U.S. Route 40 in Pennsylvania
U.S. Route 40 enters Pennsylvania at West Alexander. It closely parallels Interstate 70 from West Virginia until it reaches Washington, where it follows Jefferson Avenue and Maiden Street. In Washington, US 40 passes to the south of Washington & Jefferson College. Following Maiden Street out of town, the road turns southeast toward the town of California. A short, limited-access highway in California and [West Brownsville, Pennsylvania|Brownsville, Pennsylvania|West Brownsville] provides an approach to the Lane Bane Bridge across the Monongahela River. From here, the road continues southeast to Uniontown.
US 40 bypasses Uniontown along a freeway that also carries US 119. An old alignment through Uniontown is signed as US 40 Business. Southeast of Uniontown, travellers pass the Fort Necessity National Battlefield. It follows Braddock Road southeast of Uniontown, crossing the Youghiogheny River Lake on a bridge completed in 2006. US 40 leaves Pennsylvania at Addison.
Route description
U.S. Route 40 enters Pennsylvania in rural western Washington County near West Alexander. It travels to the east-northeast paralleling I-70 through Claysville on to Washington. While in Washington, the largest city on US 40 in Pennsylvania, it is named Chestnut St. Exit 15 on I-70 is signed for Chestnut St. Route 40 leaves Chestnut St. and joins PA 18, becoming Jefferson Ave. After two blocks of concurrency with PA 18, it leaves PA 18 and joins US 19. US 40/US 19 then leaves Washington as Maiden St. US 19 leaves Route 40 in Laboratory before it intersects I-79 at exit 33. Now heading east-southeast, US 40 makes its way toward Brownsville. Route 40 passes through Scenery Hill and Beallsville before reaching PA 43/PA 88 at a full cloverleaf interchange in [Centerville, Washington County, Pennsylvania|Washington County, Pennsylvania|Centerville]. US 40 then crosses the Monongahela River via the Lane Bane Bridge, leaving Washington County after spending nearly in the county.US 40 enters Fayette County as Market St. in Brownsville. After leaving Brownsville, Route 40 heads to the southeast toward Uniontown. The highway enters Uniontown as Main St. in front of the Uniontown Mall. When it reaches US 119 it merges with it becoming a bypass of Uniontown. However, US 40 Business passes through downtown Uniontown as the one-way pair of Main St. and Fayette St. US 40 travels around the south of Uniontown and meets again with US 40 Business in Hopwood after leaving US 119. Route 40 then begins a steep ascent up Chestnut Ridge, the westernmost ridge of the Allegheny Mountains. US 40 becomes a treacherous mountain highway for the next 5 miles featuring steep descents and sharp curves. After passing through Chalk Hill, the National Road passes Fort Necessity National Battlefield and continues to Farmington. On the east side of Farmington, the highway passes Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Heritage Reservation, a summer residence camp for the Boy Scouts of America is also accessible from this part of US 40, via Dinner Bell Five Forks Road. The National Pike then continues southeast toward the Maryland border after crossing the Youghiogheny River and entering Somerset County. Before leaving Pennsylvania, Route 40 passes through Addison. U.S. Route 40 spends in Fayette County and in Somerset County, passing through its southwestern corner. It enters Maryland in Garrett County.
History
1789 to 1860
Envisioned by George Washington, US 40, or the National Road was built to connect the East and West. Needed by farmers and emigrants alike, the National Road would provide a stable route for trade through the Allegheny Mountains. The National Road was preceded by buffalo trails, Native American footpaths, and the Nemacolin Trail. After the Revolutionary War, and an increase in migration westward, the newly formed national government realized that communication with the west would be difficult with the Appalachian Mountains separating the east coast from the western frontier. Therefore, the highway was put into Ohio's statehood bill by Albert Gallatin in 1802.In 1806, Thomas Jefferson authorized the construction of the Cumberland Road—the first federally funded highway in American history. Construction began in 1811 in Cumberland, Maryland and was completed to Wheeling, Virginia in 1820. In the 1830s, possession of the highway was turned over to the states through which it passes, which allowed states to collect tolls. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania constructed six tollhouses along its 90-mile-segment of the highway. Two of these still stand: the Petersburg Tollhouse in Addison and the Searights Tollhouse in Fayette County. The Petersburg Tollhouse is the last remaining tollhouse constructed of native-cut stone in the United States. The westernmost toll house near West Alexander, PA has been demolished. Mile markers were also placed along the route. Made of cast-iron, these obelisk markers were placed every one mile and noted the distance to Cumberland and Wheeling and nearby towns. All of these markers are present today, though not all are the originals. Also in the 1830s, the Pony Express utilized the National Road. The 1840s marked the peak of the National Road. Used by many important figures including presidents, future presidents, and other notables, local businesses saw booming success along the road. This time period gave the National Road its nickname of the nation's "Main Street". The navigation of the Monongahela River after the construction of several locks and dams gave the National Road access to Pittsburgh via Brownsville. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad also arrived in Cumberland in the 1840s. This allowed travel from the east coast to Cumberland via train, from Cumberland to Brownsville via stage coach, and then from Brownsville to Pittsburgh via steamboat. In the 1850s, railroads made it to the west causing the demise of the National Road.