Pennsylvania Route 625 (PA 625) is a

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 east 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, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The southern terminus is at PA 23 in East Earl Township. The northern terminus is U.S. Route 222 Business (US 222 Bus.) in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

. PA 625 is a two-lane undivided road its entire length. The route runs through rural areas in the

Pennsylvania Dutch Country The Pennsylvania Dutch Country ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Deitscherei'' Dutchery', also called Pennsylvania Dutchland ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Pennsylvania Deitschland'', german: Pennsylvania Deutschland), or simply the Dutch Country or Dutchland ( ...

of northeastern Lancaster County, passing through Bowmansville. PA 625 continues into

Berks County Berks County ( Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River ...

and runs through more rural areas, intersecting PA 568 in Knauers before coming to a junction with PA 724. Past this intersection, the route heads into developed areas and passes through Kenhorst before coming to its northern terminus. The route was designated as the westernmost of segment of PA 73 in 1928, which continued past Reading to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. By 1940, the entire length of PA 73 between

Blue Ball Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when o ...

and Reading was completely paved. PA 625 was designated onto its current alignment by 1966 following the rerouting of PA 73 to its current terminus at Leesport.

Route description

PA 625 begins at an intersection with PA 23 west of the village of Goodville and east of

in East Earl Township, Lancaster County, heading north on two-lane undivided Reading Road. The route passes through the

of eastern Lancaster County, which is home to many

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

farms. The road heads through agricultural areas with some homes, passing to the east of an industrial complex before crossing the

Conestoga River The Conestoga River, also referred to as Conestoga Creek, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River flowing through the cente ...

. The route curves northeast through more farmland with a few trees and residences and turns north to cross Black Creek into Brecknock Township. PA 625 continues through rural areas with some development before it runs through the residential community of Bowmansville. North of Bowmansville, the road passes under the

Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...

(

Interstate 76 Interstate 76 may refer to: Interstate Highways in the United States * Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska) * Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey), running through Pennsylvania Video gaming * ''Interstate '76 ''Interstate '76'' is a vehicular ...

). The route runs through a mix of farms, trees, and residential and commercial development to the east of parallel Muddy Creek, curving to the northeast. PA 625 enters Brecknock Township in

and becomes New Holland Road, crossing Muddy Creek and passing through forested areas with some homes. The road runs through a mix of woods, fields, and residences as it reaches a junction with PA 568 in the community of Knauers. The route continues through rural land with some development and turns east to cross into Cumru Township. PA 625 curves northeast and becomes parallel to Angelica Creek, running through wooded areas with some homes and passing to the east of a golf course. The road winds north through forests and forms the eastern border of

Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center Nolde Forest Environmental Educational Center is a Pennsylvania state park in Cumru Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Programs are offered for youth and adult groups, school groups, and individuals. The center grounds ...

. The route continues through woodland and comes to an intersection with PA 724. Past this intersection, PA 625 enters the borough of Kenhorst and passes businesses before it continues north through residential and commercial areas. The road curves northeast and continues past more homes. PA 625 continues into the city of

and soon comes to its northern terminus at US 222 Bus. southwest of the downtown area.

History

When Pennsylvania first legislated routes in 1911, present-day PA 625 was not designated as part of a route. In 1928, the road between PA 23 in Blue Ball and Reading was designated as the westernmost part of PA 73, which continued through Reading northeast to

Oley Oley may refer to: ;People * Barnabas Oley (1602–1686), English churchman and academic * Johann Christoph Oley (1738–1789), German organist and composer ;Places * Oley Valley, Pennsylvania * Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania * Oley, Pe ...

and southeast to

. At this time, a portion of the road south of Reading was paved while the remainder south to Blue Ball was unpaved. By 1930, PA 73 was paved in the Bowmansville area and from south of Reading to south of

Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...

; the remainder of the route between Blue Ball and Reading was under construction at this time. The entire length of road was paved by 1940. By 1966, PA 73 was realigned to head from Oley to Leesport, and PA 625 was designated on the former alignment between PA 23 in Blue Ball and US 222 (now US 222 Bus.) in Reading. PA 625 has remained on the same alignment since.

Major intersections

PA 625 Truck

Pennsylvania Route 625 Truck (PA 625 Truck) is 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 ...

of PA 625 that bypassed a weight-restricted bridge over Angelica Creek in Cumru Township, on which trucks over 32 tons and combination loads over 40 tons were prohibited. The route follows PA 568, US 222, US 222 Bus., and PA 724. It was signed in 2013. The bridge was reconstructed in 2017, but as of October 2021, the route is still signed.

References

External links

{{commonscat
Pennsylvania Highways: PA 625

625 __NOTOC__ Year 625 ( DCXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 625 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...