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Interstate 495 (Maine)
Encyclopedia
Interstate 495 is the unsigned designation for the Falmouth Spur, a short freeway connecting Interstate 95 with Interstate 295
and U.S. Route 1 north of Portland, Maine
, United States
. As part of the Maine Turnpike, the main line of which carries Interstate 95, I-495 is a toll road
. The spur has only two interchanges
- one at each end - and a toll booth
in the middle. It is signed only for its destinations - I-95, I-295 and US 1 - to minimize driver confusion.
Prior to January 2004, Interstate 495 was a 50.47-mile (81.22 km) section of the Maine Turnpike, running from the west end of the Falmouth Spur (which carried Interstate 95) north to the present junction with Interstate 295
at Gardiner (south of Augusta). This was re-signed as I-95 in order to designate the whole Turnpike as I-95 and thus reduce confusion. Most of the former I-95 between Portland and Augusta became an extension of Interstate 295
, while the short Falmouth Spur was given the unsigned Interstate 495 designation.
Destinations on signs (control cities) are the same as when it was part of I-95 - Falmouth and Freeport for eastbound traffic from I-95, and Lewiston and Kittery (one for each direction of the Turnpike) for westbound traffic from US 1. Signs on I-295 southbound point traffic for New Hampshire
, Massachusetts
and "points south" along I-495.
MUTCD-compliant mile markers proceed easterly from the western end with the letters FS (for Falmouth Spur) horizontally on a line below the word MILE and range from 0 to 3.
. The part of US 1 that it connected to had been built ca. 1948 as a realignment (old US 1 is Route 88), and the Spur connected the Turnpike, which headed inland at Portland, with US 1, a major route to and beyond Brunswick via the shore.
When the Interstate Highway System
was designed in the 1940s and 1950s, the main route along the east coast, numbered Interstate 95
in 1957, was assigned to the route via Brunswick to Augusta. Thus the Falmouth Spur became I-95, and the Turnpike was unnumbered between the Spur and Gardiner. Ca. 1960, the piece of I-95 (now I-295) north of the Spur was completed, and a partial interchange
was added at its crossing with the Spur. The toll booth was moved west at that time.
The Turnpike stayed unnumbered between Falmouth and Gardiner until around 1988, when it was added to the Interstate System as I-495. This allowed it to have a speed limit
higher than the National Maximum Speed Limit
of 55 mi/h, as per the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987.
In 2002, the Maine Department of Transportation
submitted a proposal to the American Association of State Highway Officials to relocate I-95 along I-495 and extend I-295 along I-95 to Gardiner, leaving the Falmouth Spur unnumbered. This was approved by AASHTO on November 5, 2002, with one change - the Falmouth Spur was assigned the Interstate 495 designation. The Maine DOT and Maine Turnpike Authority decided not to sign or publicize I-495 to minimize confusion; maps of the changes distributed to the public included the remark "existing I-95 becomes a ramp" or just "Falmouth Spur" pointing to the Spur. Signs were changed from January 5 to January 10, 2004 A prominent sign was posted near the New Hampshire state line informing travelers of the change, and that the information center had new maps.
Interstate 295 (Maine)
Interstate 295 is a -long connector in the U.S. state of Maine from I-95 in Scarborough to I-95 in West Gardiner.-Route description:...
and U.S. Route 1 north of Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As part of the Maine Turnpike, the main line of which carries Interstate 95, I-495 is a toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
. The spur has only two interchanges
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
- one at each end - and a toll booth
Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
in the middle. It is signed only for its destinations - I-95, I-295 and US 1 - to minimize driver confusion.
Prior to January 2004, Interstate 495 was a 50.47-mile (81.22 km) section of the Maine Turnpike, running from the west end of the Falmouth Spur (which carried Interstate 95) north to the present junction with Interstate 295
Interstate 295 (Maine)
Interstate 295 is a -long connector in the U.S. state of Maine from I-95 in Scarborough to I-95 in West Gardiner.-Route description:...
at Gardiner (south of Augusta). This was re-signed as I-95 in order to designate the whole Turnpike as I-95 and thus reduce confusion. Most of the former I-95 between Portland and Augusta became an extension of Interstate 295
Interstate 295 (Maine)
Interstate 295 is a -long connector in the U.S. state of Maine from I-95 in Scarborough to I-95 in West Gardiner.-Route description:...
, while the short Falmouth Spur was given the unsigned Interstate 495 designation.
Destinations on signs (control cities) are the same as when it was part of I-95 - Falmouth and Freeport for eastbound traffic from I-95, and Lewiston and Kittery (one for each direction of the Turnpike) for westbound traffic from US 1. Signs on I-295 southbound point traffic for New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and "points south" along I-495.
MUTCD-compliant mile markers proceed easterly from the western end with the letters FS (for Falmouth Spur) horizontally on a line below the word MILE and range from 0 to 3.
History
The Falmouth Spur was built as part of the second phase - Portland to Augusta - of the Maine Turnpike, opened December 13, 1955, as well to allieviate traffic on Falmouth Road, the town's east to west connector, connecting Route 9 (Middle Road) and Routes 26 and 100 (Gray Road). The spur connected interchange 8, a trumpet interchange with the mainline Turnpike, with interchange 9, another trumpet at U.S. Route 1 in Falmouth. (The west end later became exit 9 - exit 8 was moved south to the new Westbrook interchange - and the east end became exit 15 on I-95.) The toll booth was just west of US 1, right where the Spur now crosses over Interstate 295Interstate 295 (Maine)
Interstate 295 is a -long connector in the U.S. state of Maine from I-95 in Scarborough to I-95 in West Gardiner.-Route description:...
. The part of US 1 that it connected to had been built ca. 1948 as a realignment (old US 1 is Route 88), and the Spur connected the Turnpike, which headed inland at Portland, with US 1, a major route to and beyond Brunswick via the shore.
When the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
was designed in the 1940s and 1950s, the main route along the east coast, numbered Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Maine
In the U.S. state of Maine, Interstate 95 is a 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 1957, was assigned to the route via Brunswick to Augusta. Thus the Falmouth Spur became I-95, and the Turnpike was unnumbered between the Spur and Gardiner. Ca. 1960, the piece of I-95 (now I-295) north of the Spur was completed, and a partial interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
was added at its crossing with the Spur. The toll booth was moved west at that time.
The Turnpike stayed unnumbered between Falmouth and Gardiner until around 1988, when it was added to the Interstate System as I-495. This allowed it to have a speed limit
Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...
higher than the National Maximum Speed Limit
National Maximum Speed Law
The National Maximum Speed Law in the United States was a provision of the 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act that prohibited speed limits higher than . It was drafted in response to oil price spikes and supply disruptions during the 1973 oil crisis...
of 55 mi/h, as per the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987.
In 2002, the Maine Department of Transportation
Maine Department of Transportation
The Maine Department of Transportation, also known as MaineDOT, is the bureaucratic office of the state government charged with the regulation and maintenance of roads and other public infrastructure in the state of Maine. MaineDOT reports on the adequacy of roads, highways, and bridges in Maine...
submitted a proposal to the American Association of State Highway Officials to relocate I-95 along I-495 and extend I-295 along I-95 to Gardiner, leaving the Falmouth Spur unnumbered. This was approved by AASHTO on November 5, 2002, with one change - the Falmouth Spur was assigned the Interstate 495 designation. The Maine DOT and Maine Turnpike Authority decided not to sign or publicize I-495 to minimize confusion; maps of the changes distributed to the public included the remark "existing I-95 becomes a ramp" or just "Falmouth Spur" pointing to the Spur. Signs were changed from January 5 to January 10, 2004 A prominent sign was posted near the New Hampshire state line informing travelers of the change, and that the information center had new maps.
Exit list
All exits are unnumbered. The entire route is in Cumberland County.| Location | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... |
0.0 | Westbound exit/eastbound entrance only. | |
| Falmouth Falmouth, Maine Falmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,185 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.... |
Falmouth toll barrier. $1.00 both directions. | ||
| Eastbound exit only. | |||
| 3.7 | Eastbound exit/westbound entrance only. Formerly exit 15A (US 1 south) and 15B (US 1 north). |
||