PA Route (left) and Quadrant Route (right) signs |
|
| System information | |
|---|---|
| Notes: | All routes are assigned State Route (SR X) numbers, usually corresponding to the signed numbers. State Routes are generally state-maintained. |
| Highway names | |
| Interstates: | Interstate X (I-X) |
| US Routes: | U.S. Route X (US X) |
| State: | Pennsylvania Route X (PA Route X; PA X) |
| System links | |
| Roads in Pennsylvania Interstate • US • State • Legislative |
|
In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, state highways are maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Each is assigned a four-digit State Route (SR) number in the present Location Referencing System. Traffic Routes are signed as Interstate Highways, U.S. Routes and Pennsylvania Routes (PA Routes), and are prefixed with one to three zeros to give a four-digit number. PA Routes are also called Pennsylvania Traffic Routes, and formerly State Highway Routes.[1] The symbol used for the signage of state routes is an outline of the keystone after Pennsylvania's nickname. Four-digit State Routes are unsigned, except on small white reference markers at intersections, and are only unique within each county. They are assigned as follows:[2]
Underneath, there is a larger typeface number, usually in multiples of 10, which is used to mark the highway in increments. More specifically, they are spaced every half-mile. To calculate the distance, simply divide the number by 20. For example, a sign reading a 240 means it is at mile 12. The numbers start either from the south or west of the county or state line or beginning of the highway.
Bannered routes are not assigned State Route numbers corresponding to their signed numbers, but are instead marked along other routes, mostly Quadrant Routes.
Concurrencies are assigned a number equal to the smaller of the concurrent routes, or the highest type (Quadrant Route → PA Route → U.S. Route → Interstate).[2]
Occasionally, a signed Traffic Route number does not match the State Route, usually in the case of an extension or relocation. (One example is Pennsylvania Route 3, which uses a one-way pair of Quadrant Routes in downtown Philadelphia.) A different number can also be used to avoid conflicts between different types — for instance, signed Pennsylvania Route 380 is actually State Route 400, renumbered ca. 1973 when Interstate 81E was renumbered Interstate 380. The majority of, but not all, signed Traffic Routes are state-maintained.[4]
Contents |
In 1911, when the Sproul Road Bill was passed, a large number of Legislative Routes (LR) were assigned. These were the primary internal numbering until the present Location Referencing System was adopted in 1987. See also list of Legislative Routes in Pennsylvania.
Signed Traffic Route numbers from 1 to 12 were first assigned in 1924[5] to several of the national auto trails:[6]
Soon more numbers were assigned, including three-digit numbers for branches, like Pennsylvania Route 272 from Pennsylvania Route 72. The United States Numbered Highways were assigned in late 1926, and in 1928 State Routes concurrent with U.S. Routes were removed, while those that conflicted with U.S. Routes were assigned new numbers. The establishment of the Interstate Highway System in 1959 resulted in a small renumbering in 1961.
