Road Trip #1057 - I-95 South - Maine Mile 138-108 - Benton/Fairfield/Waterville/Sidney/Augusta
Music licensed by [ Ссылка ]
1 Adam Simons - Lost You - Instrumental Version
2 Far West - Corners of Your Mind - Instrumental Version
3 Alex MakeMusic - Neon
4 Beò - Not Myself - Instrumental Version
Interstate 95 (I-95) serves as the primary north-south route along the East Coast of the United States, stretching from Miami, Florida, to the Canadian border at Houlton, Maine. Covering 1,924 miles, it is the longest north-south Interstate in the country and the sixth-longest overall. This route largely follows the Atlantic coastline, running parallel to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) except for stretches between Savannah and Washington, D.C., and from Portland to Houlton in Maine, where it takes a more direct inland route.
I-95 connects major urban centers along the Eastern Seaboard, including Miami, Jacksonville, Savannah, Richmond, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, New Haven, Providence, Boston, and Portland. Although cities like Charleston and Virginia Beach are slightly inland, they connect to I-95 via I-26, I-40, and I-64. This corridor serves a highly populated region, with over 110 million residents and nearly 40% of the nation’s GDP. I-95’s 15-state reach—the most of any Interstate—makes it a critical artery for both commuters and commercial traffic.
Much of I-95 was built using sections of preexisting toll roads, particularly in the northeastern U.S., where tolls still remain on facilities like Maryland's Fort McHenry Tunnel, the New Jersey Turnpike, and New York’s George Washington Bridge. Over time, many tolls were removed, such as those on the Connecticut Turnpike in 1985 and Virginia’s Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike in 1992. While Florida’s segment of I-95 is toll-free, express lanes there require a SunPass transponder.
I-95’s original route included a gap in New Jersey due to the cancellation of the Somerset Freeway project. In 2018, a new interchange connected I-95 with the Pennsylvania Turnpike, creating a seamless route from Maine to Florida for the first time. This modification allowed the segment from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to US 1 to be redesignated as I-295.
Several large-scale projects have been undertaken to ease congestion and improve safety along I-95. In Virginia, the Springfield Interchange, a major junction outside Washington, D.C., was restructured to accommodate high traffic volumes. The nearby Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac was also replaced with a higher-capacity structure to manage overflow and provide for future transit expansion. In Maryland, a major interchange connected I-95 to Route 200 in 2014, improving access in the Baltimore-Washington area.
In Connecticut, ongoing modernization has been a priority since the 1990s. Projects include widening the Connecticut Turnpike and replacing the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven. Plans also involve widening I-95 from New Haven to the Rhode Island state line.
Farther south, I-95 from South Carolina to Florida has been expanded to a minimum of six lanes to meet increasing traffic demands. Florida has seen notable improvements, with segments around Jacksonville and Daytona Beach upgraded in recent years. Today, I-95 provides over 500 miles of continuous six-lane roadway from the Georgia border to Miami, enhancing both safety and capacity.
In the Northeast, alternative routes are being considered to alleviate I-95’s congestion. A proposed toll route between Dover, Delaware, and Charleston, South Carolina, aims to allow long-distance travelers to bypass Washington, D.C.
In June 2023, an incident underscored the importance of I-95: a section collapsed in Philadelphia following a tanker fire. A temporary roadway was installed within ten days, demonstrating the highway’s vital role in maintaining East Coast connectivity.
Overall, I-95 is indispensable for travel and commerce on the East Coast. Modernization and expansion projects along the route reflect its essential function in connecting one of the nation’s most densely populated and economically important regions.
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