Pennsylvania Route 73
Route information | ||||
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Maintained by PennDOT | ||||
Length | 62.319 mi[1] (100.293 km) | |||
Existed | 1928[2][3]–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | PA 61 near Leesport | |||
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East end | Route 73 at the New Jersey state line in Philadelphia | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Pennsylvania | |||
Counties | Berks, Montgomery, Philadelphia | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Pennsylvania Route 73 (PA 73) is a 62.32-mile (100.29 km) long east–west
Predating the
Route description
Berks County
At this point, PA 662 joins PA 73 for a concurrency, and the two routes follow Memorial Highway into Oley Township. The road heads through farms and woods before running past a few businesses in the community of Oley, bypassing the residential center of the community to the southwest. At the east end of Oley, PA 662 splits to the southeast at a roundabout and PA 73 continues east on West Philadelphia Avenue past residential development. The route heads into a mix of farmland and woodland with some homes, crossing the Manatawny Creek before curving southeast and passing through the community of Pleasantville. The road leaves the Oley Valley region and enters Earl Township, running through forested areas with some fields and residences and passing through Shanesville. Past this, the route crosses Ironstone Creek twice and begins to run parallel to the creek, which is located southwest of the road. PA 73 heads east and crosses into Colebrookdale Township, where it makes a turn to the south. The route runs through more rural areas with some homes and curves southeast near Gablesville. The road continues east into the borough of Boyertown, where it splits from Ironstone Creek, and becomes lined with homes. PA 73 heads southeast into the commercial downtown and intersects the eastern terminus of PA 562 at Reading Avenue, at which point it becomes East Philadelphia Avenue. The route crosses the Colebrookdale branch operated by the Colebrookdale Railroad at-grade north of the Boyertown station and continues past more residences in the eastern part of Boyertown.[4][5]
Montgomery County
At the south end of the borough, PA 73 splits from PA 29 by turning northeast onto Skippack Pike and immediately crossing the Perkiomen Trail and the Perkiomen Creek into
PA 73 follows Bethlehem Pike south under Norfolk Southern's
Philadelphia County
At the Laurel Avenue intersection, PA 73 becomes Cottman Avenue and turns into a three-lane road with one eastbound lane and two westbound lane that forms the border between the city of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County to the northeast and Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County to the southwest, coming to the entrance to the Fox Chase Cancer Center to the northeast of the road. The route passes between Burholme Park in Philadelphia and homes in Cheltenham Township. The road passes more homes and fully enters Philadelphia upon passing under SEPTA's Fox Chase Line south of the Ryers station in the Ryers neighborhood. PA 73 heads into Northeast Philadelphia and becomes a four-lane road as it runs through commercial areas, reaching a bridge over CSX's Trenton Subdivision railroad line.[4][7] The route intersects Rising Sun Avenue and PA 232 (Oxford Avenue) at a junction locally known as Five Points.[4][7][8] The road heads past a mix of homes and businesses, running between the Burholme neighborhood to the northeast and the Lawncrest neighborhood to the southwest. After crossing Algon Avenue, the route passes to the southwest of Northeast High School. PA 73 gains a center left-turn lane and crosses Castor Avenue near the Rhawnhurst neighborhood. The route continues past several shopping centers and intersects Bustleton Avenue, at which point it passes southwest of Roosevelt Mall. PA 73 comes to an interchange with US 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard), intersecting the local lanes at-grade and passing over the express lanes.[4][7]
Following this, the road continues into the residential Mayfair neighborhood as a four-lane undivided road. The route enters business areas and comes to an intersection with US 13 (Frankford Avenue). Past this, PA 73 continues southeast past more dense residential areas to the southwest of the Holmesburg neighborhood. The road heads into the Tacony neighborhood and passes more homes and businesses. The route runs to the southwest of St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls prior to the Torresdale Avenue intersection, where the route narrows to three lanes, with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes. PA 73 enters industrial areas and crosses under Amtrak's Northeast Corridor railroad line. The route splits from Cottman Avenue by turning southwest onto four-lane undivided State Road. At this intersection, Cottman Avenue has access from a ramp leading from northbound I-95 and from Wissinoming Street, which provides access to Cottman Avenue from a ramp from southbound I-95. PA 73 passes near urban homes and commercial development and comes to a ramp to northbound I-95 at the Princeton Avenue intersection. The route turns south onto New State Road, with State Road continuing southwest to provide access to southbound I-95, and passes under I-95 before it curves southwest to parallel the interstate as a four-lane road through industrial areas. PA 73 reaches an interchange at Levick Street and the approach to the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge, at which point the route heads southeast onto the bridge over the Delaware River. The Tacony–Palmyra Bridge is a combination steel tied-arch bridge and drawbridge with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes. PA 73 ends on the bridge at the New Jersey state line, at which point Route 73 continues south into the borough of Palmyra, New Jersey.[4][7]
History
The Skippack Pike, a portion of PA 73 between Skippack and Bethlehem Pike in Whitemarsh, dates back to 1713, when settlers in Skippack petitioned Philadelphia officials for a road to their community for purposes of hauling grain to the mill in Whitemarsh.[9] During the American Revolutionary War, George Washington's army suffered a defeat at the Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777 and had to encamp along the Skippack Pike until October 8. The Americans later marched east on the road while preparing for a counterattack at the Battle of White Marsh.[10] The Skippack Turnpike Company was incorporated in 1845 to construct a turnpike from Whitemarsh to Skippack but the project was abandoned after several efforts. In 1853, a second charter was granted and the turnpike was completed in 1855 near Worcester Township.[9]
When the state began maintenance over roads via the
In the original 1928 routing, PA 73 ran between PA 23 near Blue Ball and US 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard) in Philadelphia. The route followed New Holland Road north through Bowmansville and Knauers to Reading, where it passed through the city along US 222 (Lancaster Avenue), Bingaman Street, Chestnut Street, and US 422 (Perkiomen Avenue). From Reading, PA 73 split from US 422 in Mount Penn and followed Carsonia Avenue and Friedensburg Road to Oley, where it picked up its current routing to Cheltenham Township. Here, PA 73 continued east along Church Road, Township Line Road, and Cottman Avenue to US 1.[3][15][16] Upon being designated, PA 73 was paved between south of Reading and Schwenksville and between Skippack and Philadelphia.[3] After the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge was built in 1929,[17] the eastern terminus was moved to its current location on the bridge at the New Jersey state line. It followed Cottman Avenue, US 13 (Frankford Avenue), and US 422 (Levick Street) to the bridge.[18]
By 1930, PA 73 was paved in the Bowmansville area and from south of Reading to south of Angelica; the remainder of the route between Blue Ball and Reading was under construction at this time. The route was also paved between Schwenksville and Skippack. Also, the current route between
In the 1950s, PA 73 was routed onto the
On November 24, 1998, an act of the Pennsylvania General Assembly designated the portion of PA 73 between North Wales Road and Butler Pike in Whitpain Township as the POW/MIA Memorial Highway in honor of soldiers who are prisoner of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA).[26] On November 26, 2008, a Pennsylvania General Assembly act designated the section of PA 73 along Cottman Avenue between Central Avenue and Algon Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia the Police Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski Memorial Highway in honor of an officer of the Philadelphia Police Department who was killed in the line of duty; signs were installed in 2012.[27][28]
In 2009, a $212.3 million project began to reconstruct the interchange between PA 73 and I-95 as part of rebuilding the stretch of I-95 through Northeast Philadelphia. The first phase of the project relocated the ramp to southbound I-95 from Princeton Avenue to Longshore Street, converted Princeton Avenue and Cottman Avenue to two-way traffic, reconstructed and widened State Road at the interchange, and added an on-ramp spur from Milnor Street to the ramp from Princeton Avenue to northbound I-95.[29] On August 31, 2011, Cottman Avenue became a two-way road between Torresdale Avenue and State Road, carrying one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes.[30] The first phase was completed in 2012. The second phase of the interchange reconstruction, which lasted from late 2012 to January 2018, reconstructed and widened I-95 in the vicinity of the PA 73 interchange, added improvements to surface streets crossing under I-95, and rebuilt the ramps from both directions of I-95 and the ramp to northbound I-95. The final phase of the project will build a ramp from Cottman Avenue to southbound I-95 and construct utility improvements; work on this phase is expected to begin in late 2020 or early 2021.[29]
In 2009, a roundabout was constructed at the intersection of PA 29 and PA 73 in Lower Frederick Township; crashes decreased at this junction after the roundabout opened.[31] On March 29, 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced plans to construct roundabouts at both intersections between PA 73 and PA 662 in Oley Township. Construction of the roundabouts, which cost $5.7 million, began in April 2019.[32] The roundabout at PA 73 and PA 662 on the eastern end of Oley opened on August 19, 2019 while the roundabout at PA 73 and PA 662 on the western end of Oley opened in November 2019.[33]
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berks | Ontelaunee Township | 0.000 | 0.000 | PA 61 (Pottsville Pike) – Tuckerton, Leesport, Pottsville | Western terminus | |
Ruscombmanor Township | 6.660 | 10.718 | PA 12 (Pricetown Road) – Pricetown, Reading | |||
8.877 | 14.286 | PA 662 north (Memorial Highway) – Fleetwood | Roundabout; western terminus of concurrency | |||
Oley Township | 10.550 | 16.979 | PA 662 south (Memorial Highway) – Douglassville | Roundabout; eastern terminus of concurrency | ||
Boyertown | 20.297 | 32.665 | PA 562 west (South Reading Avenue) – St. Lawrence | Eastern terminus of PA 562 | ||
Montgomery | Douglass Township | 21.221 | 34.152 | PA 100 – Allentown, Pottstown | Interchange | |
New Hanover Township | 24.388 | 39.249 | PA 663 south (North Charlotte Street) – Pottstown | Western terminus of concurrency | ||
24.624 | 39.628 | PA 663 north (Layfield Road) – Pennsburg | Eastern terminus of concurrency | |||
Lower Frederick Township | 30.236 | 48.660 | PA 29 north (Gravel Pike) – Perkiomenville | Roundabout; western terminus of concurrency | ||
Perkiomen Township | 32.487 | 52.283 | PA 29 south (Gravel Pike) – Collegeville | Eastern terminus of concurrency | ||
Skippack Township | 36.165 | 58.202 | PA 113 (Bridge Road) – Harleysville, Rahns | |||
Worcester Township | 39.905 | 64.221 | PA 363 (Valley Forge Road) – Lansdale, Fairview | |||
Whitpain Township | 43.708 | 70.341 | US 202 (Dekalb Pike) – Doylestown, Norristown | |||
Philadelphia | Interchange | |||||
Philadelphia | ||||||
Philadelphia | ||||||
Philadelphia | 57.499 | 92.536 | PA 232 (Oxford Avenue) | |||
59.422 | 95.630 | US 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard) | Interchange | |||
60.323 | 97.080 | US 13 (Frankford Avenue) | ||||
61.630 | 99.184 | Central Philadelphia, Chester | Exit 30 (I-95) | |||
62.319 | 100.293 | Levick Street | Interchange | |||
Delaware River | 62.319 | 100.293 | Tacony–Palmyra Bridge (north/westbound toll in New Jersey) | |||
Route 73 south | New Jersey state line; eastern terminus | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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PA 73 Alternate Truck
Schwenksville
Location | Schwenksville, Pennsylvania |
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Existed | 2019–present |
Pennsylvania Route 73 Alternate Truck is a
Oreland
Location | Oreland |
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Existed | 2013–2019 |
Pennsylvania Route 73 Alternate Truck were
See also
- U.S. Roads portal
- Pennsylvania portal
- Philadelphia portal
References
- ^ a b Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- Berks County (PDF)
- Montgomery County (PDF)
- Philadelphia County (PDF)
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1927). Pennsylvania Highway Map (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ a b c Pennsylvania Highway Map (Philadelphia Metro) (Map). Gulf Oil. 1928. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Google (January 11, 2015). "Pennsylvania Route 73" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (2014). Berks County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:65,000. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ^ a b c Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (2014). Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:65,000. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (2014). Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1:21,667. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ISBN 0-674-00884-7.
- ^ a b "Skippack Road History". Skippack Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ Pennsylvania History - Page 47. Vol. 64. Pennsylvania Historical Association.
- ^ "Department of Highways". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ "U.S. 22 - The William Penn Highway History - Pennsylvania's Named Highways". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1912 Montgomery County Map (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1911 state Map, showing the early state highways (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ a b Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1930). Tourist Map of Pennsylvania (front side) (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1930). Tourist Map of Pennsylvania (back side) (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "National Bridge Inventory database". Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
- ^ a b Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1940). Official Road Map of Pennsylvania (back side) (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1940). Official Road Map of Pennsylvania (front side) (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 000000000004620". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1953). General Highway Map Berks County, Pennsylvania Sheet 1 (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1960). Official Map of Pennsylvania (back) (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1966). General Highway Map Berks County, Pennsylvania Sheet 1 (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1970). Official Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Highways (1970). Official Map of Pennsylvania (back) (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ "POW/MIA Memorial and Remembrance Highways and Marty Godra Memorial Bridge - Designations - Act of Nov. 24, 1998, P.L. 810, No. 102" (PDF). Pennsylvania General Assembly. November 24, 1998. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ "Blue Star Point Lookout, John W. Groters Memorial Highway, Police Sargeant [sic] Stephen Liczbinski Memorial Highway, Glenn McMaster Memorial Bridge - Designations - Act of Nov. 26, 2008, P.L. 1683, No. 136". Pennsylvania General Assembly. November 24, 1998. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ Kurtz, Paul (October 17, 2012). "Sign Honoring Slain Cop Stephen Liczbinski Erected in NE Philadelphia". Philadelphia, PA: KYW-TV. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ a b "Cottman Interchange Construction Update". 95Revive.com. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- ^ "Cottman Avenue changes direction". Northeast Times. August 31, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- ^ Zlomek, Joe (September 3, 2020). "Routes 29 and 73 Roundabout Among 22 Where Crashes Decreased". Sanatoga Post. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ Staff (March 29, 2019). "Roundabouts planned for Routes 662, 73 intersections in Oley". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ Herman, Holly (August 20, 2019). "New roundabout opens at intersection of routes 73 and 662 in Oley Township". Reading Eagle. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "Bridge Condition Summary Report". gis.penndot.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
- ^ Google (January 3, 2020). "overview of Pennsylvania Route 73 Alternate Truck Schwenksville" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- ^ Google (December 2, 2014). "overview of eastbound Pennsylvania Route 73 Alternate Truck Oreland" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ Google (December 2, 2014). "overview of westbound Pennsylvania Route 73 Alternate Truck Oreland" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ Google (December 2, 2014). "overview of Pennsylvania Route 73 Alternate Truck from Pennsylvania Route 309 Oreland" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ "Risk-Based Bridge Postings - State and Local Bridges" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. October 8, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
External links