Interstate 176

Interstate176 (I-176) is a spur route of eastern I-76 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. I-176, known as the Morgantown Expressway, travels from the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) near Morgantown north to U.S. Route422 (US422) in Cumru Township in Berks County, a suburban township just outside the city of Reading. The entire length of the highway is just over 11 miles (18km).

Route description

I-176 begins at the Morgantown Interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) near the community of Morgantown in Caernarvon Township, Berks County. The highway heads north from a trumpet interchange with the turnpike as a four-lane freeway called the Morgantown Expressway. After passing through the former location of a toll plaza for traffic entering and exiting the turnpike, the freeway comes to an interchange with Pennsylvania Route 10 (PA10) that provides access to Morgantown to the south. At this interchange, the freeway turns to the west, with a southbound runaway truck ramp just past the southbound exit ramp for PA10. I-176 heads into the borough of New Morgan and runs through forested areas. The road comes to a southbound exit and northbound entrance with SR2089, a four-lane freeway that heads south to an intersection with PA10/PA23 in Morgantown. This used to be I-176's old alignment before it was realigned between that point and its current terminus at the turnpike. At this point, the freeway curves to the northwest and forms the border between Caernarvon Township to the west and New Morgan to the east, passing through wooded surroundings as it heads to the west of a landfill. The route turns north and becomes the border between Robeson Township to the west and New Morgan to the east, before fully entering Robeson Township as it continues through forests. I-176 runs through wooded areas with some farm fields, passing over Allegheny Creek and PA568 before it comes to a northbound exit and entrance with the parallel PA10 to the east in Green Hills. From here, the freeway continues through woodland with nearby development and passes over PA10 prior to entering Cumru Township and coming to a southbound exit and entrance connecting to PA10 to the west. The road heads north-northeast through forested hills, curving to the north. The route reaches a diamond interchange with PA724 and passes over Norfolk Southern Railway's Harrisburg Line #1 and the Schuylkill River Trail as it heads west of industrial areas. I-176 reaches its northern terminus at a trumpet interchange with the US422 freeway southeast of the city of Reading.

History

Interstate 176 was originally conceived to provide an Interstate connection from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Reading, largely due to the prevalence of the city's coal industry. Construction began on the highway in 1961, with the first section from exits 7 to 11 opening in 1962, and the remaining section opening in 1963.

At the time of its opening, the highway was originally known as Interstate180 (I-180) or the "Reading Spur" when the Pennsylvania Turnpike was designated as I-80S, but was redesignated to its present-day number in 1964 when the turnpike was redesignated as I-76.

Prior to 1996, I-176 did not have a direct connection to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Motorists wanting to access I-176 had to travel through Morgantown on PA10 and PA23 before entering I-176 northbound to Reading at a traffic light, similar to that found where I-70 enters the turnpike in Breezewood. In September 1984, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced plans to replace the Morgantown Interchange to create a direct connection from the turnpike to I-176. Groundbreaking for the new interchange was held on February 28, 1989. The new interchange was built 1.5 miles (2.4km) east of the old one, and merged onto the turnpike from the north, rather than the south. A partial cloverleaf interchange was built north of the new toll plaza to provide access to PA10, which the old interchange provided direct access to. The new interchange opened on September 18, 1990, completing the first phase of the Morgantown connector. Construction on a new stretch of freeway to connect I-176 to the new Morgantown Interchange began in 1994, which opened on September 27, 1996. The original alignment of I-176 into Morgantown was kept intact, now as a spur numbered SR2089 connecting exit2 to PA23.

The entire highway, except for the new direct connection, has a 65-mile-per-hour (105km/h) speed limit.

In May 2018, I-176 was dedicated as the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Highway, the Persian Gulf War Veterans Memorial Highway, and the Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Memorial Highway in honor of veterans from the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Iraq War, and War in Afghanistan.

Exit list

The entire route is in Berks County.

See also

• List of auxiliary Interstate Highways
• List of Interstate Highways in Pennsylvania

External links