Construction of I-95

Construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike snakes through downtown Richmond early in 1958. The highway was built as a response to growth and suburbanization in the Richmond-Petersburg corridor, and to reduce congestion on nearby U.S. 1 and U.S. 301. By time the highway opened in July 1958, the U.S. Congress had authorized federal funding for a national interstate highway system, and the Turnpike was quickly incorporated into that system and redesignated as part of Interstate 95.