It’s the backbone of the East Coast. If you’ve ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic in northern Virginia or stared at the neon signs of South of the Border in South Carolina, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But when you actually sit down to map it out, how long is Interstate 95 exactly?
The short answer is 1,924 miles.
That’s the official number from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). It stretches from the Canadian border in Houlton, Maine, all the way down to the tropical humidity of Miami, Florida. But that number is honestly a bit deceptive. Depending on construction, new bypasses, and where you actually start your odometer, you might find yourself clocking in closer to 1,930 miles. It’s a beast. It crosses 15 states. No other interstate in the United States touches that many states.
It’s not just a road. It’s a psychological test.
Why the length of I-95 varies depending on who you ask
Most people think of a highway as a static line on a map. It’s not. I-95 is constantly being tweaked. For decades, there was actually a "gap" in the highway in New Jersey. For a long time, if you were driving from Philly to New York, you had to jump off I-95, navigate some local roads or the Turnpike, and then get back on. It wasn't until the Pennsylvania Turnpike/I-95 Interchange Project was completed in 2018 that the highway was technically "finished."
That one project changed the total mileage.
If you look at old road atlases from the 90s, the answer to how long is Interstate 95 was different. It was shorter. Or rather, it was incomplete. Today, you can technically drive from the Maine-New Brunswick border to Miami without ever hitting a stoplight, though the "mixing bowl" in Springfield, Virginia, might make you wish for a simple red light instead of the 400 lanes of chaos you find there.
Breaking down the miles by state
Let’s get into the weeds. If you’re planning a road trip, you don't care about the total 1,924 miles as much as you care about how long you're going to be stuck in North Carolina.
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Florida owns the longest stretch. It’s roughly 382 miles from the Georgia line down to the end of the line in Miami. Driving through Florida feels like it takes years. You pass through Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, and the Space Coast before hitting the massive sprawl of South Florida.
On the flip side, Pennsylvania is a blink. You’re only on I-95 for about 51 miles in the Keystone State. Most of that is spent holding your breath as you navigate the narrow lanes through Philadelphia.
Maine is the dark horse. People forget how big Maine is. You’re on I-95 for 305 miles in Maine alone. Most of that is just pine trees and the occasional moose warning. It is the most beautiful part of the drive, but it’s also the most isolated. If you run out of gas north of Bangor, you’re in for a very long walk.
The Mid-Atlantic gauntlet
The stretch between Richmond, Virginia, and New Haven, Connecticut, is what I call the "Black Hole of Productivity." It’s only a few hundred miles, but it can take twelve hours.
- Virginia: 179 miles. The northern part is a parking lot. The southern part is a drag race.
- Maryland: 110 miles. You’ve got the Fort McHenry Tunnel here. It's a marvel of engineering, but it's also a bottleneck.
- Delaware: 23 miles. You’re in and out in twenty minutes, but you’ll probably pay a toll that makes you feel like you bought a piece of the state.
- New Jersey: Around 90 miles, mostly following the New Jersey Turnpike. It’s efficient, expensive, and smells like industry.
The cultural shift from North to South
When you drive the full how long is Interstate 95 distance, you watch the world change through your windshield. In Houlton, Maine, the signs are in English and French. The air is crisp. By the time you hit Georgia, the Waffle Houses start appearing every five miles like clockwork.
The geography changes too. You start in the Appalachian foothills and glacial leftovers of New England. By the time you’re in the Carolinas, the land flattens out into the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The trees change from sturdy oaks and pines to those spindly, moss-draped live oaks and eventually, palm trees.
It’s a massive logistical artery. According to the I-95 Corridor Coalition, this road supports a region that accounts for over 40% of the U.S. GDP. Think about that. Nearly half of the country’s economic output happens along this one strip of asphalt. When a bridge collapses—like the one in Northeast Philadelphia in 2023—the entire East Coast economy feels the vibration.
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Common misconceptions about the route
One big myth is that I-95 goes to the tip of Florida. It doesn't. It ends in Miami. If you want to go to Key West, you have to hop on US-1.
Another weird fact? I-95 isn't actually the longest north-south interstate. That honor belongs to I-75, which runs from Miami to the Canadian border in Michigan. I-75 is longer by about 400 miles. But I-95 is more iconic because it hits the "Big Cities." Boston, New York, Philly, DC, Miami. It’s the megalopolis highway.
Also, people think it's always right on the ocean. It’s not. In some parts of the Carolinas and Georgia, you’re 50 or 60 miles inland. You can’t smell the salt air. You just smell diesel fumes and pine needles.
The Toll Factor: How much does it cost to drive the whole thing?
If you want to drive the full length of I-95, you better have an E-ZPass and a fat bank account. The tolls are brutal, especially in the Northeast.
If you start in Maine and go to Florida, you’ll hit major tolls on the Maine Turnpike, the New Hampshire Turnpike, the George Washington Bridge (which is eye-watering), the New Jersey Turnpike, the Delaware Turnpike, and the Maryland sections. If you're driving a standard passenger car, you're looking at well over $100 in tolls just to move south. If you’re in a truck? Forget about it.
Survival tips for the 1,924-mile trek
Having driven large chunks of this road more times than I care to admit, I’ve learned a few things.
First, timing is everything. If you try to pass through Washington D.C. at 4:00 PM on a Friday, you have failed. You will sit there for three hours. The goal is to hit the big cities—Richmond, DC, Baltimore, Philly, New York—between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM.
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Second, watch your gas in the South. In the Northeast, there’s a gas station at every exit. In the deep woods of South Carolina or the rural stretches of Georgia, the gaps get a little wider.
Third, use the apps. Waze is your best friend on I-95. Because the road is so heavily traveled, the data is incredibly accurate. If there’s a ladder in the middle of the lane three miles ahead, someone has already reported it.
The Future of I-95
Is it getting longer? Not really. But it is getting wider. Projects in North Carolina are currently adding lanes to handle the massive influx of people moving south. There’s also the "Electric Circuit." States are pouring millions into high-speed EV charging stations along the corridor.
The goal is to make it so you can drive an electric vehicle the entire 1,924 miles without "range anxiety." We aren't quite there yet for the average driver, but the infrastructure is catching up fast.
Actionable steps for your I-95 journey
Don't just hop on the highway and hope for the best.
- Get an E-ZPass. Even if you don't live on the East Coast, get one. It works in almost every state along the route (though Florida and Georgia have their own systems like SunPass and Peach Pass, they are increasingly interoperable).
- Check the I-95 Exit Guide. This is a real website run by people who obsess over this road. It tells you where the cheapest gas is and which rest stops aren't disgusting.
- Plan your "escape routes." If I-95 shuts down in Connecticut, you should know how to get to Merritt Parkway. If it’s blocked in Virginia, know US-1 or US-301.
- Inspect your tires. The heat in the southern stretches of I-95 in the summer is no joke. Blowouts are incredibly common between Savannah and Jacksonville.
Knowing how long is Interstate 95 is one thing. Respecting the road is another. It’s 1,924 miles of American life, for better or worse. Pack some snacks, keep your eyes on the road, and maybe don't drink too much coffee before you hit the Jersey Turnpike—the exits are further apart than you think.