I-95, which runs from Miami to the Canadian border at Houlton, Maine, is the East Coast's main artery. But residents of Mercer County, New Jersey, managed to block completion of the interstate in 1982, when original plans to finish I-95 were abandoned, NPR reported.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey have since developed an alternative that will complete I-95 using existing highways. The interstate currently crosses the Delaware River into New Jersey northwest of Trenton, then comes to a sudden end nine miles later at U.S. 1. Northbound I-95 soon reverses direction, heading southbound on Interstate 295. Northbound I-95 continues further east along the New Jersey Turnpike, but there is so simple way to get between the segments.

"The lack of a direct connection has created confusion for regional travelers, and resulted in increased congestion on local arterial roadways used by motorists to connect between the interstate highways," according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

Phase 1 of the I-95 completion, which begins this fall, will build a three-level interchange at the spot where I-95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 276) cross. When the $400 million project is finished in about seven years, the portion of I-276 from I-95 to the New Jersey Turnpike will be redesignated as I-95, giving drivers in both directions a seamless path to follow as they head from Maine to Florida or vice versa.

"It doesn't just complete 95 from Maine to Florida," said consulting engineer Jay Roth. "It completes the original interstate system as envisioned in 1956. It is, to me, even more symbolic for that reason."

More information about the project is available at www.paturnpikei95.com.