Interstate 79
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox road 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 through western Pennsylvania and West Virginia and makes up part of an important corridor to Buffalo, New York, and the Canada–United States border. Major metropolitan areas connected by I-79 include Charleston and Morgantown in West Virginia and Greater Pittsburgh and Erie in Pennsylvania.
In West Virginia, I-79 is known as the Jennings Randolph Expressway, named for the West Virginia representative and senator. In the three most northern counties, it is signed as part of the High Tech Corridor. For most of its Pennsylvania stretch, it is known as the Raymond P. Shafer Highway, named for the 39th Pennsylvania governor.
Route descriptionEdit
Template:Lengths table |- |Template:Abbr |Template:Convert |- |Template:Abbr |Template:Convert |- |Total |Template:Convert |} Except at its northern end, I-79 is located on the Allegheny Plateau. Despite the somewhat rugged terrain, the road is relatively flat. Most of the highway is at an elevation of about Template:Convert above sea level, with some lower areas near both ends and higher areas near Sutton, West Virginia. In the hillier areas, this flatness is achieved by curving around hills, along ridges, and in or partway up river valleys.<ref name=topos>United States Geological Survey topographic maps and aerial photos, accessed via Terraserver-USA</ref> From Sutton north, I-79 generally parallels the path of U.S. Route 19 (US 19).
West VirginiaEdit
Template:Expand section I-79 begins at a modified full Y interchange with I-77 along the northwest bank of the Elk River just northeast of Charleston. (Instead of the expected treatment of I-77 as the primary route at this interchange, the following traffic movements are found: northbound I-77 through traffic curves to the left, while traffic to northbound I-79 exits right; southbound I-77 through traffic curves to the right and merges on the right with traffic from southbound I-79, while traffic to northbound I-79 both exits and merges on the left; southbound I-79 traffic merges on the left with traffic from southbound I-77, while traffic to northbound I-77 both exits and merges on the left.) For its first Template:Convert to a point just south of Flatwoods, I-79 is located in the watershed of the Elk River, which drains into the Kanawha River. It crosses the Elk River at Frametown and again at Sutton and never strays more than about Template:Convert from it.<ref name=topos/><ref name=watersheds>National Atlas of the United States, Hydrologic Units (Watersheds) GIS dataTemplate:Webarchive</ref>
PennsylvaniaEdit
I-79 enters Pennsylvania from Morgantown, West Virginia. South of Washington, it traverses mostly rural Greene County.
Between milemarkers 34 and 38, I-79 overlaps I-70 in the Washington area before heading north toward Pittsburgh.
I-79 is carried over the Ohio River by the Neville Island Bridge, approximately Template:Convert northwest of Pittsburgh.
The freeway into Pittsburgh requires drivers to use I-376 while I-79 completely bypasses the city. Beyond the Pittsburgh area, I-79 traverses more rural areas in Butler, Lawrence, Mercer, Crawford, and Erie counties before arriving at its termination point in Erie. In Erie, I-90 connects from I-79 to Buffalo, New York, and the Canadian border.
Around milemarker 100 on the northbound side are two ghost ramps that were specifically built for the Boy Scouts of America in order to have access to Moraine State Park without having to travel on US 422 for the 1973 and 1977 National Scout Jamborees, which were held at Moraine. The ramps were permanently closed after the 1977 event but remain visible under encroaching vegetation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Sps</ref><ref>Template:Google maps</ref>
HistoryEdit
The Pennsylvania General Assembly authorized the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to build two extensions in the 1950s. The Northwestern Extension, authorized in 1953, was to stretch from the main Pennsylvania Turnpike north to Erie and would have included a lateral connection between Ohio and New York, what was later built as I-90.<ref>Pennsylvania Turnpike Northwestern Extension Act, P.L. 706, No. 229, passed July 28, 1953</ref> The Southwestern Extension, authorized in 1955, was to run south from the main line near Pittsburgh to West Virginia, where it connects with an extension of the West Virginia Turnpike.<ref>Pennsylvania Turnpike Southwestern Extension Act, P.L. 174, No. 52, passed June 14, 1955</ref> Except for the section between Washington and Greater Pittsburgh, which was included as part of I-70,<ref>Template:Cite map</ref> the first portion of I-79 to be added to the plans was north from Pittsburgh to Erie, along the US 19 corridor.
Template:Infobox road small Template:Infobox road small In September 1955, two short urban portions were designated:<ref>Template:Cite map</ref><ref>Template:Cite map</ref>
- I-179: A spur from I-90 north to Erie, currently absorbed into I-79.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}Template:Sps</ref>
- I-279: A western bypass of Pittsburgh, connecting I-70 with I-80S (now I-76); it and I-79 later swapped designations.
The number 79 was assigned in 1958,<ref>Template:Cite map</ref> and an extension south along I-70 to Washington and beyond to Charleston was approved on October 18, 1961.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> This extension also paralleled US 19 to near Sutton, where it turned westerly to reach Charleston. (The part of US 19 from Sutton south to I-77 at Beckley, West Virginia, has since been four-laned as Corridor L of the Appalachian Development Highway System.)
On December 21, 1967, the first section of I-79 in West Virginia, between exits 125 (Saltwell Road) and 132 (South Fairmont), opened to traffic.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> This Template:Convert section bypassed part of West Virginia Route 73 (WV 73) between Bridgeport and Fairmont. Another Template:Convert opened in July 1968, extending the highway on a bypass of downtown Fairmont to exit 137 (East Park Avenue).<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> It was further extended Template:Convert toward Morgantown on October 15, 1970, bypassing more of WV 73 to exit 146 (Goshen Road) south of that city.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref><ref name="RDR">Release Date Report. West Virginia Department of Transportation. August 2003.</ref>
On June 29, 1970, the swap of I-79 and I-279 was approved. At the same time, I-76 was extended west from Downtown Pittsburgh over former I-79 to the new location of I-79 west of Pittsburgh, so I-279 only ran north from Downtown Pittsburgh. On December 3, 1971, I-76 was rerouted to bypass Pittsburgh, and I-279 was extended to I-79 utilizing the former section of I-76.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The changes took effect on October 2, 1972.<ref name=1972news>Template:Cite news</ref>
On June 29, 1973, I-79 was extended from West Virginia exit 146 to exit 148 (I-68), where, at one point, traffic was forced onto the newly opened west end of Corridor E (now I-68) to exit 1.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> A further extension of Template:Convert, including the Uffington Bridge over the Monongahela River southwest of Morgantown, was opened on August 30, 1973, leading north to exit 155 (Star City).<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> This completed I-79 from north of Bridgeport to north of Morgantown.
To the south of Bridgeport, the first two sections were both opened on December 22, 1971. One of these ran Template:Convert from exit 51 (Frametown) to exit 62 (Sutton), and the other from exit 105 (Jane Lew) to exit 115 (Nutter Fort).<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> On September 19, 1973, another Template:Convert stretch was opened, from exit 105 (Jane Lew) south to exit 99 (Weston).<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref>
In 1973, significant portions of the Interstate were completed.<ref name="RDR"/> I-79 opened from exit 62 to exit 99. Another Template:Convert, from exit 67 (Flatwoods) north to exit 91 (Roanoke), opened on November 28, 1973, along with the section from exit 115 north to exit 117 (Anmoore), completing the route between Frametown and Morgantown except in the Bridgeport area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="AutoXU-25">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref>
A Template:Convert extension from exit 51 south to exit 46 (Servia) opened on February 1, 1974,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> and County Route 11 to WV 4 near Duck was widened to handle the increased load.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> On the same day, two lanes opened from exit 155 (Osage) north to the state line.Template:Citation needed
On October 16, 1974, two pieces of I-79 were opened: the other two lanesTemplate:Citation needed of the Template:Convert from exit 155 to the state line and Template:Convert between exits 117 (Anmoore) and 125 (north of Bridgeport). On the same day, the eastern end of Corridor D and the western end of Corridor E, both connecting to I-79 (at exits 119 and 148), were opened. This completed I-79 in West Virginia north of exit 46 (Servia);<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> it was extended south to exit 25 (Amma) in late November<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> and to US 119 north of Clendenin (exit 19) on November 13, 1975.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> It was opened from exit 19 to exit 9 (Elkview) on November 18, 1977,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> and finally completed to I-77 in 1979.<ref name="RDR"/>
On July 25, 1975, I-79 was opened between exits 1 and 14 in Pennsylvania.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> The last piece of I-79 between West Virginia and Erie—the Neville Island Bridge over the Ohio River—opened on September 3, 1976.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Page needed</ref> In 1984, the route was extended about Template:Convert further to the north, with the opening of a new segment between US 20 and PA 5 in Erie.<ref name= "pa highways">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Sps</ref>
I-79 was completely rebuilt from the West Virginia state line to Erie from 1991 to 1993. Pavement was rebuilt bridge decks replaced, and rest area rebuilt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Milepost based exit numbers were introduced to the Pennsylvania portion in 2001.<ref name= "pa highways"/>
In 2000, construction began on the interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Cranberry. It was opened to traffic in 2004.<ref name= "pa highways"/>
In late 2008, the missing ramps of the I-79/I-376 interchange (PA 60 was designated as the route for southbound traffic seeking to go to Pittsburgh International Airport and for airport traffic seeking to go northbound on I-79) were completed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In June 2009, I-376 was extended west and north of Downtown Pittsburgh, and I-279 was truncated back to the section only running from Downtown Pittsburgh north to I-79.
During 2010, PennDOT undertook a $20.8 million improvement of I-79, Neville Island Bridge as well as other intersections.<ref name=gazette>Template:Cite news</ref>
On December 22, 2010, WVDOT competed construction on a new interchange to serve Route 173.<ref name="Fairmont opens">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2010, construction began on improvements to exit 88. This was competed in December 2012.
Construction began in 2011 on improvements to the interchange with Interstate 70 in South Strabane. They were competed in Summer 2013.<ref name= "pa highways"/>
In 2020, a new safety system went into effect to better warn motorists about the sharp curvature between the PA 60 interchange and PA 51 interchange.<ref name= "pa highways"/>
Construction of the PA 576 interchange was completed on June 24, 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This involved construction of a new underpass.
In 2025, WVDOT expects to compete a six-lane widening between Harrison County and the Pennsylvania state line.<ref>https://transportation.wv.gov/communications/PressRelease/Pages/Work_on_Interstate_79_widening_and_bridge_projects_nearing_completion_in_Harrison_Marion_and_Monongalia_counties.aspx</ref>
Exit listEdit
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Auxiliary routesEdit
- I-179 was a spur from I-90 north to Erie, now absorbed into I-79
- I-279 heads southeast from I-79 in Pittsburgh's northern suburbs to I-376 in Downtown Pittsburgh.
- I-579 heads south from I-279 in Pittsburgh's North Side to the Liberty Bridge and the Boulevard of the Allies just east of Downtown Pittsburgh.
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Sister project Template:AttachedKML
- Interstate Guide – I-79
- I-79 in West Virginia at AARoads.com
- I-79 in Pennsylvania at AARoads.com
- Pennsylvania Highways: I-79
- West Virginia Roads - I-79
- Pennsylvania Roads - I-79
- 1971 Pittsburgh Press article detailing I-79 progress
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