U.S. Route 13 in Pennsylvania
U.S. Route 13 is a United States Numbered Highway running from Fayetteville, North Carolina, north to Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The route runs for through the Philadelphia metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route enters the state from Delaware in Marcus Hook, Delaware County. It continues northeast through Delaware County, passing through the city of Chester before heading through suburban areas along Chester Pike to Darby. US 13 enters the city of Philadelphia on Baltimore Avenue and runs through West Philadelphia to University City, where it turns north along several city streets before heading east across the Schuylkill River along Girard Avenue. The route turns north and heads to North Philadelphia, where it runs northeast along Hunting Park Avenue. US 13 becomes concurrent with US 1 on Roosevelt Boulevard, continuing into Northeast Philadelphia. US 13 splits southeast on a one-way pair of streets before heading northeast out of the city on Frankford Avenue. The route continues into Bucks County as Bristol Pike, heading northeast to Bristol, where it becomes a divided highway. US 13 becomes a freeway in Tullytown and continues north to its terminus at US 1 in Falls Township, near Morrisville. US 13 roughly parallels Interstate 95 through its course in Pennsylvania.
The routing dates back to colonial times as part of the King's Highway. In the 19th century, the road was part of several turnpikes, including the Darby and Ridley Turnpike between Chester and Darby and the Frankford and Bristol Turnpike between Philadelphia and Morrisville. In the early 20th century, these private turnpikes became public roads. US 13 was designated through Pennsylvania in 1926, running between the Delaware border in Marcus Hook and US 1 in Morrisville. The route was designated concurrent with Pennsylvania Route 91 between the Delaware border and Philadelphia and PA 32 between Philadelphia and Morrisville; these concurrent state route designations were removed in 1928. US 13 originally ran through Darby on Main Street and Philadelphia on Woodland Avenue, Market Street, Broad Street, Diamond Street, Front Street, Kensington Avenue, and Frankford Avenue. In the 1930s, the route was shifted to use MacDade Boulevard, Whitby Avenue, 44th Street, Powelton Avenue, 31st and 32nd streets, Spring Garden Street, Broad Street, Roosevelt Boulevard, Levick Street, and Frankford Avenue through the city; it ran concurrent with US 1 through most of the city. Between the 1930s and 1960s, three bypass routes existed for portions of US 13 between Marcus Hook and Philadelphia. The divided highway alignment between Bristol and Tullytown was completed by 1950. The US 13 freeway between Tullytown and US 1 was completed in 1955, shifting the northern terminus to its current location. This freeway was once considered to become a part of I-95 that would pass through Trenton, New Jersey, before it was decided for the Interstate to bypass Trenton to the north. A US 13 freeway was again proposed between I-95 near Bristol and Tullytown in 1969 but was ultimately cancelled. The route was shifted to use 43rd and 44th streets, Powelton Avenue, 34th Street, Girard Avenue, 33rd Street, Ridge Avenue, and Hunting Park Avenue in Philadelphia in the 1950s. US 13 was rerouted to use Church Lane and Baltimore Avenue between Yeadon and West Philadelphia in the 1960s. The route was shifted to its current alignment through Philadelphia the 1970s. US 13 was realigned through Chester in 2022, with US 13 Business designated onto the former alignment.
Route description
Delaware County
US 13 enters Pennsylvania from Delaware in the borough of Marcus Hook in Delaware County, heading northeast on four-lane undivided Post Road. From the state line, the route has a grade crossing with a railroad spur and passes through Sunoco's Marcus Hook Industrial Complex. The road narrows to two lanes and crosses a railroad spur at-grade serving the industrial complex before it heads into the commercial center of Marcus Hook as 10th Street, intersecting the southern terminus of PA 452. US 13 crosses Conrail Shared Assets Operations 's Linwood Track line at-grade and runs between residential areas to the north and industrial areas to the south before it heads across the Marcus Hook Creek into the borough of Trainer. The route becomes Post Road again and passes between homes and some businesses to the north and Delta Air Lines's Trainer Refinery to the south before it crosses Stoney Creek and reaches a junction with the western terminus of PA 291 and the southern terminus of US 13 Bus., where US 13 Bus. continues northeast along Post Road and US 13 turns southeast for a concurrency with PA 291 on two-lane undivided Price Street.The road passes between homes to the northeast and industrial areas to the southwest. The two routes make a sharp curve to the northeast and become West 2nd Street, crossing into the city of Chester and running through urban residential and industrial areas. US 13/PA 291 continues northeast and becomes a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane as it passes more urban development and empty lots. The two routes come to ramps that provide access from the eastbound direction of US 322 and to the westbound direction of US 322 just northwest of where that route crosses the Delaware River on the Commodore Barry Bridge. The road passes under the western approach of the Commodore Barry Bridge carrying US 322. Following this, US 13/PA 291 passes more urban homes and businesses as it heads northwest of the Port of Chester along the Delaware River. The two routes split from West 2nd Street and continue northeast as an unnamed road, crossing Chester Creek before passing south of Chester's City Hall and north of the William Penn Landing Site. US 13/PA 291 intersects the southern terminus of PA 320, at which point the road becomes East 4th Street. The road continues through commercial areas and US 13 splits from PA 291 by turning north onto two-lane undivided Morton Avenue. The road passes under Amtrak's Northeast Corridor railroad line and runs through urban areas, intersecting the northern terminus of US 13 Bus. at East 9th Street. US 13 continues through urban development, curving to the northeast.
US 13 crosses the Ridley Creek and forms the border between Ridley Township to the north and the borough of Eddystone to the south, widening to four lanes and becoming Chester Pike. The road passes a mix of homes and businesses before it comes to a bridge over Crum Creek, at which point it fully enters Ridley Township. The route passes under I-95 and continues past commercial development in the community of Crum Lynne, gaining a center left-turn lane. US 13 enters the borough of Ridley Park and passes under the Northeast Corridor near Crum Lynne station serving SEPTA's Wilmington/Newark Line before it heads into residential areas and intersects Stewart Avenue, which heads southeast to provide access to I-95. The route continues past suburban homes and businesses as a four-lane undivided road, passing to the southeast of the former Taylor Hospital. The road forms the border between Ridley Park to the north and Ridley Township to the south before it enters the borough of Prospect Park and comes to an intersection with PA 420. US 13 continues northeast through suburban areas and runs along the border between Prospect Park to the north and the borough of Norwood to the south before fully entering Norwood. The route crosses Muckinipattis Creek into the borough of Glenolden and passes under the Northeast Corridor again. The road runs past more homes and businesses and passes through a small section of the borough of Folcroft, where it crosses Hermesprota Creek, before crossing into the borough of Sharon Hill. There, US 13 passes south of Sharon Hill station which serves as the terminus of the SEPTA Route 102 trolley line before continuing past more development. The road curves north at the point it crosses over a short tunnel carrying CSX Transportation's Philadelphia Subdivision railroad line and enters the borough of Collingdale, continuing to an intersection with MacDade Boulevard.
At this point, Chester Pike splits to the east and US 13 continues north along four-lane undivided MacDade Boulevard, crossing Darby Creek into the borough of Darby. The route passes to the west of the bus terminal at SEPTA's Darby Transportation Center and curves northeast at the Main Street intersection into urban neighborhoods, narrowing to two lanes. The road passes to the south of Holy Cross Cemetery, where it enters the borough of Yeadon, before it passes through more residential areas. US 13 turns north-northwest onto Church Lane and runs through more residential neighborhoods. The route comes to a bridge over SEPTA's Media/Wawa Line west of Fernwood–Yeadon station and crosses into Upper Darby Township, where it comes to an intersection with Baltimore Pike. Here, US 13 turns east onto Baltimore Pike and runs between Fernwood Cemetery to the north and urban residential and commercial development to the south. Farther east, the road passes through a corner of Yeadon.
Philadelphia County
US 13 crosses Cobbs Creek into the West Philadelphia section of the city of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, where the name changes to Baltimore Avenue. Immediately after crossing the creek, the road comes to the Angora Loop at 61st Street, which serves as the terminus of the SEPTA Route 34 trolley line. At this point, the trolley tracks follow Baltimore Avenue as it continues through urban neighborhoods consisting of rowhouses along with a few businesses. The road curves to the east, passing through more urban development and crossing a set of SEPTA trolley tracks at 42nd Street. The Route 34 trolley line splits from Baltimore Avenue at 40th Street, where it heads into a subway tunnel at the 40th Street Portal. The road heads into the University City neighborhood and becomes four lanes at the 39th Street/Woodland Avenue intersection, at which point it runs between the University of Pennsylvania campus to the north and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center to the south. A block later, Baltimore Avenue ends and US 13 turns north onto four-lane divided University Avenue. The route continues north through the university campus and becomes 38th Street as it reaches an intersection with Spruce Street, where a SEPTA trolley track begins to follow the northbound lanes of the road. The roadway intersects Walnut Street, which is one-way westbound and carries the westbound direction of PA 3. At this point, westbound PA 3 becomes concurrent with southbound US 13, and 38th Street continues north through commercial areas. The road crosses one-way Chestnut Street, which carries eastbound PA 3, before coming to the junction with two-way Market Street, where westbound PA 3 turns onto southbound US 13 from Market Street. US 13 continues to follow four-lane divided 38th Street north, with the SEPTA trolley track splitting west at Filbert Street. The road passes to the east of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center before it comes to an intersection with Powelton Avenue.At this point, US 13 turns east onto two-lane undivided Powelton Avenue, which is city-maintained. The route crosses Lancaster Avenue, which carries the SEPTA Route 10 trolley line, and continues into residential areas. US 13 turns north and splits into a one-way pair, running along 33rd Street northbound and 34th Street southbound. The northbound direction carries one lane of traffic while the southbound direction carries two lanes of traffic. The route follows 33rd and 34th streets north through the Mantua neighborhood, passing homes and a few businesses. At Mantua Avenue, northbound US 13 turns northwest to rejoin the southbound direction on 34th Street. Upon rejoining, US 13 continues north on four-lane undivided 34th Street and comes to a bridge over several railroad tracks carrying Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and CSX Transportation's Harrisburg Subdivision railroad lines before running between the Philadelphia Zoo to the west and the Schuylkill Expressway to the east. US 13 continues north to Girard Avenue, where it comes to interchange ramps with the Schuylkill Expressway. At this point, US 30 splits from the Schuylkill Expressway and heads west on Girard Avenue while US 13 turns east from 34th Street onto Girard Avenue, becoming state-maintained again. US 13 heads east along Girard Avenue, which carries four lanes of traffic and the SEPTA Route 15 trolley line. The Girard Avenue Bridge carries the route over the Schuylkill Expressway, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, a trail, the Schuylkill River, the Schuylkill River Trail, and Kelly Drive on the other side of the river. Past the bridge, the road enters Fairmount Park, and ramps provide access to Kelly Drive.
US 13 splits from Girard Avenue and turns north onto two-lane undivided 33rd Street. The route comes to bridges over CSX Transportation's Trenton Subdivision and the Northeast Corridor railroad lines before it runs between wooded Fairmount Park to the west and the urban Strawberry Mansion neighborhood to the east, intersecting Cecil B. Moore Avenue east of SEPTA's 33rd and Cecil B. Moore Bus Loop. The road passes to the east of East Park Reservoir before it heads west of SEPTA's 33rd and Dauphin Bus Loop and comes to Ridge Avenue. At this point, US 13 turns northwest onto four-lane undivided Ridge Avenue and continues between the park to the west and urban homes to the east before it runs between Laurel Hill Cemetery to the west and Mount Vernon Cemetery to the east. The route reaches an interchange with Hunting Park Avenue that provides access to Kelly Drive to the west, at which point the route splits from Ridge Avenue and heads northeast onto four-lane undivided Hunting Park Avenue. The road continues into North Philadelphia and heads into urban areas of homes, businesses, and industry, crossing Allegheny Avenue and passing northwest of Mercy Career & Technical High School before reaching bridges under SEPTA's Manayunk/Norristown and Chestnut Hill West lines. US 13 continues into the Nicetown–Tioga neighborhood and has a junction with Wissahickon Avenue before passing north of SEPTA's 23rd and Venango Bus Loop. Past here, the road intersects Erie Avenue before it crosses under the SEPTA Main Line. The route passes north of Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter before it intersects Germantown Avenue and comes to a bridge over CSAO's Richmond Industrial Track line. Hunting Park Avenue splits to the east, at which point the route becomes Roosevelt Boulevard. US 13 follows Roosevelt Boulevard through commercial areas and crosses PA 611, where left turns are prohibited; Hunting Park Avenue provides access from northbound US 13 to PA 611 while Bristol Street provides access from southbound US 13 to PA 611. After this, the route crosses Old York Road before it comes to an interchange with US 1 and merges onto the northbound direction of that route to the north of the Hunting Park neighborhood.
At this point, US 1 becomes concurrent with US 13 on Roosevelt Boulevard, a wide boulevard with local–express lanes that has 12 lanes total in a 3–3–3–3 configuration. Along the Roosevelt Boulevard, access between the inner and outer carriageways is provided with narrow crossover ramps immediately between them; for most intersections, left turns are only permitted from the inner pair and right turns only from the outer, and crossing between them is not permitted at the intersections. There are speed cameras along the boulevard and many intersections also have red light cameras. The boulevard continues past urban residential neighborhoods, coming to the 5th Street junction, where the local lanes intersect the street at-grade and the express lanes pass over the street on a bridge. US 1/US 13 continues east and passes through the Feltonville neighborhood, where it intersects Rising Sun Avenue, before it crosses the Tacony Creek. At this point, Roosevelt Boulevard continues into Northeast Philadelphia and curves to the southeast at an intersection with Adams and Whitaker avenues, passing between a shopping center to the northeast and Friends Hospital to the southwest. The boulevard curves to the northeast again at a junction with Adams Avenue and Summerdale Avenue, passing near rowhouses before reaching the Oxford Circle. At this point, the local lanes pass through the Oxford Circle, a traffic circle at Cheltenham Avenue, Castor Avenue, and the southern terminus of PA 232, which runs along Oxford Avenue. The express lanes pass under the Oxford Circle. Past the circle, Roosevelt Boulevard continues east-northeast through residential areas.
The road crosses Bustleton Avenue and US 13 splits from US 1 and the Roosevelt Boulevard by heading southeast on the one-way pair of Robbins Street northbound and Levick Street southbound, with Robbins Street carrying two lanes of one-way traffic and Levick Street carrying three lanes of one-way traffic. The route follows Robbins and Levick streets through residential neighborhoods, crossing Harbison Avenue before reaching Frankford Avenue. At this point, both directions of US 13 continue northeast on Frankford Avenue, a four-lane undivided road, while Robbins and Levick streets continue southeast towards the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River. The road passes through business areas and heads into the Mayfair neighborhood, where it intersects PA 73. The route continues into the Holmesburg neighborhood and runs through more commercial areas, crossing Rhawn Street. US 13 passes under CSAO's Bustleton Industrial Track line and crosses Pennypack Creek in a wooded area within Pennypack Park on the Frankford Avenue Bridge, intersecting the Pennypack Trail after the bridge. After this, the route becomes a three-lane road with a center left-turn lane that passes a mix of homes and businesses in the Torresdale neighborhood, intersecting Academy Road. The road continues through developed areas and passes northwest of SEPTA's Gregg Street Bus Loop before it crosses Grant Avenue. From here, the route passes northwest of Holy Family University before heading past residential and commercial development and reaching an intersection with Knights Road, where SEPTA's Frankford and Knights Bus Loop is located south of the road.