 Interstate 395 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 I-395 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route ofI-95 | ||||
| Maintained byMaineDOT | ||||
| Length | 4.99 mi[1] (8.03 km) | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |     I-95 /SR 15 /US 2 /SR 100 inBangor | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| East end |   US 1A /SR 9 inBrewer | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Maine | |||
| Counties | Penobscot | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Interstate 395 (I-395) is a 4.99-mile-long (8.03 km)auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state ofMaine. The western terminus of the route is at acloverleaf interchange withI-95 near downtownBangor. The eastern terminus is atUS 1A andSR 9 inBrewer.
I-395 begins as an extension of Hammond Street at an at-grade intersection withUS 2 andSR 100 on the south side ofBangor International Airport. US 2 and SR 100 turn north from the intersection onto Odlin Road, while I-395 reaches acloverleaf interchange with its parent route,I-95, immediately to the east. The four-lane freeway is joined bySR 15 and travels east around the south side ofBangor, reaching the eastern terminus ofUS 202 at exit 2, near theBeal University campus, where it also picks up a concurrency withSR 9. I-395 then intersects Main Street at exit 3, carryingUS 1A andSR 9 Business, near theCross Insurance Center on the west side of thePenobscot River.[2]
The freeway crosses the Penobscot River on theVeterans Remembrance Bridge, which carries four through lanes and two auxiliary lanes from Bangor toBrewer. SR 15 leaves I-395 and SR 9 at exit 4 on the east bank of the river, while the freeway continues southeast through the outskirts of Brewer. I-395 travels into the rural outskirts of the Bangor area and turns northeastward to terminate at apartial cloverleaf interchange with Wilson Street (part of US 1A) east of Brewer.[2] US 1A continues southeast towards theDown East region of the state, servingEllsworth and several coastal towns. After the intersection, the mainline SR 9 continues as aSuper 2 bypassing Brewer to the south.
The freeway primarily serves as a bypass of Bangor and Brewer for travelers wishing to access the Down East/Bar Harbor region of Maine. It also connects I-95 to the region via US 1A.[citation needed] It is designated by the Maine state government as part of Highway Corridor Priority 1, which includes all Interstate Highways in the state as well as other important roads.[3] Traffic volumes on the highway, measured in terms ofannual average daily traffic by theMaine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), ranged in 2017 from a minimum of 8,470 vehicles near its eastern terminus to a maximum of 17,090 vehicles on the Veterans Remembrance Bridge.[4]
I-395 was originally named the Bangor Industrial Spur and was intended to relieve traffic on Hammond and Union streets in the city's industrial area. Construction began on December 2, 1957, and was part of a larger project to construct I-95 around Bangor.[5] The first section of the highway, from Hammond Street to Main Street in southern Bangor, opened on September 24, 1959, and was formally dedicated on October 29.[6] It was the first Interstate Highway to be completed with federal funding under theFederal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 and cost an estimated $3.79 million (equivalent to $31.1 million in 2024[7]) to construct.[5][8]
The 1,550-foot (470 m)Veterans Remembrance Bridge, connecting Bangor to Brewer over the Penobscot River, was dedicated on November 11, 1986.[9] It was designated in 1985 by the state legislature following disagreements between local groups over which person or war should be honored by the name.[10] The extension of I-395 over the bridge and through Brewer to Wilson Street (US 1A) opened to traffic on November 17.[11][12] During its first days of public use, the Brewer section was targeted for speed enforcement due to its 55-mile-per-hour (89 km/h) speed limit and low traffic.[13]
Plans to extend I-395 to connect it toSR 9 began as early as 2001.[14] In February 2008,MaineDOT suggested five possible routes to extend I-395 to SR 9, with two in particular designated as "State's Choice" and "Holden's Choice".[15] The state's choice route would cut through the middle of Holden and connect to SR 9 in eastEddington; Holden's choice would run along the Brewer–Holden border and join SR 9 earlier. Since then, the state eliminated the "State's Choice" route and began work on the "Holden's Choice", designated 2B-2. Despite all three affected communities issuing resolutions in 2014 opposing this route,[16] the state went forward with the project as asuper two rerouting of SR 9.[17] Design completed in 2021, and construction commenced in 2022. The project was officially completed on June 27, 2025, and the new road opened to traffic.[18]
The entire route is inPenobscot County.[19]
| Location[19] | mi[19] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | 0.00 | 0.00 | – | US 2 /SR 100 –Hermon,Airport | At-grade intersection; western terminus of I-395 | |
| 0.22 | 0.35 | 1 |  I-95 /SR 15 north –Newport,Orono,Airport | Western end of SR 15 concurrency; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north); exits 182A-B on I-95 | ||
| 0.92 | 1.48 | 2 |   US 202 /SR 9 west –Hampden | Eastern terminus of US 202; western end of SR 9 concurrency | ||
| 1.67 | 2.69 | 3 |  US 1A /SR 9 Bus. / Farm Road (Main Street) –Downtown Bangor,Hampden | Signed as exits 3A (west) and 3B (east) eastbound | ||
| Penobscot River | 1.91 | 3.07 | Veterans' Remembrance Bridge | |||
| Brewer | 2.05 | 3.30 | 4 |  SR 15 south /SR 15 Bus. north (South Main Street) –Brewer,Bucksport | Eastern end of SR 15 concurrency; southern terminus of SR 15 Bus.; signed for SR 15 Bus. westbound, SR 9 eastbound | |
| 2.76 | 4.44 | 5 | Industrial Park Road / Parkway South –Brewer | |||
| 4.74 | 7.63 | 6 |   US 1A toUS 1 (Coastal Route) –Ellsworth,Bar Harbor,Downtown Brewer | Signed as exits 6A (east) and 6B (west) | ||
| 4.99 | 8.03 | – |  SR 9 east –Eddington,Calais | Road continues east as SR 9; eastern terminus of I-395 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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