William Penn Highway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PA Route 3

Formed:

1924 (deleted by 1930)

Pennsylvania State Routes
< PA 2		PA 4 >
Minor - Legislative

The William Penn Highway was an auto trail in the United States, generally running from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania east to New York City. Serving as the eastern end of the Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, it is now roughly U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania, and Route 57, U.S. Route 46, Route 53, U.S. Route 202, Route 124, County Route 508 and Route 7 in New Jersey.

[edit] History

The William Penn Highway Association of Pennsylvania was organized March 27, 1916 to promote a road parallel to the Pennsylvania Railroad between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Two branches were included - one from Lemoyne (near Harrisburg) to Washington via Baltimore and one from Reading to New York. Just the previous month, the Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway had decided to shift to this route from the National Old Trails Road east of Indianapolis.^[1]

In New Jersey, this was defined as portions of Route 12 and Route 5 in 1916. When Pennsylvania assigned its first Traffic Routes in 1924, the William Penn Highway from Philadelphia towards New York became Pennsylvania Route 3, as did an extension west to the West Virginia state line towards Weirton. The main line to Philadelphia and the branch to Washington had become secondary routes.

In 1926, the whole route in Pennsylvania became U.S. Route 22, and the PA 3 designation soon disappeared. Though the Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway made some changes after that, the name stayed on - and is still used on - its former alignment in Pennsylvania, and New Jersey was no longer using the name.^[2]