Interstate 70 in Pennsylvania

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Interstate 70
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Length: 167.92 mi[1] (270.24 km)
West end: I-70 at the West Virginia state line
Major
junctions:		 I-79 in Washington
PA 43 in Fallowfield Twp
I-76 in New Stanton
East end: I-70 at the Maryland state line
Pennsylvania State Routes
< PA 69 PA 70 >
Minor - Legislative

Interstate 70 runs east-west across the southwest part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. About half of the route is concurrent with Interstate 76 along the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I-70 is one of only a few Interstate Highways to have a traffic signal - in this case, with U.S. Route 30 at Breezewood, where it leaves the Turnpike and heads south towards Maryland.[2] The portion of I-70 between Washington, Pennsylvania and New Stanton, Pennsylvania falls well below interstate highway standards.

I-70 crosses the Monongahela River on the Belle Vernon Bridge and the Youghiogheny River on the Smithton High Level Bridge.

[edit] History

By 1947, present Interstate 70 across Pennsylvania was included in the planned Interstate Highway System. The route from West Virginia split at Washington, with one branch heading northeast to meet the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Pittsburgh and the other heading east, bypassing Pittsburgh to the south (via a planned bypass of Pennsylvania Route 71) to the New Stanton interchange. The piece south from the Breezewood interchange into Maryland was also in the network.[3] In 1957, preliminary numbers were assigned; the longer route via Pittsburgh (now Interstate 79, Interstate 279 and Interstate 376) became the main line of I-70, while the southern bypass (now I-70) became Interstate 70S.[4] A southern extension of Interstate 79, which had previously only run from Erie south to Pittsburgh, to Charleston, West Virginia in 1963, resulted in changes to I-70. On February 26, 1964, as part of the formation of Interstate 76 (east of downtown Pittsburgh), AASHTO approved a rerouting of I-70 along I-70S. The former I-70 became I-79 from Washington to downtown Pittsburgh and I-76 to and along the Turnpike to New Stanton.[5] This brought the routing of I-70 to its present form.

[edit] Exit list

County Location Mile[6] # Destinations Notes
I-70 continues into West Virginia
Washington Donegal Twp 0.89 1 West Alexander
5.65 6 PA 231 — Claysville
Buffalo Twp 11.00 11 PA 221 — Taylorstown
North Franklin Twp 14.81 15 US 40 — Chestnut Street
Canton Twp 15.96 16 Jessop Place
Washington 16.65 17 PA 18 - Jefferson Avenue
South Strabane Twp Western terminus of I-70/ I-79 concurrency
17.51 18
I-79 north — Pittsburgh
18.56 19A US 19 south — Murtland Avenue south
18.78 19B US 19 north — Murtland Avenue north
19.00 20 PA 136 — Beau Street
21.02 21
I-79 south — Morgantown, West Virginia
Eastern terminus of I-70/ I-79 concurrency
Somerset Twp 24.50 25 PA 519 — Eighty Four/Glyde
27.42 27 Dunningsville
30.50 31 Kammerer
32.54 32A PA 917 — Ginger Hill
Bentleyville 32.94 32B

to PA 917 south — Bentleyville
Fallowfield Twp 35.03 35 PA 481 — Monogahela/Centerville
36.43 36 Lover Westbound exit and eastbound entrance.
37.46 37A Toll PA 43 south — California
37.69 37B Toll PA 43 north — Pittsburgh
Speers 39.74 39 Speers
40.19 40 PA 88 — Charleroi/Allenport
Westmoreland Rostraver Twp 40.72 41 PA 906 — Belle Vernon/Monessen
North Belle Vernon 41.46 42 North Belle Vernon
Rostraver Twp 42.13 42A Monessen Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
42.64 43
PA 201 to PA 837 — Donora/Fayette City		 Split into exits 43A and 43B westbound.
44.10 44 Arnold City
46.36 46A PA 51 south — Uniontown
46.60 46 PA 51 north — Pittsburgh
South Huntingdon Twp 48.85 49 Smithton
51.13 51A PA 31 east — Mt. Pleasant
51.34 51B PA 31 west — West Newton
53.19 53 Yukon
Sewickley Twp 53.82 54 Madison
New Stanton 56.87 57 Hunker/New Stanton Westbound only. Split into exits 57A and 57B.
56.95 New Stanton Eastbound only.
57.32 58
to US 119/Toll PA 66 — Delmont/Greensburg/Connellsville		 I-70 eastbound merges with Toll I-76 — Pittsburgh/ Harrisburg
Concurrent with I-76 for 86 miles between exits 75 and 161 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike
Bedford East Providence Twp 147.05 147
US 30 east — Breezewood		 I-70 is at-grade with US 30. The roads meet at one of the Interstate Highway System's few traffic signals I-70 westbound merges with Toll I-76 — Pittsburgh/ Harrisburg
Fulton South Breezewood 148.68 149

to US 30 west — Everett
Brush Creek Twp 151.16 151 PA 915 — Crystal Spring
155.75 156 PA 643 — Town Hill
Union Twp 163.21 163
PA 731 south — Amaranth
Bethel Twp Western terminus of I-70/ US 522 concurrency
167.93 168
US 522 north — Warfordsburg
I-70 and US 522 continue into Maryland

[edit] References

  1. ^ Route Log - Main Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 1
  2. ^ Manuel Roig-Franzia, "The Town That Stops Traffic: Travelers Encounter Way Station as Way of Life in Breezewood," Washington Post, 22 November 2001, B1.
  3. ^ National System of Interstate Highways, August 2, 1947
  4. ^ Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, August 14, 1957
  5. ^ Ask the Rambler, Was I-76 Numbered to Honor Philadelphia for Independence Day, 1776?
  6. ^ Calculated using DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2007 software


Interstate 70
Previous state:
West Virginia		 Pennsylvania Next state:
Maryland