| Schuylkill Expressway |
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| interstate 76 east | |
| interstate highways in pennsylvania | |
| streets in philadelphia | |
The Schuylkill Expressway (a portion of I-76 ) is a major Freeway serving the city and western suburbs of Philadelphia . It begins at the Pennsylvania Turnpike 's Valley Forge toll plaza Interchange, where the Turnpike itself, having been signed I-76 throughout the rest of Pennsylvania , becomes resigned as I-276 for the remainder of its length into New Jersey . One of a number of major highways meeting in downtown King Of Prussia , the Schuylkill runs east through Upper Merion before approaching the Conshohocken area. Here, the expressway features an interchange with I-476 (locally known as the "Blue Route" or "Mid-County Expressway"); the junction is naturally one of the busiest on both highways. Also at this point, the roadway lives up to its name and begins to run parallel to the Schuylkill River on its western side. The rocky hills towering above the roadway have resulted in occasional falling boulders and, during rainy periods, mudslides, some of which have actually closed the expressway for hours. A sharp curve, dubbed the "Conshohocken Curve," steers travelers out of the Conshohocken limits and through part of Gladwyne , a particularly posh suburb that is one of the richest areas in the United States . To the west, drivers may also notice several tall radio towers, broadcasting the Radio and Television signals of many Philadelphia broadcast media outlets. This location, an area of Philadelphia known as Roxborough , is one of the highest points in all the Delaware Valley . Once the Schuylkill Expressway intersects with U.S. Route 1 , known as "City Line Avenue" in this area, it expands to four lanes in each direction to accommodate the often gigantic amounts of traffic entering the roadway from this particular interchange. In fact, US 1 is part of I-76 for a short stretch before veering north across the river to become the Roosevelt Expressway , taking one of the Schuylkill's travel lanes with it. Drivers exiting here may also wish to access the Kelly Drive or Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive (formerly known as the West River Drive ), which run parallel on either side of the Schuylkill River , well below the elevated Schuylkill Expressway. Both routes serve as great alternates to the expressway, for both terminate in Center City Philadelphia , near the Philadelphia Museum Of Art . Just a mile past the U.S. Route 1 interchange, the roadway loses another lane to the Montgomery Drive exit, which ferries those riders not wishing to be a part of the ensuing eastbound Traffic jam that is common to Philadelphia Weekday mornings to the aforementioned Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and other sections of Fairmount Park . Upon passing Girard Avenue a mile later, however, the highway traffic tends to ease as motorists have more exiting options once within the boundaries of Center City Philadelphia . Sights to look out for as one makes their way into the city include the Philadelphia Zoo (the nation's first-ever Zoo ), Boathouse Row (an illuminated riverside spectacle of boathouses located alongside Kelly Drive ), and the Philadelphia Museum Of Art . A temporary four-lane configuration in downtown Philadelphia allows the highway to split off to I-676 , also known as the "Vine Street Expressway," a crosstown freeway that continues across the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey . Also at this point, drivers looking to give their automobiles a rest may exit at 30th Street and take an Amtrak or SEPTA train out of 30th Street Station , Philadelphia 's key train depot that literally sits on top of the expressway. If the wind is blowing correctly, an exhaust fan in the station will blow the sweet aroma of the depot's Dunkin' Donuts stand out onto the lanes of the Schuylkill just before the South Street exit. From the exit for South Street , one may access the University City section of town. The exit ramp is adjacent to the University Of Pennsylvania , with Drexel University located nearby as well. As the expressway snakes through South Philadelphia , drivers will have three options of how to continue their journey. One option leads to southbound I-95 and the Philadelphia International Airport via a roundabout route onto parts of PA Route 291 . A second option leads one to the streets of South Philadelphia (most notably Oregon Avenue and Passyunk Avenue), which provide access to the Sunoco oil plant and the Philadlephia Auto Mall, which comprises a string of car dealerships lining either side of Passyunk Avenue as it heads out of the city. Several Adult Video and other Adult Entertainment stores also dot this area, as does the "Oasis" Gentleman's Club . The third option continues I-76 onto the Walt Whitman Expressway . From here, drivers can exit at Broad Street for quick access to the Philadelphia sports complex and northbound lanes of I-95 . The city's food distribution plant is also located in this section. Finally, I-76 heads out of Pennsylvania and across the Delaware River via the Walt Whitman Bridge and into New Jersey , serving several communities in Camden County, New Jersey and Gloucester County, New Jersey . It is here where I-76 terminates, becoming part of the freeway portion of NJ Route 42 . It is locally known as the "Sure-Kill Expressway" or the "Sure-Kill Distressway" due to the notorious amount of traffic congestion that has clogged its lanes since its completion. Measures have been studied that may help improve traffic conditions on the highway but none have yet been implemented. As of 2005 , plans to make portions of the expressway a Toll Road and/or a double-decker road (with one "deck" carrying westbound lanes and the other carrying eastbound lanes) have been abandoned. The geography of the city and its immediate western suburbs make any intelligently-designed expressway through the area a near impossibility. EXTERNAL LINK Schuylkill Expressway: Historic Overview |
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