Route information | ||||
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Maintained by PennDOT | ||||
Length | 8.860 mi [1] (14.259 km) | |||
Existed | May 9, 1966 [2] –present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | PA 309 in Schnecksville | |||
PA 329 in Neffs | ||||
North end | PA 248 in Lehigh Township | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Pennsylvania | |||
Counties | Lehigh, Northampton | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Pennsylvania Route 873 (PA 873) is a north-south, two-lane road in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, mainly located in northern Lehigh County with a small section in Northampton County. Its southern terminus is at PA 309 in Schnecksville. Its northern terminus is at PA 248 in the Lehigh Township hamlet of Weiders Crossing. The route runs through rural areas in northern Lehigh County, intersecting the western terminus of PA 329 in Neffs. PA 873 passes through Slatington as Main Street before it crosses the Lehigh River into Northampton County and immediately reaches its northern terminus south of Lehigh Gap in Blue Mountain.
The road between Schnecksville and Lehigh Gap was originally designated part of Legislative Route 163 in 1911. This section of road became part of U.S. Route 309 (US 309) when the U.S. Highway System was established in 1926. In the late 1920s, PA 22 and PA 130 were briefly marked concurrent with US 309 at different times. In the 1950s, US 309 was moved to a new alignment to the west, and part of PA 29 was designated onto the road between Schnecksville and Lehigh Gap. PA 873 was designated onto this road on May 9, 1966 after PA 29 was split into two segments.
PA 873 begins at an intersection with PA 309 in Schnecksville in North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, which is in the Lehigh Valley.
From this intersection, the route heads north on a two-lane undivided road, passing a mix of homes and businesses. The road turns northeast and passes residences and fields before intersecting the western terminus of PA 329. From here, PA 873 continues north into Neffs prior to curving northwest and entering Washington Township. In this area, the road passes through a mix of housing developments and farmland as it turns north and passes over Interstate 476, also known as the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension.
The route continues through rural areas of homes and woods prior to crossing into the borough of Slatington. In Slatington, PA 873 becomes Main Street and is lined with residences before reaching the commercial downtown, where the road makes a sharp turn to the east and crosses over the Slate Heritage Trail and Trout Creek. The route turns north onto Walnut Street and passes more businesses before running past a few homes a short distance to the west of Slatington Airport.
PA 873 leaves Slatington for Washington Township again and runs through wooded areas with some residences. The route turns northeast, with the Appalachian Trail joining the road, and crosses over the D&L Trail and the Lehigh River into Lehigh Township in Northampton County, where it passes over Norfolk Southern's Lehigh Line before ending at PA 248 at the base of Blue Mountain south of Lehigh Gap.
The Appalachian Trail turns south onto PA 248 at this point. [3] [4] [5]
When Pennsylvania first legislated routes in 1911, what is now PA 873 was incorporated as part of Legislative Route 163, which ran between Allentown and Mauch Chunk in present-day Jim Thorpe. [6]
With creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, the section of road between Schnecksville and Lehigh Gap was designated as part of US 309, a route that ran from Philadelphia north to Wilkes-Barre. [7] [8] At this time, the entire road was paved. [7] PA 22 was designated concurrent with US 309 on this stretch of road in 1927. [9]
The following year, in 1927, PA 130 replaced the PA 22 designation along US 309. [10] By 1930, the concurrent PA 130 designation was removed along this stretch of US 309, which intersected PA 29 in Schnecksville and PA 45 in Lehigh Gap. [11] US 309 was shifted west to a new alignment between Allentown and Hazleton in the 1950s, and PA 29 was shifted east to follow the road running between Schnecksville and Lehigh Gap. [12]
On May 9, 1966, the PA 29 designation between Allentown and West Nanticoke was removed, splitting the route into two segments. As a result, PA 873 was designated onto the former alignment of PA 29 between US 309 (now PA 309) in Schnecksville and PA 248 (which replaced PA 45) in Lehigh Gap. [2]
County | Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lehigh | North Whitehall Township | 0.000 | 0.000 | PA 309 – Allentown, Tamaqua, Hazleton | Southern terminus |
1.334 | 2.147 | PA 329 east (Bellview Road) – Egypt | Western terminus of PA 329 | ||
Northampton | Lehigh Township | 8.860 | 14.259 | PA 248 (Lehigh Drive) – Palmerton, Lehighton, Easton | Northern terminus |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
North Whitehall Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The population of North Whitehall Township was 15,655 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
Washington Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The population of Washington Township was 6,624 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
Pennsylvania Route 309 is a state highway that runs for 134 miles (216 km) through eastern Pennsylvania. The route runs from an interchange between PA 611 and Cheltenham Avenue on the border of Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township north to an intersection with PA 29 in Bowman Creek, a village in Monroe Township in Wyoming County. The highway connects Philadelphia and its northern suburbs to Allentown and the Lehigh Valley, and Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre in Wyoming Valley.
Pennsylvania Route 145 is a 20.89 mi (33.62 km) long north–south state highway in the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania. It connects Interstate 78 (I-78) and PA 309 in Lanark, Lehigh County, north to PA 248 in Lehigh Gap, Northampton County.
Pennsylvania Route 248 is a 31.3 mi (50.4 km) long state highway in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 209 in Weissport East, a CDP in Franklin Township. The eastern terminus is at PA 611 in Easton. The route begins at US 209 in Carbon County and heads southeast parallel to the Lehigh River as a four-lane divided highway to Bowmanstown, where it becomes a freeway and heads through Palmerton. Upon crossing Lehigh Gap in Blue Mountain, PA 248 enters Northampton County and becomes a two-lane undivided highway that heads southeast through rural areas, serving Bath and Nazareth. From here, the route runs southeast through suburban areas to Wilson, where it turns east and follows city streets through Easton.
Pennsylvania Route 329 is a Pennsylvania state highway that runs for 12.9 miles (20.8 km) through Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It runs from PA 873 in the North Whitehall Township village of Neffs east to PA 248 and PA 987 in Bath. The route is a two-lane undivided road that runs through a mix of rural and developed areas to the north of the cities of Allentown and Bethlehem, serving the communities of Balliettsville, Egypt, Cementon, and Northampton. PA 329 intersects PA 145 near Egypt and runs concurrent with PA 987 between East Allen Township and the eastern terminus in Bath.
Pennsylvania Route 143 (PA 143) is a 20-mile-long (32 km) state highway in Pennsylvania. It runs from PA 662 in Richmond Township, Berks County northeast to PA 309 near New Tripoli in Lehigh County. The route passes through rural areas, intersecting Interstate 78 (I-78)/U.S. Route 22 (US 22) in Lenhartsville, PA 737 near Kempton, and PA 863 in Lynnport.
Pennsylvania Route 191 is a 111.54 mi (179.51 km)-long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route, a major non-freeway corridor connecting the Lehigh Valley to the Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania, is designated from U.S. Route 22 in Brodhead near the city of Bethlehem to the New York state line over the Delaware River at Hancock, New York.
Pennsylvania Route 29 is a 118-mile-long (190 km) north–south state highway that runs through most of eastern Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Route 611 is a state highway in eastern Pennsylvania running 109.7 mi (176.5 km) from Interstate 95 (I-95) in the southern part of the city of Philadelphia north to I-380 in Coolbaugh Township in the Pocono Mountains. Through most of Philadelphia, PA 611 follows Broad Street, the main north-south street in the city. The route continues north through the northern suburbs of Philadelphia and serves Jenkintown, Willow Grove, and Doylestown, the latter of which it bypasses on a freeway. North of Doylestown, PA 611 heads through rural areas and runs along the west bank of the Delaware River to the city of Easton in the Lehigh Valley. The route continues back into rural land and passes through the Delaware Water Gap, at which point it enters the Pocono Mountains region. Here, PA 611 heads northwest through Stroudsburg and Mount Pocono toward its northern terminus.
Pennsylvania Route 115 (PA 115) is a 35.7-mile-long (57.5 km) north–south state highway in eastern Pennsylvania. It stretches from U.S. Route 209 (US 209) in Brodheadsville, Monroe County, northwest to Interstate 81 (I-81) and PA 309 near Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County. PA 115 passes through rural areas along its route, intersecting PA 903 in Tunkhannock Township, I-80 and PA 940 in Tobyhanna Township, and I-476 in Bear Creek Township. The road serves as a connector between the Pocono Mountains and the Wyoming Valley.
Pennsylvania Route 987 is a state highway in the Lehigh Valley region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It runs 10.3 mi (16.6 km) from U.S. Route 22 near the Lehigh Valley International Airport north of Allentown north to PA 946 in Klecknersville. The route begins at a cloverleaf interchange with the US 22 freeway north of Allentown in Lehigh County and heads to the east of the airport as a four-lane divided highway called Airport Road as it crosses into Northampton County. PA 987 narrows to a two-lane undivided road and continues north, becoming concurrent with PA 329 as it heads into Bath. Here, PA 329 ends and PA 987 briefly runs concurrent with PA 248 before leaving the borough. PA 987 continues northwest and serves Chapman before ending at PA 946. PA 987 was first designated in the 1930s between US 22 in Allentown and PA 946 in Klecknersville. After US 22 was relocated to its present freeway alignment in 1955, the southern terminus of PA 987 was cut back to its interchange with US 22, which used to carry Interstate 78 (I-78) as well. In the early 2000s, PA 987 was widened into a divided highway and shifted to a new alignment near the Lehigh Valley International Airport.
Pennsylvania Route 378 (PA 378) is a north-to-south road in Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 309 in Center Valley. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 22 (US 22) in Bethlehem. The route heads north from PA 309 as a two-lane undivided road through Upper Saucon Township and Lower Saucon Township before crossing South Mountain into the city of Bethlehem. Here, PA 378 follows city streets through Bethlehem's South Side, intersecting the northern terminus of PA 412. The route crosses the Lehigh River and becomes a four-lane freeway that continues north to US 22. PA 378 is the only highway from US 22 to Center City Bethlehem, and a quick route for visitors traveling to the Wind Creek Bethlehem casino resort on the city's South Side.
Pennsylvania Route 412 is a 17.75-mile-long (28.57 km) north–south state route located in Northampton and Bucks counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. Its southern terminus is at PA 611 in the Nockamixon Township community of Harrow. Its northern terminus is at PA 378 in Bethlehem.
Pennsylvania Route 33 is a 27.7-mile-long (44.6 km) freeway in eastern Pennsylvania. The highway runs from its interchange with Interstate 78 (I-78) south of Easton in the Lehigh Valley to I-80 and PA 611 west of Stroudsburg.
Pennsylvania Route 512 is a 26.1-mile-long (42.0 km) state route in Northampton County in the Lehigh Valley region in eastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 22 north of Bethlehem in Hanover Township. The northern terminus is at PA 611 in Upper Mount Bethel Township. The route heads north from US 22 to Bath, where it intersects PA 248. From here, PA 512 continues northeast and intersects PA 946 in Moorestown before it reaches an interchange with the PA 33 freeway in Wind Gap. The route heads east through the northern Northampton County boroughs of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl, Bangor, and East Bangor, intersecting PA 191 in Bangor. Past here, PA 512 continues east to PA 611.
State Route 1002(SR 1002), locally known as Tilghman Street and Union Boulevard, is a major 13.8 mi (22.2 km) long east–west road in the Lehigh Valley area of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The majority of the roadway is the former alignment of U.S. Route 22, maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as a Quadrant Route, and is not signed except on small white segment markers.
Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway stretching from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, in the west to the Holland Tunnel and New York City in the east. In Pennsylvania, I-78 runs for about 78 miles (126 km) from the western terminus at I-81 in Union Township east to the New Jersey state line near Easton in Northampton County.
Pennsylvania Route 946 is a rural Pennsylvania state highway that runs approximately 18.2 miles (29.3 km) from PA 248 in Berlinsville east to PA 191 in Newburg in Northampton County in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. The route heads east from PA 248 a short distance to the south of Blue Mountain, passing through Danielsville and intersecting the northern terminus of PA 987 in Klecknersville. After intersecting PA 512 in Moorestown, PA 946 turns southeast and intersects PA 248 again before reaching its terminus at PA 191. PA 946 was first designated in 1928 onto an unpaved road running from a point between Danielsville and Youngsville and PA 512 in Moorestown while part of PA 512 ran along the alignment east of Moorestown. In the 1930s, PA 946 was extended to its current alignment, replacing that section of PA 512, and was paved.
Pennsylvania Route 245 was a 2.10-mile-long (3.38 km) east–west state highway located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Commissioned in 1928, the designation began at U.S. Route 309 in Slatington, east to PA 45 in Berlinsville. Today, the US 309 alignment has become PA 873 and the PA 45 designation has become PA 248. PA 245 was decommissioned in the 1940s.