Route 104 is a numbered state highway in the U.S. state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. It runs from

US 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...

North Providence North Providence is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 34,114 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the Town of North Providence has a total area of , of which, is ...

to Worrall Street in Downtown

Woonsocket Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of ...

. The route connects the cities of Providence and Woonsocket via the town center of Smithfield.

Route description

Route 104 begins as Waterman Avenue at an intersection with

in North Providence. It proceeds northwest into the town of Smithfield. The road name changes to Farnum Pike as the route passes through the Georgiaville section of the town. The route soon crosses under

I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville * Interstate ...

without an interchange. Route 104 continues its northwest path through Smithfield center and eventually enters the town of North Smithfield. In North Smithfield, it turns north and intersects Route 7. Beyond the Route 7 junction, Route 104 shifts to Greenville Road, which bends eastward at Primrose Pond. Route 104 then reaches the city of Woonsocket, going along Providence Street and Main Street. State maintenance of the road ends at the intersection with Route 146A at the city line but signage for Route 104 continues into downtown Woonsocket, ending at Worrall Street. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation Pavement Log shows Route 104 ending at the corner of Providence Street and South Main Street in

. Signage, however, clearly shows Route 104 ending at Worrall Street. Some of this signage was put up by the City, some was put up by the State. Some old signage shows Route 104 continuing along Clinton Street (northbound) and Worrall Street and Social Street (southbound) to end at Route 126, but most of the southbound signs now say TO 104.

History

In 1808, a private

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...

was built between North Providence and Smithfield known as the Farnum and Providence Turnpike along what is now the Farnum Pike portion of modern Route 104. In 1873 the State of Rhode Island purchased the road for $500 from the private owners and made the road free.Frederic James Wood, ''The Turnpikes of New England and Evolution of the Same Through England, Virginia, and Maryland'' (Boston: Marshall Jones, 191

/ref> Route 104 was designated in 1923 along the Farnum turnpike alignment with extensions on both ends into downtown Providence and downtown Woonsocket. In Woonsocket, the route originally ended at Route 126 (Cumberland Street). In Providence, the old route used Woonasquatucket Avenue and Manton Avenue to end at Route 128.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island
Numbered routes in Rhode Island, 104 Transportation in Providence County, Rhode Island