Pennsylvania Route 263

PA Route 263 marker

PA Route 263

Map of southeastern Pennsylvania with PA 263 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length: 20.139 mi[1] (32.411 km)
Existed: 1928[2] – present
Major junctions
South end: PA 611 in Willow Grove
  PA 332 in Hatboro
PA 132 in Warminster
PA 313 in Buckingham Township
PA 413 in Buckingham Township
US 202 in Buckingham Township
PA 32 in Centre Bridge
North end: Centre Bridge–Stockton Bridge in Centre Bridge
Location
Counties: Montgomery, Bucks
Highway system
← PA 262PA 264 →

Pennsylvania Route 263 (PA 263) is a north–south state highway located in southeast Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at PA 611 in Willow Grove, Montgomery County. The northern terminus is at the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge over the Delaware River in Centre Bridge, Bucks County, where it continues into Stockton, New Jersey as Bridge Street to an intersection with Route 29. It follows the routing of Old York Road, a historic road that connected Philadelphia to New York City, and carries the name York Road from the southern terminus to Lahaska and Upper York Road north of there. From Willow Grove to Buckingham, PA 263 runs mostly through suburban areas as a four-lane road, passing through Hatboro, Warminster, and Jamison. The route forms a concurrency with U.S. Route 202 (US 202) and narrows to a two-lane road, splitting with that route in Lahaska. From here, the route continues through rural areas to Centre Bridge.

PA 263 follows a part of the alignment of Old York Road, which was laid out in 1711. In 1911, the portion of the current route south of Lahaska became part of Legislative Route 155. When Pennsylvania designated its state highways, PA 263 was assigned to its current alignment between Willow Grove and Centre Bridge in 1928.

Route description

Montgomery County

PA 263 northbound past its beginning at PA 611 in Willow Grove

PA 263 starts as North York Road at its southern terminus at PA 611 (Easton Road) in the unincorporated village of Willow Grove in Upper Moreland Township, Montgomery County.[3] At the southern terminus, the route is split into a one-way pair, with the route carrying two lanes in each direction. The northbound lanes split north from northbound PA 611 while the southbound lanes head west and meet PA 611 at the Center Avenue intersection. There is no access from southbound PA 611 to PA 263. At the end of the one-way pair, PA 263 continues north as a four-lane undivided road, passing through commercial areas with a few homes. The road passes under Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Line and becomes a divided highway called South York Road as it crosses under the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276). Upon intersecting Mill Road/Warminster Road, PA 263 becomes undivided again as it heads into more residential surroundings.[3][4]

The route briefly forms the border between the borough of Hatboro to the east and Upper Moreland Township to the west before fully entering Hatboro past the Newington Drive intersection. Here, PA 263 heads north prior to turning northeast and intersecting Horsham Road.[3] At this point, the route crosses the Pennypack Creek and heads into downtown Hatboro as a three-lane road with a center left-turn lane.[3][4] The route turns north at Byberry Road and becomes North York Road at the Moreland Avenue intersection before it comes to a junction with the western terminus of PA 332 (East Montgomery Avenue).[3] After passing Summit Avenue, PA 263 leaves the downtown area and becomes a four-lane undivided road again, passing residential areas with a few businesses.[3][4] Through Hatboro, PA 263 is also called the Roy W. Cornell Memorial Highway.[5]

Bucks County

Southbound PA 263 past PA 132 in Warminster Township.

At the intersection with County Line Road, PA 263 crosses the Bucks County line and enters Warminster Township as York Road.[6] In this area, the route is a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane and passes several businesses as it comes to the PA 132 (Street Road) intersection, where it becomes a four-lane divided highway that heads to the west of Archbishop Wood Catholic High School. The divided highway section ends at Roberts Road.[4][6] PA 263 gains a center left-turn lane again as it continues north through more residential areas with a few businesses.[4] Just before Bristol Road, Old York Road splits off from the route and PA 263 curves more to the northeast, retaining the name York Road.[6]

At Bristol Road, PA 263 enters Warwick Township and becomes a four-lane divided highway as it turns north and runs through wooded areas with some homes, crossing Little Neshaminy Creek. The route regains a center left-turn lane as it reaches an intersection with Almshouse Road in the community of Jamison.[4][6] At this intersection, the route is briefly a divided highway. After Almshouse Road, PA 263 continues north through business areas before heading past residential development.[4] The route turns back into a divided highway as it crosses over the Neshaminy Creek and passes through areas woodland and homes.[4][6] The road leaves Warwick Township for Buckingham Township at the Sugar Bottom Road intersection.[6]

Northbound PA 263 in Buckingham Township.

In Buckingham Township, PA 263 becomes a four-lane undivided road passes a mix of farmland and homes as it comes to the community of Furlong. Here, the road intersects Edison Furlong Road/Forest Grove Road and forms the border between Doylestown Township to the west and Buckingham Township to the east. At the intersection with the eastern terminus of PA 313 (Swamp Road), the route fully enters Buckingham Township again and turns northeast past a mix of farms and woods with some residences. Farther to the northeast, the route reaches the community of Buckingham and crosses PA 413 (Durham Road).[4][6]

PA 263 narrows to two lanes past this intersection and forms a concurrency with US 202 a short distance later. The two routes run along a two-lane undivided road that heads through fields and woodland with some development, passing through the community of Holicong.[4][6] Upon reaching the unincorporated village of Lahaska, the two routes split, with PA 263 bearing off to the left and becoming Upper York Road, a two-lane undivided road. The route passes through Peddler's Village before coming to an intersection with Street Road.[4][6] At Street Road, PA 263 exits Buckingham Township and enters Solebury Township.[6]

The road continues north into farm fields and woods with a few homes, curving more to the northeast.[4] At the Aquetong Road intersection, PA 263 turns north and back to the northeast. The route reaches the community of Solebury, where the road intersects Sugan Road.[4][6] Past this area, the road continues through wooded areas of homes, with the forests becoming denser as the road heads more to the northeast.[4] In the village of Centre Bridge, PA 263 signage ends at PA 32 (River Road). The route officially continues to the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge over the Delaware River, at which point it ends. The road continues into Stockton, New Jersey as Bridge Street, which heads to an intersection with Route 29 near the southern terminus of County Route 523.[6]

History

What is now PA 263 was originally built as part of the Old York Road, a road established in the 18th century to connect Philadelphia to New York City. The portion of the road encompassing all of PA 263 was planned in 1711 to run from Philadelphia to Centre Bridge. The Old York Road would later exist as a turnpike.[7] In 1911, the part of PA 263 between the southern terminus and Lahaska was designated as part of Legislative Route 155, a route that ran from Willow Grove to New Hope.[8]

In 1928, PA 263 was designated to run from US 611 in Willow Grove to the Delaware River in Centre Bridge.[2] The Upper York Road portion of PA 263 was paved by 1940.[9] By 1970, the route was widened into a four-lane highway between County Line Road and PA 413 in Buckingham.[10]

In 2006, the section of PA 263 through Hatboro was named the Roy W. Cornell Memorial Highway in honor of Roy Cornell, a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly who had represented Hatboro for 25 years.[5] In 2014, a portion of PA 263 in Warminster Township was dedicated the Officer Bradley M. Fox Memorial Highway after a Plymouth Township police officer originally from Warminster who was killed in the line of duty during 2012.[11]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
MontgomeryUpper Moreland Township0.0000.000 PA 611 (Easton Road)Southern terminus, no access from southbound PA 611 to PA 263
Hatboro2.5134.044 PA 332 east (East Montgomery Avenue)Western terminus of PA 332
BucksWarminster Township4.4357.137 PA 132 (Street Road)
Doylestown–Buckingham
township line		11.10117.865 PA 313 west (Swamp Road) – DoylestownEastern terminus of PA 313
Buckingham Township13.08021.050 PA 413 (Durham Road) – Mechanicsville, Newtown
13.30021.404 US 202 south (Doylestown-Buckingham Pike) – DoylestownSouthern terminus of US 202 concurrency
15.06624.246 US 202 north (Lower York Road)Northern terminus of US 202 concurrency
Solebury Township20.08632.325 PA 32 (River Road) – Lumberville, New HopeSigned northern terminus
Delaware River20.13932.411Centre Bridge–Stockton Bridge
To Route 29 / Bridge Street – StocktonOfficial northern terminus, New Jersey state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  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. 1 2 Map of Pennsylvania (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1928. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (Map) (18th ed.). 1"=2000'. ADC Map. 2006. ISBN 0-87530-775-2.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Google (2010-06-29). "overview of Pennsylvania Route 263" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  5. 1 2 SENATE BILL No. 1206, General Assembly of Pennsylvania, 2006, retrieved 2010-08-03
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Bucks County, Pennsylvania (Map) (19th ed.). 1"=2000'. ADC Map. 2006. ISBN 0-87530-774-4.
  7. ↑ Hotchkin, S.F. (1892). The York Road, old and new. Binder & Kelly. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  8. ↑ Map of Pennsylvania Showing State Highways (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1911. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  9. ↑ Official Road Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1940. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  10. ↑ Official Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1970. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  11. ↑ Buckman, Amy (September 14, 2014). "Warminster highway renamed for slain Officer Brad Fox". Philadelphia: WPVI-TV. Retrieved September 15, 2014.

Route map: Google

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