Rhode Island Route 138

Route 138
Route information
Maintained by RIDOT
Length:	48.3 mi[1] (77.7 km)
Existed:	1922 (east of Newport) 1932 (west of Newport) – present
Major junctions
West end:	Route 138 in Voluntown, CT
	I‑95 in Richmond US 1 in North Kingstown Route 24 in Portsmouth
North end:	Route 138 in Fall River, MA
Location
Counties:	Washington, Newport
Highway system
Rhode Island Routes ← Route 136 Route 142 →

Route 138 is a numbered State Highway running 48.3 miles (77.7 km) in Rhode Island. Route 138 begins in Exeter at the Connecticut state line in the west and runs to the Massachusetts state line in Tiverton in the east, and is the only state-numbered route to completely cross Rhode Island. Route 138 also keeps the same route number on the other side of both state lines.

Route 138 is a major thoroughfare in southern Rhode Island. The route ultimately connects Interstate 95 and the University of Rhode Island campus with the island town of Jamestown, the city of Newport, as well as the Tiverton-Little Compton coastal region.

Route description

Route 138 in Middletown

Route 138 takes the following route through the State:

• Exeter: 0.5 miles (0.80 km); Connecticut State line at Route 138 to Hopkinton town line
  • Spring Street
• Hopkinton: 5.2 miles (8.4 km); Exeter town line to Richmond town line
  • Spring Street, Nooseneck Hill Road and Main Street
• Richmond: 6.0 miles (9.7 km); Hopkinton town line to South Kingstown town line
  • Main Street and Kingstown Road
• South Kingstown: 8.9 miles (14.3 km); Richmond town line to North Kingstown town line
  • Usquepaugh Road, Kingstown Road, Moorsefield Road and Tower Hill Road
• North Kingstown: 5.0 miles (8.0 km); South Kingstown town line to Jamestown town line
  • Tower Hill Road and Route 138 Expressway
• Jamestown: 3.2 miles (5.1 km); North Kingstown town line to Newport city line
  • Route 138 Expressway

Intersection of Route 138 and US 1 in South Kingstown

• Newport: 1.6 miles (2.6 km); Jamestown town line to Middletown town line
  • Route 138 Expressway and Admiral Kalbfus Road
• Middletown: 3.2 miles (5.1 km); Newport city line to Portsmouth town line
  • West Main Road and East Main Road
• Portsmouth: 8.5 miles (13.7 km); Middletown town line to Tiverton town line
  • East Main Road and Fall River Expressway
• Tiverton: 3.1 miles (5.0 km); Portsmouth town line to Massachusetts State line at Route 138
  • Fall River Expressway and Main Road

History

Route 138 used the Stone Bridge over the Sakonnet River until 1954.

Before the opening of the Jamestown section of the Route 138 Expressway in 1994, Route 138 came off the Jamestown Bridge and used Eldred Street (which has now been partially cut off by the Expressway) and East Shore Road to the Newport Pell Bridge. As of 2005, there is still a Route 138 reassurance marker northbound on East Shore Road just north of the Newport Pell Bridge.

Prior to the construction of the Route 138 Expressway in North Kingstown, Route 138 used Bridgetown Road east of U.S. 1 in South Kingstown, then north on Route 1A into North Kingstown, then along an access road to the Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge which was upgraded on the spot to the Route 138 Expressway.

There are two abandoned temporary ramps at the west end of the Jamestown Bridge used by through traffic in the early 1990s. These ramps connected through traffic to the old bridge while the new one was being built. The new Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge opened in 1992.

The Route 138 Expressway was intended to extend west to Interstate 95. For more information, see Interstate 895 (Rhode Island/Massachusetts).

Route 138 officially goes from being signed East/West to being signed North/South at the intersection of Admiral Kalbfus Road and West Main Road on the Middletown/Newport line.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Washington	Exeter	0.0	0.0	Route 138 west	Continuation into Connecticut
	Hope Valley	5.6	9.0	Route 3 south (Main Street)	Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 3
	Wyoming	6.6	10.6	Route 3 north (Main Street)	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 3
		7.1	11.4	I‑95 – Providence, Westerly	Exits 3A-B on I-95
	Richmond	9.1	14.6	Route 112 south (Richmond Townhouse Road)	North end of Route 112
	West Kingston	14.5	23.3	Route 2 (South County Trail)
		15.9	25.6	Route 110 south (Ministerial Road)	North end of Route 110
	Kingston	17.5	28.2	Route 108 south (Kingstown Road)	North end of Route 108
	South Kingstown	21.0	33.8	US 1 south / Bridgetown Road	Western terminus of concurrency with US 1
	North Kingstown	23.3	37.5	US 1 north – Providence	Eastern terminus of concurrency with US 1 Western terminus of freeway section
		25.6	41.2	Route 1A – Wickford, Narragansett
Narragansett Bay West Passage		26.2– 27.4	42.2– 44.1	Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge
Newport	Jamestown	27.8	44.7	Helm Street (east) / Beacon Avenue (west)
		28.1	45.2	Main Road	Westbound entrance only
		28.5	45.9	Eldred Avenue	Westbound entrance only
		29.6	47.6	Conanicus Avenue (east) / East Shore Road (west) – Jamestown
	Narragansett Bay East Passage	30.2– 32.1	48.6– 51.7	Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (R.I. E-ZPass $3.17; Cash $4.00)
	Newport	32.4	52.1	Route 238 south – Downtown Newport	North end of Route 238
		33.1	53.3	Admiral Kalbfus Road west	Eastern terminus of freeway section East/west designation changes to north/south
	Middletown	34.5	55.5	Route 114 north (West Main Road)	Southern terminus of Route 114
		34.9	56.2	Route 214 (Valley Road)
		35.5	57.1	Route 138A south (Aquidneck Avenue)	North end of Route 138A
	Portsmouth	43.3	69.7	Route 24 south / Boyds Lane – Middletown, Newport	Southern terminus of concurrency with Route 24, exit 2 on Route 24
		44.8	72.1	Anthony Road (south) / Hummocks Avenue (north) – Common Fence Point	Exit 3 on Route 24
	Sakonnet River	45.0– 45.3	72.4– 72.9	Sakonnet River Bridge
	Tiverton	45.3	72.9	To Route 77 / Route 177 – Tiverton	Exit 4 on Route 24
		45.6	73.4	Route 24 north – Fall River, MA, Taunton, MA	Northern terminus of concurrency with Route 24, exit 5 on Route 24
		45.7	73.5	Route 77 south (Main Road)	North end of Route 77
		48.3	77.7	Route 138 north – Fall River	Continuation into Massachusetts
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Route 138A

Route 138A
Location:	Newport–Middletown
Length:	4.1 mi[2] (6.6 km)

Route 138A is a numbered state highway running 4.1 miles (6.6 km) through Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Route 138A is a "scenic route" highway that begins at the intersection of America's Cup Avenue (Route 238) and Memorial Boulevard West, travels through downtown Newport, past the Newport beaches, and north through Middletown where it connects with Route 138.

Route description

• In Newport: 1.1 miles—beginning at America's Cup Avenue, along Memorial Boulevard West, and Memorial Boulevard to the Middletown town line.
• In Middletown: 2.5 miles—beginning at the Newport city line, along Aquidneck Avenue to Route 138 (East Main Road).

History
Most of the streets along Route 138A were built after 1965. Route 138A never represented an old alignment of Route 138.

Major intersections
The entire route is in Newport County.

Location	mi[2]	km	Destinations	Notes
Newport	0.0	0.0	Route 238 north (America's Cup Avenue) to Route 138 / I‑95	Northern terminus, south end of Route 238
	0.3	0.5	Bellevue Avenue
Middletown	1.7	2.7	Purgatory Road
	2.0	3.2	Route 214 north (Valley Road)	South end of Route 214
	3.1	5.0	Green End Avenue
	4.1	6.6	Route 138 (East Main Road)	Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. Google (December 31, 2013). "Route 138" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
2. Google (December 31, 2013). "Route 138A" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 31, 2013.

Route map: Bing / Google