Pennsylvania Route 424

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Pennsylvania Route 424

Greater Hazleton Chamber Of Commerce Beltway
Arthur Gardner Highway
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length4.870 mi[1] (7.838 km)
Existed2000[2]–present
Major junctions
West endWhite Birch Road in Hazle Township
Major intersections
East end PA 93 near Hazleton
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountiesLuzerne
Highway system
← PA 423→ PA 425

Pennsylvania Route 424 (PA 424) is a 4.87-mile-long (7.84 km) state highway located in northeastern Pennsylvania. The western terminus is White Birch Road west of Interstate 81 (I-81) exit 141 in Hazle Township. The eastern terminus is at PA 93 on the southeastern edge of Hazleton. The highway is called the Greater Hazleton Chamber Of Commerce Beltway or Arthur Gardner Highway and is a two- to four-lane undivided road that forms a southern bypass of the city of Hazleton in Luzerne County, with an intermediate intersection with PA 309. The section of the road between PA 309 and PA 93 was constructed by 1980 and became State Route 3032 (SR 3032). The road was extended west to I-81 in 1999, and PA 424 was designated between I-81 and PA 93 in 2000. PA 424 was constructed to provide access to the Hazleton Commerce Center and to reduce truck traffic on adjacent roads. In 2023, the route was extended west just past Commerce Drive within Humboldt Industrial Park.

Route description

PA 424 eastbound past I-81 in Hazle Township

PA 424 begins west of the intersection of Commerce Drive within Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazle Township, where the road continues west as White Birch Road. From here, the route heads east as a four-lane undivided road called the Greater Hazleton Chamber Of Commerce Beltway or Arthur Gardner Highway. The roadway parallels a Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad line located to the north and intersects Commerce Drive. The road heads away from the railroad tracks and curves southeast and then east through wooded areas before it comes to a diamond interchange with I-81. The route heads east as a two-lane undivided road, passing through forested areas. The road turns northeast and comes to an intersection with PA 309, briefly becoming a divided highway at this point. Past PA 309, PA 424 crosses a Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad line at-grade and heads into the southern part of the city of Hazleton, continuing east. The route passes through more woodland along with a few industrial establishments, running to the north of a coal mine. The roadway briefly becomes divided again as it crosses Poplar Street. PA 424 continues east and enters Hazle Township again, reaching its eastern terminus at PA 93.[3][4]

History

Western extension of PA 424 towards Commerce Drive in June 2024

The first section of the road to be built was between PA 309 and PA 93, which was constructed by 1980.[5] With the establishment of the Location Referencing System for state roads in 1987, this road was designated as SR 3032.[6][7] The rest of the road between I-81 and PA 309 was built in the late 1990s and opened to traffic in December 1999.[8][9] The entire length of the road between I-81 and PA 93 was designated PA 424 in 2000.[2][8] The highway was built to provide access between I-81 and the Hazleton Commerce Center and to reduce truck traffic on local roads in the Hazleton area. The project cost $10.25 million.[9] This road was one of the four legs of a proposed beltway system to encircle Hazleton.[10] In 2003, PA 424 was renamed from the Hazleton South Beltway to the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Beltway.[11]

Plans existed for the road to be extended west to provide a connection to PA 924 in the Humboldt Industrial Park. In 2010, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce pushed for the extension in order to provide economic development to the region.[12] The state provided funding for this extension in the transportation bill in 2013.[13] Construction on the extension of PA 424 began in April 2020 with completion expected in October 2024.[14] The extension west from I-81 to just west of Commerce Drive was actually opened just under a year early on November 9, 2023, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held.[15]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Luzerne County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Hazle Township0.0000.000White Birch RoadWestern terminus
1.1201.802 I-81 – Harrisburg, Wilkes-BarreExit 141 (I-81)
2.2653.645 PA 309 (South Church Street) – Hazleton, McAdoo
No major junctions in Hazleton
Hazle Township4.8707.838 PA 93 (East Broad Street/New Coxesville Road)Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Monitz, Kelly (February 2, 2000). "Heights Beltway to become state Route 424". Standard-Speaker. Hazleton, PA. p. 17. Retrieved November 20, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Google (February 21, 2011). "overview of Pennsylvania Route 424" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
  4. ^ Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  5. ^ General Highway Map Luzerne County Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 1980. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  6. ^ "Location Referencing System (LRS) -- Definitions, Uses, and Testing" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. July 19, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  7. ^ General Highway Map Luzerne County Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 1990. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  8. ^ a b General Highway Map Luzerne County Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Lackawanna-Luzerne Regional Plan" (PDF). McCormick & Taylor. May 2011. pp. 4–15. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  10. ^ Dino, Jim (April 4, 2015). "Beltway project resumes work". Standard-Speaker. Hazleton, PA. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  11. ^ GREATER HAZLETON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BELTWAY - DESIGNATION - Act of Dec. 30, 2003, P.L. 453, No. 66 (PDF), General Assembly of Pennsylvania, 2003, retrieved November 19, 2015
  12. ^ Dino, Jim (June 25, 2010). "Hazleton Chamber of Commerce pleads for Route 424 extension". Standard-Speaker. Hazleton, PA. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  13. ^ Levy, Marc (November 22, 2013). "Delco bridge repairs, expansion of SEPTA stations on tap". Delaware County Daily Times. Associated Press. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  14. ^ "State Route 424 Extension Project - Project Overview". Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  15. ^ "Shapiro Administration Opens Route 424 (Chamber of Commerce Beltway) a Year Ahead of Schedule" (Press release). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pennsylvania Route 424.
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