U.S. Route 20 in Pennsylvania

U.S. Route 20 (US 20) is an east-west U.S. Highway in Pennsylvania, which clips the northwestern corner of the state, running entirely in Erie County. While it is part of the nation's longest road, it features the shortest segment of any two-digit U.S. route in the commonwealth. Although bypassed by Interstate 90 (I-90) as the primary through route in the area, heavy traffic has led to nearly the entire highway being upgraded to four lanes in width.

U.S. Route 20
US 20 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length45.433 mi[1] (73.117 km)
Existed1926–present
Tourist
routes
Lake Erie Circle Tour
Seaway Trail
Major junctions
West end US 20 at Ohio border near West Springfield
  US 6N near West Springfield
I-79 in Erie
US 19 in Erie
I-90 near North East
East end US 20 at New York border near North East
Location
CountiesErie
Highway system
US 19 PA 21
PA 9 PA 10

Route description

US 20 in North East

US 20 travels for 45 miles through Pennsylvania's Great Lakes region. For most of its journey, it closely parallels a heavily travelled CSX rail line, which also serves Amtrak passenger trains. The highway enters the state under the moniker of West Ridge Road eastward from the Ohio border, as it journeys through Springfield Township, Girard Township, Fairview Township and Millcreek Township. This section of road was widened to encompass a mostly four-lane set-up after a pair of 1938 and 1946 infrastructural projects, owing to the heavy truck traffic between Erie and Cleveland, Ohio. A 1952 upgrade saw the remainder of the Millcreek Township section of the route improved to four lanes.

At the intersection with PA 832, just outside the Erie city limits, US 20 becomes West 26th Street. The highway then passes through an industrial and commercial corridor that represents a 1946 alignment change, which saw 26th Street extended to avoid the route's former complicated passage along East Avenue. Soon after a major interchange with Greengarden Boulevard, the highway becomes two lanes, as it passes through Erie's old residential neighborhoods. After a junction with US 19 just south of the city center, it becomes East 26th Street.

US 20 turns sharply northward as Broad Street at the Bayfront Connector, as it resumes four lane status temporarily. It then turns east again as Buffalo Road through Wesleyville and Harborcreek Township. This portion of road was upgraded to four lanes during a 1958 overhaul. In North East Township, US 20 becomes West Main Road. Within the town limits of North East it becomes West Main Street until it reaches the town center at its intersection with PA 89, where it becomes East Main Street. Outside the town limits it becomes East Main Road until it reaches Pennsylvania's border with New York. The portion of road around North East was upgraded to four lanes in 1971.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Erie County. [2]

Location[2]mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Springfield Township0.0000.000 US 20 west / LECT west (Main Road) ClevelandContinues into Ohio
1.4792.380 PA 5 east / LECT east (Lake Road)Western terminus of PA 5
2.8764.628 US 6N east to I-90Western terminus of US 6N
6.22410.017 PA 215 to I-90 North Springfield
Girard Township10.35116.658 PA 18 south (Meadville Road) to I-90West end of PA 18 concurrency
Girard11.37518.306 PA 18 north (Rice Avenue)East end of PA 18 concurrency
Fairview15.41924.814 PA 98 (Avonia Road)
Millcreek Township22.73936.595 PA 832 (Sterrettania Road/Peninsula Road) Presque Isle State Park
Erie23.65538.069 I-79 – Bayfront, PittsburghStack interchange
26.38142.456 US 19 south (Peach Street) Edinboro, MeadvilleNorthern terminus of US 19
26.45942.582 PA 505 south (State Street) to I-90Northern terminus of PA 505
26.95343.377 PA 8 south (Parade Street)Northern terminus of PA 8, 2 blocks north of PA 97 northern terminus
28.33345.598 PA 290 (Bayfront Connector)Interchange
Wesleyville30.32548.803 PA 430 east (Hannon Road) to I-90Western terminus of PA 430
Harborcreek Township33.89854.554 PA 531 south (Depot Road) to I-90Northern terminus of PA 531
34.13154.929 PA 955 west (Iroquois Avenue)Eastern terminus of PA 955
North East41.20166.307 PA 89 (Lake Street) to I-90
North East Township44.244–
44.269
71.204–
71.244
I-90 Erie, BuffaloPartial cloverleaf interchange
45.43373.117 US 20 east (West Main Street) BuffaloContinues into New York
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

KML is from Wikidata
  •  U.S. Roads portal
  •  Pennsylvania portal

References

  1. 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. "Video Log". Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
U.S. Route 20
Previous state:
Ohio
Pennsylvania Next state:
New York
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