 Photo GuidesEast End 
– near Wareham, Massachusetts
West at 
Route 25 winds west from U.S. 6 at Buzzards Bay as a 10.04 mile route to Interstate 195 west and I-495 north. 03/27/23
Route 25 takes a long straight away from a causeway over Mill Pond to the trumpet interchange (Exit 1) with I-195 west to New Bedford and I-495 north to Middleborough. 03/27/23
Crossing the Wankinco River, traffic separates at the west end of Route 25, with I-195 and I-495 diverging toward Providence and Worcester. 03/27/23
A begin shield for Interstate 195 stands along the ramp from Route 25 westbound. 03/27/23
East End Throwback
West at
The second to last exit on Interstate 195 is for Exit 21 to Route 28 and Wareham. Route 28 provides a cutoff from I-195 to Route 25 at Exit 22A. Photo by Douglas Kerr (04/20/02).
Interstate 195 eastbound concludes as traffic separates at Exits 22A/B. Route 25 extends southeast along a freeway to East Wareham, Indian Beach and Buzzards Bay. I-495 leads northwest toward Middleborough. Photo by Douglas Kerr (04/20/02).
West at
A vintage ground level sign directed motorists onto Interstate 195 west from Route 25 west at Exit 1. Photo by Douglas Kerr (04/20/02).
West End – Providence, Rhode Island
West at 
Three lanes join I-95 leading south to T.F. Green Airport (PVD), New London, Connecticut and New York from the west end of I-195 in two miles. 03/27/23
Construction from 2005 to 2010 associated with the Iway Project added high speed flyovers linking I-95 and I-195. The previous exchange included left exit ramps. 08/20/21
I-195/U.S. 6 west cross the eight lane Iway Bridge over the Providence River just ahead of their separation at Interstate 95. 03/27/23
U.S. 6 west combines with I-95 north to the Memorial Drive interchange while Exit 1 B departs for Eddy Street and Rhode Island Hospital from the southbound entrance ramp to Interstate 95. 03/27/23
South at
Construction started in 2014 for the Providence Viaduct replacement project rebuilt the southbound lanes of I-95 to the exchange with U.S. 6 west and Memorial Boulevard east. New signs were installed along this stretch in 2015, including a side mounted sign for I-195 east ahead of the Smith Street overpass. Photo by H.B. Elkins (05/31/13).
U.S. 6 east combines with Interstate 95 south from the Huntington Expressway for a short overlap to I-195 east (Exit 20). Photo by H.B. Elkins (05/31/13).
A lane drop occurs at forthcoming Exit 20 for I-195/U.S. 6 east. The two routes cross the Iway Bridge to India Point Park, and the Washington Bridge over the Seekonk River into East Providence. Photo by H.B. Elkins (05/31/13).
Staying below grade, I-95/U.S. 6 curve southeast to their split at I-195 (Exit 20) below the Broad Street overpass. Photo by H.B. Elkins (05/31/13).
North at
Interstate 95 advances north with four lanes along industrial areas beside Providence Harbor to the three-wye interchange (Exit 19) with I-195/U.S. 6 east. 08/20/21
U.S. 6 combines with Interstate 195 east 3.5 miles from I-95 to Exit 2C and Warren Avenue in East Providence. 08/20/21
The steel arches of the Iway Bridge come into view as Exit 19 separates from the Interstate 95 northbound mainline for I-195/U.S. 6 to East Providence, Fall River, New Bedford and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 08/20/21
West End Throwback
An older diagrammatic sign posted at the Atwells Avenue overpass preceded the short overlap of U.S. 6 east between the Huntington Expressway west and the former alignment of I-195 east. 06/26/05
A button copy overhead at the Broad Street overpass outlined the original left side ramp (Exit 20) for I-195/U.S. 6 east. 06/26/05
The old exit for I-195/U.S. 6 east was located 0.6 miles further north. It was numbered as Exit 20. 06/26/05
The former alignment of Interstate 195 circled around the Jewelry District from I-95 along side Friendship Street to span the Providence River by James Street. The freeway curved south between the couplet of Main and Water Streets and east to the Washington Bridge. Photo by Douglas Kerr (09/28/01).
Sources:
Page updated March 31, 2013.