state highway
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 ...
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
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 PA 443 in Pine Grove. The northern terminus is at
PA 61
Pennsylvania Route 61 (PA 61) is an state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route is signed on a north–south direction, running from U.S. Route 222 Business (US 222 Bus.) in Reading northwest to US 11/ US 1 ...
in Shamokin. The route follows a winding alignment through mountains and valleys in the western part of the
Coal Region
The Coal Region is a region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is known for being home to the largest known deposits of anthracite, anthracite coal in the world with an estimated reserve of seven billion short tons.
The region is typically define ...
. PA 125 does not directly access
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...
(I-81); however, north of Pine Grove, there is an interchange with SR 3013 (Molleystown Road) just yards from the highway in
Ravine
A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.concurrency with U.S. Route 209 (US 209) in Tremont and crosses PA 25 in Hegins. PA 125 was designated in 1928 between PA 25 in Hegins and US 209 in Newtown while the present alignment between Pine Grove and Hegins was a part of PA 25 and the section between Line Mountain and Shamokin was part of PA 225. PA 125 was realigned to its current alignment between PA 443 in Pine Grove and US 122 (now PA 61) in Shamokin in the 1930s, with the former section between Hegins and Newtown becoming a realigned PA 25.
Route description
PA 125 begins at an intersection with PA 443 in the borough of Pine Grove in Schuylkill County, heading northwest on two-lane undivided North Tulpehocken Street. The road passes homes and a few businesses before crossing into Pine Grove Township and becoming Tremont Road. Here, the route heads north into wooded areas with some development, following the
Swatara Creek
Swatara Creek (nicknamed the Swatty) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in east-central Pennsylvania in the United Sta ...
which is situated east of the road and passing through North Pine Grove. PA 125 begins to run a short distance to the east of
I-81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...
as it passes through a forested gap of Second Mountain and crosses the creek. The road heads into Tremont Township and turns northeast as South Tremont Road, intersecting Molleystown Road, which continues northwest to interchange with I-81 a short distance to the west. In the vicinity of this intersection, the route is a
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 ...
. PA 125 becomes undivided again and runs through more forests parallel to the Swatara Creek, turning north-northwest as it passes through Echo Valley and crosses Sharp Mountain. The road curves to the northeast again before another turn to the north, crossing Swatara Creek. The route crosses a
Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad
The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad , sometimes shortened to Reading and Northern Railroad, is a regional railroad in eastern Pennsylvania. Its headquarters is in Port Clinton. The RBMN provides freight service on of track. Its mainl ...
line prior to entering the borough of Tremont and heading northeast on Branch Street, passing through wooded areas of homes. PA 125 heads back into Tremont Township and comes to an intersection with
US 209
U.S. Route 209 (US 209) is a long U.S. Highway in the states of Pennsylvania and New York. Although the route is a spur of US 9, US 209 never intersects US 9, coming within five miles of the route and making the short ...
, turning southwest to form a concurrency with that route. The two routes head back into Tremont and merge onto East Main Street, heading into business areas. PA 125 splits from US 209 by heading northwest on Spring Street. The route heads past homes, turning to the west and passing a mix of residences and industrial establishments.
The road curves north and heads into Frailey Township, becoming North Tremont Road and running through forests. PA 125 heads into the residential community of Donaldson and becomes South Maple Street, turning west onto East Center Street. The road continues through more of the community and becomes West Center Street before leaving Donaldson and heading into more forests, running a short distance to the north of the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad line. The route passes under I-81 prior to heading into Porter Township and becoming East Center Street. PA 125 reaches the community of Good Spring, where it turns north onto Main Street, heading into Hegins Township and becoming South Good Spring Road. The road curves northeast to ascend Broad Mountain before a turn to the northwest to descend the mountain. The route runs north through the wooded residential community of Lamberson and continues into agricultural areas with a few homes. PA 125 enters the residential community of Hegins, where it crosses PA 25 and becomes North Good Spring Road. The road heads through more farmland with some woods and homes before heading into forested areas and turning northwest to ascend Mahantango Mountain. The route enters Eldred Township and becomes Vista Road, descending the mountain. PA 125 turns to the north to head into an agricultural valley with some woods and residences, curving northwest before heading more to the north. The route continues farther north before turning west onto Main Road.
PA 125 crosses into Upper Mahanoy Township in Northumberland County and becomes an unnamed road, soon turning to the north in the community of Line Mountain. The road winds through a mix of farmland and woodland before turning northwest to ascend forested Line Mountain. The route heads into East Cameron Township and turns northeast to descend the mountain. PA 125 crosses the
Mahanoy Creek
Mahanoy 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 in Northumberland and Schuylkill counties, Pennsylvania. There are ...
and winds northeast through a valley, passing through areas of farmland and woodland. The road passes through Gowen City and turns northwest to cross forested Mahanoy Mountain, crossing into Coal Township. The route passes a few fields and runs through Burnside, heading into more forested areas. PA 125 curves more to the north and becomes Bear Valley Road, curving northeast and heading into the city of Shamokin. At this point, the road becomes Bear Valley Avenue and heads into residential areas. PA 125 turns to the north and becomes South Market Street, gaining a wide median as it passes more homes. The route heads into the commercial downtown and becomes North Market Street, crossing the
Shamokin Valley Railroad
The Shamokin Valley Railroad is a short line railroad that operates 27 miles of track in southern Northumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System.
The line runs generally southeast bet ...
and passing more businesses. PA 125 becomes an undivided road again for a block before ending at PA 61.
History
When Pennsylvania first legislated routes in 1911, the current alignment of PA 125 was not given a number. PA 125 was designated in 1928 to run from PA 25 in Hegins east to US 209 in Newtown along an unpaved road. Meanwhile, the current alignment between Pine Grove and Hegins was designated as part of PA 25 while the section between Line Mountain and Shamokin was designated as part of PA 225, all of which was unpaved except for small sections of PA 25 north of Pine Grove and south of Hegins as well as a stretch of PA 225 south of Shamokin. In the 1930s, PA 125 was realigned to its current alignment running between PA 443 in Pine Grove and US 122 (now PA 61) in Shamokin, replacing the section of PA 25 between Pine Grove and Hegins and PA 225 between Line Mountain and Shamokin. Meanwhile, the former routing of PA 125 between Hegins and Newtown became a realigned PA 25. At this time, the entire length of PA 125 was paved. On October 6, 2017, a section of PA 125 in Porter Township was closed indefinitely after it collapsed due to a sinkhole that was wide and deep.