Pennsylvania Route 3

Pennsylvania Route 3 is a state highway located in the 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.

Route description

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.

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. 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.

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, and across the Market Street Bridge. Both streets pass over I-76 and the Schuylkill River at 30th Street Station, and the westbound boulevard passes the Comcast Center, Pennsylvania's tallest skyscraper. The route then ends at Pennsylvania Route 611 in a massive traffic circle around Philadelphia City Hall.^[2]

History

The Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Road Company was formed in 1848 to build a toll road between the two cities. The road was one of several built in Delaware County in the 1840s, as part of a plan to improve the farming and manufacturing business in the county. Rail was first used on the turnpike in 1858, when the Delaware County Passenger Rail Road Company built a 4-mile (6.4 km) line from 39th and Market streets in Philadelphia to Howard House.^[3][4]

In 1924, PA 3 was first signed onto the William Penn Highway, from the West Virginia state line to the New Jersey state line. It was designated on what is today U.S. Route 22, from the West Virginia state line to Harrisburg; U.S. Route 322 from Harrisburg to Hershey; U.S. Route 422 from Hershey to Reading; U.S. Route 222 from Reading to Allentown; US 22 from Allentown to the New Jersey state line. The number was decommissioned in 1930, four years after AASHTO added the US 22 designation.^[5]

In 1927, a portion of the Lakes-to-Sea Highway (PA 5) was signed to the West Chester Pike. By 1940, PA 3 was commissioned replacing the previous PA 5 designation.^[5][6][7]

Major intersections

References