Some exit numbers on I-195 to begin changing next week, some on Route 24 to begin next spring

While exit numbers in Massachusetts are not slated to begin changing until next year, Some at the Massachusetts border are set to change as soon as next week.

On Monday, December 2, 2019 the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will start to change exit numbers on I-195 from the I-95 Interchange in Providence to the Massachusetts border in East Providence as part of its multi-year program to update highway numbering for Interstates and other limited-access highways.

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. Massachusetts begins this same project next year. 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.

Throughout this program, RIDOT will upgrade faded and deteriorated guide signage along these routes as needed. In some instances, the Department is replacing large supporting structures to meet modern standards.

The latest contract will also renumber Route 10, from Park Avenue in Cranston to Route 6 in Providence, and Route 37 from Post Road in Warwick to Natick Avenue in Cranston. These two highways will be completed by the end of the year, after I-195. Next spring, RIDOT will renumber Route 24 from the Massachusetts line in Tiverton to West Main Road in Portsmouth.

RIDOT will reach out to communities, businesses and organizations along these highway corridors to notify them of the change. The Department will also contact electronic mapping and GPS companies to inform them of the new exit numbers.