Pennsylvania Roads - PA 29

PA 29


Despite this Phoenixville shield, most of my photos from the southern leg of PA 29 are southbound. There was one PA 29 until 1966 until PennDOT decided it wasn't worth a number of concurrencies to complete the route. So why not renumber one of the halves?


PA 29 crosses the Schuylkill River just east of a 1915 railroad bridge. That same line then crosses 29 south of Phoenixville.


Leaving Collegeville at an old alignment that's now a side street.


The next set north is, naturally, entering Collegeville, which was named for just the one Pennsylvania Female College and now has just the one Ursinus College. The name first applied in 1868 and Ursinus opened in 1869, so the sign lies. PA 29 has since been realigned to no longer jog west on Main St.


Still facing south, at PA 113.


The 1839 Perkiomenville Bridge is just west of PA 29 on what is now Perkiomen Trail. I walked along the north side of Old Gravel Pike, which closed to traffic in 1967.


Photos head north past the 1904 Snyder Rd. bridge over Perkiomen Creek. Can old bridges stop being closed?


NB and SB keystones, creatively painted green to match the town.


Heading south from Emmaus over two similar railroad bridges.


NB at the end of southern PA 29 at I-78 Exit 55. Before I-78 (or maybe even before the PA 309 freeway that I-78 took over), the southern PA 29 continued into Allentown to US 222 (now PA 222, and once US 22).


Some of the button copy and state-name shields as the northern PA 29 comes to an end SB. The I-81 BGS's are somewhat newer, and thus not button copy, but retain the all-caps destinations typical of much-earlier generation signs.


Skipping over US 11, as I was heading south toward that concurrency, I spied something out of the corner of my eye. Luckily, Harvey's Creek (or Harveys Creek, but I prefer apostrophes in place names where appropriate, even if unofficial) is a popular fishing spot, so there are places to park on the shoulder. And there was a nice wide path through the trees here, as if something more than 24 feet wide, relatively flat and graded passed this way.


Looking down from the old alignment (cat's out of the bag!) at the creek.


Looking back toward PA 29 SB on what was once itself PA 29 SB.


What I had noticed originally was this old bridge, still in service carrying a large utility line on the SB side but slowly growing into nature. It was probably bypassed because of the tight curves on either side.


Walking north along PA 29 toward the bridge (or actually, walking back to my car but turning around for photos).


Breaking away from the old bridge, PA 29 SB along Harvey's Creek.


Again SB, crossing Bowman's (Bowmans) Creek north of the beginning of PA 309 (yes, after all that distance not existing and then existing again, PA 29 comes back to 309) and heading south toward Nanticoke.


Last set, still SB, first two photos in Montrose and the last one an improvised street sign at Business US 6 in Tunkhannock.


Leaving PA for NY 7.

PA 73 and PA 29/73
US 11 and PA 29/US 11


Into New York on NY 7
To US 422
Onto PA 113
Straight onto Cedar Crest Blvd. at I-78/PA 309
Onto I-78
Onto PA 309
Onto I-81
Onto Business US 6, Tunkhannock
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