Route 138 is a numbered State Highway running in

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 is the longest state numbered route in Rhode Island, and the second longest highway after

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

. Route 138 begins in Exeter at the

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

state line in the west and runs to the

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

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 The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...

campus with the island town of Jamestown, the city of Newport, 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 Route 138 is a north–south state highway in Massachusetts. From the state line in Tiverton, Rhode Island to Milton, Route 138 runs as an extension of Rhode Island Route 138, which is itself an extension of Connecticut Route 138. Route 13 ...

, which extends north into the

Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern a ...

area.

Route description

Route 138 takes the following route through the State: * Exeter: ;

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

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

town line **Spring Street, Nooseneck Hill Road and Main Street *

: ; Hopkinton town line to

South Kingstown South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New ...

town line **Main Street and Kingstown Road *

: ;

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 Gilbe ...

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

: ;

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

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

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

town line **West Main Road and East Main Road *

: ; Middletown town line to Tiverton town line **East Main Road and Fall River Expressway * Tiverton: ;

town line to

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 ...

until 1954. Before the opening of the Jamestown section of the Route 138 Expressway in 1994, Route 138 came off the

Jamestown Bridge The Jamestown Bridge (usually referred to as the Old Jamestown Bridge to avoid confusion with its replacement, the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge) was a cantilever truss bridge that connected Conanicut Island to mainland North Kingstown, Rhod ...

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 A reassurance marker or confirming marker is a type of traffic sign that confirms the identity of the route being traveled on. It does not provide information found on other types of road signs, such as distances traveled, distances to other locat ...

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 in

, 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

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. These ramps have since been converted into access points to the local beaches. 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

Route 138A

Route 138A is a numbered state highway running through Newport and Middletown,

. 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

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island
138 Transportation in Washington County, Rhode Island Transportation in Newport County, Rhode Island