Interstate 295 (Maine)

Interstate 295 marker

Interstate 295
Richard A. Coleman Highway
Route information
Maintained by MaineDOT
Length: 53.11 mi[1] (85.47 km)
Existed: 1960 – present
Major junctions
South end: I‑95 / Maine Turnpike in Scarborough
North end: I‑95 / Maine Turnpike in West Gardiner
Highway system
Maine State Highway System
← SR 238US 302 →
Northbound in Portland, Maine

Interstate 295 (I-295) is a 53.11-mile (85.47 km)-long auxiliary route in the U.S. state of Maine from I-95 in Scarborough to I-95 in West Gardiner. The highway was designated the Richard A. Coleman Highway in 2015 by the Maine Legislature.

Route description

Interstate 295 branches off from exit 44 of Interstate 95 (Maine Turnpike) providing access to downtown Portland, Maine, and then generally follows the Atlantic coast and Kennebec River until it merges back into I-95 in West Gardiner 52 miles (84 km) to the north at exit 103.

I-295's first exit is in South Portland, giving access to the Maine Mall (southbound) and U.S. 1 in South Portland and Scarborough (northbound); its last exit is Exit 51 (formerly Exit 28), which gives access to Gardiner. The route starts at Exit 44 (formerly Exit 6A) of I-95, and it has toll plazas just before its own Exit 1, and between Exit 51 and its northern terminus at I-95.

In 2015, the Maine Legislature unanimously voted to name the highway's entire length for Richard A. Coleman, a Maine Department of Transportation employee since 1956, who has been involved with many Maine transportation projects. He was involved in projects ranging from Maine's interstates to the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory. Coleman declined comment on the naming, only telling the Kennebec Journal that while the naming is humbling, he found it uncomfortable. Maine Sen. Roger Katz, the sponsor of the bill, said "Very few people have heard of Dick Coleman, but as he drives around the state, he must feel a great deal of pride looking at his decades of work." [2]

History

1960 to 2004

From its inception in 1960 to 2004, I-295 was an 11.02-mile (17.73 km) long route branching off the Maine Turnpike/I-95 to pass through downtown Portland. Four miles north of Portland the through freeway became I-95 at the junction with the Falmouth Spur, a connector carrying I-95 westward to the Maine Turnpike (I-95 and I-495(Former) at its Exit 9.

2004 extension

In 2004, to clear up confusion, I-95 was re-designated to continue along the Maine Turnpike for its entire length. I-295 was extended past the Falmouth Spur as a redesignation of I-95, to where it merges back into the Turnpike in West Gardiner 42 miles (68 km) to the north. The 4-mile (6.4 km) long Falmouth Spur officially became I-495 but was left unsigned.[3]

At the same time, the exits were re-numbered; previously they had been numbered more or less sequentially from south to north—there were skipped numbers, for example, there was no Exit 23. After the changes the exits re-numbered to mile-log in relation to the Scarborough junction, except for the exits in Portland and South Portland, which remained the same. Exits on Maine's I-95 were similarly re-numbered based on mileage.

Speed limits

The speed limit on Interstate 295 on the section past Tukey's Bridge to mile 51 in Gardiner was raised from 65 mph to 70 mph on May 27, 2014. This occurred as the result of a new law passed in 2013 by the Maine Legislature allowing the Maine Department of Transportation to unilaterally set speed limits on Interstate highways with the approval of the Maine State Police, instead of appealing to the Legislature. [4]

Exit list

CountyLocationmikmOld exitNew exitDestinationsNotes
CumberlandScarborough0.000.00 I‑95 southSouthbound I-295 drivers wishing to take I-95 north must take exit 1; I-295 south mainline merges with I-95 south, north exit 44; southern terminus
South Portland1.32.1-1 To US 1 / I‑95 – Maine Turnpike, Maine Mall RoadNorthbound exit to Broadway and US 1: southbound exit to Maine Mall Road and I-95; northbound entrance from I-95 and Maine Mall Road
2.03.2-2 To US 1 / SR 9 (Scarborough Connector)Southbound exit and northbound entrance
2.23.5-3 SR 9 (Westbrook Street)Southbound exit and northbound entrance
3.25.1-4 US 1 south (Main Street) / Veterans Memorial BridgeSouthern end of US 1 concurrency; northbound exit to Veterans Memorial Bridge; southbound exit to US 1 (Main Street); US 1 removed from Veterans Memorial Bridge in May 2007
Portland4.36.9-5 US 1A north (Fore River Parkway) / SR 22 (Congress Street)Signed as exits 5A (east) and 5B (west) southbound
-6 US 302 (Forest Avenue) / SR 100Signed as exits 6A (south) and 6B (north); US 1 removed from Forest Avenue in May 2007
-7 US 1A south (Franklin Street)
-8 SR 26 (Washington Avenue)SR 26 concurency for about 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km)
-9 US 1 north (Veranda Street) / Baxter BoulevardNorthern end of US 1 concurrency; US 1 removed from Baxter Boulevard in May 2007
Falmouth10Bucknam RoadTo I-95 (Maine Turnpike), US 1, and SR 9
1511 I‑95 (Maine Turnpike) – New Hampshire, MassachusettsSouthbound exit and northbound entrance; former terminus of I-295; formerly I-95; unsigned I-495
Yarmouth1615 US 1Northbound entrance added August 2013
1717 US 1
Freeport1920Desert Road
2222 SR 125 (Mallet Drive) / SR 136
2124 US 1Northbound exit and entrance
Brunswick2228 To US 1
SagadahocTopsham2431 SR 196 (Lewiston Road)Signed as exits 31A (east) and 31B (west) southbound
Bowdoinham2537 SR 125 / SR 138
Richmond2643 SR 197
KennebecGardiner2749 US 201
West Gardiner2851 SR 9 / SR 126Access from northbound I-295 to southbound I-95
53.1185.4729 I‑95 northI-295 northbound mainline merges with I-95 northbound, south exit 103; northern terminus; the toll is $1.00 for most vehicles to continue on to I-95
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ Floodgap Roadgap's RoadsAroundME
  2. ↑ Koeing, Paul (April 20, 2015). "Interstate 295 to be named after Augusta resident, longtime transportation worker". Kennebec Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ "It's Time to Clear Up the confusion: Maine Interstate Re-designation 2004" (PDF). MaineDOT. May 20, 2003. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  4. ↑ Koeing, Paul (May 27, 2014). "Speed limit increasing by 5 mph on parts of I-295, I-95". Kennebec Journal. Retrieved May 27, 2014.

Route map: Bing / Google

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