Pennsylvania Route 443

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PA Route 443
Length:	80.1 mi[1] (129 km)
Formed:	1928
West end:	Front Street in Susquehanna Twp.
Major junctions:	US 22/US 322 in Susquehanna Township I-81 in Pine Grove Township
East end:	US 209 in Lehighton
Counties:	Dauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill, Carbon
Pennsylvania State Routes < PA 442 PA 445 > Minor - Legislative

Pennsylvania Route 443 is a 80 mile long east-west state highway in the US state of Pennsylvania. Unlike other state highways, PA 443 terminates at not a traffic route at its west end, but at Front Street, formerly U.S. Route 22 and U.S. Route 322 and presently Quadrant Route 3009, in the Susquehanna Township hamlet of Fort Hunter near the interchange with modern-day US 22 and US 322. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 209 in Lehighton.

[edit] Route description

[edit] Dauphin County

PA 443 begins as Fishing Creek Valley Road at an intersection with N. Front Street (Quadrant Route 3009) in Susquehanna Township. PA 443 is one of few Pennsylvania roads that doesn't end at another route. Less than a mile east of Front St, PA 443 interchanges with U.S. Route 22 and U.S. Route 322. PA 443 continues towards the east as a local road without seeing many important junctions for many miles. In East Hanover Township, PA 443 meets Bow Creek Road the former Pennsylvania Route 743. Bow Creek Road leads to both Interstate 81 and the current Pennsylvania Route 743.

[edit] Lebanon County

As PA 443 enters Lebanon County it is called Mountain Road and Clement Avenue. East of Bow Creek Road, PA 443 separates from Clement Avenue which leads to Fort Indiantown Gap. PA 443 turns north as Asher Miner Road. In Union Township, PA 443 is called Moonshine Road. PA 443 passes by Swatara State Park in Union Township.

[edit] Schuylkill County

In Pine Grove Township, PA 443 intersects Interstate 81 at exit 100. West of Pine Grove, PA 443 meets the northern terminus of Pennsylvania Route 645. In Pine Grove, PA 443 is called Tulpehocken Street and meets the western terminus of Pennsylvania Route 895. PA 895 is a detour to Pennsylvania Route 501 and Lancaster. In Pine Grove, PA 443 turns east and meets the northern terminus of Pennsylvania Route 125. PA 443 continues east as Pleasant Valley Road. In Wayne Township, PA 443 is called Long Run Road and intersects Pennsylvania Route 183. In Schuylkill Haven, PA 443 becomes W. Columbia Street then Railroad Streetand Main Street. PA 443 turns toward the north and becomes Dock Street before beginning a duple with Pennsylvania Route 61. When PA 443 is merged with PA 61, PA 61 is a multilaned and divided highway. In North Manheim Township, PA 443 splits from PA 61 and PA 443 continues as W. Market Street. In the town of Orwigsburg, PA 443 turns to the northeast to become Washington Street, Front Street, and Chestnut Street. PA 443 continues as Chestnut Street until it begins a concurrency with Pennsylvania Route 895 in East Brunswick Township. In the town of New Ringgold marks the eastern terminus of the PA 443/PA 895 concurrency and PA 443 becomes Railroad Street because it parallels train tracks to the west. PA 443 continues towards the northeast as Clamtown Road. In West Penn Township, PA 443 has a concurrency with Pennsylvania Route 309.

[edit] Carbon County

PA 443 enters Carbon County as Blakeslee Boulevard Drive West. In Lehighton, PA 443 intersects the eastern terminus of Pennsylvania Route 902 and east of PA 902, PA 443 terminates when meeting U.S. Route 209 near a bridge that crosses the Lehigh River.^[2]

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Roads intersected	Notes
Dauphin	Susquehanna Township	0.0	US 22/US 322 (North Front Street)	Former routing of US 22/US 322.
	Middle Paxton Township	0.3 [2]	US 22/US 322	Interchange.
Lebanon	Union Township	24.6	PA 72	Northern terminus of PA 72.
Schuylkill	Pine Grove Township	32.5	I-81	Exit 100 (I-81).
		34.5	PA 645	Northern terminus of PA 645.
	Pine Grove	35.1	PA 895	Western terminus of PA 895.
		35.7	PA 125	Southern terminus of PA 125.
	Wayne Township	45.6	PA 183
	Schuylkill Haven	49.1	PA 61	Western terminus of concurrency.
	North Manheim Township	51.4	PA 61	Eastern terminus of concurrency.
	East Brunswick Township	58.4	PA 895	Western terminus of concurrency.
	New Ringgold	59.8	PA 895	Eastern terminus of concurrency.
	West Penn Township	66.4	PA 309	Western terminus of concurrency.
		67.4	PA 309	Eastern terminus of concurrency.
Carbon	Lehighton	79.2	PA 902	Eastern terminus of PA 902.
		80.1	US 209

[edit] History

PA 443 was first signed in 1928. At the time, the western terminus of the route was located at the junction of Jonestown Road (then US 22) and present-day Pennsylvania Route 934 in the East Hanover Township hamlet of Harper Tavern, south of the present junction of US 22 and PA 934. The route followed US 22 east through Ono to West Jonestown, where PA 443 turned north onto the current alignment of Pennsylvania Route 72. PA 443 remained on modern-day PA 72 to the northern terminus of PA 72 east of Green Point, where PA 443 continued east on its current alignment. In 1930, the route was truncated to West Jonestown.

In 1936, PA 443 was removed from the PA 72 alignment, which subsequently became part of PA 72, and extended west along its present alignment.

The stretch of PA 443 between Pennsylvania Route 61 in Cressona to Washington Street in Orwigsburg carried U.S. Route 120 from 1926 to 1935 and U.S. Route 122 from 1935 to 1963.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Pennsylvania Route 443 Junction List