Rhode Island Route 4 - Route Description

Route Description

Route 4 begins at a fork in the alignment of U.S. Route 1 in the community of North Kingstown; the two left lanes of US 1 default onto Route 4 north, with the right-hand lane carrying Tower Hill Road and US 1 north into the village of Wickford. Route 4 heads in a northwestern direction as a four-lane divided highway, crossing West Allenton Road at an at-grade intersection with a traffic signal after approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km). The highway continues on a northwesterly projection, passing to the northeast of Kettle Hole Pond and to the southwest of Secret Lake in a heavily forested region. After Secret Lake, the highway curves to the north, crossing Oak Hill Road at another at-grade intersection.

Shortly after the intersection with Oak Hill Road, Route 4 transitions from a divided arterial highway into a four-lane limited-access freeway. The freeway passes to the west of Belleville Pond and begins to parallel the alignment of Route 102 (Ten Rod Road) near the community of Lafayette. Route 4 passes over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor railroad before entering the business district of Wickford Junction. The freeway interchanges with Routes 2 and 102 at exit 5, a partial cloverleaf interchange. After the interchange, Route 4 bends to the northeast, beginning a parallel alignment with Route 2 that continues to its northern terminus. Route 4 crosses into the town of East Greenwich, passing under South Road before interchanging with Route 2 at exit 6, a partial cloverleaf interchange.

After exit 6, Route 4 passes the Rhode Island Army National Guard base to the east and to the Hunt River to the west. Route 4 northbound interchanges with Route 403 at exit 7; Route 403, or the Quonset Freeway, is a four-lane, limited access freeway and spur route of Route 4 that serves the Quonset Business Park and the village of Davisville. Heading southbound, exit 7 is split into exit 7B, which serves the Quonset Freeway, and exit 7A, which serves Route 402 (Frenchtown Road), another spur route connecting the highway to US 1 and Route 2. After exit 7, Route 4 continues northward as a six-lane expressway, passing farmlands to the west and entering a suburban region of East Greenwich. The highway crosses under an overpass at Middle Road before interchanging with Route 401, the freeway's final spur, at another partial cloverleaf interchange. Exit 8 is also used to access Route 2 and I-95 south, which has no direct freeway connection with Route 4 north. Shortly after exit 8, the Route 4 designation ends and the mainline of the highway defaults onto I-95 north.