Pennsylvania Route 873

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PA-873.svg

Pennsylvania Route 873

Pennsylvania Route 873
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length8.860 mi [1]  (14.259 km)
ExistedMay 9, 1966 [2] –present
Major junctions
South endPA-309.svg PA 309 in Schnecksville
Major intersectionsPA-329.svg PA 329 in Neffs
North endPA-248.svg PA 248 in Lehigh Township
Location
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
Counties Lehigh, Northampton
Highway system
PA-872.svg PA 872 PA-875 (1926).svg PA 875

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.

Contents

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.

Route description

PA 873 northbound past its southern terminus at PA 309 in Schnecksville 2022-09-25 11 09 22 View north along Pennsylvania State Route 873 just north of Pennsylvania State Route 309 in North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.jpg
PA 873 northbound past its southern terminus at PA 309 in Schnecksville

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]

History

PA 873 northbound in Slatington 2022-09-25 11 27 21 View north along Pennsylvania State Route 873 (Walnut Street) just north of Chestnut Street in Slatington, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.jpg
PA 873 northbound in Slatington

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]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi [1] kmDestinationsNotes
Lehigh North Whitehall Township 0.0000.000PA-309.svg PA 309  Allentown, Tamaqua, Hazleton Southern terminus
1.3342.147East plate.svg
PA-329.svg
PA 329 east (Bellview Road) Egypt
Western terminus of PA 329
Northampton Lehigh Township 8.86014.259PA-248.svg PA 248 (Lehigh Drive) Palmerton, Lehighton, Easton Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

Related Research Articles

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania</span> Township in Pennsylvania, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 329</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, US

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 143</span> 20-mile-long (32 km) state highway in Pennsylvania

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 946</span> State highway in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, US

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 245</span>

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.

References

  1. 1 2 Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "State Highway Traffic Route Changes Announced". Jim Thorpe Times-News. May 5, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved November 13, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. Google (February 4, 2011). "overview of Pennsylvania Route 873" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  4. Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  5. Northampton County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 6, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  6. Map of Pennsylvania Showing State Highways (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1911. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Pennsylvania Highway Map (eastern side) (Map). Gulf Oil. 1926. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  8. Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC   32889555 . Retrieved November 7, 2013 via Wikimedia Commons.
  9. Pennsylvania Highway Map (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1927. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  10. Pennsylvania Highway Map (Philadelphia Metro) (Map). Gulf Oil. 1928. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  11. Tourist Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1930. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  12. Official Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1960. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
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