Pennsylvania Route 453 (PA 453) is a
state highway located in
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
,
Blair, and
Clearfield counties in
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, ...
. The southern terminus is at
U.S. Route 22
U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 in the Newark Airport Intercha ...
(US 22) in
Water Street; the northern terminus is at
PA 879 in
Curwensville
Curwensville is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Altoona on the West Branch Susquehanna River. Coal mining, tanning, and the manufacture of fire bricks were the industries at the turn of the 20th century. In 1 ...
.
Route description
Huntingdon and Blair counties
PA 453 begins at an intersection with
US 22 in the community of
Water Street in
Morris Township,
Huntingdon County, heading north on three-lane undivided Birmingham Pike, carrying two northbound lanes and one southbound lane. The road heads through woods before heading into agricultural areas and intersecting the western terminus of
PA 45. At this point, the route becomes
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
PA 45 Truck and narrows to two lanes as it heads northwest through more open farmland with occasional woods.
PA 453 enters
Tyrone Township in
Blair County and turns north through more agricultural areas as an unnamed road, gaining a second northbound lane before also gaining a second southbound lane. The route eventually narrows from four lanes back to two lanes and heading northwest through wooded areas in a cut.
The road crosses the Little Juniata River
The Little Juniata River, sometimes called the "Little J," is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Juniata River in the Susquehanna River wa ...
and Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...
's Pittsburgh Line
The Pittsburgh Line is the Norfolk Southern Railway's primary east–west artery in its Pittsburgh Division and Harrisburg Division across the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is part of the Keystone Corridor, Amtrak-Norfolk Southern's combin ...
into Warriors Mark Township in Huntingdon County and becomes Birmingham Pike again, heading through more woodland along the northeast bank of the river and passing through Shoenberger. The route passes through the borough of Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
before heading back into Warriors Mark Township and running through more rural areas.[
]
PA 453 continues into Snyder Township in Blair County as an unnamed road and passes to the south of a quarry, crossing the Little Juniata River. The road heads to the northeast of the Norfolk Southern railroad line and crosses the river again, coming to an intersection with PA 550. At this point, PA 45 Truck splits from PA 453 by heading northeast on PA 550 and PA 453 turns west-northwest to cross through a gap in forested Bald Eagle Mountain
Bald Eagle Mountain – once known locally as Muncy Mountain – is a stratigraphic ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of central Pennsylvania, United States, running east of the Allegheny Front and northwest of Mount Nittany. It lies al ...
. The route enters the borough of Tyrone and widens into 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 ...
as it comes to an interchange with Interstate 99 (I-99)/ US 220. Past this, PA 453 becomes East 11th Street and passes businesses, coming to an intersection with US 220 Business. At this point, the route turns north to form a concurrency with US 220 Business on two-lane undivided Pennsylvania Avenue, passing a mix of homes and commercial establishments. PA 453 splits from US 220 Business by turning west onto West 14th Street, running through more of the town and crossing a Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad
The Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad is a short line railroad that operates of track in Blair, Centre, and Clinton counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System.
The line runs generally northea ...
line. The route turns north onto Lincoln Avenue before turning west onto West 15th Street and heading through residential areas. The road becomes Janesville Pike as it heads into more rural areas of homes, forming the border between Tyrone to the north and Snyder Township to the south before turning northwest and fully entering Tyrone again. PA 453 heads back into Snyder Township and heads into forested areas with occasional homes, passing to the southwest of the Tyrone Reservoir. The route winds northwest through more dense forests before turning to the west.[
]
Clearfield County
PA 453 enters Gulich Township in Clearfield County
Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822.
...
and continues west through more forests, eventually turning northwest again. The route comes to an intersection with PA 253 at which point that route turns northwest to join PA 453 on Viola Pike. In the community of Viola
; german: Bratsche
, alt=Viola shown from the front and the side
, image=Bratsche.jpg
, caption=
, background=string
, hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow
, range=
, related=
*Violin family ...
, the road intersects PA 153 and continues through more wooded areas with some fields. PA 253/PA 453 turns north and intersects PA 729, at which point it passes between the residential community of Janesville to the west and woodland to the east. The two routes continue north-northeast through more woods with scattered farm fields, becoming Main Street and heading into the borough of Ramey. Here, the road heads northeast past homes, with PA 453 splitting from PA 253 by turning northwest onto Union Street. The route passes through more residential areas of the town before heading into Bigler Township in the community of Beluah and turning southwest to follow Jimmies Hill Road through a mix of farmland and woodland. PA 453 turns north onto Banion Road and heads through wooded areas with some fields and homes. The route comes to the community of Madera and intersects PA 53, turning west to join that route on Main Street and crossing Clearfield Creek
Clearfield Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Cambria and Clearfield counties, Pennsylvania, in ...
.
PA 453 splits from PA 53 by turning northwest onto Belsena Road and winding north through dense forests along the west bank of the Clearfield Creek. The road passes through Belsena Mills and turns northwest away from the creek, crossing into Knox Township. Here, the route comes to Boardman and turns northeast onto Curwensville Tyrone Highway, winding north as it comes to Kellytown. PA 453 curves to the northwest and passes through a mix of farms and woods with some residences. The road heads into more forested areas with a few homes as it crosses the Little Clearfield Creek into Pike Township and passes through Olanta. The route turns north through a mix of woods, fields, and residences and runs through Bloomington. PA 453 heads into wooded areas along the eastern shore of Curwensville Lake
Curwensville Lake is a reservoirhttp://curwensvillelake.com/ located just to the south of the town of Curwensville, Pennsylvania. The lake was formed due to the construction of the Curwensville Dam to the north of the lake. Before the dam was ...
and passes near Curwensville Dam before heading into rural developed areas. The road crosses the West Branch Susquehanna River
The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the exten ...
into the borough of Curwensville
Curwensville is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Altoona on the West Branch Susquehanna River. Coal mining, tanning, and the manufacture of fire bricks were the industries at the turn of the 20th century. In 1 ...
and becomes Susquehanna Avenue, passing under a R.J. Corman Railroad line and intersecting PA 969. The route heads into residential areas, turning northeast and passing over Anderson Creek and under another R.J. Corman Railroad line. PA 453 becomes Filbert Street and heads into the commercial downtown, ending at PA 879.[
]
Major intersections
PA 453 Truck
Pennsylvania Route 453 Truck was a truck route
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
that bypassed a weight-restricted bridge over Little Clearfield Creek on which trucks over 35 tons and combination loads over 40 tons were prohibited. The route followed PA 879, PA 153, and PA 53 through Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822.
C ...
. PA 453 Truck was signed to its alignment in 2013. The bridge was completely reconstructed in 2019, effectively deleting the route.
See also
*
*
References
External links
{{commons category, Pennsylvania Route 453
Pennsylvania Highways: PA 453
453
Transportation in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Transportation in Blair County, Pennsylvania
Transportation in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania