South Florida I-95 begins at
US 1 just south of downtown
Miami and travels along the state's east coast, passing through
Fort Lauderdale,
West Palm Beach, the
Gold Coast, the
Treasure Coast, the
Space Coast,
Daytona Beach,
Port Orange,
St. Augustine, and
Jacksonville before entering the US state of Georgia near the city of
Kingsland. In Miami and Fort Lauderdale,
SunPass express lanes pass over the highway. Before 1987, a notable gap in the highway existed between West Palm Beach and
Fort Pierce; I-95 traffic between those cities was diverted to
Florida's Turnpike. Today, I-95 runs along a routing parallel to the turnpike. In 2010, more fatalities occurred along the Florida section of I-95 than on any other Interstate Highway in the country.
Georgia In Georgia, I-95 closely parallels the coastline, traveling primarily through marshlands a few miles from the shore. The route bypasses the cores of major coastal cities
Brunswick and
Savannah, routing traffic through the western sides of both cities' metro areas; it connects to the latter city by an intersection with
I-16 before crossing into South Carolina. The exit numbers were converted from a
sequential system to a
mileage-based system around 2000. I-95 in Georgia has the
unsigned designation of
State Route 405 (SR 405).
South Carolina Entering
South Carolina, I-95 diverts from its coastal route to a more inland route to the west. I-95 does not go near any major cities in South Carolina, with the largest city along its route being
Florence, the
tenth largest in the state. The rest of South Carolina can be accessed via other Interstates that intersect I-95. It intersects
I-26 near
Harleyville, which provides access to
Charleston,
Columbia, and
Upstate South Carolina. It also intersects
I-20 at Florence, which also connects to Columbia and then on to
Atlanta, Georgia. At the North Carolina border, I-95 passes the
South of the Border roadside attraction.
North Carolina In North Carolina, I-95 informally serves as the separation between the state's central
Piedmont and eastern
Atlantic Plain regions. Much like its route in South Carolina, I-95 runs through mostly rural areas, avoiding major cities like
Raleigh and
Durham. The route intersects
I-74 near
Lumberton,
I-40 near
Benson, and
Future I-87/
US 64 near
Rocky Mount. Several medium-sized cities lie along I-95 in North Carolina, including (from south to north)
Fayetteville,
Wilson, and Rocky Mount. At
Gaston, I-95 crosses into Virginia.
Mid-Atlantic region Much of I-95 in the Mid-Atlantic region is tolled, following the course of several turnpikes that predate the Interstate Highway System, as well as several other toll roads and toll bridges.
Virginia I-95 enters the
Mid-Atlantic region in
Virginia and travels through the center of the
densest and most populous urban region in the US. I-95 travels north–south through Virginia, passing through
Petersburg, and follows the
Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike into downtown
Richmond (where it is concurrent briefly with
I-64), and, from there, it turns northeast as it enters
Northern Virginia. In the
Washington metropolitan area, it is concurrent with the
Capital Beltway from the
Springfield Interchange along with
I-495, before passing through the southernmost corner of the District of Columbia for about along the
Woodrow Wilson Bridge before entering
Maryland near
National Harbor, Maryland.
Maryland In
Maryland, I-95 goes northeast toward Baltimore, paralleling the older
Baltimore–Washington Parkway. I-95 uses the
Fort McHenry Tunnel to travel under Baltimore's
Inner Harbor and travels through northeast Maryland as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, crossing into Delaware near
Elkton.
Delaware Entering Delaware at
Newark, I-95 follows the
Delaware Turnpike east across Delaware until the large and complex
I-495/
I-295/
US 202/
Delaware Route 141 interchange near
Newport and turns northeast through
Wilmington, skirting the west side of the downtown area before leaving Delaware in
Claymont at the state's extreme northeastern corner. I-95 is the only two-digit interstate highway in Delaware, and it only passes through the
Twelve-Mile Circle, the northernmost part of the state.
Pennsylvania Entering southeastern Pennsylvania near
Marcus Hook, I-95 crosses
Delaware County and the city of
Chester, closely following the
Delaware River. Entering
Philadelphia near
Philadelphia International Airport, the freeway has an interchange with
I-76 before it follows a large viaduct along the extreme eastern edge of
Center City Philadelphia. Northeast of Philadelphia in
Bucks County, I-95 joins the
Pennsylvania Turnpike near
Bristol before entering New Jersey on the
Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge.
New Jersey I-95 follows a course in New Jersey, starting in the south at the
Pearl Harbor Memorial Turnpike Extension of the
New Jersey Turnpike, crossing the
Delaware River on the
Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge, joining the mainline turnpike at exit 6. I-95 has interchanges with
I-78 in
Newark and
I-80 in southern
Teaneck. At the northern end of the turnpike in
Fort Lee, I-95 turns southeast and crosses over the
Hudson River into
New York City via the
George Washington Bridge.
New York I-95 in New York City comprises all or part of several named expressways, including the
Trans-Manhattan,
Cross Bronx, and
Bruckner expressways, as it crosses east-northeast across the boroughs of
Manhattan and
the Bronx. Within this stretch, I-95 intersects
I-87 in the
South Bronx, which connects to
Albany and
Upstate New York, as well as several auxiliary Interstates that provide access to other New York City boroughs and to
Long Island. Entering
Westchester County in
Pelham, I-95 then follows the
New England Thruway northeast to the Connecticut border at
Port Chester, where it continues as the
Connecticut Turnpike.
New England Connecticut I-95 enters
New England in the state of Connecticut, where it closely follows the state's southern coast. The highway's direction through Connecticut is primarily east–west, and it passes through the most densely populated part of the state, including the cities of
Stamford,
Bridgeport (the state's most populous city), and
New Haven. In New Haven, it intersects with
I-91 as it passes into the more rural areas of the
Lower Connecticut River Valley. I-95 leaves the Connecticut Turnpike at
I-395 at the
East Lyme–
Waterford town line. I-95 next passes
New London and
Groton, before the route curves northeast and leaving its close connection to the coast. It leaves Connecticut in the town of
North Stonington.
Rhode Island I-95 enters
Rhode Island in the town of
Hopkinton and connects the rural areas of the southwestern corner of the state with the more metropolitan region around the state capital,
Providence, in the state's northeastern corner. The highway's direction through Rhode Island is primarily southwest–northeast. It leaves Rhode Island in the city of
Pawtucket.
Massachusetts Entering
Massachusetts in
Attleboro, I-95 heads northeast toward
Boston. In
Canton, roughly south of Boston's city limits, it turns to the west and begins a
concurrency with
Route 128, a beltway that traverses Boston's inner suburbs. At this point,
I-93 has its southern terminus and provides access to the city of Boston itself. I-95 intersects the
Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 at the
Weston–
Newton line and I-93 a second time at the tripoint of
Woburn,
Reading, and
Stoneham. North of Boston, I-95 leaves the beltway and heads northward in
Peabody, while Route 128 continues east to
Cape Ann. I-95 leaves Massachusetts in
Salisbury.
New Hampshire I-95 enters
New Hampshire in the town of
Seabrook, following the pre-Interstate
New Hampshire Turnpike (The Blue Star Turnpike) and traversing the
Seacoast Region and the historic city of
Portsmouth where it leaves the state. I-95 in New Hampshire is the shortest section of the highway (excluding D.C.).
Maine In
Maine, I-95 follows the
Maine Turnpike, closely following the coast in a northeasterly direction until reaching
Portland, the state's largest city. From there, it turns northward to
Augusta, where the Maine Turnpike ends while I-95 continues north to
Palmyra, where it turns east to
Bangor. From Bangor, it turns north again to
Smyrna and makes a final turn to the east, reaching the
Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing in
Houlton. The road continues into the Canadian province of
New Brunswick as
Route 95. ==History==