Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey)

Interstate 76 (I-76) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. The highway runs approximately from an interchange with I-71 west of Akron, Ohio, east to I-295 in Bellmawr, New Jersey. This route is not contiguous with I-76 in Colorado and Nebraska.

Starting in Ohio, the highway runs west of Akron to west of Youngstown, where it joins the Ohio Turnpike as a toll road. At the Pennsylvania state line, the Ohio Turnpike ends and becomes the Pennsylvania Turnpike, also a tolled facility. Along the turnpike, the route runs approximately across most of the southern portion of the state, serving the Pittsburgh and Harrisburg areas. At the Valley Forge Interchange, I-76 leaves the turnpike and turns southeast on the Schuylkill Expressway, known colloquially as "the Schuylkill", where it parallels the Schuylkill River toward the city of Philadelphia. After entering Philadelphia, I-76 crosses the Delaware River on the Walt Whitman Bridge into New Jersey. After only about in New Jersey along the North–South Freeway, I-76 reaches its eastern terminus, though the freeway continues south as Route 42.

Route description

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Ohio

I-76 begins at exit 209 of I-71 in Westfield Township, approximately east of Lodi, Ohio; U.S. Route 224 (US 224) continues west from the end of I-76. The interchange was previously a double trumpet but was reconstructed in 2010. Officially, I-76 begins at the beginning of the ramp from I-71 north; it merges with US 224 at mile 0.61. After passing through rural Medina County, I-76 enters Summit County and soon crosses State Route 21 (SR 21, old US 21), once the main north–south route through the area until I-77 replaced it, at a cloverleaf interchange. I-76 then passes through Wadsworth, Norton, and Barberton and then enters Akron; this section of road was built as US 224.

Soon after entering Akron, I-76 turns north onto the short Kenmore Expressway. US 224 leaves I-76 there and continues east with I-277 toward I-77. Shortly after heading north from the I-277 interchange, I-76 meets I-77 and again turns east, joining southbound I-77 south of downtown Akron on the West Expressway. A partial interchange provides access to SR 59 ( the Innerbelt), and then I-76 crosses through the Central Interchange, where I-77 goes south (on the South Expressway) and SR 8 begins to the north (on the North Expressway); I-76 switches from the West Expressway to the East Expressway.

Leaving the Akron area, I-76 again heads through rural areas, crossing Portage County and entering Mahoning County.

West of Youngstown, the freeway intersects the Ohio Turnpike and I-80 via a double trumpet interchange, and the two Interstates swap rights-of-way. I-76 joins the Ohio Turnpike and heads southeast toward Pittsburgh, while I-80 exits the turnpike and continues east toward Youngstown on I-76's alignment. The Ohio Turnpike carries I-76 until the Pennsylvania border, where it becomes the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Turnpike

From the Ohio border, the Pennsylvania Turnpike carries I-76 into and across most of Pennsylvania, bypassing Youngstown, Ohio to the south and Pittsburgh to the north. There is a free interchange with US 19 and I-79 near Wexford. At one point, I-76 used to begin in Pittsburgh on a route that was signed as I-376 around the 1970s. It intersects with this highway in Monroeville.

From New Stanton to Breezewood, I-76 is concurrent with I-70. In this section are the bypass (built in the 1960s) of the Laurel Hill Tunnel, then the still-in-use Allegheny Mountain Tunnel in a relatively unpopulated section of South Central Pennsylvania, and then an indirect connection with I-99 in Bedford. The turnpike also passes through the Somerset Wind Farm and is the closest Interstate highway to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville.

At Breezewood, I-70 exits the turnpike (making use of a short stretch of the old alignment of the Pennsylvania Turnpike), while I-76 bypasses the Rays Hill and Sideling Hill tunnels along a new alignment built in the 1960s. The major features of this section are more mountains with the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel and then a double tunnel ( Kittatinny/ Blue Mountain) prior to Pennsylvania Route 997 (PA 997) near Shippensburg. I-76 intersects I-81 (indirectly) in Carlisle then I-83 and I-283 near Harrisburg, bypassing Harrisburg to the south. The Susquehanna River Bridge is a six-lane bridge that was constructed in 2003 using precast segments that replaced an older bridge across the Susquehanna River. In Morgantown, I-176 provides a connection north to Reading. At Valley Forge, I-76 diverges toward Philadelphia, but the turnpike (as I-276) bypasses it to the north.

Schuylkill Expressway

At Valley Forge, northwest of Philadelphia, I-76 leaves the Pennsylvania Turnpike to run into Philadelphia on the Schuylkill Expressway, while the turnpike continues east as I-276. Immediately after exiting the turnpike, I-76 interchanges with the US 202 and US 422 freeways near King of Prussia. I-76 later crosses I-476 near Conshohocken and begins running along the southwest shore of the Schuylkill River. I-76 then enters the city/county limits of Philadelphia where interchanges provide access to US 1 (Roosevelt Expressway) and the Vine Street Expressway ( I-676); the latter runs through Center City while I-76 bypasses to the south.

After the Grays Ferry Avenue exit near University City, I-76 crosses the Schuylkill Expressway Bridge to go toward the South Philadelphia Sports Complex near Lincoln Financial Field, Wells Fargo Center, and Citizens Bank Park.

The last interchange before the Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River into New Jersey is with I-95. Some of the ramps involve traffic signals, as the ramps to I-95 were retrofitted into an existing interchange when I-95 was built, and the tollbooth for the bridge lies west of the crossing of the two roads.

New Jersey

Just after crossing the Delaware River on the Walt Whitman Bridge, I-76 turns south and becomes the North–South Freeway, which carries I-676 north to Downtown Camden; the unsigned Route 76C connector runs east to US 130 and Route 168. The exit numbers in New Jersey are backward, running from east to west. Though signed eastbound toward Atlantic City, the route ends near Gloucester City in western Camden County at an interchange with I-295.

From the exit for I-676 to the end, I-76 originally had local–express lanes in both directions; the barriers in both directions, however, have been removed due to rebuilding of the I-295, I-76, and Route 42 interchange. I-76 ends at an interchange with I-295 on the Mount Ephraim– Bellmawr town line. The road becomes Route 42, continuing south on the North–South Freeway and then feeding into the A.C. Expressway to Atlantic City. While the South Jersey Transportation Authority (which owns the A.C. Expressway) is not against the idea of making the freeway section of Route 42 and the A.C. Expressway an eastern extension of I-76, they feel that making the change without a compelling reason would only add to motorists' confusion in southern New Jersey.

History

The majority of I-76 along the Pennsylvania Turnpike includes the first long-distance rural freeway in the U.S.; the Ohio Turnpike and Schuylkill Expressway are also pre-Interstate freeways. By 1955, the section of that route from west of Youngstown to Center City, was included in the planned Interstate Highway System, as was present I-76 from west of Youngstown to Akron. (Some early plans called for a new freeway along SR 14 to the Pennsylvania state line; it is unclear when the proposed route was shifted to the turnpikes.)

In 1957, the route from Cleveland east to Harrisburg, running roughly along the SR 14 corridor in Ohio and the turnpike in Pennsylvania, was labeled I-80, and the rest of the route from Harrisburg to Philadelphia was assigned I-80S. (I-80N would have run from Harrisburg to New York City.) I-78 was assigned to a route from Norwalk, paralleling SR 18 through Akron to Youngstown and turning south there to end at the planned I-80.

The 1957 numbering, however, was drawn on a map from 1947, which did not include several changes that had been approved, specifically the Keystone Shortway across Pennsylvania. (The route in that corridor ran further north, along US 6, and was numbered I-84.) Thus, the final numbering, approved in 1958, assigned I-80 to the Norwalk–Youngstown route to reach the Keystone Shortway. The former alignment through Cleveland became I-80N; the turnpike was still not assigned a number from near Elyria (where I-80N and I-90 would split from it) to west of Youngstown. The route from west of Youngstown to Philadelphia was assigned I-80S, and extended east to I-295 in New Jersey when auxiliary Interstates were assigned in 1959. (The planned I-80N in Pennsylvania became I-78.) Initial spurs of I-80S were I-180 (now I-176), I-280 (now I-276), I-480 (now I-476), and I-680 (now I-676, though it swapped with I-76 in 1972).

Plans for a limited-access highway along the west bank of the Schuylkill River originated in 1932, as part of a proposed cars-only parkway system for the Philadelphia area similar to the contemporary system being built in New York City. The "Valley Forge Parkway" was to have run from Fairmount Park to Valley Forge State Park (now Valley Forge National Historical Park) with plans for a later extension to Reading via Pottstown. However, planning for the proposed parkway system stalled and the plan was eventually abandoned. Planning for today's Schukill expressway began in 1947, when the city of Philadelphia approved plans to develop a highway connecting Philadelphia with the terminus of the planned Philadelphia Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Valley Forge. The highway was designed by engineers Michael Rapuano, who had previously aided in the design of the Garden State Parkway, and Bill Allen of Gannett Fleming. The new expressway largely followed the earlier planned parkway route from Valley Forge to Fairmount Park, while also extending into southern Philadelphia and across the Delaware River into New Jersey. Two alternatives were proposed south of University City: one routing would continue along the west bank of the river into Southwest Philadelphia to its confluence near Philadelphia International Airport, where it would tunnel underneath the Delaware to Paulsboro, New Jersey; the other would cross the Schuylkill south of University City and bisect South Philadelphia, crossing the Delaware River into Gloucester City, New Jersey. Planned expansions of the airport in the path of the former proposal led to adoption of the routing through South Philadelphia.Construction of the road began in 1949. The road was completed in stages, with a short segment near King of Prussia opening in 1951 along with the turnpike's Philadelphia Extension, with the section from King of Prussia to Conshohocken opening a year later. The section between Conshohocken and City Avenue opened in 1954. The Walt Whitman Bridge opened in 1957. The expressway was completed through Fairmount Park in 1959, and, in 1960, the entire expressway was complete with the opening of the segment through University City.

The Schuylkill Expressway was initially designated as PA 43 and was cosigned with I-80S between King of Prussia and Center City and I-680 between Center City and the Walt Whitman Bridge when the Interstate Highway System was designated in 1956. Prior to the roadways being signed as Interstates, I-395 was to be designated along the Schuylkill Expressway from the Vine Street Expressway to the Walt Whitman Bridge; however, I-680 was preferred to be the final designation for this route. On April 16, 1963, Pennsylvania wanted to renumber its Interstate numbers. Part of this was the renumbering from I-80S into I-76, and all of its auxiliary routes into I-x76. The Federal Highway Administration approved the request on February 26, 1964. As a result, I-80S became I-76 and I-680 became I-676. In addition to this renumbering, the PA 43 designation was removed from the Schuylkill Expressway.

In 1972, the I-76 and the I-676 designations were switched onto their current routes, with the entire length of the Schuylkill Expressway designated as I-76.

I-80 was realigned in Ohio by 1962, largely taking over former I-80N, which ran through Cleveland, joining the turnpike southwest of Cleveland. However, while I-80N was planned to split from I-80 near Kent and run northwest to Cleveland along SR 14, the new alignment of I-80 used the turnpike between the crossing west of Youngstown and the crossing with SR 14 at Streetsboro. The former I-80 from near Youngstown west to Akron became part of I-80S, as did a new alignment (already built as US 224) from Akron west to I-71 east of Lodi; the rest of proposed I-80 west to near Norwalk (which would have crossed I-71 near Medina) was removed from the Interstate Highway System. I-80 was moved to the turnpike between Streetsboro and southwest of Cleveland ; the old route became I-480.

On April 16, 1963, due in part to the extension of I-79 south from Greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania proposed a partial renumbering. A new number, tentatively designated I-76, would run from Downtown Pittsburgh east on what was then I-70 (I-70S bypassed Pittsburgh to the south on what is now I-70) to the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Monroeville, and then east along the remainder of I-80S to I-295. I-80S would remain on the section of turnpikes from west of Youngstown to Monroeville. This was approved February 26, 1964, and included the renumbering of all I-X80 spurs to I-X76.

On June 29, 1970, a renumbering was approved in the Pittsburgh area, with the main effect being rerouting I-79 to bypass Pittsburgh to the west on the former I-279. I-279 was moved to the former I-79 north of downtown, and the former I-79 from downtown southwest to new I-79 became a western extension of I-76. (It was then that I-876 was designated for former I-479.) A realignment and extension of I-76 into Ohio, taking over the rest of I-80S to I-71 east of Lodi, was approved January 11, 1972. The former I-76 from Monroeville west into Downtown Pittsburgh became I-376, and I-279 was extended southwest from downtown along former I-76 to I-79. (I-876 was renumbered to I-579 then.) Signs in Ohio were changed September 1, 1972; the old I-80S signs remained for about a year.

On August 29, 1972, a swap of I-76 and I-676 in Philadelphia and Camden was approved. I-76 had been routed along the Vine Street Expressway and Ben Franklin Bridge (now I-676) through Center City, while I-676 used the Schuylkill Expressway and Walt Whitman Bridge to bypass downtown to the south. The switch was made because of delays in building the Vine Street Expressway, better interchange geometry at the splits, and that the Ben Franklin Bridge ends in city streets, rather than in expressway grade. The renumbering of a Philadelphia Interstate to I-76 in the years leading up to the Bicentennial Celebration of the 1776 signing in Philadelphia of the Declaration of Independence gives rise to the question of the highway number being an intentional tribute to the spirit of 1776. U.S. Department of Transportation research into federal documentation of the I-76 renumbering found no evidence of this being intentional.

Immediately after its completion, operational studies performed on the Schuylkill Expressway found that the route would be unable to cope with the area's growing traffic demands, due to the many substandard design elements and compromises incorporated to cope with the rugged, difficult routing of the road. In 1962, plans were announced for a parallel expressway along the east bank of the Schuylkill River known as the Manayunk Expressway; however, these plans were quickly withdrawn due to substantial opposition. An alternative plan was then introduced to widen the entire highway to eight lanes in time for the US Bicentennial in 1976; however, these plans were also shelved due to local disapproval. A scaled-down widening project was successfully undertaken from 1969 to 1972 to widen a short section of the road to six lanes through Fairmount Park.

From 1985 to 1989, part of the Schuylkill Expressway was reconstructed with new pavement.

In the almost seven decades since its opening, congestion on the Schuylkill Expressway has steadily increased. Plans to expand the expressway to eight lanes by building an upper deck, including high-occupancy toll lanes, were advocated by former Pennsylvania House Speaker John Perzel, but never came to fruition. PennDOT completed a scaled back version of a $23.7-million (equivalent to $32.9 million in 2023) project to add 29 webcams on the Schuylkill Expressway between the Conshohocken Curve and Passyunk Avenue in 2008.

On the afternoon of June 8, 2011, a section of the Schuylkill Expressway near Grays Ferry Avenue buckled from temperatures around 100 °F (38 °C), causing lane closures. The closed lane of the road was later reopened temporarily until full repairs could be made.

Exactly three months later, on September 8, 2011, heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Lee caused a rockslide in the vicinity of the Conshohocken Curve, flooding near Belmont Avenue, and a mudslide by Girard Avenue. For hours, motorists were stuck at various locations in both directions between I-476 and Girard Avenue until the mess could be cleaned up.

In May 2011, the new westbound entrance at South Gulph and South Henderson roads in King of Prussia was completed and in November the westbound exit was completed. The new interchange cost $10.5 million (equivalent to $14 million in 2023) and used money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

PennDOT has installed variable speed limit signs along the Schuylkill Expressway, where the speed limit can be lowered due to factors such as inclement weather or accidents as well as to manage traffic flow. The variable speed limit signs were activated on April 8, 2021. The project incorporates variable-message signs to alert motorists to traffic congestion ahead. It could also coordinate with SEPTA to provide motorists with real-time mass transit information to give commuters an option to exit the highway and use public transportation to finish their trip at some point. There are also future plans to coordinate traffic signals on roads leading to the Schuylkill Expressway and install ramp meters on entrance ramps to the highway. PennDOT is in the preliminary stages of studying plans to use the right shoulder of the Schuylkill Expressway as a travel lane in certain sections during peak periods; construction of these lanes is not expected to begin until sometime in the mid-2020s.

In 2022, one mile of the highway in Lower Merion Township was designated as the "Firefighter Thomas Royds Memorial Highway" in honor of Thomas Royds, a firefighter who was killed by a drunk driver while responding to an accident on the highway in 2021.

The rugged terrain, limited riverfront space covered by the route and narrow spans of bridges passing over the highway have largely stymied attempts to upgrade or widen the Schuylkill Expressway. With the road being highly over capacity, it has become notorious for its chronic congestion. An average of 163,000 vehicles use the road daily in Philadelphia County, and an average of 109,000 use the highway in Montgomery County, making it the busiest road in Pennsylvania. Its narrow lane and left shoulder configuration, left lane entrances and exits (nicknamed "merge or die"), common construction activity, and generally congested conditions have led to many accidents, critical injuries, and fatalities, leading to the highway's humorous nickname of the "Surekill Expressway" or, in further embellishment, the "Surekill Distressway" or the "Surekill Crawlway".

Exit list

Exit numbers on the turnpike portion in Ohio follow the mileage markers for the Ohio Turnpike.

Auxiliary routes

* I-176 runs north from I-76 near Morgantown, Pennsylvania, to US 422 outside of Reading, Pennsylvania.
* I-276 runs east from I-76 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, along the Pennsylvania Turnpike to I-95 in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania.
* I-376 runs west from I-76 in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, becomes a toll road northwest of the airport, intersects I-76 again, and terminates at I-80 in Sharon, Pennsylvania.
* I-476 begins at I-95 near Chester, Pennsylvania, and heads north, crossing I-76 near Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and I-276 near Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. From there it continues north on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension to I-81 at Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, north of Scranton, Pennsylvania. I-476 is the longest auxiliary Interstate.
* PA 576 is a planned, partially completed, southern bypass of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, though it could become I-576.
* I-676 is a loop through Center City, Philadelphia, and Camden, New Jersey, crossing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. It runs through several traffic signals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in violation of Interstate Highway standards.
* I-876 was the number for present I-579 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the early 1970s.
* Interstate 76 Alternate (I-76 Alt.) is an incident bypass route located in Summit County, Ohio, that runs along SR 21 and I-77 between Norton, Ohio, and Akron, Ohio.
* Interstate 76 Connector (I-76 Conn.) is an unsigned business route located in Camden, New Jersey, that runs from the I-76 and I-676 interchange to Route 168. It interchanges US 130 before reaching its eastern terminus.

See also

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References

External links

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Interstate 76 (Eastern) at Interstate-Guide.com


The Roads of Metro Philadelphia: Interstate 76 - New Jersey

New Jersey Roads - I-76

I-76 New Jersey at AARoads.com

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Interstate 76

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Interstate 80