Interstate 90 (I-90) within the US state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

spans , all within Erie County, from the

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

border near West Springfield to the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

border near

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 ...

. I-90 is the primary west–east highway in the

Erie Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

area, passing south of downtown and having interchanges with

I-79 Interstate 79 (I-79) is an Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States, designated from I-77 in Charleston, West Virginia, north to Pennsylvania Route 5 (PA 5) and PA 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is a primary thoroughfare th ...

, which connects

Downtown Erie Downtown Erie, is the central business, cultural and government center for the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. Erie’s Central Business District includes Gannon University, UPMC Hamot hospital, Erie Insurance, and city and county government offices, ...

to southern Pennsylvania and beyond, and

I-86 Interstate 86 may refer to any of three unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States: * Interstate 86 (Pennsylvania–New York) * Interstate 86 (Idaho) * Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts) Interstate 84 (I-84) is an In ...

, linking Erie to the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...

of New York. U.S. Route 20 (US 20), which has an interchange with I-90 near the

New York–Pennsylvania border The New York–Pennsylvania border is the state line between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Pennsylvania. It has three sections: * Along the center line of the Delaware River from the Tri-States Monument tripoint with New Jerse ...

, parallels I-90 across the county. Throughout its length, I-90 has also been designated as the AMVETS Memorial Highway, with signs posted at each state line.

Route description

I-90 enters Pennsylvania from

in Springfield Township, Erie County, heading east as a four-lane freeway through rural areas of fields and woods. The road has an eastbound

rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...

before it reaches an interchange with US 6N near West Springfield. The next exit is for

Pennsylvania Route 215 Pennsylvania Route 215 (PA 215) is a state highway located in western Erie County, Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 6N (US 6N) near Albion. The northern terminus is at PA 5 in Springfield Township. Route description ...

(PA 215) near East Springfield. The freeway enters Girard Township and curves to the northeast. I-90 passes through a corner of

Platea ''Platea'' may refer to: *Plataea, an ancient Greek city-state in Boeotia *Platea, Pennsylvania Platea is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 443 at the 2020 census. Geography Platea is located in wester ...

before it crosses back into Girard Township and interchanges with PA 18. The roadway continues through more rural areas and crosses Elk Creek. The highway crosses into Fairview Township, where it has an exit for PA 98. I-90 curves more to the east and heads into McKean Township. Here, it has an interchange serving PA 832. The highway passes through more rural areas with some nearby development and reaches a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange (road), interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passe ...

with

, which provides access to the city of

to the north. A short distance past I-79, the freeway enters Summit Township and heads northeast to an interchange with US 19 in a commercial area. I-90 runs through wooded areas with nearby suburban development and comes to the PA 97 interchange near Presque Isle Downs & Casino. The highway passes through a corner of Greene Township prior to entering Millcreek Township, where it has an exit for PA 8. The roadway briefly crosses back into Greene Township before it heads into Harborcreek Township. Here, I-90 has an interchange with PA 290/ PA 430 that provides access to

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, officially Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend College and often shortened to Penn State Behrend, is a public satellite campus of Penn State University and is located just outside Erie, Penn ...

. The freeway heads back into rural areas of farms and woods, coming to the PA 531 exit. I-90 crosses into Greenfield Township, where it has a

trumpet interchange In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usi ...

with the western terminus of

. The roadway enters North East Township and continues through more rural land. The freeway reaches an interchange with PA 89, which provides access to the borough of

to the north. Further northeast, the highway passes through agricultural areas and comes to an interchange serving US 20 near State Line. I-90 has a westbound

welcome center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic ce ...

before the route reaches the

border, where it continues east into that state as part of the tolled

New York State Thruway The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...

History

What is now I-90 was originally planned as part of the

Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike, sometimes shortened to Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road which is operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in Pennsylvania. It runs for across the southern part of the st ...

system in the 1950s. With the creation of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

in 1956, this road was dropped from the turnpike system and would instead be built as a part of I-90. I-90 was completed through Pennsylvania on October 28, 1960. In 2007, a major pileup forced a 15-hour closure of the entire stretch of I-90 in Pennsylvania due to winter storm whiteout conditions.

Exit list

References

External links

Pennsylvania Highways: Interstate 90

I-90 at AARoads.com

Pennsylvania Roads - I-90
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 90 In Pennsylvania

90 Transportation in Erie County, Pennsylvania

Route description

History

Exit list

See also

References

External links