Route 138 is a numbered State Highway running in Rhode Island. It is the longest state numbered route in Rhode Island, and the second longest highway after US 1. Route 138 begins in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

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 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

and the University of Rhode Island campus with the island town of Jamestown, the city of

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, as well as the Tiverton- Little Compton coastal region. At the Massachusetts border in

Fall River Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

, the route continues as Massachusetts Route 138, which extends north into the Greater Boston area.

Route description

Route 138 takes the following route through the State: *

: ; Connecticut State line at Route 138 to Hopkinton town line **Spring Street * Hopkinton: ;

town line to Richmond town line **Spring Street, Nooseneck Hill Road and Main Street * Richmond: ; Hopkinton town line to South Kingstown town line **Main Street and Kingstown Road * South Kingstown: ; Richmond town line to

North Kingstown North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. The population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is home to the birthplace of American portraitist Gilber ...

town line **Usquepaugh Road, Kingstown Road, Moorsefield Road and Tower Hill Road *

: ; South Kingstown town line to Jamestown town line **Tower Hill Road and Route 138 Expressway * Jamestown: ;

town line to

city line **Route 138 Expressway *

: ; Jamestown town line to Middletown town line **Route 138 Expressway and Admiral Kalbfus Road * Middletown: ;

city line to Portsmouth town line **West Main Road and East Main Road * Portsmouth: ; Middletown town line to Tiverton town line **East Main Road and Fall River Expressway * Tiverton: ; 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 The Sakonnet River is a tidal strait in the state of Rhode Island which flows approximately 14 miles between Mount Hope Bay and Rhode Island Sound. It separates Aquidneck Island from the eastern portion of Newport County. Crossings Below is a ...

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 Avenue (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

, Route 138 used Bridgetown Road east of

U.S. 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, ...

in South Kingstown, then north on Route 1A into

, 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 The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge spans the West Passage of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, United States. It is part of Rhode Island Route 138 and is on the route to Newport, Rhode Island for traffic heading northbound from Interstate 95. Con ...

opened in 1992. These ramps have since been converted into access points to the local beaches. The Route 138 Expressway was intended to extend west to

. For more information, see

Interstate 895 (Rhode Island/Massachusetts) Interstate 895 (I-895) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Maryland. Known as the Harbor Tunnel Thruway, the highway runs between one junction with I-95 in Elkridge and another interchange with I-95 on the east side of ...

. 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/

line.

Major intersections

Route 138A

Route 138A is a numbered state highway running through

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

, past the Newport beaches, and north through Middletown where it connects with Route 138. Route description * In

: 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

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island

138 138 may refer to: *138 (number) *138 BC *AD 138 Year 138 ( CXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Niger and Camer ...

Transportation in Washington County, Rhode Island Transportation in Newport County, Rhode Island