Rhode Island Route 99
Woonsocket Industrial Highway | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by RIDOT | ||||
Length | 2.9 mi[1][2] (4.7 km) | |||
Existed | 1993[3]–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | I-295 / Route 146 in Lincoln | |||
North end | Route 122 in Woonsocket | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Rhode Island | |||
Counties | Providence | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
Route 99, also known as the Woonsocket Industrial Highway, is a 2.9-mile-long (4.7 km)
Originally conceived as a freeway linking Route 146 and
Route description
Route 99 begins at a partial interchange with
Route 99 north diverges from Route 146 north and heads in an almost due north direction. The freeway has its only interchange with Sayles Hill Road, an unnumbered road that is used to access the village of Manville and Route 126 (Old River Road). Sayles Hill Road is also used to access Route 146 north, which has no direct freeway connection with Route 99 south.[4][5]
After the Sayles Hill Road interchange, Route 99 begins to head in a northeastern direction, passing to the west of the densely populated village of Manville and the St. James Cemetery. Route 99 passes over Route 126 (Old River Road), Railroad Street, and the Providence and Worcester Railroad on a single-span bridge before crossing over the Blackstone River into the town of Cumberland. The freeway passes over 2nd Avenue before entering the city of Woonsocket shortly before its northern terminus at a traffic signal with Route 122 (Mendon Road). The road continues northward as Highland Corporate Drive, an unnumbered route that enters the Highland Industrial Park.[5]
History
The origins of Route 99 date back to 1959, when the Rhode Island Department of Public Works (RIDPW) began planning studies for a freeway linking I-95 in Pawtucket with the city of Woonsocket.[6] The freeway was planned in addition to Route 146, the Louisquisset Expressway, to serve the cities and towns of northern Providence County.[6] In 1964, $535,000 (1964 USD) was allocated for further planning studies, but the proposed freeway was ultimately dropped by RIDPW. In 1968, plans for a freeway were revived when the Massachusetts Department of Public Works proposed the construction of a "Woonsocket Connector" linking Woonsocket with Bellingham, Massachusetts and I-495 on a route similar to that of Massachusetts Route 126.[7]
In 1971, RIDOT again began studies on a new freeway to Woonsocket, this time to connect the city's developing industrial parks to Route 146,
RIDOT conducted further planning and environmental studies in the 1970s, proposing to construct the four-lane freeway with a dual carriageway and a 65-foot (20 m) landscaped median.
Further environmental studies in the late 1980s altered the plans for the construction of the Woonsocket Industrial Highway; after studies indicated that the freeway, as originally planned, would interfere with the water supply for the city of Woonsocket, RIDOT revised the proposal, removing the large median and reducing the right-of-way.
Future
The proposal to extend the Woonsocket freeway north to I-495 in Bellingham was placed on RIDOT long-range planning studies in 1971, resurrecting the proposal made by the Massachusetts Department of Public Works in the 1960s.[8] Throughout the 1980s, RIDOT planned the alignment or Route 99 to allow for a northern extension of the freeway beyond Route 122.[3][10] In 1977, however, RIDOT officially abandoned plans for an extension north to Bellingham, Massachusetts and I-495, instead opting for a shorter route that would extend the freeway north to Route 114 (Diamond Hill Road) in northern Woonsocket. The freeway extension remains on RIDOT's long-term plans.[3][11]
In 2009, RIDOT announced that it would begin resurfacing and repaving the collector/distributor roads serving I-295 and Route 99 from Route 146.[12] Resurfacing the most deteriorated portions of the roads began in March 2009, with a complete repaving scheduled for June 2009.[12] Repaving was later rescheduled for August 2009, but has since been postponed until September.[13]
Exit list
Exits were unnumbered until November 2017, when they were added as part of a project to convert exits in the state to mileage-based exit numbers, a federal highway standard[14] [15] The entire route is in Providence County.
Location | mi[1][2] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lincoln | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | I-295 / Route 146 south – Warwick, Boston, MA | Southern terminus; exit 8C on Route 146 |
1.2 | 1.9 | 1 | Lincoln, North Smithfield | Access via Sayles Hill Road | |
Blackstone River | 2.2 | 3.5 | Bridge | ||
at-grade intersection ; continues north as Highland Corporate Drive | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Woonsocket Industrial Highway: Final Environment Impact and Section 4(f) Statement. Rhode Island Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. 1986.
- ^ a b Google (December 26, 2013). "Route 99" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Hill, John (1999-11-01). "The Blackstone Valley Found a Future in Its Past". The Providence Journal.
- ^ a b Rhode Island Street Atlas (5th ed.). American Map. 2006.
- ^ a b c Google (2009-08-13). "Overview map of Rhode Island Route 99" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
- ^ a b A Highway Program for Rhode Island. Rhode Island Department of Public Works. 1959.
- ^ Recommended Highway and Transit Plan. Massachusetts Department of Public Works. 1968.
- ^ a b c d e Woonsocket Industrial Highway: Planning Report. Rhode Island Department of Transportation. 1971.
- ^ a b Woonsocket Industrial Highway: Draft Environment Impact and Section 4(f) Statement. Rhode Island Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. 1977.
- ^ Interim Ground Transportation Plan for 2010. Rhode Island Department of Transportation. 1986.
- ^ Sabar, Ariel; Scott McKay (2001-10-14). "Leaving Woonsocket". The Providence Journal.
- ^ a b "RIDOT to Repair Route 146 Service Roads @ I-295 Interchange in Lincoln: Maintenance Crews to Start Work Tomorrow, Full Resurfacing Project to Get Underway This Summer". RI.gov. Rhode Island Department of Transportation. 2009-03-24. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
- ^ "DOT postpones Rt. 146 repaving project Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine". WPRI Eyewitness News. TVL Broadcasting. 2009-08-04
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Rhode Island set to renumber all highway exits". Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
External links
- Woonsocket Industrial Highway by Steve Anderson
- 2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island