Highway exit renumbering set to begin near Massachusetts, Rhode Island border

More exit numbers are about to change according to RIDOT.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation will soon start its next 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.

The new exit numbers are keyed to mile markers – a system used throughout the country. Rhode Island and Massachusetts 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.

RIDOT stated that 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.

The project is expected to begin on or about Sunday night, July 31.