Travel Advisory Update: RIDOT Starts I-95 Mile-Marker Numbering Program

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) last night started its highway renumbering project, changing exit numbers on I-95 from the Massachusetts border in Pawtucket to the Connecticut border in Hopkinton.

The new exit numbers are part of a multi-year federal program to update highway numbering for Interstates and other limited-access highways. I-95 is the last highway for RIDOT to renumber, according to RIDOT.

Last night RIDOT renumbered three exits on I-95 South in Pawtucket. Exits 30, 29, and 27 are now Exits 43, 42, and 41, respectively. Work will continue for about one month on Sunday-Thursday nights, with no work on weekends or holidays. RIDOT will change approximately three exits at a time, taking two nights for each set of three exits before moving on to another set.

The new exit numbers are keyed to mile markers – a system used throughout the country for many years. Rhode Island and some neighboring New England states are among the last to change to this method which is required by the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways. The highway exit numbers traditionally were assigned sequentially.

A mile-marker exit number system lets drivers know how far they need to travel to reach their desired off-ramp. It also allows for easier expansion for future interchanges since the entire highway would not have to be renumbered to accommodate a new exit number. RIDOT will install temporary signs indicating the old exit number and will leave them up for an extended period of time.