Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania)

**Interstate 295** (**I-295**) in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a bypass around Philadelphia and a partial beltway of Trenton, New Jersey. The route begins at a junction with I-95 south of Wilmington, Delaware, and runs to an interchange with I-95 in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. The highway heads east from I-95 and crosses the Delaware River into New Jersey on the Delaware Memorial Bridge concurrent with U.S. Route 40 (US 40). Upon entering New Jersey, I-295 splits from the New Jersey Turnpike and US 40, and runs parallel to the turnpike for most of its course in the state. After a concurrency with U.S. Route 130 in Gloucester County, I-295 has an interchange with I-76 and Route 42 in Camden County. The freeway continues northeast toward Trenton, where it intersects I-195 and Route 29 before bypassing the city to the east, north, and west, crossing the Delaware River on the Scudder Falls Bridge into Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, I-295 is signed as an east–west road and heads south to its other terminus at I-95.

Three portions of I-295 predate the Interstate Highway System: the Delaware Memorial Bridge and its approach, built in 1951, a section in Salem County built in 1953, and the part concurrent with US 130, built in two sections that opened in 1948 and 1954. The route was designated on these sections in New Jersey in 1958 and in Delaware in 1959. The portion of I-295 connecting to I-95 in Delaware opened in 1963 while most of the route in New Jersey was finished by the 1980s. The part of I-295 near the interchange with I-195 and Route 29 was finished in 1994. I-295 previously ended in New Jersey at US 1 in Lawrence Township, becoming I-95 heading south into Philadelphia. By July 2018, I-295 was extended along the former I-95 in New Jersey and Bucks County, Pennsylvania to end at I-95 at the Pennsylvania Turnpike, with no access between I-295 and the latter road. Improvements continue to be made to the highway, including reconstruction of interchanges and replacement of bridges.

## Route description

I-295 begins at I-95, I-495, US 202, and Delaware Route 141 (DE 141) near Newport, Delaware and heads east over the Delaware River on the Delaware Memorial Bridge into New Jersey. The highway continues north to Trenton, curves, and heads south to its terminus at I-95 in Bristol Township. The portion of I-295 running through New Jersey is sometimes referred to as the Camden Freeway by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). As part of the Interstate Highway System, the entire length of I-295 is a part of the National Highway System, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.

### **Newport, DE to Westville, NJ**

I-295 begins at an interchange with I-95 (Delaware Turnpike), I-495, US 202, and DE 141 south of the town of Newport in New Castle County, Delaware. From this junction, the highway heads southeast on an eight-lane freeway maintained by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and reaches an interchange with US 13/US 40. Here, US 40 splits from US 13 by heading east concurrent with I-295. At this interchange, the highway becomes maintained by the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA). After this, the southbound lanes of I-295 have a toll plaza for the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I-295/US 40 cross the Delaware River on the twin-span Delaware Memorial Bridge.

Upon reaching the east bank of the Delaware River, I-295/US 40 enters Pennsville Township in Salem County, New Jersey and heads east-southeast through industrial areas. The freeway comes to an interchange with the southern terminus of US 130 and the western terminus of Route 49, at which point it also meets the southern terminus of the New Jersey Turnpike. Here, I-295 splits onto its own freeway maintained by NJDOT while US 40 continues along the New Jersey Turnpike for a short distance before it splits to the southeast. Following this, the highway runs through agricultural and wooded areas before northbound US 130 merges into the freeway.

At this point, I-295 and US 130 head east as a six-lane freeway. US 130 leaves after a few miles.

### **Bellmawr to Lawrence Township**

I-295 crosses the Big Timber Creek into Bellmawr in Camden County and runs northeast before it comes to the junction with the North-South Freeway, which serves as the northern terminus of Route 42 and the eastern terminus of I-76. Currently, the I-76 interchange is under construction. Route 295 continues north-northwest and has an interchange with Interstate 195. It continues north towards Trenton where it curves northwest and comes to a modified interchange with US 1.

### **Lawrence Township, New Jersey to Bristol Township, Pennsylvania**

West of US 1, the highway has an interchange with NJ route 29. Immediately after the interchange with Route 29, I-295 then crosses the Delaware River into Pennsylvania on the tolled Scudder Falls Bridge. Upon crossing the Delaware River, I-295 becomes the Delaware Expressway and enters Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, passing over Pennsylvania Route 32 (PA 32) and reaching an electronic toll gantry in the direction heading away from the Delaware River. I-295 enters Bristol Township and terminates at an interchange with I-95 at I-276 (Pennsylvania Turnpike). At this interchange, I-295 merges into southbound I-95, with access from westbound I-295 to southbound I-95 and from northbound I-95 to eastbound I-295; there are no ramps connecting I-295 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

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