Pennsylvania Route 181 (PA 181) is a north–south
state route
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
York County in south central
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Its southern terminus is at
Interstate 83 Business
Interstate 83 (I-83) is an Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its southern terminus is at a signalized intersection with Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland; its northern terminus is at I-81 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Most ...
(I-83 Bus.) and
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
(US 30) in
North York
North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...
. Its northern terminus is at the southern terminus of
PA 382 in
York Haven. PA 181 heads north from US 30 as a four-lane
divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with I-83 Bus to an interchange with
I-83
Interstate 83 (I-83) is an Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its southern terminus is at a signalized intersection with Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland; its northern terminus is at I-81 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Most ...
, where I-83 Bus. reaches its northern terminus. From here, PA 181 continues north as a two-lane undivided road through suburban areas, intersecting
PA 238 in
Emigsville and
PA 921 in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. The route runs through rural land before it comes to York Haven.
The road between
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
and York Haven was designated as part of
PA 24 in 1928. In the 1950s,
US 111 Alternate (US 111 Alt.) became concurrent with PA 24 between York and I-83/
US 111 in North York. PA 181 was designated between
PA 250 (now US 30) in North York and PA 382 in York Haven in 1961 after the north end of PA 24 was truncated to east of York; I-83 Bus. also replaced US 111 Alt. The section of the route between US 30 and I-83 became a divided highway in 2003.
Route description
PA 181 begins at an intersection with
US 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
in
Manchester Township, heading north
concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with
I-83 Bus. on North George Street, a four-lane
divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
. South of US 30, I-83 Bus. continues south toward the borough of
North York
North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...
. The road passes businesses before heading into residential areas. The highway runs past more commercial establishments as it comes to an interchange with
I-83
Interstate 83 (I-83) is an Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its southern terminus is at a signalized intersection with Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland; its northern terminus is at I-81 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Most ...
. At this point, I-83 Bus. ends and PA 181 continues north, narrowing into a two-lane undivided road as it passes a mix of residences and businesses. The route heads through the community of
Emigsville and comes to an intersection with
PA 238, at which point the route runs a short distance to the west of
Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway (U.S.), Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the ...
's York Secondary railroad line. Past this junction, the road enters more wooded surroundings and continues into
East Manchester Township, where it becomes North George Street Extended. Here, PA 181 runs farther to the west of the railroad tracks and passes industrial and commercial establishments. The route enters the borough of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
and becomes Main Street as it is lined with homes.
[
PA 181 forms a concurrency with PA 921 as the road passes residences and businesses in the center of town before PA 921 turns east onto Maple Street. After this, the route enters residential areas, crossing back into East Manchester Township and becoming North George Street Extended again. The road enters wooded areas of homes before it crosses the Conewago Creek into Newberry Township, where the road name becomes York Haven Road. The road passes more housing developments before entering a mix of farms and woods. PA 181 continues into the borough of York Haven and becomes Front Street as it passes more homes and comes to its northern terminus at an intersection with the southern terminus of PA 382.]
History
When Pennsylvania legislated routes in 1911, what is now PA 181 was the southern portion of Legislative Route 250, which ran between York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
and the Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
area. In 1928, the road between York and York Haven became a part of PA 24, a route which ran between the Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
border and New Cumberland. The section of the route between York and York Haven was a paved road. In the 1950s, US 111 Alt. was designated concurrent with PA 24 between York and the interchange with I-83/ US 111 in North York. In 1961, the northern terminus of PA 24 was cut back to east of York, and PA 181 replaced the PA 24 designation between PA 250 (now US 30) in North York and PA 382 in York Haven. In addition, I-83 Bus. replaced the US 111 Alt. designation concurrent with PA 181 south of the I-83 interchange. This change was made as part of the construction of I-83 in order to provide a numbered route at each interchange. In 2003, PA 181 was widened into a divided highway between US 30 and I-83.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Pennsylvania Highways: PA 181
181
Transportation in York County, Pennsylvania