Rhode Island renumbers highway exits

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation later this year will begin renumbering highway exits on the state’s major interstates and highways to make the exits match up with milemarkers like in most other states.

RIDOT says the state and some of its neighboring states are some of the few states left in the U.S. that have not changed the numbering of highway exits from sequential order, as is required by the Federal Highway Administration.

In addition to helping motorists know how far they are from their desired exit, RIDOT says the change will also make it easier to add future exits.

The project will begin on I-295 later this fall, and will also renumber exits on I-95 and I-195, as well as Routes 4, 10, 24, 37, 78, 403 and the Airport Connector. The agency will install temporary signs indicated the old exit number and will leave them for an extended period of time to help drivers adjust to the changes.

RIDOT will also be assigning exit numbers to Route 99 from Route 146 to Lincoln to Mendon Road in Cumberland, and on Route 146 from the I-95 interchange in Providence to the Massachusetts border. These highways do not currently have exit numbers.