U.S. Route 1 in Rhode Island

U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Rhode Island is a major north–south state highway through the U.S. state, specifically within the Providence metropolitan area. Staying close to the Atlantic Ocean and Narragansett Bay, it is a longer route than Interstate 95, and many portions are a four-lane divided highway.

U.S. Route 1
US 1 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by RIDOT
Length	57 mi[1] (92 km)
Existed	1926–present
Major junctions
South end	US 1 in Stonington, CT
	Route 138 in South Kingstown Route 4 in North Kingstown Route 403 in East Greenwich Route 37 in Warwick Route 10 in Cranston I‑95 in Providence US 6 / US 44 in Providence
North end	US 1 in Attleboro, MA
Location
Counties	Washington, Kent, Providence
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Rhode Island Routes ← Route 403 → US 1A

US 1/RI 138 concurrency

U.S. 1 as a divided highway in North Kingstown

Route description

US 1 has a business/bypass split in Warwick where US 1 Business runs along Post Road and US 1 Bypass runs along Post Road Bypass. The business route is officially recognized by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation as US 1.

US 1 enters Rhode Island via a small bridge from Pawcatuck, CT to Downtown Westerly. Route 1 winds through Downtown Westerly, passing two shopping plazas (the Granite Street Shopping Center and the Franklin Shopping Plaza) prior to a junction with RI 78, the two-lane highway designed to bypass Downtown. A right onto Airport Road at this intersection provides access to Westerly State Airport, Watch Hill and Misquamicut. Route 1 continues to Dunn's Corners, with Langworthy Road providing more beach access.

The road then becomes a divided highway shortly after, with RI 1A merging into the highway from the Misquamicut area. Route 1 then crosses into Charlestown, RI near Shelter Harbor. After stoplight intersections with Ross Hill Road (RI 216), West Beach Road-providing access to Quonochontaug, East Beach Road-providing access to Blue Shutters Town Beach and East Beach, and Wildflower Road, there are no more stoplights until the end of the freeway after the Wakefield, RI exits. Access to exits on the opposite side of the road are provided through U-turn ramps. The southbound side has junction with Prosser Trail, a road leading to Burlingame State Park. Burlingame access is also located prior to the East Beach Road exit. An exit for Route 1A on the northbound side leads to Ningret Park and the police station. Route 1 bends to the right. On the southbound side is Kings Factory Road. Another junction with Route 1A occurs on Route 1 North. 1A merges onto 1 from the south, briefly, before exiting and continuing north to Cross Mills. Route 1 north then features a ramp providing access to Cross Mills and Route 1A-leading to Charlestown Breachway and Charlestown Town Beach-for those just merging in on a U-turn from Route 1 south via a junction with RI 2 / RI 112 (South County Trail).

Another set of U-turn ramps is located for access to Routes 2 and 112. After northbound junctions with more beach access roads (Falcone Lane, Narrow Lane, which is split in half by the highway, the other half continuing on the southbound side that leads to South County Trail), US 1 continues into South Kingstown, where Green Hill Beach Road (Route 1A) meets US 1 on the northbound side, and Post Road (also Route 1A) meets Route 1 south. After a junction with Moonstone Beach Road (northbound side leads to the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, southbound side leads to Perryville), RI 110 meets Route 1 south. Prior to this on the southbound side, Route 1A meets Route 1. Back to the northbound side, where Matunuck Beach Road is found, leading to the beachside community of Matunuck, RI.

Following this is Succotash Road, which leads to Jerusalem, RI, Snug Harbor, and East Matunuck State Beach. Then comes Post Road, leading to the signed destination-Jerry Brown Farm Road. Another Post Road/Route 1A junction comes on US 1 north, before it meets the highway again after a brief exitless stint. Route 1 south's junction with Post Road/Route 1A north leads to Wakefield and Peace Dale. The road becomes a freeway and has two exits for the Salt Pond/South County Hospital area.

A third exit leads to RI 108 and Narragansett's town beach, Galilee, and Point Judith. A Wakefield exit marks the end of the freeway. Access to South County Commons comes soon. RI 138 meets from the west, and stays on in the concurrency until the exits for access to the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge and Jamestown, and the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge and Newport. Route 1 then meets RI 4, a thruway leading to I-95.

History

Except north of downtown Providence, where US 1 was built as the Providence and Pawtucket Turnpike (now Main Street), the highway was never a turnpike road. Portions are the old Boston Post Road, while other parts were built as bypasses, leaving the old road as Route 1A. The turnpike south of Providence — the Providence and Pawcatuck Turnpike and Hopkinton and Richmond Turnpike - followed the diagonal route that I-95 now takes.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Pawcatuck River		0.0	0.0	US 1 south	Bridge; continuation into Connecticut
Washington	Westerly	0.1	0.16	Route 1A north	Southern terminus of Route 1A
		0.3	0.48	Route 3 north (Grove Avenue) to I-95	Southern terminus of Route 3
		2.2	3.5	Route 78 north to I-95	Southern terminus of Route 78
		5.7	9.2	Route 1A south – Misquamicut State Beach, Watch Hill
	Charlestown	7.1	11.4	Route 216 north (Ross Hill Road)	Southern terminus of Route 216
		9.8	15.8	Route 1A north / Prosser Trail – Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, Burlingame State Park	Right-in/right-out with u-turns; former routing of US 1
		11.2	18.0	Route 1A south (Old Post Road)	Northbound right-in/right-out with u-turns; former routing of US 1
		11.4	18.3	Route 1A north (Old Post Road)	Northbound right-in/right-out with u-turns; former routing of US 1
		11.9	19.2	Route 2 north / Route 112 north / Cross Mills Road – Kenyon, Carolina, Charlestown Beach	Right-in/right-out with u-turns; southern termini of Routes 2 and 112
	South Kingstown	14.3– 14.8	23.0– 23.8	Route 1A (Post Road) to Green Hill Beach Road – Perryville	Right-in/right-out with u-turns; former routing of US 1
		16.4	26.4	Route 110 north – Kingston, University of Rhode Island	Southbound right-in/right-out with u-turns; southern terminus of Route 110
		16.6	26.7	Post Road (Route 1A south) – Perryville	Southbound right-in/right-out with u-turns; former routing of US 1
				Post Road (Route 1A north) to Camp Fuller Road	Northbound right-in/right-out with u-turns; former routing of US 1
		18.5	29.8	Post Road (Route 1A) – Wakefield	Right-in/right-out with u-turns; former routing of US 1
				Southern terminus of freeway section
		20.6	33.2	Pond Street
		21.0	33.8	Salt Pond Road – South County Hospital
	Narragansett	21.4	34.4	Route 108 south – Narragansett, Point Judith, Scarborough	No southbound entrance
		21.9	35.2	Route 1A – Narragansett	No northbound exit; former routing of US 1
	South Kingstown	22.4	36.0	Old Tower Hill Road – Wakefield
				Northern terminus of freeway section
		26.3	42.3	Route 138 west to I-95 south – University of R.I.	Southern terminus of Route 138 concurrency
	North Kingstown	28.6	46.0	Route 138 east – Jamestown, Newport	Interchange; northern terminus of Route 138 concurrency
		29.5	47.5	Route 4 north to Route 403 – Quonset, T.F. Green Airport	Southern terminus of Route 4; no northbound access from Route 4
		31.5	50.7	Route 102 (Ten Rod Road / Phillips Street)
		32.0	51.5	Route 1A south (West Main Street) – Wickford	Northern terminus of Route 1A
		34.4	55.4	Route 403	Interchange; exit 3A on Route 403; westbound entrance via Gate Road
		36.3	58.4	Route 402 west to Route 4 / I-95	Eastern terminus of Route 402
Hunt River				Bridge
Kent	East Greenwich	38.1	61.3	Route 401 (First Avenue) to Route 4	Eastern terminus of Route 401
	Warwick	41.4	66.6	Route 117 (Centerville Road / West Shore Road) to I-95
		41.5	66.8	Route 5 north (Greenwich Avenue)	Southern terminus of Route 5
		42.8	68.9	Route 113 (Main Avenue) to I-95	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		43.6	70.2	T. F. Green Airport Connector Road to I-95 – T.F. Green Airport	Interchange
		44.8	72.1	Route 37 west to I-95 / I-295 – Providence, New York	Interchange, eastern terminus of Route 37, exit 5 on Route 37
		45.7	73.5	US 1A north (Post Road)	Southern terminus of US 1A
Providence	Cranston	47.6	76.6	Route 12 (Park Avenue)
	Providence	48.0	77.2	Route 10 north to I-95	Interchange, no access to Route 10 south
		48.5	78.1	I-95 south	Entrance from I-95 south only
		49.2	79.2	Route 2 south (Reservoir Avenue)	Northern terminus of Route 2
		50.4	81.1	Route 117 south (Broad Street)	Northern terminus of Route 117
		51.1	82.2	I-95 / US 6 to I-295 east	Exit 20 on I-95 / US 6
		51.6	83.0	US 44 west (Smith Street)	Southern terminus of concurrency with US 44
				Francis Street Bridge over the Woonasquatucket River
		52.0	83.7	US 44 east (Canal Street / North Main Street)	Northern terminus of concurrency with US 44
		52.2	84.0	Route 246 north (Mill Street) to Route 7 / Route 146	Southern terminus of Route 246
		53.7	86.4	Route 126 north (Smithfield Avenue) to I-95
	Pawtucket	54.1	87.1	Route 122 north (Main Street)	Southern terminus of Route 126
		55.3	89.0	I-95 south	Southern terminus of concurrency with I-95
		55.5	89.3	Route 114 (School Street)	Exit 28
				Pawtucket River Bridge over the Pawtucket River
		56.1	90.3	I-95 north	Northern terminus of concurrency with I-95
		57.2	92.1	US 1 north – Attleboro	Continuation into Massachusetts
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, United States Numbered Highways Archived 2007-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, 1989 Edition