Route 103 is a numbered state highway running in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, United States. It runs from Interstate 195 (I-195) in East Providence to the

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

state line in the town of

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

, where the road continues as

Massachusetts Route 103 Route 103 is a west–east state highway in southeastern Massachusetts. Its western terminus is a continuation of Rhode Island Route 103 in Warren, Rhode Island and its eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 6 in Massachusetts, U.S. Route 6 (US 6) ...

. Route 103 is a major commercial corridor in East Providence.

Route description

Route 103 begins at the eastbound Exit 1D off-ramp of

I-195 Interstate 195 (I-195) is the designation for the following Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 195 (District of Columbia), a future designation for the north–south portion of I-395 from the Sout ...

in East Providence, running along Warren Avenue until the intersection with Route 114. Route 103 turns south with Route 114 along Pawtucket Avenue, with Route 114 soon separating. Route 103 continues south then veers to the southeast along Willett Avenue as it heads towards the town of Barrington. In Barrington, it continues east as County Road, then meets with and overlaps Route 114 for a second time as the routes cross the Barrington and

Palmer Palmer may refer to: People and fictional characters * Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land * Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Palmer (surname), including a list of people and ...

rivers into the town of

. Route 103 separates from Route 114 along Child Street as it continues east towards the Massachusetts state line, where the road continues as

History

Route 103 was an original route assigned in 1923. It used to be much longer, extending through Providence and along present-day Route 14 to

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 cap ...

, where it used to continue as Route 103. In 1932, Connecticut renumbered its 1920s Route 103 to Route 14. Rhode Island renumbered the portion of Route 103 west of Providence to match the new Connecticut route number. At one time, the main road east from Providence (at first NE 3, now

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...

or US 6) used Route 103 rather than the current US 6 alignment.

Maps A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...

disagree on when the change to the current alignment took place. However, rather than using Warren Avenue to the

Washington Bridge The Washington Bridge is a -long arch bridge over the Harlem River in New York City between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. The crossing, opened in 1888, connects 181st Street (Manhattan), 181st Street and Tenth Avenue (Manhattan), Am ...

, the main road continued north on Pawtucket Avenue to Waterman Avenue, and used Waterman Avenue over the old

Red Bridge Red Bridge may refer to: Structures *Red Bridge (border), on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan *Red Bridge, Yerevan, Armenia *Red Bridge (Tasmania), Australia *Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge (known locally as the Red Bridge), Mansfield-et-P ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

. When the main road was moved to current US 6, it at first continued to use Waterman Avenue via MA 114A and County Street to the state line. The current alignment of Route 103 along Warren Avenue in East Providence was also US 6 before I-195 was built. Some signs still mark it as US 6, including some signs placed since 2000.

Major intersections

Route 103A

Route 103A is a loop route of Route 103 in the Riverside section of East Providence. It leaves Route 103, continuing straight along Bullocks Point Avenue where Route 103 veers southeast on Willett Avenue. At the south end of Bullocks Point Avenue in Crescent Park, Route 103A turns east onto Crescent View Avenue, which later ends back at Willett Avenue/Route 103. Route 103A was coordinated as a numbered State Highway in 2001.

References

External links

*{{commons category inline
2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island
103 Transportation in Bristol County, Rhode Island