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Regional Boards => Northeast => Topic started by: bzakharin on September 24, 2015, 09:24:06 AM

Title: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: bzakharin on September 24, 2015, 09:24:06 AM
Heard today on a KYW traffic report about some incident on "route 1, uh, superhighway 1" in Bucks County. I've never heard of this term before. Googling does return a few hits, mostly for Langhorne, and mostly referring to either the Our Lady of Grace Cemetery, or real estate listings. Is this a local term in wide use? What portion of US 1 does it refer to? Are there other "superhighways" in the US?
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: SteveG1988 on September 24, 2015, 09:27:22 AM
NJ has Superduperhighway 700
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: roadman65 on September 24, 2015, 09:28:33 AM
I believe that was the term used for the US 1 freeway in Bucks County before it was completed to Morrisville.  It used to end at Oxford Valley and for years was unnumbered from the present day US 1 Business exit near Neshaminy to Oxford Valley.  US 1 left the freeway right there and went through Pendell, Oxford Valley and what is now US 1 Business until circa 1987 when the final link was completed.

It might of been how they referenced the freeway then being no one really knows the PennDOT reference numbers of the unnumbered roads.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: Mapmikey on September 24, 2015, 09:41:34 AM
Older highway maps (well before the interstate system) sometimes used to refer to 4-lane highways as superhighways in their legends...

Mike
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: roadman65 on September 24, 2015, 09:44:35 AM
My old Exxon maps did, in fact, call that stretch of freeway "Super Highway."
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: jeffandnicole on September 24, 2015, 10:24:39 AM
It's an old term, much like the North-South Freeway and the High Speedline (referring to PATCO).  Every once in a while a long-time traffic reporter will use the term Superhighway 1.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: ekt8750 on September 24, 2015, 10:40:20 AM
Quote from: SteveG1988 on September 24, 2015, 09:27:22 AM
NJ has Superduperhighway 700

Isn't the Superduper portion 95 though or is it an unsigned concurrency?
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: kurumi on September 24, 2015, 10:48:30 AM
Debunked :)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F51Rt7grcHCL._SY344_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg&hash=501a80738b524a629d9864d40c9edc9880d77978)
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: Chris19001 on September 24, 2015, 12:27:59 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 24, 2015, 09:44:35 AM
My old Exxon maps did, in fact, call that stretch of freeway "Super Highway."
I will second this.  I have a few older maps of lower Bucks county that reference the highway north of where Business Route 1 branches off today as "SuperHighway 1".  Just proves PA's historical reluctance at using the term "freeway".
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: Mr. Matté on September 24, 2015, 12:52:19 PM
The Superduperlooperpooperscooper does exist about 100 miles to the west in Derry Township, Dauphin County.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: bzakharin on September 24, 2015, 01:04:08 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 24, 2015, 10:24:39 AM
It's an old term, much like the North-South Freeway and the High Speedline (referring to PATCO).  Every once in a while a long-time traffic reporter will use the term Superhighway 1.
PATCO High Speedline isn't the official name? Just checked. PATCO's site's page title says "PATCO Speedline" (no "High"). The site itself just calls it PATCO everywhere. Interesting. News Articles use it, though: "Transportation officials say public transit, like the PATCO High Speed line, is the best way to get into Philadelphia to see the pope"
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: roadman on September 24, 2015, 01:59:51 PM
Harvard Square, Cambridge (MA) has the "Super-Crosswalk" (a pedestrian crosswalk that is about four times wider than your average marked crosswalk).  Brochure from the project's construction:

http://web.mit.edu/jhawk/tmp/p/SupercrosswalkBrochureFall07.pdf
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: SteveG1988 on September 24, 2015, 02:23:24 PM
Quote from: ekt8750 on September 24, 2015, 10:40:20 AM
Quote from: SteveG1988 on September 24, 2015, 09:27:22 AM
NJ has Superduperhighway 700

Isn't the Superduper portion 95 though or is it an unsigned concurrency?

The 95 section is the Hypersuperduperlanetacular Section
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: SteveG1988 on September 24, 2015, 05:04:47 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ePusmtf1IQ
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: roadman65 on September 25, 2015, 01:08:15 PM
Quote from: Mr. Matté on September 24, 2015, 12:52:19 PM
The Superduperlooperpooperscooper does exist about 100 miles to the west in Derry Township, Dauphin County.
That name is too underused as there is only one loop on it that is not that big, especially now that some coasters have a total of seven loops.  Look at Cedar Points 17 miles of combined track, each coaster there puts that one to shame tenfold.

BTW, not knocking the ride itself as I love to ride it even though I have not been to Hersheypark in 20 years. :D
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: jwolfer on September 25, 2015, 04:58:52 PM
Near Birmingham Alabama there is the Bessemer Superhighway
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: SteveG1988 on September 25, 2015, 05:32:50 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 25, 2015, 01:08:15 PM
Quote from: Mr. Matté on September 24, 2015, 12:52:19 PM
The Superduperlooperpooperscooper does exist about 100 miles to the west in Derry Township, Dauphin County.
That name is too underused as there is only one loop on it that is not that big, especially now that some coasters have a total of seven loops.  Look at Cedar Points 17 miles of combined track, each coaster there puts that one to shame tenfold.

BTW, not knocking the ride itself as I love to ride it even though I have not been to Hersheypark in 20 years. :D

The ride has been altered with new trains and better brakes. They're now bright orange, with wings on em for brakes.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: noelbotevera on September 25, 2015, 08:31:02 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 25, 2015, 01:08:15 PM
Quote from: Mr. Matté on September 24, 2015, 12:52:19 PM
The Superduperlooperpooperscooper does exist about 100 miles to the west in Derry Township, Dauphin County.
That name is too underused as there is only one loop on it that is not that big, especially now that some coasters have a total of seven loops.  Look at Cedar Points 17 miles of combined track, each coaster there puts that one to shame tenfold.

BTW, not knocking the ride itself as I love to ride it even though I have not been to Hersheypark in 20 years. :D
Rid it. It was the first coaster as the Hersheypark site claims to have a loop. There's three loops in the ride if I remember. Cedar Point has more, yes, but that's because their coasters were built around the 1980s and 1990s then renovated in the 2000s and this decade. That's why they had more loops. don't think about rougarou...
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: jp the roadgeek on September 25, 2015, 08:45:32 PM
The south end expressway portion of US 7 north from I-95 is often referred to as Super 7
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: TravelingBethelite on September 25, 2015, 08:49:17 PM
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on September 25, 2015, 08:45:32 PM
The south end expressway portion of US 7 north from I-95 is often referred to as Super 7

The U.S. 7 expressway south and north of I-84 in the Danbury area is also often called this.  :poke:
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: Alps on September 26, 2015, 12:56:27 AM
Quote from: roadman on September 24, 2015, 01:59:51 PM
Harvard Square, Cambridge (MA) has the "Super-Crosswalk" (a pedestrian crosswalk that is about four times wider than your average marked crosswalk).  Brochure from the project's construction:

http://web.mit.edu/jhawk/tmp/p/SupercrosswalkBrochureFall07.pdf
Meh, MIT's had one for ages.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: Alps on September 26, 2015, 12:56:50 AM
Quote from: jwolfer on September 25, 2015, 04:58:52 PM
Near Birmingham Alabama there is the Bessemer Superhighway
Fun fact: just a regular surface street. But at the time it was designed, the concept of a 5-lane highway was extraordinary.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: ixnay on September 26, 2015, 08:42:16 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 24, 2015, 10:24:39 AM
It's an old term, much like the North-South Freeway and the High Speedline (referring to PATCO).  Every once in a while a long-time traffic reporter will use the term Superhighway 1.

I seem to recall RMcN maps of metro Philly in the '70s generically labeling the Langhorne/Penndel stretch of 1 as "Super Highway".

ixnay
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: SteveG1988 on September 26, 2015, 12:50:52 PM
Quote from: noelbotevera on September 25, 2015, 08:31:02 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 25, 2015, 01:08:15 PM
Quote from: Mr. Matté on September 24, 2015, 12:52:19 PM
The Superduperlooperpooperscooper does exist about 100 miles to the west in Derry Township, Dauphin County.
That name is too underused as there is only one loop on it that is not that big, especially now that some coasters have a total of seven loops.  Look at Cedar Points 17 miles of combined track, each coaster there puts that one to shame tenfold.

BTW, not knocking the ride itself as I love to ride it even though I have not been to Hersheypark in 20 years. :D
Rid it. It was the first coaster as the Hersheypark site claims to have a loop. There's three loops in the ride if I remember. Cedar Point has more, yes, but that's because their coasters were built around the 1980s and 1990s then renovated in the 2000s and this decade. That's why they had more loops. don't think about rougarou...

Just one loop, first looping coaster on the east coast.

Old Train/Cars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krakK7sVDsA

Upgraded:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzQ7NkEbH7k

They kept just the lapbar.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: SignBridge on September 27, 2015, 08:16:43 PM
And now back to Bucks County. Back in the early 1980's the section of the "Route-1" "superhighway" before it was completed did have a route number, 281.

As of a couple of years ago, the Bucks County 911 fire dispatch center was still  announcing calls on that road as the "Route-1 Superhighway" and if my memory serves they announced it as Route-281 back in the 1980's. And calls on the "Business Route-1" are announced as East or West Lincoln Highway in the Langhorne/Oxford Valley area.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: roadman65 on September 27, 2015, 08:38:24 PM
It was never signed on it though.  On I-95, even long after US 1 was finally moved on to it, the signs read "Langhorne' for southbound, and "Oxford Valley' for northbound.  Even for a couple of years, NB US 1 was still being directed off of the freeway north of Neshaminy onto US 1 Business before PennDOT realized they forgot to change the signs.

Anyway no maps or signs showed that a PA 281 existed there, as far as I remember.  Not saying you are wrong about it being so, just it was all hidden.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: SignBridge on September 27, 2015, 08:49:05 PM
I remember those old signs you spoke of on I-95 before Penn DOT finally signed those exits for Route-1. That was circa late 1980's? I wondered at the time why the signing did not keep up with the construction progress.

If I remember right, the ADC Bucks County street map back in the 1980's did show the Superhighway as Route-281. I remember it well 'cause I started traveling thru that area in 1987 and still go there now about once a year.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: Mr. Matté on September 28, 2015, 12:05:53 AM
Interesting that they called it "281" since that was the normally-unknown legislative number (http://www.dot7.state.pa.us/BPR_PDF_FILES/MAPS/Type_10_GHS_Historical_Scans/Bucks_1971_Sheet_3.pdf) and the signed route of the same number existed in western PA since the 1920s. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Route_281)
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: Alps on September 28, 2015, 12:06:26 AM
Quote from: SignBridge on September 27, 2015, 08:16:43 PM
And now back to Bucks County. Back in the early 1980's the section of the "Route-1" "superhighway" before it was completed did have a route number, 281.

As of a couple of years ago, the Bucks County 911 fire dispatch center was still  announcing calls on that road as the "Route-1 Superhighway" and if my memory serves they announced it as Route-281 back in the 1980's. And calls on the "Business Route-1" are announced as East or West Lincoln Highway in the Langhorne/Oxford Valley area.
Couldn't have been 281. That route's been in place forever. http://www.pahighways.com/state/PA251-300.html#PA281 But not seeing in the US 1 history what it might have been.
IF the map said 281, I'm inclined to believe that as a mapmaker's guess.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: SignBridge on September 28, 2015, 07:52:38 PM
It could have been an error on the old map. Wish I would have kept it........
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: roadman65 on September 28, 2015, 07:56:53 PM
I remember when in the early 1980's when the current US 220 freeway near Reading was signed as "Road to Nowhere" on most maps of the Reading Area.  No number, and not even a great name like US 1 at least had before it was completed.
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: Chris19001 on October 01, 2015, 10:20:41 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 28, 2015, 07:56:53 PM
I remember when in the early 1980's when the current US 220 freeway near Reading was signed as "Road to Nowhere" on most maps of the Reading Area.  No number, and not even a great name like US 1 at least had before it was completed.
I'm sure the local state legislator or residents could not have been too thrilled about the name.  :)
Title: Re: Superhighway 1 in Bucks County PA?
Post by: roadman65 on October 02, 2015, 12:02:59 PM
Quote from: Chris19001 on October 01, 2015, 10:20:41 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 28, 2015, 07:56:53 PM
I remember when in the early 1980's when the current US 220 freeway near Reading was signed as "Road to Nowhere" on most maps of the Reading Area.  No number, and not even a great name like US 1 at least had before it was completed.
I'm sure the local state legislator or residents could not have been too thrilled about the name.  :)
That is probably why they pushed to get it done.