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Pennsylvania Route 145 marker

Pennsylvania Route 145

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Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length20.46 mi[1] (32.93 km)
Existed1928–present
Major junctions
Major intersections PA 222 in Allentown
US 22 in Whitehall Township
PA 329 in Whitehall Township
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountiesLehigh, Northampton
Highway system
← PA 144→ PA 146

Pennsylvania Route 145 (PA 145) is a 20 mile (32 km) long[1] state highway, in the US state of Pennsylvania. The designation of the highway begins at exit 60 of Interstate 78 and Pennsylvania Route 309 in the hamlet of Lanark, north to Pennsylvania Route 248 in the community of Weiders Crossing.

Commissioned in 1928, PA 145 is the main north-south route into Allentown, Pennsylvania, the third-largest city in Pennsylvania.[2] In Whitehall Township, a seven mile portion of PA 145 is known as MacArthur Road. MacArthur Road is almost entirely divided; between US 22 and Eberhart Road, it is up to six lanes wide with slip ramps. In Whitehall Township, MacArthur Road is the location of the main commercial center of the Lehigh Valley. The Lehigh Valley Mall, a large Allentown-area shopping mall, is located on PA 145, in Whitehall Township.

Where the highway stops being called MacArthur Road, it narrows to two lanes. It then passes through the predominantly rural land parallel to the Lehigh River, crossing the river on a concrete bridge at the Lehigh - Northampton county line.[3]

The highway attracts more than the average traffic for roads in the Lehigh Valley. An average of 21,827 vehicles a day use it in Allentown and, where it is known as MacArthur road, 36,345 in Whitehall Township. [4]

Route description

Communities[5]

Lehigh County

South Mountain

PA 145 begins at an interchange with Interstate 78 at exit 60 and PA Route 309 in Upper Saucon Township, located 4 miles southeast of downtown Allentown. This interchange is not only the southern terminus of PA 145 but also the eastern terminus of the Interstate 78/PA Route 309 concurrency. Just north of I-78, PA 145 is known as South Pike Avenue and meets Vera Cruz Road and Oakhurst Drive at an at-grade intersection.[6]

The route continues to the north as it runs up a hill on South Mountain with s-curves. Upon entering the village of Summit Lawn at the peak of South Mountain, PA 145 has access to I-78 west and PA 309 north via Rock Road. After crossing Rock Road, PA 145 begins to go down another hill on South Mountain.[7]

Allentown

PA 145 south as S. Pike Avenue in Summit Lawn.

Going down a steep hill, PA 145 enters the city of Allentown as South Fourth Street. At the end of the hill, PA 145 intersects Emmaus Avenue, a major road that connects Bethlehem, Allentown, and Emmaus. Past Emmaus Avenue, PA 145 continues on its north alignment as South Fourth Street, passing through the Allentown neighborhood of Mountainville. In Mountainville, PA 145 passes west of a shopping center with stores like Price Rite and K-mart. When exiting Mountainville, PA 145 turns west onto Susquehanna Street and crosses both Trout Creek and Norfolk Southern Railway before making a wide curve to the north and becoming South Fifth Street.[8]

Just after becoming South Fifth Street, PA 145 divides into a couple of one-way streets, known as a one-way couplet. PA 145 south is known as South Sixth Street, which then turns to the east onto Wyoming Street and reunites with the other half at South Fifth Street. PA 145 north is known as South Fifth Street; it passes Good Shepherd Hospital, turns west onto Auburn Street, and reunites with PA 145 south at a junction with South Sixth Street and Lehigh Street. North of the split, PA 145 becomes the three lane Lehigh Street, crosses the Little Lehigh Creek, and intersects Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Briefly north of the MLK Drive intersection, PA 145 progresses on its north alignment up a long hill.[5]

At the top of the hill, PA 145 divides again when PA 145 north turns east onto Union Street while PA 145 south comes from the west, also as Union Street. Just after becoming Union Street, PA 145 north turns north to become Sixth Street. While PA 145 south is known as Seventh Street, it passes through the commercial district of Allentown and is a major one-way three lane street home to one of Allentown's oldest supermarkets: Little Apple Market.[9] At the intersection of Seventh and Hamilton Streets, there is a monument called the Sailors and Soldiers Monument in Center City, Allentown. The monument was built to honor General Phillip Sheridan’s Civil War unit and the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers.[10] Meantime, PA 145 north continues its north alignment as Sixth Street and intersects the northern terminus of PA Route 222, the latter of which is split into Walnut and Linden Streets.

Sixth Street is home to The Morning Call, Allentown's main newspaper distributor. In the northern region of Allentown, PA 145 (as Seventh and Sixth Streets) intersects Tilghman Street, one of the major streets in Allentown. After crossing Tilghman Street, PA 145 north turns west onto Washington Street then turns north onto Seventh Street to reunite with PA 145 south. North of Washington Street, PA 145 continues its northern course as the three lane Seventh Street. Then, PA 145 crosses a tall bridge over Sumner Avenue, leaves Allentown, and becomes MacArthur Road.[11][12]

MacArthur Road

MacArthur Road heading north at the Lehigh Valley Mall entrance.

After crossing the bridge, PA 145 enters Whitehall Township and becomes a four lane divided highway known as MacArthur Road. In Whitehall, PA 145 has several intersections like Mickley Road, Jordan Parkway, and Fairmont Avenue. After crossing the Jordan Creek, less than a half a mile north of Fairmont Avenue, PA 145 intersects U.S. Route 22 at a full cloverleaf interchange. North of this point, PA 145 has widened to six lanes.[13]

Just north of US 22, PA 145 traverses the main commercial center of the Lehigh Valley. The first junction is Grape Street, with two ramps to access the street from both northbound and southbound. PA 145 continues its north alignment through numerous stores and businesses. It has several major junctions like Schadt Avenue and Mickley Road. At the intersection with Eberhart Road, PA 145 is no longer divided and no longer a six lane road but now a four lane road. About a mile north of Eberhart Road, PA 145 becomes a divided highway again but only has four lanes.

About a mile west of Northampton, PA 145 meets PA Route 329. North of PA 329, PA 145 continues its northern course as MacArthur Road. Then, the divided four lane MacArthur Road comes to an end as PA 145 continues its north alignment as a two lane road. At this point, the Lehigh River is almost visible and is only about 280 feet east of PA 145. After crossing the village of Laurys Station, PA 145 curves to the west and leaves Lehigh County while crossing the Lehigh River on the Triechlers Bridge.[14]

Northampton County

After PA 145 crosses the bridge over the Lehigh River, the highway enters Northampton County and intersects Blue Mountain Drive, which has direct access to the Blue Mountain Ski Area.[3] Then, PA 145 curves to the south as Riverview Drive, later diverging to the west and back to the north, parallel to the Lehigh River. PA 145 enters Walnutport from the south as Riverview Drive which becomes Best Avenue upon entering the borough.[12] At the center of Walnutport, this road meets Main Street. In Lehigh Township, PA 145 becomes Riverview Drive once again as it terminates at an intersection with PA Route 248 located in Weiders Crossing. The northern terminus of PA Route 873 is also on PA 248, just north of PA 145.[5]

History

South Fourth Street in Allentown was not signed as PA 145 until the 1990s.

Throughout the history of PA 145, the northern and southern terminus were unstable. The department of transportation made many changes to the highway's designation through its history. PA 145 has always served as an important road to the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. By the 1990s, the Lehigh Valley's population increased and PA 145 has become heavily traveled throughout the region.[4] Today, MacArthur Road has an average of more than 36,000 vehicles a day due to the numerous stores and business on the highway. In July 2006, the Lehigh Valley had a population of more than 800,000 residents, this increase in population in the area relates to more traffic for PA 145 and MacArthur Road.[15]

1928 to 1960

PA 145 was established in 1928. From 1928 through 1941, its southern terminus was at an intersection with U.S. Route 22, U.S. Route 309, and PA Route 29 at the current SR 1002 (Tilghman St.) designation in Allentown. U.S. Route 22, U.S. Route 309, and PA Route 29 ended a conurrency at the southern terminus of PA 145. The northern terminus of PA 145 was at PA Route 45 in Weiders Crossing. The reason why this highway is numbered 145, is due to the highway's former parent; the 1940s corridor of PA Route 45. PA Route 45 had another spur in the 1940s, numbered PA Route 245 in Northampton County. PA Route 245 intersected PA 145 in Walnutport; today PA Route 245 is decommissioned and signed as Main Street. [16]

Today's designation of PA 145 in Allentown was assigned to the U.S. Route 309 and PA Route 29 concurrency from Tilghman Street to Lehigh Street. The western terminus of PA Route 43 was at U.S. Route 309 at the intersection of South Fourth Street and Susquehanna Street in Allentown; The western terminus of PA Route 43 was at the current desgination of PA 145. By the 1940s, the U.S. Route 309 and PA Route 29 concurrency ended at the current junction of PA 145 and Lehigh Street. PA Route 29 continued to the southwest on what is today known as Lehigh Street. U.S. Route 309 continued to the south on the current PA 145 alignment past the Allentown community of Mountainville and Summit Lawn.[17]

1960 to present

South of U.S. Route 22, another section of PA 145 was not signed until the 1990s.

Through the 1960s, U.S. Route 22 traversed Whitehall Township north of Allentown as the Lehigh Valley Thruway concurrent with Interstate 78. By 1961, the southern terminus of PA 145 was moved north to an interchange with Interstate 78 and U.S. Route 22 in Whitehall Township. PA Route 43 was moved from Susquehanna Street, due a new alignment of U.S. Route 309. [18]

From 1961 to 1974, PennDOT decommissioned PA Route 45, to move the highway to central Pennsylvania.[19] Due to the move of PA 45, PA 248 was commissioned on the designation. After PA 45 was decommissioned, PA 248 become the northern terminus of PA 145.[20] In 1984, PA 145 had an average of 14,184 vehicles in Allentown. In 1988, MacArthur Road had an average of 35,879 vehicles per day.[4]

In 1984, new ideas were introduced by Traffic Engineer Samuel D. Darrohn, to extend PA 145 south of U.S. Route 22 to Interstate 78 and PA Route 309 in Lanark. Samuel D. Darrohh said Allentown is one of few Pennsylvania cities without a traffic route going through it. A section of 7th Street south of U.S. Route 22 is in Whitehall Township, meaning the township would have to approve the plan to extend PA 145. He supported his idea by saying that motorists also might be aided if U.S. Route 222 eventually is extended along Hamilton Boulevard to connect with the proposed PA 145 corridor. Today, the alignment that runs along Hamilton Boulevard is signed as PA Route 222. [21]

By 1991, PA 145 had been extended south of U.S. Route 22, through Allentown to the current southern terminus at an interchange with Interstate 78 and PA Route 309 in Lanark.[22][23] In 1995, an average of 20,426 vehicles a day used the highway in Allentown. In 1996, an average of 33,800 vehicles a day used the MacArthur Road portion of the highway.[4] In 2005, PA 145 averaged 22,000 vehicles a day in the city of Allentown. MacArthur Road averaged 36,000 vehicles a day in Whitehall Township.[24]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[25]kmDestinationsNotes
LehighUpper Saucon Township0.000.00
I-78/PA 309[12]		Access to PA 309 south and I-78 east.
Allentown3.034.88 PA 43[17]Former alignment of PA 43. To Bethlehem.
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): street
3.625.83
US 309/PA 29[17]		Former southern terminus of US 309/PA 29 concurrency.
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): street
4.156.68
PA 222 north		Northern terminus of PA 222.
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): street
4.367.02
PA 222 south		The Morning Call is located at this intersection.
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): street
4.978.00
US 22/US 309/PA 29 [17]/SR 1002		Current alignment of SR 1002.
Former alignment of US 22.
Former eastern terminus of US 22/US 309/PA 29 concurrency.
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): street
Whitehall Township6.159.90 US 22Cloverleaf interchange.
Former alignment of I-78.
10.7117.24 PA 329
NorthamptonWalnutport18.6029.93 PA 245[16]Former alignment of PA 245.
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): street
Lehigh Township20.4632.93 PA 45 [16]/PA 248Current alignment of PA 248.
Former alignment of PA 45.
Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): ctdab, street
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Attractions

References

  1. ^ a b "Length of Pennsylvania Route 145". Mapquest. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
  2. ^ "Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metropolitan Map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
  3. ^ a b "2005 Northampton County Map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  4. ^ a b c d Template:Cite email
  5. ^ a b c Motor Carrier's Road Atlas (Map) (2007 Deluxe ed.). Rand McNally. p. 89. § EL 11. {{cite map}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear= and |accessmonth= (help)
  6. ^ "Map of the southern terminus of Pennsylvania Route 145". Mapquest. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  7. ^ "2004 Lehigh County Map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  8. ^ "Map of PA 145 in southern Allentown". Mapquest. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  9. ^ "Little Apple Market". Yellow Pages. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  10. ^ "Allentown History - Walking Tour". Official website of Allentown. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
  11. ^ "Map of Allentown". Yellow Pages. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  12. ^ a b c "Pennsylvania Official Tourism and Transportation Map 2006" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
  13. ^ Pennsylvania Atlas and Gazetteer Detailed Topographic Maps (Map) (2003 ed.). DeLorme. p. 67. § C6. {{cite map}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  14. ^ "Whitehall Area Map". Rand McNally. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
  15. ^ "Population boom". The Morning Call. 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2007-04-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ a b c "1941 Northampton County Map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  17. ^ a b c d "1941 Lehigh County Map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  18. ^ "1960 Lehigh County Map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  19. ^ "1974 Lehigh County Map (Sheet 2)" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  20. ^ "1974 Lehigh County Map (Sheet 1)" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  21. ^ Mellin, Ted (1984-07-31). "Route 145 Extension Through The City Receives Backing". The Morning Call. pp. B03. Retrieved 2007-04-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "1991 Lehigh County Map (Sheet 1)" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  23. ^ "1991 Lehigh County Map (Sheet 2)" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  24. ^ "2005 Traffic map for Lehigh County" (PDT). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
  25. ^ Street Atlas USA measuring tool (Map) (2007 ed.). DeLorme. {{cite map}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear= and |accessmonth= (help)

External links

Template:Lehigh Valley Travel

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pennsylvania_Route_145&oldid=123729917