U.S. Route 40 in Pennsylvania

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This article is about the section of U.S. Route 40 in Pennsylvania. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 40.
Valley Grove, WV
Major intersections
  • Washington
  • US 19 in Washington
  • I-79
    near Washington
  • West Brownsville

  •
    Uniontown
East end
Grantsville, MD
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountiesWashington, Fayette, Somerset
Highway system
←
I-81E

U.S. Route 40 (US 40) enters Pennsylvania at West Alexander. It closely parallels Interstate 70 (I-70) from West Virginia until it reaches Washington, where it follows Jefferson Avenue and Maiden Street. In Washington, US 40 passes to the south of Washington & Jefferson College. Following Maiden Street out of town, the road turns southeast toward the town of California. A short, limited-access highway in California and West Brownsville provides an approach to the Lane Bane Bridge across the Monongahela River. From here, the road continues southeast to Uniontown.

US 40 bypasses Uniontown along a

US 40 Business. Southeast of Uniontown, travellers pass the Fort Necessity National Battlefield. It follows Braddock Road southeast of Uniontown, crossing the Youghiogheny River Lake on a bridge completed in 2006. US 40 leaves Pennsylvania at Addison
.

Route description

US 40 westbound in Addison Township

U.S. Route 40 enters Pennsylvania in rural western

Beallsville before reaching PA 43/PA 88 at a full cloverleaf interchange in Centerville. US 40 then crosses the Monongahela River via the Lane Bane Bridge, leaving Washington County after spending nearly 40 miles (64 km) in the county.[2]

US 40 enters

Farmington. On the east side of Farmington, the highway passes Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Heritage Reservation, a summer residence camp for the Boy Scouts of America is also accessible from this part of US 40, via Dinner Bell Five Forks Road. The National Pike then continues southeast toward the Maryland border after crossing the Youghiogheny River and entering Somerset County. Before leaving Pennsylvania, Route 40 passes through Addison. U.S. Route 40 spends 36.5 miles (58.7 km) in Fayette County and 6.1 miles (9.8 km) in Somerset County, passing through its southwestern corner. It enters Maryland in Garrett County.[3]

History

1789 to 1860

Envisioned by George Washington, US 40, or the National Road was built to connect the East and West. Needed by farmers and emigrants alike, the National Road would provide a stable route for trade through the Allegheny Mountains.[4] The National Road was preceded by buffalo trails, Native American footpaths, and the Nemacolin Trail. After the Revolutionary War, and an increase in migration westward, the newly formed national government realized that communication with the west would be difficult with the Appalachian Mountains separating the east coast from the western frontier. Therefore, the highway was put into Ohio's statehood bill by Albert Gallatin in 1802.[5]

In 1806,

stage coach, and then from Brownsville to Pittsburgh via steamboat. In the 1850s, railroads made it to the west causing the demise of the National Road.[5]

1860 to present

In the 1860s, the National Road became insignificant due to the use of the railroads. Many businesses along the route became private homes and the stage coach line went out of business. States relinquished responsibility of the highway to the counties so little or no maintenance was performed on the road. The 1880s brought a small revival to the National Road with the formation of the

All American Road (June 13, 2002), a Pennsylvania State Scenic Byway (July 11, 1996), and the Pennsylvania Heritage Corridor (May, 1994).[4][5]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
WashingtonDonegal Township0.00.0
 US 40 west (National Road) – Wheeling		Continuation into West Virginia
Claysville6.310.1
 PA 231 south (Bell Avenue)		Western terminus of PA 231 concurrency
6.510.5
 PA 231 north (Wayne Street)		Eastern terminus of PA 231 concurrency
Buffalo Township10.316.6 PA 221 (Green Valley Road/Bridge Road) – Taylorstown, Prosperity
I-70 – New Stanton, Wheeling
Partial cloverleaf interchange; exit 15 (I-70)
Washington16.226.1
 PA 18 north (Jefferson Avenue)		Western terminus of PA 18 concurrency
16.426.4
 PA 136 east (Beau Street)		Western terminus of PA 136
16.827.0
 PA 18 south (Main Street)		Eastern terminus of PA 18 concurrency
16.927.2
 US 19 north (College Street)		Western terminus of US 19 concurrency
South Strabane Township18.930.4
 US 19 south (Waynesburg Road)		Eastern terminus of US 19 concurrency
I-79 – Washington, Waynesburg
Partial cloverleaf interchange; exit 33 (I-79)
North Bethlehem Township23.537.8
 PA 519 north – Canonsburg		Southern terminus of PA 519
27.343.9
 PA 917 north – Cokeburg, Bentleyville		Southern terminus of PA 917
Centerville34.956.2
 PA 481 north (Old National Pike) – Monongahela		Southern terminus of PA 481
West BrownsvilleWestern end of freeway section
37.760.7A-B
PA Turnpike 43 / PA 88 south – Fredericktown, Uniontown, California
Cloverleaf interchange; signed as exits A (south) and B (north); western terminus of PA 88 concurrency
39.363.2
 PA 88 north (Blaine Avenue) – California, West Brownsville		Trumpet interchange; eastern terminus of PA 88 concurrency
Monongahela RiverLane Bane Bridge
FayetteBrownsvilleBrownsvilleAccess via Market Street
Eastern end of freeway section
SCI Fayette
Northern terminus of PA 166
toll-by-plate
; alternative route to Uniontown
National Pike) – Brownsville
Eastern terminus of US 40 Bus.
US 40 Bus.
east (Main Street)		Western terminus of US 40 Bus.
Western end of freeway section
PA 43 north – Connellsville
Western terminus of US 119/PA 43 concurrency; diamond interchange
Trumpet interchange
Walnut Hill RoadDiamond interchange
54.287.2
PA 43 south – Morgantown
No westbound exit; eastern terminus of US 119/PA 43 concurrency




 Morgantown Road to
PA 43
south		Westbound exit only
56.991.6
National Pike) – Hopwood, Uniontown
Eastern terminus of US 40 Bus.
Eastern end of freeway section
Wharton Township65.8105.9 PA 381 (Elliotsville Road) – Elliotsville, Ohiopyle
Henry Clay Township
73.3118.0
 PA 281 south – Morgantown		Western terminus of PA 281 concurrency
73.5118.3
 PA 281 north (Mae West Road) – Youghiogheny River Lake, Confluence		Eastern terminus of PA 281 concurrency
SomersetAddison80.5129.6
 PA 523 north (Listonburg Road) – Confluence, Somerset		Southern terminus of PA 523
National Pike) – Cumberland
Continuation into Maryland
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "US 40 in Pennsylvania" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  2. ^ "US 40 in Washington County" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  3. ^ "US 40 in Fayette and Somerset Counties" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Historic National Road -- Pennsylvania Overview". National Scenic Byways Program. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c "Timeline". Historic National Road: America's Road to Revolution. National Road PA. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Joseph S. Mendinghall and S. Sydney Bradford (May 8, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Searights Tollhouse, National Road" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 3 photos, exterior, from 1975. (32 KB)
  7. ^ "Petersburg Tollhouse: Addison, PA". Petersburg Tollhouse: Addison, PA. Daughters of the American Revolution. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
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U.S. Route 40
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