I-295

About I-295

Interstate 295 is a three-digit auxiliary route of Interstate 95 and one of the most heavily reused numbers in the system, with eight separate instances spread along the East Coast. Its odd prefix digit usually marks it as a spur or connector, although several instances actually serve as bypasses, since the first-digit convention is applied loosely in practice. Each of the unrelated routes ties back to Interstate 95 somewhere along its length.

Notable instances include the Maryland and District of Columbia route, a connector following the Anacostia Freeway through southeast Washington; the Delaware and New Jersey route, a bypass of Philadelphia that also rings part of Trenton and crosses the Delaware River; the Florida route, a beltway around central Jacksonville; the Virginia route, a bypass around the east side of Richmond and Petersburg; and the Maine route, an alternate route through and north of Portland that splits from and rejoins Interstate 95.

Other distinct I-295 routes serve as a bypass of Providence in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, a connector in the Queens and Bronx areas of New York, and a bypass of Fayetteville in North Carolina. Because the routes are scattered and unrelated, a traveler encountering I-295 in one metro area should not expect any connection to an I-295 elsewhere.

Major cities and places

Notable features

• Anacostia Freeway in Washington
• Delaware River crossing on the Delaware and New Jersey route

Did you know

• There are eight separate Interstate 295 routes along the East Coast.
• The Florida route is a full beltway around central Jacksonville.
• The Delaware and New Jersey route bypasses Philadelphia and rings part of Trenton.
• The unrelated routes share only their tie to Interstate 95.