U.S. Route 20 (US 20) is an east-west
U.S. Highway in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, 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
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest ...
(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.
Route description
US 20 travels for 45 miles through Pennsylvania's Great Lakes region. For most of its journey, it closely parallels a heavily travelled
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
rail line, which also serves
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
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
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...
. 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
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
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
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.
The highway's souther ...
just south of the city center, it becomes East 26th Street.
US 20 turns sharply northward as Broad Street at the
Bayfront Connector
Pennsylvania Route 290 (designated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as SR 290) is a state highway located in the environs of Erie, Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at Interstate 79 and Pennsylvania Route 5 ...
, 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
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
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
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. The portion of road around North East was upgraded to four lanes in 1971.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
References
External links
Pennsylvania Highways: US 20US 20 at AARoads.comPennsylvania Roads – US 20
{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=20, state=Pennsylvania, statebefore=Ohio, stateafter=New York
Pennsylvania
20
Transportation in Erie County, Pennsylvania