- Interstate 95 in Maine
-
This article is about the section of Interstate 95 in Maine. For the entire length of the highway, see Interstate 95.
Interstate 95
Maine Turnpike 
Maine Turnpike in GreenRoute information Maintained by Maine Department of Transportation Length: 303.2 mi[2] (487.95 km)
Maine Turnpike: 101.43 miles (163.24 km)[1]Existed: start:1947, completed:1960 – present Major junctions South end: 
I-95 at New Hampshire state line
I-195 in Saco
I-295 near Portland
I-495 in Portland
I-295 near Gardiner
I-395 in BangorNorth end: 
Route 95 / US 2 at the Houlton–Woodstock Border CrossingHighway system Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business← 
SR 94SR 95 
→In the U.S. state of Maine, Interstate 95 (I-95) is a 305-mile (491 km) long highway running from the New Hampshire border near Kittery, to the Canadian border near Houlton. It is the only two-digit Interstate Highway in Maine. In 2004, the highway's route between Portland and Gardiner was changed so that it encompasses the entire Maine Turnpike, which runs from Kittery to Augusta.
Contents
Route description
I-95 enters Maine from New Hampshire on the Piscataqua River Bridge, which connects Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Kittery. At York, the highway becomes the Maine Turnpike. The highway runs in a general northeasterly direction, parallel with U.S. 1, at this point. I-95 bypasses the Biddeford/Saco area, with a spur route (Interstate 195) connecting to Old Orchard Beach.
At Scarborough, Interstate 95 meets Interstate 295. The highway turns north, serving the Portland International Jetport and bypassing Portland to the west. At Falmouth, the highway meets unsigned Interstate 495, also called the Falmouth Spur. Until January 2004, I-95 followed the Falmouth Spur and I-295 between Falmouth and Gardiner.
The highway continues north along the Maine Turnpike through Gray to Auburn and Lewiston, which the Turnpike bypasses to the south. The highway then runs in an easterly direction to meet Interstate 295 at Gardiner. From there, I-95 parallels the Kennebec River past Augusta and Waterville. The highway crosses the river at Fairfield and then turns northeast along the Sebasticook River past Pittsfield to Newport.
I-95 then continues east alongside U.S. Route 2 from Newport to Bangor, where Interstate 395 connects to the city of Brewer. The highway runs along the northern edge of Bangor's center, then turns northeast, following the Penobscot River past Orono and Old Town (Prior to the early 1980s, I-95 was a super two highway north of Old Town).
Northbound in Kittery, Maine The highway continues north, still running near the river, towards Howland. Near Lincoln, Interstate 95 runs north through uninhabited forest land, crossing the Penobscot River at Medway. The highway goes northeast and east, passing a series of small Aroostook County farming towns before reaching Houlton, where it connects to New Brunswick Route 95 and U.S. Route 2 at the international border. North of Bangor, traffic levels drop noticeably, with AADT averaging only about 5,000 in northern Penobscot County and going down to as low as 2,000-4,000 in Houlton.[3]
A small, disused cemetery lies on the road shoulder near Kennebunk. Although it is less than five feet from the roadside, crews have taken care to preserve it, including erecting a fence around the tombstones so that snowplows do not cause any damage.
Speed limits
The Maine Turnpike had a posted speed limit of 70 mph in the early 1970s, but as Maine then had no law against traveling less than 10 mph over the posted speed, the de facto speed limit was 79 mph. In 1974, as part of a federal mandate, the speed limit was reduced to 55 mph, with a new law including a 'less than 10 over' violation. In 1987, Congress allowed states to post 65 mph on rural interstate highways. Following the relaxation, Maine increased its speed limit. In May 2011, a bill was introduced to raise the speed limit from Old Town to Houlton from 65 to 75 mph. It passed, with Maine the first state east of the Mississippi River since the 1970s to establish a 75 mph speed limit.[4][5]
Exit list
Note: toll rates listed in this exit list are for Class 1 vehicles paying cash. They do not reflect lower rates for drivers using EZ-Pass tags or higher rates for other vehicle classes.
County Location Exit # Destinations Notes 
continues into New Hampshire southboundYork Kittery 1 
To SR 103 / Dennett Road - Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, EliotNorthbound exit and southbound entrance 2 
US 1 south / SR 236 south / US 1 Byp. south / Traffic Circle – Downtown Kittery3 US 1 north (Coastal Route) / SR 236 north – Kittery, South BerwickSouthbound exit is via exit 2 7 
To SR 91 to US 1 – The Yorks, Ogunquit, The BerwicksMaine Turnpike York Toll Barrier - Cars $2.00 19 
SR 9 / SR 109 – Wells, SanfordEntrance toll $1.00 (northbound only) Kennebunk 25 
SR 35 – Kennebunk, KennebunkportEntrance toll $1.00 Biddeford 32 
SR 111 – BiddefordEntrance toll $1.00 Saco 36 I-195 east – Saco, Old Orchard BeachEntrance toll $1.00 Cumberland 42 To US 1 – ScarboroughEntrance toll $1.00 44 I-295 north – South Portland, Downtown PortlandNorthbound exit and southbound entrance; toll $1.00 both directions South Portland 45 
To I-295 / US 1 / SR 114 / Maine Mall Road, Payne RoadEntrance toll $1.00 Portland 46 
To SR 22 / SR 9 (Congress Street) – Portland International JetportEntrance toll $1.00 47 
To SR 25 / Rand Road, Westbrook ArterialEntrance toll $1.00 48 
To SR 25 / US 302 / Riverside Street, Larrabee RoadEntrance toll $1.00 52 To I-295 / US 1 – Falmouth, FreeportToll $1.00 both directions on I-495 53 
SR 26 / SR 100 – West FalmouthEntrance toll $1.00 63 
US 202 / SR 115 / SR 4 to SR 26 – Gray, New GloucesterEntrance toll $1.00 (southbound only) New Gloucester Toll Barrier - Cars $1.75 Androscoggin Auburn 75 US 202 / SR 4 / SR 100 – AuburnLewiston 80 
To SR 196 – Lewiston86 SR 9 – Sabattus, LisbonKennebec West Gardiner Toll Barrier - Cars $1.25 102 
SR 9 / SR 126 to I-295 south – Gardiner, LitchfieldNorthbound exit and southbound entrance 103 I-295 south to SR 9 / SR 126 – Gardiner, BrunswickSouthbound exit and northbound entrance; toll $1.00 in both directions Augusta 109 
US 202 / SR 11 / SR 17 / SR 100 – Augusta, WinthropSigned as exits 109A (west) and 109B (east) southbound 112 
SR 8 / SR 11 / SR 27 – Augusta, BelgradeSigned as exits 112A (south) and 112B (north) northbound 113 
SR 3 – Augusta, Belfast120 Lyons Road - Sidney Waterville 127 
SR 11 / SR 137 – Waterville, Oakland130 
SR 104 (Main Street) – Waterville, WinslowSomerset Fairfield 132 
SR 139 – Fairfield, Benton133 
US 201 – Fairfield, SkowheganKennebec 138 Hinckley Road - Clinton, Burnham Somerset Pittsfield 150 Somerset Avenue - Pittsfield, Hartland, Burnham 157 
SR 11 / SR 100 to SR 7 / US 2 – Newport, Dexter, SkowheganPenobscot 159 Ridge Road - Newport, Plymouth Southbound exit and northbound entrance 161 SR 7 – East Newport, Plymouth167 
SR 69 / SR 143 – Etna, Dixmont174 SR 69 – Carmel, Winterport180 Cold Brook Road - Hermon, Hampden Bangor 182A 
I-395 / SR 15 south to US 1A / SR 9 – Bangor, BrewerSouth end of SR 15 overlap 182B To US 2 west / SR 100 west – Hermon183 US 2 / SR 100 (Hammond Street) – Bangor International Airport184 
SR 222 (Union Street) / Ohio Street – Bangor International Airport185 SR 15 north (Broadway) – Brewer, BangorNorth end of SR 15 overlap 186 Stillwater Avenue No northbound entrance 187 Hogan Road - Bangor, Veazie Orono 191 Kelly Road - Orono, Veazie 193 Stillwater Avenue - Stillwater, Old Town, Orono Old Town 197 
SR 43 – Old Town, Hudson199 
SR 16 – Alton, Lagrange, MiloNorthbound exit and southbound entrance 217 
SR 6 / SR 155 – Howland, LagrangeLincoln 227 
To US 2 / SR 6 / SR 116 – Lincoln, MattawamkeagMedway 244 
SR 157 – Medway, Millinocket, MattawamkeagBenedicta 259 Northbound exit and southbound entrance / I 95 in Aroostook county for 1/2 mile Aroostook Sherman 264 
SR 158 to SR 11 – Sherman, PattenIsland Falls 276 
SR 159 – Island Falls, PattenOakfield 286 Oakfield Road - Oakfield, Smyrna Mills Smyrna 291 US 2 – SmyrnaHoulton 302 US 1 – Houlton, Presque Isle305 US 2 west – Houlton International Airport, Industrial ParkEast end of US 2 Route 95 east – Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing, WoodstockContinuation into New Brunswick, Canada Maine Turnpike
Tolls
The segment of Interstate 95 from Kittery to Augusta runs along the Maine Turnpike. It is a toll road for all of that length except for a short section in Kittery and York. Flat-fee tolls are paid upon entering the turnpike and there are also barrier tolls in York, New Gloucester, and West Gardiner. The turnpike joined the E-ZPass electronic toll collection network in 2005, replacing the former Maine-only system designated Transpass that was implemented in 1997.[6]
Service areas
There are six service areas on the turnpike, three in each direction. All are open 24 hours and provide food and fuel services. They also have ATMs. Some have small gift shops. The plazas are at the following locations:
- Kennebunk plazas — Northbound and southbound at MP 25 - Food, fuel, gift shop. Original 1972 plazas were replaced during the winter of 2006-2007. Both service plazas open with "food court layout featuring Starbucks coffee, Burger King, Hershey’s Ice Cream, a Z-Market convenience store and a Popeye’s Chicken on the northbound side and Sbarros Pizza on the southbound side." [7]
- Gray plaza (NB)/Cumberland plaza (SB) - Northbound and Southbound at MP 58 - Food and fuel. Both plazas have been replaced with new service plazas with a Starbucks and a Z-Market convenience store.
- Gardiner plaza — At the I-95/I-295/ME 126 intersection,accessible by both directions of I-95 and I-295. Food court, fuel, gift shop, information.
There is a Rest Area / Tourist Welcome Center located on the turnpike Northbound at MP 3 in Kittery.
There are Weigh Stations located on the turnpike Northbound and Southbound in York at MP 4 (SB) and MP 6 (NB).
There are ramps to/from the northbound turnpike to the Saco Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Conference Center in Saco at MP 35 (Old MP 33 before the southern extension). The ramps are from the original exit 5 which was replaced when I-195 was opened just to the north. The hotel was built on the site of the old toll plaza. Ramps connecting the hotel to/from the southbound turnpike were removed as part of the widening project in the early 2000s, when hotel ownership opted not to pay nearly $1 million to build a new bridge.
Previous to the Gardiner rest area opening, there were rest areas located in Lewiston (Southbound at MP 83) and Litchfield (Northbound at MP 98).
References
- ^ "Welcome to the Maine Turnpike Authority". Maineturnpike.com. http://www.maineturnpike.com. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
- ^ Maine State Route Log (via floodgap.com)
- ^ "Interstate 95 Annual Average Daily Traffic". Interstate-Guide. http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-095_aadt.html. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
- ^ Miller, Kevin (May 12, 2011). "Bill would boost speed limit to 75 mph on northern highway". Bangor Daily News. http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/05/12/politics/bill-would-boost-speed-limit-to-75-mph-on-northern-highway/. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ Lawmakers OK 75-mph speed limit between Old Town, Houlton, Bangor Daily News, June 29, 2011
- ^ "E-ZPass Information Frequently Asked Questions". https://ezpassmaineturnpike.com/EZPass/info/faqs.html.
- ^ Turnpike Press Release
External links
Interstate 95Previous state:
New HampshireMaine Next state:
TerminusCategories:- Interstate Highways in Maine
- Interstate 95
- Toll roads in Maine
- Tolled sections of Interstate Highways
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