| U.S. Route 19 | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length: | 1,377 mi (2,216 km) |
| Existed: | 1926[1] – present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: | US 41 / US 41 Bus. in Memphis, FL |
|
I-10 near Monticello, FL I-90 near Erie, PA |
|
| North end: | US 20 in Erie, PA |
| Highway system | |
|
United States Numbered Highways |
|
U.S. Route 19 is a north–south U.S. Highway. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.
The highway's southern terminus is at Memphis, Florida, just north of Bradenton, Florida at an intersection with U.S. Route 41. It's northern terminus is in Erie, Pennsylvania, at an intersection with U.S. Route 20 about two miles (3 km) from the shores of Lake Erie.[2]
The length of the highway is 1,377 miles (2,216 km) following the U.S. Route 19E path through North Carolina and Tennessee.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] There is also a U.S. Route 19W branch that follows an alternate route for 63 miles (101 km) through North Carolina and Tennessee before rejoining with U.S. Route 19E.[10]
Contents |
| mi | km | |
|---|---|---|
| FL[3] | 264 | 425 |
| GA[4] | 348 | 560 |
| NC[5] | 189 | 304 |
| TN[6] | 43 | 69 |
| VA[7] | 89 | 143 |
| WV[8] | 249 | 401 |
| PA[9] | 195 | 314 |
| Total | 1,377 | 2,216 |
US 19 runs 264 miles (425 km) along Florida's west coast from an interchange with U.S. Route 41 in Memphis, Florida, south of St. Petersburg, and continues to the Georgia border north of Monticello, Florida. US 19 remains independent of I-75, even as the routes converge in the Tampa Bay Area. The route is co-signed with Interstate 275 over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge over the mouth of Tampa Bay, US 98 between Chassahowitzka and Perry, Alternate US 27 between Chiefland and Perry, and US 27 between and Perry and Capps.
The "secret" designation for US 19 in Florida, between Memphis and Perry, is State Road 55. Between Perry and Capps, it follows State Road 20, and between Capps and the Georgia border, it follows State Road 57.
According to a Dateline NBC study, part of US 19 in Florida is the most dangerous road in the United States. A Highway Patrol test period beginning in 1998 and ending in 2003, as mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, showed the stretch of US 19 from Pasco County to Pinellas County to average approximately 52 deaths a year, or 262 deaths in the 5 year duration of the study. 100 of these deaths were pedestrian related making US 19 the #1 worst road to walk on in these two counties.[11] Multiple efforts to improve US 19 have been suggested to the FDOT, among them, an overpass strictly for left-turn lanes.[12]
Currently, US 19 between Clearwater and Pinellas Park is getting a freeway-style upgrade due to the cancellation of an extension of Interstate 375 in the late 1970s.[13][14]
US 19 also has a bannered alternate route which is located on the original path of US 19. It begins in Holiday approximately one mile north of the Pinellas County line, enters the county in Tarpon Springs, runs along the Intracoastal Waterway through Dunedin, Clearwater, and Largo, heads due south into Seminole, and turns east to meet up with its parent in St. Petersburg. State Road 595 also follows this path, but extends past US 19 into downtown St. Petersburg.
US Alt 19 has been permanently rerouted as of the week of January 27, 2007 in Clearwater and Largo. When approaching from Dunedin, Alt 19 now travels down Myrtle St instead of continuing down Ft. Harrison and overlaps SR 60 on Court/Chestnut St. and heads East to Missouri Ave. Alt. US 19 and SR 60 overlap from Myrtle Ave to Missouri Ave. Alt 19 then travels down Missouri Ave to Largo to meet at W.Bay/E. Bay Drive to meet its former configuration. Currently, signage has been reflected to this change from north to south but the city of Largo has not updated the changed path of Alt. 19 as of February 2007. New mileage will have to be slightly recalcuated to reflect the new mileage of US Alt 19 in Pinellas County.
US 19 pursues an independent path in Georgia, with Interstate 75 as much as 50 miles (80 km) away.
From the north side of the state, the first town it passes through is Blairsville. After about 37 miles (60 km) of extremely curvy road, it arrives in Dahlonega, where it becomes concurrent with Georgia 400. Most of this section is a limited access highway with 2 lanes in each direction, becoming 4-lanes in each direction as the highway travels through the northern suburbs of Atlanta.
At the junction with I-285's north side, it suddenly switches to become concurrent with State Route 9 (Roswell Road), about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west. It follows Roswell Road south through the city of Sandy Springs and enters Atlanta from the north side of the city. After several miles, it intersects with Georgia 141 in Buckhead. This is also where Roswell Road ends and becomes Peachtree Street. After continuing south on Peachtree Street, it becomes Spring Street in Midtown. It turns west onto 14th Street for a few miles and then turns south again and becomes concurrent with U.S. Route 41 through Downtown Atlanta.
Once it leaves Atlanta, it continues south through Clayton County where it joins Georgia State Route 3 and is known as Tara Boulevard. It then proceeds through the western tip of Henry County, passing through Hampton, home of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. It then proceeds south to Griffin and splits from US 41. It continues south, passing through Zebulon, Thomaston, Butler, Ellaville, Americus, and Albany before exiting Georgia just south of Thomasville.
In 2006 business and government officials in Columbus began a campaign to have I-185 extended to Monticello, Florida, and connect with Interstate 10. [1] The proposed route would run parallel S.R. 520 (known as Corridor Z) to Albany, and then parallel to U.S. Route 19. [2]
US 19 is co-signed with US 129 from the Georgia line to Murphy, then is co-signed with US 74, as well as US 129 as far as Graham County. US 19 and US 74 are co-signed as far as Ela, after which US 74 veers south, leaving US 19 to head into the Great Smoky Mountains. US 19 passes through the Eastern Cherokee Indian Reservation. For a brief time, US 19 is co-signed with US 276. Then US 19 is co-signed with US 23 from Lake Junaluska to Mars Hill (and with US 70 in Asheville), which closely parallels I-40 and then I-26.
Just north of Mars Hill, US 19 continues solo with heavy construction towards Burnsville (eventually straightening and widening the route to four-lane). At Cane River, US 19 splits into US 19E and US 19W. US 19W goes north towards Erwin, Tennessee; while US 19E continues easterly through the cities of Burnsville and Spruce Pine, before going north into Tennessee at Elk Park.
As of 2004, US-19 splits into US-19E and US-19W in Bluff City, Tennessee. The routes rejoin in rural Yancey County, North Carolina. While US-19W heads directly for Interstate 26 in Johnson City, Tennessee, US-19E takes a 70-mile (113 km) path through the Unaka Range. US-19W doesn't completely avoid the mountains, however. It breaks off of I-26 shortly before the Tennessee/North Carolina border, and takes a tortuous path through the mountains of Yancey County, North Carolina.
US-19 breaks away from the interstate, but alternate route US-19W is co-signed with Interstate 26 for much of its Tennessee length. US-19E in Tennessee is the same highway as SR-37.
US 19 goes northeast from Bristol, parallel to Interstate 81 till Abingdon. It then heads north to Lebanon, through the Clinch Mountains; then heads northeast again through the towns of Claypool Hill, Tazewell, and then finally to Bluefield, where it enters West Virginia.
US 19 enters West Virginia as a six lane highway near Bluefield, where it narrows to a two-lane as it winds northward. It later parallels Interstate 77 and 64 until it reaches Beckley, where it becomes the four-lane Corridor L. It crosses the New River Gorge Bridge at Fayetteville and passes through Summersville, and Birch River before arriving at Interstate 79, five miles (8 km) south of Sutton. From there, it runs concurrent with Interstate 79 from exit 57 to exit 67 at Flatwoods, West Virginia . Then, it exits and reverts a two lane highway, more or less following the route of I-79 as it passes through Weston, Clarksburg, Fairmont, and Morgantown before crossing into Pennsylvania.
Route 19 through Summersville, West Virginia has been dubbed the "World's Largest Speed Trap."[15]
It is closely paralleled by I-79 for its entire length. Its northern terminus runs through the city of Erie crossing its downtown and suburban areas before heading towards I-79. It runs close to the heart of Pittsburgh and traverses the Ohio River on the West End Bridge with a great view of Downtown Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle, Point State Park, and Heinz Field.
Prior to US Highway Numbering System, US 19 was West Virginia Route 4.
In North Carolina, U.S. 19 was N.C. 10 from the Georgia line to Asheville, N.C. Highway 29 from Asheville to Madison County, N.C. Highway 69 to a point near the Tennessee line, and either N.C. 194 or N.C. 694 for a short distance south of the Tennessee line.
The original U.S. 19 in Yancey, Mitchell and Avery Counties mostly followed the route now designated 19E. U.S. 19W in Yancey County was U.S. 19-23 in 1935, and what is now U.S. 19E was U.S. 19A. The 19E and 19W designations have been used since 1930.
US 19 first entered Florida in 1929. It underwent two route shifts, the first in 1933 and the second in 1946, which adjusted it to its current alignment. US 19 was extended to its southern terminus of Memphis in September 1954, when the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened to traffic.
Prior to 1948, U.S. 19 between Ela and Waynesville essentially followed the route of present-day U.S. 74. Then this road was called U.S. 19 Alternate (U.S. 19-A) and the section of N.C. 28 From Ela to Cherokee and the section of N.C. 293 from Cherokee to near Waynesville became U.S. 19. Improvements were made, including a new section of highway west of Lake Junaluska.
Around 1956, U.S. 19-23 was widened to four lanes from Lake Junaluska to Canton.
By 1970, a section of U.S. 19 west of Murphy, also designated U.S. 64 (and later U.S. 74), was widened to four lanes.[16]
In January 1983, after improvements to U.S. 19-A had made it similar to an interstate highway, the state proposed designating U.S. 19-A as U.S. 19 Bypass. At one point changing U.S. 19-A to U.S. 19 was considered, but businesses in Maggie Valley opposed the idea of their highway being changed to U.S. 19-A. U.S. 19-A became the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway.[17]
The planned St. Petersburg-Clearwater Expressway, or Pinellas Beltway, would have followed the current alignment of "Alt 19" from I-275 to Clearwater, Florida. The intersection of Seminole Boulevard and Bay Pines Boulevard is a remnant of this proposed road. The beltway road was proposed in 1974, but dead by 1980.[18]