Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania
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Route information | ||
Maintained by PennDOT and DRJTBC | ||
Length | 311.12 mi[1] (500.70 km) | |
NHS | Entire route | |
Major junctions | ||
West end | I-80 at the Ohio state line in Shenango Township | |
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East end | I-80 at the New Jersey state line at the Delaware River | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Pennsylvania | |
Counties | Mercer, Venango, Butler, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield, Centre, Clinton, Union, Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, Luzerne, Carbon, Monroe | |
Highway system | ||
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Interstate 80 (I-80) in the US state of
I-80 serves many smaller cities in central to northern Pennsylvania, including Sharon, Clarion, DuBois, Bellefonte, Lock Haven, Milton, Bloomsburg, Hazleton, and Stroudsburg. It also passes close but never into four larger cities: State College, Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton; however, Williamsport and Scranton are connected to I-80 via auxiliary routes: I-180 and I-380 respectively.
Route description
Western Pennsylvania
From the state of Ohio, I-80 enters the Western Pennsylvania area which encompasses Mercer, Venango, Butler, Clarion, Jefferson, and Clearfield counties. This segment crosses the Allegheny Plateau. In Mercer County, I-80 intersects I-376 (serving Pittsburgh International Airport and Downtown Pittsburgh) in Shenango Township and I-79 (serving Erie to the north and Pittsburgh to the south) in Findley Township. I-80 spends less than 3 miles (4.8 km) in Butler County, and has no exits in it. It crosses the Allegheny River on the Emlenton Bridge near Emlenton.
Jefferson County at milemarker 73 is known for Punxsutawney, the location of the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil who predicts the weather on Groundhog Day. In Clearfield County, I-80 passes by DuBois at milemarker 101, and crosses the Eastern Continental Divide at a shallow ridge just east of DuBois.
East of exit 111, in Moshannon State Forest, I-80 reaches its highest elevation east of the Mississippi River, 2,250 feet (690 m). A sign prominently displays this fact about the Interstate. It then descends to cross the West Branch Susquehanna River.
North-Central Pennsylvania
I-80 enters
I-80 then ascends Sugar Valley Mountain and then follows White Deer Creek down to the West Branch Susquehanna River, which I-80 crosses a second time. Around milemarker 191, Pennsylvania Route 880 (PA 880) follows a parallel alignment within the median between the eastbound and westbound lanes for a half-mile (0.80 km), an unusual arrangement in Pennsylvania. It is common to see horse-drawn carriages from the nearby Amish communities traveling this highway-within-a-highway.
At milemarker 199, I-80 approaches the Williamsport area in Lycoming County, where the venue of the Little League World Series is located, while passing through Union County. I-80 intersects US 15 at exit 210.
Northeastern Pennsylvania
I-80 enters
The highway continues east into the Pocono Mountains region, which is home to ski resort areas. I-80 intersects I-476, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, at exit 277 in Carbon County for connections to Allentown and Philadelphia to the south. Exit 277 also serves PA 940 and Hickory Run State Park. Just east of I-476, I-80 crosses into Monroe County. Exit 284 connects to PA 115 near Blakeslee and Lake Harmony. Exit 293 is an interchange with I-380 near Pocono Pines for a connection to I-84 to New England and Scranton toward the north. Between exits 293 and 298, there is a rest area on the eastbound side with public restrooms and picnic tables but no food or gas.
Around exit 298, I-80 approaches the
I-80 splits with US 209 at exit 309, which also serves PA 447. Shortly after at exit 310 (the easternmost interchange in Pennsylvania), PA 611 intersects I-80 for the last time before starting its southerly route down the Delaware River, gradually moving away from I-80. I-80 continues east into the Delaware Water Gap, entering the state of New Jersey via the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge, with eastbound signage pointing toward New York City.
History
The corridor now served by I-80 was originally to be a branch of the
In early plans for the
On May 22, 1957, a request by Pennsylvania to move the corridor south was approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).[2] (The Scranton–Stroudsburg connection was kept, and the new alignment merged with it west of Stroudsburg. However, when the initial numbers were assigned later that year, they were drawn on a 1947 map, and so the corridor across Northern Pennsylvania became part of I-84, while the Scranton–New York route became I-82. I-80 ran along the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Harrisburg, where it split into I-80S to Philadelphia and I-80N to New York.[3] This was corrected the following year when the Keystone Shortway became part of I-80, the turnpike west of Harrisburg became I-80S (later I-76), and I-80N became I-78. I-84 was truncated to Scranton, and the Scranton–Stroudsburg connection became I-81E (later renumbered I-380).[4]
The first section of present I-80 to open was the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge, opened December 16, 1953. This had been built as part of US 611 and connected back to its old alignment soon after crossing into Pennsylvania. Construction on the rest of I-80 began in 1959 and was completed in 1970.[citation needed]
In 1993, exit 43 (now exit 284) of I-80, which serves the Pocono Raceway, was designated the Richard Petty Interchange in honor of the NASCAR driver that drove the #43 car.[5][6]
On March 7, 2011, the supporting wall on the eastbound I-80 bridge over
On July 10, 2014, a
On December 18, 2020, a snow squall caused an accident on this highway that generated a massive pileup of 66 vehicles (mainly trucks). One person was killed on the scene and at least 43 others were injured. One other person later died from injuries. Eastbound lanes in Clinton County were closed due to the accident and Governor Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) held a press conference discussing the accident.[9]
Toll proposal
In response to Act 44, which requires the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) to provide funding to PennDOT for transportation projects, in June 2007, the PTC proposed tolling I-80 as a means of raising revenue. It sought the permission to put tolls on the highway through an FHWA pilot program that allowed three states to place tolls on Interstates. Missouri and Virginia had already taken two of the spots.[10] Under the plan, the PTC would assume all maintenance and toll-taking operations on I-80.
The plan called for up to 10 toll plazas along the length of I-80 in Pennsylvania with a toll rate of $0.08 per mile ($0.050/km), which would have been comparable to the rate on the Pennsylvania Turnpike following a projected toll increase.[11] Currently, the only toll on I-80 in Pennsylvania is the westbound toll at the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.[12] On October 15, 2007, the lease for the PTC to toll I-80 was signed,[11] and tolls were to be implemented by 2010.[13]
This plan faced opposition from
On September 11, 2008, the FHWA rejected Pennsylvania's application to toll I-80 a second time, stating: "There is simply no evidence that the lease payments [by the Turnpike Authority] are related to the actual costs of acquiring an interest in the facility."[17] On April 6, 2010, the FHWA rejected the application for the third time, with the statement: "We based today's decision on what is allowable under federal law. The Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program requires that revenue from tolls be used only to improve the tolled facility, in this case I-80, and not be directed toward other state funding needs or transportation projects elsewhere in the state, as is the case in the Pennsylvania application."[18]
Future
I-99 interchange
PennDOT has plans to build a high-speed interchange connecting I-99 to I-80 near Bellefonte. The new interchange will eliminate local access between PA 26 (Jacksonville Road) and I-80, which will be provided by a new exit two miles (3.2 km) to the east. The first phase of the project built the local access interchange between PA 26 and I-80. Construction on the local access interchange began on July 27, 2020. The local access interchange was opened to traffic on November 10, 2022, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held.[19][20] The local access interchange between PA 26 and I-80 was funded in part by a $35-million federal grant, with a total estimated cost of $52 million. The second phase of the project will make improvements to Jacksonville Road between the new interchange and the junction between I-80, and the third phase will build the high-speed interchange between I-80 and I-99. Bidding on the second and third phases was planned to begin in March 2022, with the improvements to Jacksonville Road to be finished by December 2023 and the high-speed interchange to be completed by December 2025.[21] However, the bids for the other phases have not been released as of May 2023.[19]
Stroudsburg widening
Due to increasing suburbanization and a rapidly increasing population in the
All of the details of the project include widening I-80 to three lanes in each direction between exit 298 and exit 308 and rebuilding exits 298, 303, 306, 307, and 308. Exits 307 and 308 will both be reconstructed, and no minor improvements allowed.[24]
Exit list
County | Location | mi | km | Old exit [25] | New exit [25] | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mercer | Shenango Township | 0.00 | 0.00 | – | – | I-80 west – Youngstown | Continuation into Ohio | |
4.00 | 6.44 | 1 | 4 | Split into exits 4A (I-376) and 4B (PA 760); exit 1 on I-376; western terminus of I-376, southern terminus of PA 760; access to West Middlesex and Farrell | ||||
East Lackawannock Township | 14.90 | 23.98 | 2 | 15 | US 19 – Mercer | Access to Thiel College and Westminster College | ||
I-79 – Pittsburgh, Erie | Split into exits 19A (south) and 19B (north); exit 116 on I-79 | |||||||
Worth Township | 23.70 | 38.14 | 3A | 24 | PA 173 – Grove City, Sandy Lake | Access to Grove City College | ||
Venango | Barkeyville | 28.90 | 46.51 | 3 | 29 | PA 8 – Franklin, Oil City, Barkeyville | Access to Butler | |
Clinton Township | 34.70 | 55.84 | 4 | 35 | PA 308 – Clintonville | |||
Scrubgrass Township | 41.90 | 67.43 | 5 | 42 | PA 38 – Emlenton | |||
Butler |
No major junctions | |||||||
Allegheny River | 44.30 | 71.29 | Emlenton Bridge | |||||
Clarion | Richland Township | 45.70 | 73.55 | 6 | 45 | PA 478 – Emlenton, St. Petersburg | Westbound ramps are via PA 38 / PA 208; access to Foxburg | |
Beaver Township | 53.50 | 86.10 | 7 | 53 | To PA 338 – Knox | Access via Canoe Ripple Road | ||
Paint Township | 60.10 | 96.72 | 8 | 60 | PA 66 north – Shippenville | West end of concurrency with PA 66; access to Cook Forest State Park and Allegheny National Forest | ||
Clarion University | ||||||||
Clarion University | ||||||||
70.30 | 113.14 | 11 | 70 | US 322 – Strattanville | ||||
Jefferson | Union Township | 72.90 | 117.32 | 12 | 73 | PA 949 – Corsica | ||
PA 28 Truck south – Sigel, Brookville | West end of concurrency with PA 28 Truck; access to Cook Forest State Park and Punxsutawney | |||||||
PA 28 Truck ends | East end of concurrency with PA 28 Truck | |||||||
Winslow Township | 86.40 | 139.05 | 15 | 86 | Reynoldsville | Access via Fuller Road | ||
90.60 | 145.81 | – | 90 | PA 830 east – DuBois Regional Airport | Western terminus of PA 830 | |||
Clearfield | Sandy Township | 96.40 | 155.14 | 16 | 97 | US 219 – DuBois, Brockway | Access to Allegheny National Forest | |
100.90 | 162.38 | 17 | 101 | PA 255 – DuBois, Penfield | ||||
Pine Township | 110.40 | 177.67 | 18 | 111 | PA 153 – Clearfield, Penfield | Clearfield signed eastbound; Penfield signed westbound | ||
Lawrence Township | 119.40 | 192.16 | 19 | 120 | PA 879 – Clearfield, Shawville | |||
Bradford Township | 122.70 | 197.47 | 20 | 123 | PA 970 – Woodland, Shawville | Shawville signed westbound | ||
Cooper Township | 132.60 | 213.40 | 21 | 133 | PA 53 – Kylertown, Philipsburg | Access to Black Moshannon State Park | ||
Centre | Snow Shoe | 147.00 | 236.57 | 22 | 147 | To PA 144 – Snow Shoe | Access via local roads | |
US 220 Alt. south) – Milesburg | West end of concurrency with US 220 Alt.; access to Bald Eagle State Park and Black Moshannon State Park | |||||||
Penn State University | ||||||||
Marion Township | 163.4 | 263.0 | – | 163 | To PA 26 north – Jacksonville, Howard | Opened on November 10, 2022[19] | ||
Clinton | Porter Township | 172.70 | 277.93 | 25 | 173 | PA 64 – Lamar | ||
Lock Haven University | ||||||||
Greene Township | 185.20 | 298.05 | 27 | 185 | PA 477 – Loganton | Access to R. B. Winter State Park | ||
191.90 | 308.83 | 28 | 192 | To PA 880 – Jersey Shore | Access via East Valley Road | |||
West Buffalo Township | 198.90 | 320.10 | 29 | 199 | Mile Run | Access via Mile Run Road; access to Bald Eagle State Forest | ||
Little League Museum | ||||||||
Northumberland | Milton | 211.40 | 340.22 | 31 | 212 | I-180 west / PA 147 south – Williamsport, Milton | Signed as exits 212A (south) and 212B (west); Eastern terminus of I-180, northern terminus of PA 147 | |
East Chillisquaque Township | 214.80 | 345.69 | 32 | 215 | PA 254 – Limestoneville | |||
Montour | Valley Township | 223.50 | 359.69 | 33 | 224 | PA 54 – Danville | Access to Shamokin, Mount Carmel, and Sunbury | |
Hemlock Township | 231.70 | 372.89 | 34 | 232 | PA 42 – Buckhorn | |||
Bloomsburg University | ||||||||
South Centre Township | 240.20 | 386.56 | 36 | 241 | US 11 – Lime Ridge, Berwick | |||
Main Township | 241.40 | 388.50 | 37 | 242 | PA 339 – Mifflinville, Mainville | |||
Luzerne | Sugarloaf Township | 255.50 | 411.19 | 38 | 256 | PA 93 – Nescopeck, Conyngham | Access to Penn State Hazleton | |
Split into exits 260A (south) and 260B (north); exit 151 on I-81; I-84 and New England signed eastbound | ||||||||
262.10 | 421.81 | 39 | 262 | PA 309 – Mountain Top, Hazleton | Access to Nescopeck State Park and Eckley Miners' Village | |||
White Haven | 273.00 | 439.35 | 40 | 273 | PA 940 / PA 437 – White Haven, Freeland | |||
Carbon | Kidder Township | 274.50 | 441.76 | 41 | 274 | PA 534 – Hickory Run State Park | ||
277.20 | 446.11 | 42 | 277 | Exit 95 (Pocono) on I-476 / Penna Turnpike NE Extension; access to Lake Harmony | ||||
Monroe | Blakeslee | 284.00 | 457.05 | 43 | 284 | PA 115 – Blakeslee | Access to Wilkes-Barre, Jack Frost–Big Boulder Ski Resort, and Pocono Raceway | |
Kalahari Resort | ||||||||
Scotrun | 298.00 | 479.58 | 44 | 298 | PA 611 – Scotrun | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; access to Mount Pocono and Camelback Mountain Resort | ||
Tannersville | 298.90 | 481.03 | 45 | 299 | PA 715 – Tannersville | Westbound entrance via Sullivan Trail; access to Pocono Premium Outlets, Camelback Mountain Resort, and Big Pocono State Park | ||
US 209 south – Snydersville | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; other connections via exit 304; access to Lehighton and Easton | |||||||
302B | PA 611 – Bartonsville | Signed as exit 302 westbound | ||||||
Arlington Heights | 304.90 | 490.69 | 47 | 303 | Ninth Street (PA 611) | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
US 209 south to PA 33 south – Snydersville | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; other connections via exit 302A. Western end of concurrency with US 209; access to Lehighton and Bethlehem | |||||||
305.60 | 491.82 | 48 | 305 | US 209 Bus. (Main Street) | ||||
306.00 | 492.46 | 49 | 306 | Dreher Avenue | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
307.00 | 494.07 | 50 | 307 | PA 611 (Park Avenue) to PA 191 | Eastbound exit and entrance | |||
PA 191 (Broad Street) to PA 611 | Westbound exit and entrance | |||||||
East Stroudsburg University | ||||||||
309.50 | 498.09 | 52 | 309 | US 209 north / PA 447 north – Marshalls Creek | Eastern end of concurrency with US 209; access to Shawnee Mountain Ski Area and Bushkill Falls | |||
Delaware Water Gap | 310.50 | 499.70 | 53 | 310 | PA 611 – Delaware Water Gap, Welcome Center | Access via Foxtown Hill Road | ||
Delaware River | 311.07 | 500.62 | Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge (westbound toll) | |||||
– | – | I-80 east – New Jersey, New York City | Continuation into New Jersey | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- U.S. Roads portal
- Pennsylvania portal
References
- ^ "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. December 31, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ Ask the Rambler - Was I-76 Numbered to Honor Philadelphia for Independence Day, 1776?
- ^ Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as Adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials, August 14, 1957
- ^ Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as Adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials, Approved June 27, 1958
- General Assembly of Pennsylvania, 1993, retrieved March 6, 2011
- ^ Frassinelli, Mike (June 28, 1995). "Racer Petty To Be Honored At Exit 43 Introducing 43, An Interstate 80 Exit Named For Petty". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
- ^ Medgle, Raegan (March 7, 2011). "I-80 Bridge Collapse". WNEP-TV. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
- ^ Beauge, John (December 3, 2014). "Gag order sought in I-80 rock-throwing case in which Ohio woman was injured". The Patriot News. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ^ "66-vehicle pile-up on I-80 in Clinton County leaves one dead, another dies of medical issue". December 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Nussbaum, Paul (December 14, 2007). "I-80 toll plan is kicked back". The Philadelphia Inquirer. [dead link]
- ^ a b Nussbaum, Paul (October 17, 2007). "I-80 toll plans moving forward". The Philadelphia Inquirer.[dead link]
- ^ "Senate Transportation Committee". Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Retrieved July 13, 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Transportation Funding". WHP-TV. Retrieved July 19, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ Nussbaum, Paul (October 2, 2007). "Interest to lease turnpike is broad". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ Nussbaum, Paul (October 4, 2007). "I-80 tolls not for mass transit". The Philadelphia Inquirer. [dead link]
- ^ "REJECTED: Application to Toll I-80 (Press Release)". Commonwealth Foundation. December 13, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- ^ "Federal Highway Administration press release, September 11, 2008". Fhwa.dot.gov. January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ "Federal Highway Administration press release, April 6, 2010". Fhwa.dot.gov. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ a b c Sinderson, Gary (November 10, 2022). "First phase of Interstate 99/I-80 interchange project complete". WJAC. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Kines, Halie (November 11, 2022). "After a 'long road,' the first phase of the Jacksonville Road project is open in Centre County". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ "PennDOT Details New Local Access Tied to I-80/I-99 Interchange Project". Centre County Gazette. March 1, 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "Purpose and Need". I-80 Project. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ "Interstate Highway Standards" (PDF). AASHTO. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ "I-80 Project". i80project.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ a b "Pennsylvania Exit Numbering" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
External links