Rhode Island DOT to soon renumber exits signs on I-295.Rhode Island will soon renumber its exit signs on Interstate 295 in a way that will let drivers know how far they’ve traveled.
Currently, the exit signs follow numeric order of 1, 2, 3, etc., but the Federal Highway Administration has asked states to adopt a standard of numbering exits by the mile marker. So if the first exit comes 4 miles from the state line, it would be numbered 4 instead of 1.
Most states follow the mile marker numbering, and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation says it’s time to follow suit.
The RIDOT says the renumbering will begin this fall on the 26-mile highway between Warwick and the Massachusetts state line, and that it will give advanced notice of when the change will occur. The RIDOT will also keep the old exit numbers up simultaneously with the new ones for a year or so, to let drivers adjust to the renumbering.
The renumbering will cost the state $340,000, but that’s just the beginning, the RIDOT tells WPRI TV news. The agency expects to renumber its entire highway system by 2020, the station reports.
