I-76 / Pennsylvania Turnpike West - Valley Forge to Breezewood

Traveling across Chester County, the Pennsylvania Turnpike meets PA 100 at the Dowingtown Interchange (Exit 312). PA 100 (Pottstown Pike) originates outside West Chester to the south and heads north to U.S. 422 at Pottstown.

08/11/04

PA 113 (Uwchlan Avenue) angles southwest from PA 100 at Lionville 3.9 miles to U.S. 30 Business (Lancaster Avenue) in Downingtown. U.S. 30 follows a freeway west from U.S. 202 to Exton, Downingtown and Coatesville.

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Interstate 76 continues northwest to Morgantown in southern Berks County.

08/11/04

Interstate 176 constitutes an 11.7 mile spur north from Morgantown to U.S. 422 outside the city of Reading.

08/11/04

PA 10 parallels I-176 along the former route of U.S. 122 north to Green Hills and Reading. The state route joins PA 23 south in Morgantown en route to Honey Brook.

08/11/04

Replacing a previous exchange with PA 10 (Morgantown Road), the Morgantown Connector (I-176) opened from a new trumpet interchange (Exit 298) with the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the existing Morgantown Expressway north in November 1996.

08/11/04

Two miles ahead of the trumpet interchange (Exit 286) for U.S. 222 near Adamstown. U.S. 222 runs along a freeway southwest to Lancaster and northeast to U.S. 422 at Wyomissing.

10/15/04

U.S. 222 leads northeast to the Warren Street Bypass (PA 12) into the city of Reading. The freeway bypasses Ephrata to the southwest.

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The Reading Interchange connects I-76 with Colonel Howard Boulevard (SR 1040) west from U.S. 222 to PA 272 (Reading Road) at Denver Road in East Cocalico township.

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Interstate 76 advances 19.5 miles west from the U.S. 222 over crossing to PA 72 across northern Lancaster County.

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PA 72 (Lebanon Road) converges with the Pennsylvania Turnpike two miles south of the Cornwall Bypass along U.S. 322 (Horseshoe Pike).

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PA 72 runs eight miles north from Exit 266 to Lebanon. Heading south from I-76, PA 72 reaches Manheim in five miles, East Petersburg in 10.5 miles and Lancaster in 13.5 miles.

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Interstate 76 passes through the borough of Middletown ahead of the Harrisburg East Interchange (Exit 247) with I-283 north to PA 283.

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I-283 connects I-76 with U.S. 322 east to Hershey and I-83 south to the capital city.

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I-283 north to I-83 north leads to Interstate 81 in Paxton township. Bypassing Harrisburg to the north, I-81 converges with the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Carlisle and Exit 226.

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PA 283 stems east from Eisenhower Boulevard (SR 3001) and the adjacent cloverleaf interchange with I-283 to Airport Connector (SR 3032) south to Harrisburg International Airport (MDT).

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Entering the trumpet interchange (Exit 247) with the south end of Interstate 283.

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The Pennsylvania Turnpike curves southwest from Highspire across the Susquehanna River into York County.

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The Harrisburg West Interchange (Exit 242) joins I-83 with the Pennsylvania Turnpike south of New Cumberland. I-83 replaced U.S. 111 south from Harrisburg to York and Baltimore, Maryland.

10/15/04

I-76 continues west into Cumberland County from the exchange with I-83 to I-81 near Carlisle.

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Interstate 83 heads two miles north to the York Split Interchange with PA 581 (Harrisburg Expressway) and 17 miles south to U.S. 30 outside the city of York.

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Baltimore, Maryland lies 65 miles to the south of Exit 242 at the end of Interstate 83. I-83 north enters Harrisburg east of Lemoyne and the John Harris Bridge spanning the Susquehanna River.

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Interstate 76 crosses Yellow Breeches Creek west from Fairview in northern York County to Lower Allen township in Cumberland County.

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The Gettysburg Pike Interchange (Exit 236) links I-76 with U.S. 15 between Winding Hill and Mechanicsburg.

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U.S. 15 branches southwest from U.S. 11 and PA 581 at Camp Hill along a freeway to the York County line near Grantham. U.S. 15 resumes as a freeway south in Adams County en route to Gettysburg and Frederick, Maryland.

10/15/04

PA 114 (S Market Street) spans the Pennsylvania Turnpike south from the borough of Mechanicsburg at this distance sign for the succeeding two exits westbound.

10/15/04

Interstate 81 meets I-76, 14 miles west of Harrisburg in Middlesex township. A Breezewood style connection links the two highways via U.S. 11 (Harrisburg Pike).

10/15/04

Three truck stops line the 1.1 mile long commercialized stretch on U.S. 11 (Harrisburg Pike) between the trumpet interchange for the PA Turnpike and the exchange with Interstate 81.

10/15/04

Interstate 81 and U.S. 11 parallel each other south to adjacent Carlisle, Chambersburg and Hagerstown, Maryland.

10/15/04

A 25 mile long exit less ensues beyond the Carlisle Interchange. U.S. 11 parallels the I-81 corridor southwest to Bristol, Virginia and northeast to Harrisburg, and again from Wilkes-Barre to Upstate New York. Chambersburg lies 45 miles to the southwest.

10/15/04

Interstate 76 progresses west toward Blue Mountain in Franklin County. Forthcoming Exit 201 joins the Pennsylvania Turnpike with PA 997 (Cumberland Highway) at McKinney.

10/15/04

PA 997 meanders northeast to PA 696 (Turnpike Road) south to Newburg and Shippensburg en route to PA 233 at McCrea. PA 997 south continues to Roxbury, Pleasant Hall and U.S. 11 outside of Chambersburg.

10/15/04

Interstate 76 advances west to Blue Mountain Tunnel, the first of four along the mainline west.

10/15/04

I-76 west enters the Blue Mountain Tunnel south of Lynns Knob.

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The 4,339 foot long¹ Blue Mountain Tunnel leads I-76 into Gunter Valley.

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The Kittatinny Mountain Tunnel crosses Kittatinny Mountain west from Gunter Valley to Fannett township.

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A second bore was constructed through both the Blue Mountain and Kittatinny Tunnels as part of an expansion project replacing or widening seven two lane tunnels along the PA Turnpike mainline. Both reopened on March 18, 1971.¹

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The Kittatinny Tunnel measures 4,727 feet in length.¹

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I-76 emerges from Kittatinny Mountain between Amberson Valley and Timmons Mountain. PA 641 Truck (Cold Spring Road) spans the toll road on this stretch.

10/15/04

Turning southwest, Interstate 76 reaches the Willow Hill Interchange (Exit 189) for PA 75 (Path Valley Road) in Metal township. PA 75 straddles the mountains southwest from U.S. 22/322 near Port Royal to Willow Hill, U.S. 30 at Fort Loudon, Mercersburg and MD 57 on the state line.

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Curving west from Springtown, the Pennsylvania Turnpike traverses Tuscarora Mountain through the Tuscarora Tunnel.

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A second bore was constructed for the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel in the 1960s. It opened to traffic in October 1970.¹

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The Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel is 5,326.5 feet long.¹

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Interstate 76 enters the southern tip of Huntgindon County through the Tuscarora Tunnel.

10/15/04

U.S. 522 parallels Interstate 76 westward from Burnt Cabins to Fort Littleton and Exit 180 in northeastern Fulton County. U.S. 522 (Great Cove Rod) continues southward between Little Scrub Ridge and Scrub Ridge eight miles to U.S. 30 at McConnellsburg.

10/15/04

U.S. 522 travels north from Fulton County to Shade Gap, Shirleysburg and Mount Union. Southward, U.S. 522 combines with I-70 from Warfordsburg to Hancock, Maryland.

10/15/04

Interstate 76 crosses Rays Hill and the Bedford County line ahead of the Breezewood Interchange (Exit 161) with I-70 and U.S. 30.

10/15/04

Interstate 70 through Breezewood overlaps with a commercialized stretch of U.S. 30 (Lincoln Highway) for 0.3 miles. The 2.1 mile long access road northeast from Exit 161 to Breezewood represents part of the former Pennsylvania Turnpike alignment across Sideling Hill.

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U.S. 30 runs 17 miles northwest from McConnellsburg to I-70 at Breezewood. Everett lies eight miles to the west.

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Interstate 70 stems south from U.S. 30 (Lincoln Highway) in Breezewood 25 miles to I-68 at Hancock, Maryland. I-70 turns east from there to Hagerstown, Frederick and Baltimore.

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