Interstate 295 (Delaware-New Jersey)

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Interstate 295 Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	73.50 mi (118.29 km)
Formed:	1958[1]
South end:	I-95/Delaware Turnpike/I-495/US 202 in New Castle, DE
Major junctions:	US 13/40 in New Castle, DE US 40/NJTP in Carneys Pt, NJ US 130 in Logan Twp, NJ I-76/NJ 42 in Bellmawr, NJ NJ 70 in Cherry Hill Twp, NJ NJ 73 in Mt Laurel Twp, NJ US 130/206 in Bordentown, NJ I-195/NJ 29 in Hamilton Twp, NJ NJ 33 in Hamilton, NJ
North end:	I-95/US 1 in Lawrence Twp, NJ

Interstate 295 (abbreviated I-295) in New Jersey and Delaware is a bypass route from a junction with Interstate 95 south of Wilmington, Delaware to another junction with I-95 north of Trenton, New Jersey. The route runs parallel with the New Jersey Turnpike for most of its course.

Interstate 295 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a bypass around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Interstate 95 serves the city directly, connecting it with Wilmington and Trenton, whereas I-295 bypasses the city running east of the Delaware River. Interstate 95 was originally supposed to continue northeast from the routes' junction near Trenton on the proposed Somerset Freeway, but this plan was cancelled, limiting I-295's capability as a true bypass between Baltimore and New York City.

Today, traffic on Interstate 295 is directed to take Interstate 195 (or surface street connections further south) to the New Jersey Turnpike to reach New York City. The same route is prescribed for traffic on I-95 in Pennsylvania and near Trenton to bridge the gap with I-95 further north.

[edit] Route description

I-295 begins at a complex interchange with I-95, I-495, and Delaware Route 141 in New Castle, Delaware. From there, it runs for about six miles east, then crosses the Delaware River via the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which is actually two twin suspension bridges carrying traffic in opposite directions. One bridge carries traffic from Delaware to New Jersey, while the other span carries traffic from New Jersey to Delaware. At the New Jersey approaches of the toll bridge, a connection is provided with the south end of the New Jersey Turnpike. The Delaware Memorial Bridge is the only toll portion of the highway, and only about six miles of the entire route of I-295 lie in Delaware.

For its entire route (excluding the portion north of I-195 near Trenton and its route in Delaware), I-295 closely parallels both the New Jersey Turnpike and U.S. Route 130; sometimes the turnpike is visible from I-295. In the region, I-295 serves as a local complement to the Turnpike, due to the slower design speed and the Turnpike's relatively few interchanges in the area. Interstate 195 is the only expressway connection between the two routes besides their junction near the Delaware Memorial Bridge, as I-295 has no interchange with the Turnpike's Pennsylvania Turnpike Connector (now called the "Pearl Harbor Memorial Extension"), and the Turnpike has no interchange with Route 42 (the North-South Freeway). This way, I-295 serves as a route to access the South Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia, while the Turnpike provides an "express" route from Wilmington to Trenton.

I-295 runs north through Camden up towards Trenton (crossing I-195), and ends at I-95/US 1 north of Trenton.

South of the interchange with Interstate 76 and Route 42, 9 miles (15.00 km) of I-295 (between exit 13 and exit 23) is concurrent with U.S. Route 130, and was in fact built as part of US 130 before the Interstate Highway System was created. The interchange with I-76 (exit 26) is a semi-directional T, and the nearby junction with Route 42 is a single Y, with through traffic on I-295 northbound forced to merge and re-exit from Route 42/I-76. Due to the complex interchange design and resulting weaving, the speed limit on I-295 through the area is 35 mph.

North of Camden, I-295 continues north, paralleling the New Jersey Turnpike. At around exit 56 in Bordentown, I-295 takes a slight westerly turn away from the New Jersey Turnpike and continues its run towards Trenton. North of exit 57, I-295 becomes less rural and passes through a more open area where more buildings and a farther distance could be seen from the freeway, a sign that I-295 is leaving the Delaware Valley area and entering the New York metropolitan area. Upon reaching its interchange with Interstate 195 (one of the last portions of the freeway to be completed), it no longer parallels with the New Jersey Turnpike, and runs along the eastern side of Trenton, where I-295 ends at US 1, and then (I-95) starts to circle around Trenton. At Exit 67 with U.S. Route 1 in Lawrence Township, NJ, Interstate 295 formally ends and becomes Interstate 95 south to Pennsylvania. Interstate 295 originally continued approximately five miles beyond this point to a proposed interchange with the Somerset Freeway near Interstate 95's current exit with Route 31.^[4][5] Had the Somerset Freeway been completed, Interstate 295 would have ended here at a completed Interstate 95 between Philadelphia and New York City. When the Somerset Freeway was cancelled, Interstate 95 was extended and Interstate 295 was truncated to their current termini at US 1. The portion running through New Jersey is sometimes referred to as the Camden Freeway by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.^[6]

[edit] History

Northbound view of I-295 in Hamilton, New Jersey

Portions of what is now Interstate 295 were planned as early as the 1940s as a bypass replacement for U.S. Route 130 in southern New Jersey, as well as the Route 39 beltway around Trenton. The first section of the US 130 bypass in Gloucester County (between current exits 21 and 24) opened in 1948, with a second section (between exits 14 and 21) opening in 1954.^[1] Both these sections were originally signed only as US 130, but became a part of I-295 when the Interstate Highway System was created in 1958.

Also among the earliest portions of I-295 to be built are the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the Delaware approach. When the bridge opened on August 16, 1951, so did the eastern two miles of I-295 in Delaware, between U.S. Route 13 and the bridge. The bridge was signed as a portion of U.S. Route 40, and also became a part of I-295 in 1958. The western section from US 13 to I-95 opened with the completion of the Delaware Turnpike in 1963, which – when combined with the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Harbor Tunnel Thruway, JFK Memorial Highway, and New Jersey Turnpike – completed a nonstop freeway between Washington, D.C., and New York City.^[7]

The remainder of Interstate 295 through New Jersey was planned as Federal Aid Interstate Route 108, which was created by the New Jersey Department of Transportation in 1956^[8] when the Interstate Highways System was being planned but not yet numbered. Interstate 295 was mostly complete (especially south of Trenton) by the 1980s; the last portion to be completed was around the Interstate 195/Route 29 interchange in 1994.

The Interstate 295 expressway originally had extended further north (along current Interstate 95) and ended at the unconstructed interchange where the Somerset Freeway would have intersected it in Hopewell Township. I-295 continued for an extra 4 miles (thereby making its length in New Jersey about 72 miles). Thus, what are now the three northernmost exits on I-95 were numbered as part of I-295: I-95 Exit 8 for Princeton Pike was Exit 68 on I-295, I-95 Exit 7 for U.S. Route 206 was Exit 69 on I-295, and I-95 Exit 5 for Federal City Road was Exit 71 on I-295. For several years after plans for the Somerset Freeway were terminated, I-295 still continued north; in 1993 that the NJDOT shortened the length of I-295 and extended the I-95 designation along I-295's former 4-mile stretch to the exit for U.S. Route 1.

Since the section of Interstate 95 near Trenton ends at the junction with Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 1, NJDOT installed signs that direct motorists to the main part of Interstate 95. At I-295's northern terminus, there are signs directing traffic for Interstate 95 and the New Jersey Turnpike to follow I-295 south. This signage continues south for approximately 7 miles and then directs motorists to leave I-295 at Exit 60 for Interstate 195 east. Motorists then must travel on 195 for approximately 6 miles to the main section of Interstate 95 and New Jersey Turnpike.

The expressway, like many others in New Jersey, once had solar powered emergency call boxes every 1.0 mile, however with the advent of cell phones the usage of these call boxes became extremely limited. To save on maintenance costs, the NJDOT removed these call boxes in 2005. Due to difficulty replacing parts, the call boxes are disappearing from many other highways as well, such as I-195, I-280, I-78, I-80, NJ 55, and NJ 208.^[9][10]

[edit] Future

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is currently planning to reconstruct the interchange with Interstate 76 and Route 42 south of Camden. The project is necessary to create a direct through connection for I-295 through the interchange, eliminate weaving between I-295 and I-76, and to fill in the missing movements between I-295 and Route 42 south of the interchange.^[11] There were several alternatives proposed for the interchange design, which were then shortlisted to five. A final preferred alternative will be selected sometime early in 2007.^[12] All of the shortlisted alternatives provide a direct connection for I-295 through the interchange without using the present substandard ramps, and also provide new connections from Route 42 northbound to I-295 southbound and from I-295 northbound to Route 42 southbound.

The northern portion of Interstate 295 will be affected by the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project in Bristol, Pennsylvania. With the completion of the project, Interstate 95 will be redesignated along the Pennsylvania Turnpike to connect with the New Jersey Turnpike (currently the northern section of I-95) at exit 6, and the I-95 designation will be removed from the section north of the interchange in Pennsylvania. Under the original plan, I-295 would have been extended past its current terminus at US 1 along current I-95, across the Scudder Falls Bridge, and into Pennsylvania to the new interchange.^[13][14]

However, in September 2005, the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania came to an agreement that, instead, Interstate 195 would be extended along this section of I-95.^[15] This means that the extended I-195 would replace the portion of I-95 between the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, and U.S. Route 1 in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It would also replace Interstate 295 north of exit 60 in Hamilton Township, New Jersey (its exit with I-195), truncating I-295 at that junction. This option would reduce the confusion of having I-295 parallel itself in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.^[16] This proposal is waiting for approval by AASHTO.

[edit] Exit list

In Delaware, the exits are not numbered.

County	Location	Mile [citation needed]	#	Destinations	Notes
New Castle		0.00		I-95 south (Delaware Turnpike) - Baltimore	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
				DE 141 north – Newport, Lancaster	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exit 5 (the exit number used on I-95)
		1.43		I-95 north / US 202 north – Wilmington	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		1.43		I-495 north – Port of Wilmington, Philadelphia	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		1.93		US 13 / US 40 west – New Castle Airport, Dover, Wilmington	South end of US 40 overlap
				Landers Lane	Northbound exit only
		3.20		DE 9 – New Castle, Wilmington
Delaware Memorial Bridge over the Delaware River Delaware-New Jersey state line
Salem	Pennsville Township	0.95	1A	NJ 49 east – Pennsville, Salem	Signed as exit 1 southbound
				NJTP / US 40 east - New York, Atlantic City	North end of US 40 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		0.95	1B	US 130 north – Penns Grove	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Carneys Point Township	1.39	1C	CR 551 south (Hook Road) – Salem	South end of CR 551 overlap
		1.60	2A	I-295 south / US 40 west / Delaware Memorial Bridge	Northbound exit and southbound entrance, providing a U-turn to allow traffic from CR 551 north to access I-295 south/US 40 west
		1.92	2B-C	US 40 east to US 130 / NJTP (NJ 140) – Deepwater	Signed as exits 2B (east) and 2C (west to US 130)
		4.46	4	NJ 48 – Penns Grove, Woodstown
	Oldmans Township	7.15	7	Auburn, Pedricktown
Gloucester	Logan Township	10.30	10	Center Square Road - Swedesboro
		11.92	11A	US 322 east to NJTP – Mullica Hill	Signed as exit 11 southbound
		11.92	11B	US 322 west / Commodore Barry Bridge – Bridgeport	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		14.31	13	US 130 south to US 322 west / Commodore Barry Bridge – Bridgeport	South end of US 130 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
		14.57	14	CR 684 to NJ 44 – Repaupo, Gibbstown
	Greenwich Township	15.44	15	CR 607 – Gibbstown, Harrisonville
		16.06	16A	CR 653 – Swedesboro, Paulsboro
		16.42	16B	CR 673 – Gibbstown, Mickleton
	Greenwich Township/East Greenwich Township	17.25	17	To CR 680 – Gibbstown
	Greenwich Township/Paulsboro Boro	18.34 18.49	18	CR 667 / CR 678 – Paulsboro, Mt. Royal, Clarksboro
	West Deptford Township	19.43	19	CR 656 to NJ 44 – Mantua, Paulsboro
		20.62	20	To NJ 44 to CR 643 / CR 660 – Mantua, Thorofare, Woodbury
		21.87	21	NJ 44 south / CR 640 – National Park, Paulsboro, Woodbury
		22.94	22	CR 631 / CR 644 to CR 642 – Red Bank, Woodbury
		23.68 23.98	23	US 130 north to CR 642 – Westville, Gloucester, National Park	North end of US 130 overlap
	West Deptford Township/Deptford Township	24.53	24A	NJ 45 south – Woodbury	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Deptford Township/Westville Boro	24.60	24B	CR 551 – Westville, Woodbury Heights	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Westville Boro	25.18	25	NJ 47 – Westville, Deptford, Glassboro	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 25A (south) and 25B (north)
Camden	Bellmawr Boro	26.41	26	I-76 express to I-676 – Camden, Philadelphia	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		26.93		NJ 42 south – Atlantic City	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		27.44	26	I-76 to I-676 / US 130 – Camden, Philadelphia	Exit number signed southbound only
		28.16	28	NJ 168 to NJTP – Bellmawr, Runnemede, Mt. Ephraim
	Haddon Heights Boro/Barrington Boro	30.00 30.22	29	US 30 – Lawnside, Berlin, Barrington, Haddon Heights, Collingswood	Signed as exits 29A (east) and 29B (west) northbound
	Lawnside Boro	30.65	30	Warwick Road – Lawnside, Haddonfield	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Haddonfield	31.74	31	Woodcrest Station
	Cherry Hill Township	32.40	32	CR 561 – Haddonfield, Voorhees, Gibbsboro
		34.80	34	NJ 70 – Marlton, Cherry Hill, Camden	Signed as exits 34A (east) and 34B (west)
Burlington	Mount Laurel Township	36.86	36	NJ 73 to NJTP / Tacony Bridge – Berlin	Signed as exits 36A (south) and 36B (north)
		40.60	40	NJ 38 – Mt. Holly, Moorestown	Signed as exits 40A (east) and 40B (west) northbound
		43.10	43	Rancocas Woods, Delran	Signed as exits 43A (Rancocas Woods) and 43B (Delran) southbound
	Westampton Township	44.94	45	Mount Holly, Willingboro	Signed as exits 45A (Mount Holly) and 45B (Willingboro)
	Burlington Township	47.53	47	CR 541 to NJTP – Mount Holly, Burlington	Signed as exits 47A (south) and 47B (north)
	Mansfield Township	52.33	52	Columbus, Florence	Signed as exits 52A (Columbus) and 52B (Florence)
	Bordentown Township	56.10	56	US 206 to NJTP – Fort Dix, McGuire AFB	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		56.82	57A	US 130 north / US 206 north – Bordentown	Signed as exit 57 northbound
		56.82	57B	US 130 south – Burlington	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Mercer	Hamilton Township	60.23	60	I-195 to NJTP / I-95; NJ 29 to NJ 129 – Trenton, Shore Points	Signed as exits 60A (I-195) and 60B (NJ 29) southbound
		61.40	61A	Arena Drive east, White Horse Avenue
		61.40	61B	Arena Drive west, Olden Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		61.89	62	Olden Avenue north	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		63.93	63A	NJ 33 east to CR 535 – Mercerville	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		64.01	63B	NJ 33 west – Trenton	Signed as exit 63 southbound
		64.61	64	CR 535 north to NJ 33 east – Mercerville	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		65.27	65	Sloan Avenue	Signed as exits 65A (east) and 65B (west)
	Lawrence Township	67.63	67	US 1 – New Brunswick, Trenton	Signed as exits 67A (north) and 67B (south) northbound
		67.79		I-95 south - Philadelphia	Northbound exit and southbound entrance

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• I-295 on Kurumi.com
• NJDOT Straight Line Diagrams
• Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission I-95/I-276 Interchange Project Home
• I-295/I-76/Route 42 Direct Connection Overview
• AASHTO Homepage

v • d • e Auxiliary routes of Interstate 95 Florida: 195 • 295 • 395 • 595 • 795 (future) — North Carolina: 295 (future) • 795 — Virginia: 195 • 295 • 395 • 495 • 595 (former) — District of Columbia: 295 • 395 • 495 • 695 (unsigned) — Maryland: 195 • 295 • 395 • 495 • 595 (unsigned) • 695 • 795 • 895 — Delaware: 295 • 495 • 895 (former) — Pennsylvania: 695 (unbuilt) • 895 (unbuilt) — New Jersey: 195 • 295 • 495 (former) • 695 (unbuilt) • 895 (unbuilt) — New York: 295 • 495 • 695 • 895 — Connecticut - Rhode Island - Massachusetts: 195 • 295 • 395 • 495 • 695 (unbuilt) • 895 (unbuilt) — Maine: 195 • 295 • 395 • 495 (unsigned)

v • d • e Expressways in New Jersey Interstate Highways I-76 • I-78 • I-80 • I-95 • I-195 • I-278 • I-280 • I-287 • I-295 • I-676 U.S. and state highways US 1/9 • NJ 18 • NJ 19 • NJ 21 • NJ 24 • NJ 33 • NJ 42 • NJ 55 • NJ 133 • NJ 208 • NJ 440 • NJ 495 Toll roads and other highways Atlantic City Expressway (Brigantine Connector)  • Garden State Parkway • New Jersey Turnpike • Palisades Interstate Parkway

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