Pennsylvania

[roadman65]

Was Phoenixville Pike between West Chester and Frazer ever a state route designation?

Also when PA 100 used to terminate at the Delaware State Line did the current PA 100 freeway between Exton and US 202 ever have a signed route number or was that a PA reference route like PA 12 was between Reading and Pricetown and signed with nothing?

My old map shows the latter as TO PA 100 and no number for the former.

[Roadgeek2500]

Was Phoenixville Pike between West Chester and Frazer ever a state route designation?

Good Question, Before US 202 broke the continuity of Phoenixville pike from West Chester to Charlestown Rd, PA 29 was signed on that corridor. 29 was realigned to Morehall Rd in 1970 according to pahighways

[74/171FAN]

For PA 29:  https://www.pahighways.com/state/PA1-50.html#PA29south  https://wiki.aaroads.com/wiki/Pennsylvania_Route_29#History

Prior to construction of the US 202 expressway in 1970, PA 29 travelled entirely on Phoenixville Pike between Phoenixville and West Chester. PA 29 entered West Chester on Goshen Road and Marshall Street, ending at PA 100 (High Street) in town. When the US 202 expressway was built, PA 29 was rerouted onto Morehall Road at Devault and ran south to junction US 202 and then end at US 30.

Apparently the PA 100 freeway before the relocation onto it was SR 2023. (https://wiki.aaroads.com/wiki/Pennsylvania_Route_100)

The freeway connecting US 202 and PA 100 became known as SR 2023 when the Location Referencing System was established in 1987.

[wildcat7176]

Looking back, I think it would have been better to simply create a "PA 100 Alternate Truck" route, as preventing trucks from coming through the borough of West Chester was the main reason they truncated 100. I know when they did the redesignation it caused a lot of confusion for people near the Delaware border who lived near "Old Route 100". A truck route could have followed the freeway spur and then ran on 202/322 to the south end of town. I believe Bing Maps actually still erroneously has the old 100 designation through town, and calls the spur route to 202 "PA 100 Spur".

As for 29, it makes sense for it to have been changed looking back now with the 202 freeway and how crowded and developed Morehall Road is today from Charlestown Road to its southern terminus at US 30. However, I just wish there was a better direct route from West Chester to Phoenixville, as the part of 29 from Devault to Phoenixville is only 2 lanes and has some sharp curves in the woods along Pickering Creek. I believe I read somewhere that there were plans in the 1980s to widen that section, but I always wondered if they considered re-routing 29 onto Charlestown Road or White Horse Road and widening one of those roads, instead of the aforementioned State Road (I have also seen it called West Chester State Road somewhere?).

[CanesFan27]

The law that created Interstate 99 turns 30 this November.  I take a look at its past, the hobby's anti-I-99 fascination, and its future.  Plus, how quickly Pennsylvania signed I-99 (three days after the law passed) and also a gentleman that took his complaints about I-99's number to then-President Bill Clinton.

Take a read: https://www.gribblenation.org/2025/01/interstate-99-at-30.html

--Adam

[The Ghostbuster]

Remind me: Who was the poster who called Interstate 99 the "Glen Quagmire" of Interstate Highways?

[74/171FAN]

Anyway, there is a CE Expert System update on PA 14 over Trout Run.

And there is another one as of yesterday.

And another one as of today.

(For PA 225) PennDOT - District 3 News: Emergency Repairs to Begin on Damaged Bridge in Little Mahanoy Township

[Bitmapped]

I was looking at the historic Type 10 county maps on the PennDOT website this morning and realized how much progress PennDOT has made in paving roads even since 1990. (1990 was the last series of maps that showed surface types.) At that point, the last part of gravel traffic route (PA 44 in Potter County) was being paved, but there were still large amounts of gravel road on the quadrant route network.

Now, it's a safe bet to make that if it has a SR number that it's at least chip-seal. The only gravel quadrant routes I've encountered in the past 20 years were Tioga SR 3001 and Lycoming SR 4009 near Pine Creek Gorge, way out in the Pennsylvania Wilds. If I'm exploring in rural areas of the state, I try to stick to PennDOT-maintained roads because I can expect they'll be hard-surfaced.

Has anyone run into any other non-paved PennDOT-maintained roads, especially outside of extremely remote areas?

[74/171FAN]

I saw on ECMS this morning that the new interchange on I-81 at Guilford Springs Road (Exit 12) is planned to be let in December 2025.

[74/171FAN]

(For PA 225) PennDOT - District 3 News: A Portion of Route 225 Closed in Little Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County

PennDOT - District 3 News: PennDOT Provides Update on Damaged Bridge on Route 225 in Little Mahanoy Twp.

The CE Expert System has documentation in regard to this as of January 3rd.

(For I-81 and PA 171) PennDOT - District 4 News: PennDOT/BPC Announce Traffic Switch on Interstate 81 in Susquehanna County

(For PA 225) PennDOT - District 3 News: Route 225 Bridge in Northumberland Co. to Reopen Saturday

[74/171FAN]

(For PA 225) PennDOT - District 3 News: A Portion of Route 225 Closed in Little Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County

PennDOT - District 3 News: PennDOT Provides Update on Damaged Bridge on Route 225 in Little Mahanoy Twp.

The CE Expert System has documentation in regard to this as of January 3rd.

(For I-81 and PA 171) PennDOT - District 4 News: PennDOT/BPC Announce Traffic Switch on Interstate 81 in Susquehanna County

(For PA 225) PennDOT - District 3 News: Route 225 Bridge in Northumberland Co. to Reopen Saturday

PennDOT - District 3 News: Route 225 Bridge in Northumberland County Now Open

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/fdZN7zzAZ6woKr5r8?g_st=ac

I see the latest sweep by Google shows either PennDot or the DRPA has not changed the signs on US 322 at PA 291 to reflect that US 13 is now concurrent with Route 291.

[74/171FAN]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/fdZN7zzAZ6woKr5r8?g_st=ac

I see the latest sweep by Google shows either PennDot or the DRPA has not changed the signs on US 322 at PA 291 to reflect that US 13 is now concurrent with Route 291.

I never thought that DRPA would ever care enough to do so (in this direction).  DRPA had nothing to do westbound PennDOT wanted them to specify US 13 BUS's existence.

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/hnBSFSeR5Q3BCxyG9?g_st=ac

At least the end of the ramp shows US 13's existence.

[ixnay]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/hnBSFSeR5Q3BCxyG9?g_st=ac

At least the end of the ramp shows US 13's existence.

The end of *this* ramp acknowledges the reclassification of 9th Street. 

https://tinyurl.com/56ychzn7

The hospital where I was born (since repurposed for other medical purposes) is a few blocks west of this intersection on 9th (one of several ways US 13 resonates positively in my life [I'm not a number 13-ophobe]).

OTOH this fading button copy board has IIRC been in place since the CBB opened.

https://tinyurl.com/37rxxru6

[roadman65]

https://www.lehighvalleynews.com/transportation-news/the-road-scholar-the-ugly-lehigh-valley-interchange-that-no-ones-talking-about?fbclid=IwY2xjawI8zX5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUI33cJUHRRar7aMp3I0BeSX8fYiLk3QweE4k3fN9sCtzQR3NXqxXscuFA_aem_dHnOcCG9ulxY6Or7z6mnnw

Interesting article on the US 22 and Tilghman Street interchange.

[The Ghostbuster]

There should definitely be exit-only lanes between the Tilghman Street interchange and the Interstate 476/Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension interchange. If possible, both on-ramps from Tilghman Street should be lengthened since they both seem too short to meet modern design standards.