Pennsylvania Route 21

PA Route 21 marker

PA Route 21
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length: 50.751 mi[1] (81.676 km)
Existed: 1927 – present
Major junctions
West end: WV 891 in Richhill Township
  US 19 in Waynesburg
I-79 in Morrisville
US 40 / US 119 in Uniontown
East end:
US 40 Bus. in Uniontown
Location
Counties: Greene, Fayette
Highway system
← US 20US 22 →

Pennsylvania Route 21 (PA 21) is a 50.75-mile (81.67 km) long east–west state highway in the US state of Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at the West Virginia state line in Richhill Township, where PA 21 continues into West Virginia as West Virginia Route 891. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 40 Business in Uniontown. The route is known as the Roy E. Furman Highway for most of its length. PA 21 serves Waynesburg and Masontown along the way.

PA 21 was originally designated in 1927 between the West Virginia border and Uniontown, originally following an alignment further to the north between Carmichaels and Uniontown via New Salem. By 1950, the route was moved to its current alignment east of Carmichaels, with bypasses of Carmichaels and Masontown constructed by 1960.

Route description

Pennsylvania Route 21 enters Greene County in Richhill Township near the village of Polen. The highway winds its way through the hilly and sparsely populated area passing Ryerson Station State Park to the north. It continues to the northeast into Gray Township where it veers to the southeast toward the village of Rogersville in Center Township. Just before reaching Rogersville, Route 21 merges with Pennsylvania Route 18 near West Greene High School. Route 18 leaves Route 21 near West Waynesburg while Route 21 continues into the borough of Waynesburg.[2]

PA 21 traveling west across the old Masontown Bridge that was demolished in 2013.

In Waynesburg, PA 21 is a one-way pair as High Street (west) and Greene Street (east). Both streets are two lanes in the borough. High Street is the arterial road through Waynesburg's business district. While in Waynesburg, it shares its route with U.S. Route 19. PA 21 leaves Waynesburg entering the census-designated place of Morrisville. PA 21 becomes a two-lane road with a shared left turn lane for less than a mile before US 19 leaves the route and PA 21 stays east, becoming a four lane divided highway. Interstate 79 exit 14 is PA 21 in Morrisville signed for PA 21 to Masontown and Waynesburg. PA 21 then leaves Morrisville in Jefferson Township.[3]

PA 21 travels east-southeast through the rest of rural Greene County. The road is mostly level and the countryside is mostly farmland. In Paisley, PA 21 intersects Pennsylvania Route 88, then becomes a four-lane divided highway until it crosses the Masontown Bridge over the Monongahela River.[4]

PA 21 enters Fayette County in the borough of Masontown. It bypasses Masontown to the north and merges with PA 166 (Main St.). After leaving Masontown, the southernmost point on the route, PA 21 becomes McClellandtown Road. It turns to the northeast entering German Township and leaving PA 166. Passing through McClellandtown, PA 21 traverses more densely populated western Fayette County entering South Union Township.[5] The highway enters South Union Township in the village of Uledi. It intersects Dixon Boulevard before entering the city of Uniontown. It has an interchange with U.S. Route 40/U.S. Route 119 near Cherry Tree Square. It passes the Uniontown Hospital before ending at US Route 40 Business (Main St.).[6]

History

In 1911, what would become PA 21 was designated as part of Legislative Route 256 between the West Virginia border and Rogersville, Legislative Route 111 between Rogersville and Waynesburg, and Legislative Route 112 between Waynesburg and Uniontown.[7] PA 21 was designated in 1927 to run from the West Virginia border east to US 40 in Uniontown. The route followed its current alignment to west of Carmichaels, where it headed east by way of Carmichaels and New Salem to Uniontown. The alignment utilized a ferry across the Monongahela River.[8][9] By the time of its inception, PA 21 existed as a paved road between Wind Ridge and PA 121 east of Waynesburg, in the Carmichaels area, and from south of Republic to Uniontown.[9] The remainder of PA 21 was paved by 1940.[10] By 1950, PA 21 was rerouted to follow PA 88 between Carmichaels and Paisley, where it turned east and crossed the Monongahela River at Masontown and followed its current alignment to Uniontown.[11] Bypasses of Carmichaels and Masontown were built by 1960. Also by this time, PA 21 was widened into a divided highway near the PA 88 intersection in Paisley, [12] By 1970, a portion of PA 21 east of Waynesburg was converted to a divided highway.[13] Improvements, including a new bridge over the Monongahela River, are in the plans for the future.[14]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
GreeneRichhill Township0.0000.000 WV 891Western terminus of PA 21 at state line; continues as WV 891
Center Township16.67326.833 PA 18 southWestern terminus of PA 18 concurrency
Waynesburg22.58036.339 PA 18 northEastern terminus of PA 18 concurrency
23.43837.720 US 19 north (Morris Street)Western terminus of US 19 concurrency
23.76738.249 PA 218 (Morris Street)Northern terminus of PA 218
25.01840.263 US 19 south (High Street)Eastern terminus of US 19 concurrency
25.12940.441 PA 188 (Morris Street)Western terminus of PA 188
Franklin Township26.044–
26.070		41.914–
41.956		 I-79Exit 14 (I-79)
Cumberland Township37.52160.384 PA 88
Monongahela River39.01362.785Masontown Bridge
FayetteMasontown40.64865.417 PA 166 south (Main Street)Interchange, western terminus of PA 166 concurrency
German Township41.79567.263 PA 166 northEastern terminus of PA 166 concurrency
Uniontown50.05980.562 US 40 / US 119Trumpet interchange
50.75181.676
US 40 Bus. (Main Street)		Eastern terminus of PA 21
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

Route map: Bing / Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pennsylvania Route 21.
  1. 1 2 Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ Google (2008-08-18). "PA 21 in Western Greene County" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  3. ↑ PA 21 in Waynesburg (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  4. ↑ PA 21 in Eastern Greene County (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  5. ↑ Google (2008-08-18). "PA 21 in Western Fayette County" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  6. ↑ Google (2008-08-18). "PA 21 in South Union Township" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  7. ↑ Map of Pennsylvania Showing State Highways (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1911. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  8. ↑ Pennsylvania Highway Map (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1927. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  9. 1 2 Tourist Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1930. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  10. ↑ Official Road Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1940. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  11. ↑ Official Road Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1950. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  12. ↑ Official Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1960. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  13. ↑ Official Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1970. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Route 21 Corridor Improvement Project". Retrieved June 10, 2013.

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