Pennsylvania Route 3

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For the PA Route 3 that existed in the 1920s, see William Penn Highway.

PA Route 3

Length:

23 mi^[1] (37 km)

Formed:

1936

West end:

US 322 BUS in West Chester

Major
junctions:

US 202/322 in W. Chester

I-476 in Broomall

US 1 in Havertown

US 13 in Philadelphia

I-76 in Philadelphia

East end:

PA 611 in Philadelphia

Counties:

Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia

Pennsylvania State Routes
< PA 2		PA 4 >
Legislative

Pennsylvania Route 3 is a highway located in southeastern portion of Pennsylvania. The route connects West Chester with Philadelphia. The divided highway that comprises much of its route is the West Chester Pike, built as a turnpike by the Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Company. In the early 20th century, it comprised part of the Lakes-to-Sea Highway.

From 1898 to 1954, the route was paralleled by a streetcar line of the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company. However, the line was removed in order to facilitate a four-lane widening of the entire length of the highway in response to traffic and safety concerns. Today, SEPTA's Route 104 bus covers most of the length of the route, running from West Chester to 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby.

1 Route description
2 Communities along the route
3 Major intersections
4 References

[edit] Route description

[edit] Chester County

PA 3 begins at an intersection with Business US 322 in West Chester, as a one-way pair of Market and Gay Streets. At the borough line, the route becomes West Chester Pike, a four-lane divided highway. The route interchanges with the US 202/US 322 bypass of West Chester, heading eastwards towards Goshen and the county line.

[edit] Delaware County

PA 3 continues eastward through Edgmont, passing by Ridley Creek State Park. It passes through Newtown Square and Broomall, interchanging with Interstate 476 near Havertown, where it also meets U.S. Route 1. In the Philadelphia inner suburb of Upper Darby, the West Chester Pike ends and the route continues as Market Street across the Philadelphia city limits.

[edit] Philadelphia

PA 3 enters Philadelphia as Market Street, then immediately turns onto the Cobbs Creek Parkway and divides into Chestnut and Walnut Streets. In the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, the route makes several turns including a short overlap with U.S. Route 13, with the westbound direction becoming J.F.K. Boulevard and the eastbound direction turning back onto Market Street. Both streets pass over I-76 and the Schuylkill River at 30th Street Station. The route then ends at Pennsylvania Route 611 in a massive traffic circle around Philadelphia City Hall.

[edit] Communities along the route

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Road(s)	Notes
Chester	West Chester	0.0	US 322 BUS
	West Goshen Township	1.3	US 202/ US 322	Interchange.
	Westtown Township	4.3	PA 352	Western terminus of concurrency.
	Westtown Township	4.5	PA 352	Eastern terminus of concurrency.
	Willistown Township	6.1	PA 926	Eastern terminus of PA 926.
Delaware	Newtown Township	10.9	PA 252
	Marple Township	13.0	PA 320
	Marple Township	14.0	I-476 Blue Route	Exit 9 (I-476).
	Upper Darby Township	16.4	US 1 Township Line Road
Philadelphia	Philadelphia	21.5	US 13	Western terminus of concurrency.
		21.6	US 13	Eastern terminus of concurrency.
		22.4	I-76	PA 3 passes over I-76.
		23.3	PA 611