Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike

The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, first used in 1795, is the first long-distance paved road built in the United States, according to engineered plans and specifications.[3] It links Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia at 34th Street, stretching for sixty-two miles. It was later extended by the Lancaster and Susquehanna Turnpike to the Susquehanna River in Columbia.[4] The route is designated Pennsylvania Route 462 from the western terminus to US 30, where that route takes over for the majority of the route. The US 30 designation ends at Girard Avenue in the Parkside neighborhood of Philadelphia, where State Route 3012 takes it from there to Belmont Avenue. At Belmont Avenue, State Route 3005 gets the designation from Belmont Avenue until the current terminus at 34th Street. Historically, Lancaster Pike terminated at Market Street before Drexel University took over the stretch between 32nd and 34th Streets.[5]

Share of the "Company of the Lancaster and Turnpike Road", issued 16 March 1795

Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike
Lancaster Avenue
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length	73.33 mi[1] (118.01 km) Route to Columbia included (10.86 mi)
Existed	1792 (first used 1795)–present
Component highways	Lincoln Highway from Columbia to Lower Merion PA 462 from Columbia to Lancaster PA 23 in Lancaster US 30 from Lancaster to Sadsbury Township US 30 Bus. from Sadsbury Township to Frazer US 30 from Frazer to Philadelphia • SR 3012 and SR 3005 in Philadelphia • Lancaster Walk (a pedestrian walkway) in Drexel University campus between 34th and 32nd Streets • Lancaster Avenue between 32nd and Market Streets
Major junctions
West end	PA 462 in Columbia
East end	34th Street in Philadelphia PA 3 (at small stub between Market Street and 32nd Street)
Location
Counties	Lancaster, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia
Highway system
Pennsylvania State Route System Interstate U.S. State Scenic Byways Legislative
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated	November 20, 1999[2]

Old Lancaster Road and Lancaster Avenue in Lower Merion Township

It was the first turnpike of importance, and because the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania could not afford to pay for its construction, it was privately built by the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road Company, making it an early example of a public-private partnership for American infrastructure.[6][7] Credited as the country's first engineered road, its ground was broken in 1792.[8] By the 1840s, the use of railroads and canals dealt a serious blow to the companies who specialized in the manufacture of wagons and coaches. During the next fifty years, the road suffered from lack of use and maintenance, but later saw recovery with the invention of the automobile.

In 1876, the parallel Pennsylvania Railroad bought the turnpike from 52nd Street in Philadelphia west to Paoli for $20,000 (equal to $480,188 today) to prevent competing streetcar companies from building along it. In 1913, the turnpike became part of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway, and tolls continued to be collected until 1917, when the State Highway Department bought it for $165,000, equal to $3,292,714 today.[9] In 1926 it was designated as part of U.S. Route 30 along with the rest of the original United States Numbered Highways.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Lancaster	Columbia	0.00	0.00	North 3rd Street to PA 441 – Washington Boro, Marietta	Western terminus of the former Turnpike. 40.033907°N 76.504755°W PA 462 continues west into Wrightsville on the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.
	Lancaster Township	7.73	12.44	PA 741 (Rorherstown/Millersville Road) – East Petersburg, New Danville
	Lancaster	9.76	15.71	PA 23 west (College Avenue)	Western terminus of westbound concurrency with PA 23 westbound.
		10.48	16.87	PA 999 west (Manor Street)	Eastern terminus of PA 999. Connection to King Street only.[10]
		10.74	17.28	US 222 south (PA 272 south / Prince Street)	Southbound one-way pair of US 222/PA 272.
		10.86	17.48	PA 72 north (Queen Street)
		11.10	17.86	US 222 north (PA 272 north / Lime Street)	Northbound one-way pair of US 222/PA 272.
		11.84	19.05	PA 23 east (Broad Street)	Eastern terminus of westbound concurrency with PA 23 westbound.
		12.74	20.50	PA 340 east (Old Philadelphia Pike)	Western terminus of PA 340.
	East Lampeter Township	14.54	23.40	US 30 west to PA 283 west – York, Harrisburg	Eastern terminus of PA 462. Turnpike is designated US 30 east of this point.
	Ronks	17.03	27.41	PA 896 (Eastbrook/Hartman Bridge Road) – Strasburg
	Gap	25.92	41.71	PA 772 west (Newport Road)	Eastern terminus of PA 772.
		26.32	42.36	PA 41 south (Gap-Newport Pike) – Wilmington, DE	Northern terminus of PA 41.
		26.66	42.91	PA 897 north (White Horse Road)	Southern terminus of PA 897.
Chester	West Sadsbury Township	31.10	50.05	PA 10 (Octorara Trail) – Honey Brook, Parkesburg
		31.50	50.69	US 30 (Downingtown-Coatesville Bypass) – Coatesville, Downingtown	Western terminus of US 30 BUS. Turnpike is US 30 BUS east of here.
	Coatesville	36.59	58.89	PA 82 south (Strode Avenue)
		37.00	59.55	PA 82 north (1st Avenue)
	Thorndale	41.24	66.37	PA 340 west (Bondsville Road) – Wagontown	Eastern terminus of PA 340. Paoli/Thorndale Line trains terminate here at the nearby train station, two intersections west at S. Bailey Rd.
	Downingtown	43.48	69.97	US 322 west (Manor Avenue) to US 30	Western terminus of concurrency with US 322.
		43.66	70.26	US 322 east (Brandywine Avenue) – West Chester	Eastern terminus of concurrency with US 322, western terminus of concurrency with US 322 Truck
		43.80	70.49	PA 282 west (Green Street)	Eastern terminus of PA 282.
		44.18	71.10	PA 113 north (West Uwchlan Avenue) to Penna Turnpike	Southern terminus of PA 113.
	East Caln Township			US 322 Truck east (Quarry Road)	Eastern terminus of concurrency with US 322 Truck
		45.41	73.08	US 30 (Downingtown-Coatesville/Exton Bypass) – Coatesville, Lancaster, King of Prussia	Interchange.
	Exton	47.98	77.22	PA 100 (Pottstown Pike) – Pottstown, West Chester
	West Whiteland Township	50.29	80.93	US 30 west / US 202 – Downingtown, King of Prussia, West Chester	Eastern terminus of US 30 BUS. Turnpike is US 30 east of here.
	Frazer	51.65	83.12	PA 352 south (Sproul Road) – Chester	Northern terminus of PA 352.
	Malvern	53.21	85.63	PA 401 west (Conestoga Road) – Elverson	Eastern terminus of PA 401.
		53.62	86.29	PA 29 north (Morehall Road) to US 202	Southern terminus of PA 29.
	Paoli	56.14	90.35	PA 252 (Bear Hill/Leopard Road) – Valley Forge, Newtown Square
Delaware	Villanova	62.93	101.28	I-476 (Blue Route) – Plymouth Meeting, Chester	Interchange.
		63.26	101.81	PA 320 (Spring Mill/Sproul Road)
Montgomery–Philadelphia county line	Lower Merion Township–Philadelphia line	69.35	111.61	US 1 (City Avenue)
Philadelphia	Philadelphia	71.56	115.16	US 30 east (Girard Avenue)	US 30 is the Turnpike west of here. Western terminus of SR 3012.
		72.00	115.87	Belmont Avenue (SR 3005) / 44th Street	Eastern terminus of SR 3012. Concurrent with SR 3005 until terminus.[5]
		73.04	117.55	US 13 (Powelton Avenue)
		73.33	118.01	34th Street	Eastern terminus of SR 3005. 39.958767°N 75.191009°W
		73.83	118.82	Drexel University	Pedestrian walkway called “Lancaster Walk”
		74.33	119.62	PA 3 (Market Street) / 32nd Street	Eastern terminus of “Lancaster Avenue” at Market Street Location of 32nd St. and Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia Armory 39.9553841°N 75.1875208°W
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

•  U.S. Roads portal
•  Pennsylvania portal
•  Philadelphia portal
• Great Wagon Road
• Lincoln Highway
• "The Colossus", 1813 bridge

References

1. DeLorme Street Atlas 2007, Toggle Measure Tool. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
2. "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
3. "The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
4. "Bridges, Roads, and Turnpikes Collection, 1767-1968". LancasterHistory. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
5. Philadelphia County (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 2005. p. 1. Retrieved July 2, 2007.
6. Buxbaum, Jeffrey N (2009). Public Sector Decision Making for Public-private Partnerships. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-309-09829-8.
7. "Philadelphia & Lancaster Turnpike". Lifelong Learning Online. Archived from the original on August 27, 2002. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
8. "Philadelphia & Lancaster Turnpike". Explore Pennsylvania History. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
9. Butko, Brian. The Lincoln Highway: Pennsylvania Traveler's Guide. pp. 50–51. ISBN 0-8117-2497-2.
10. "Eastern terminus of PA 999". Google. Retrieved July 2, 2007.

External links

• Pennsylvania Highways: US 30
• Lancaster Avenue: Turn of the Millennium. Photographs along the Lancaster Turnpike in Philadelphia.