Pennsylvania Route 611
Pennsylvania Route 611 is a state highway in eastern Pennsylvania running from Interstate 95 in the southern part of Philadelphia north to I-380 in Coolbaugh Township in the Pocono Mountains.
Through most of Philadelphia, PA 611 follows Broad Street, the main north-south street in Philadelphia. The route continues north through the northern suburbs of Philadelphia and serves Jenkintown, Willow Grove, and Doylestown, the latter of which it bypasses on a freeway. North of Doylestown, PA 611 heads through rural areas and runs along the west bank of the Delaware River to Easton in the Lehigh Valley. The route continues back into rural land and passes through the Delaware Water Gap, at which point it enters the Pocono Mountains region, heading northwest through Stroudsburg and Mount Pocono toward its northern terminus.
The current alignment of PA 611 is composed of several turnpikes that were built in the 19th century. What is now PA 611 was designated as part of U.S. Route 611 in 1926, a U.S. highway that ran from Philadelphia City Hall in Philadelphia north to US 11 in Scranton. US 611 was designated along part of the Lackawanna Trail, which carried the PA 2 designation between 1924 and 1928. The location of the route's northern terminus in the Scranton region has changed numerous times.
In the 1930s, US 611 underwent two realignments along the stretch of the road connecting Easton and Stroudsburg. In 1953, US 611 was moved to a new alignment between Portland and Delaware Water Gap that crossed the Delaware River twice and ran through a section of New Jersey, with the former alignment becoming US 611 Alternate. The alignment of the route in New Jersey and across the Delaware Water Gap back into Pennsylvania became part of I-80; US 611 was shifted back to its Pennsylvania alignment in 1965, replacing US 611 Alt.
US 611 was decommissioned in 1972 and the route was replaced with PA 611 between Philadelphia City Hall in Philadelphia, I-81E in Tobyhanna, and PA 435 between I-81E in Gouldsboro and I-81E in Dunmore. PA 611 was moved to a freeway bypass of Doylestown in 1976. The route was extended south from Philadelphia City Hall to its present terminus at I-95 in the 1980s, replacing a section of PA 291.
Route description
Philadelphia County
PA 611 begins at an interchange with I-95 in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, heading north on Broad Street. South of I-95, Broad Street continues into The Navy Yard, a mixed-use development that is located at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.From the southern terminus, the route follows an eight-lane divided section of Broad Street that is also known as the Southern Boulevard Parkway, running between Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park to the west and the South Philadelphia Sports Complex to the east. At Pattison Avenue, SEPTA's Broad Street Line, a subway line, begins to run under the route from its southern terminus at NRG Station. Past the sports complex, the road runs through urban neighborhoods and comes to an interchange with I-76, which heads west across Philadelphia and east toward the Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River into New Jersey.
File:PA 611 NB past Walnut Street Philadelphia.jpeg|thumb|right|PA 611 northbound on Broad Street in Center City Philadelphia, approaching Philadelphia City Hall
Following this interchange, PA 611 narrows to a four-lane divided road and passes through Marconi Plaza before intersecting the eastern terminus of PA 291 at Oregon Avenue and Moyamensing Avenue. The route continues north as a four-lane road with alternating divided and undivided stretches through urban residential and commercial areas in South Philadelphia, passing to the west of Jefferson Methodist Hospital between Ritner Street and Wolf Street.
PA 611 runs to the west of South Philadelphia High School between Jackson Street and Snyder Avenue and to the east of Constitution Health Plaza between Passyunk Avenue/McKean Street and Mifflin Street. Farther north, the road crosses Washington Avenue, where it becomes the Avenue of the Arts, and heads west of the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts between Carpenter Street and Christian Street. PA 611 intersects South Street and Lombard Street, at which point it heads into Center City Philadelphia.
The route then transitions to a six-lane divided highway and runs past commercial development and high-rise buildings, including several theaters. The road passes to the east of the former University of the Arts and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts between the Pine Street and Spruce Street intersections and heads east of the Academy of Music at the Locust Street intersection. The route crosses Walnut Street and Chestnut Street before it comes to Penn Square, a square-shaped traffic circle that runs around Philadelphia City Hall which is formed by South Penn Square to the south, Juniper Street to the east, John F. Kennedy Boulevard to the north, and 15th Street to the west.
At Penn Square, PA 611 intersects Market Street along with the eastern terminus of PA 3, which is routed on the one-way pair of Market Street eastbound and John F. Kennedy Boulevard westbound.
Past Penn Square, PA 611 continues north along six-lane divided Broad Street through more commercial development and high-rise buildings in Center City. The road passes to the west of the Pennsylvania Convention Center between Arch Street and Race Street and to the east of the former Hahnemann University Hospital between Race Street and Vine Street.
At Vine Street, the route comes to an interchange with I-676/US 30, with access provided by the Vine Street frontage road. Roman Catholic High School is located east of the road just north of Vine Street. Following this, PA 611 passes more commercial development and crosses Spring Garden Street before running to the east of Benjamin Franklin High School.
The road then heads out of Center City and into North Philadelphia. The route continues north as a four-lane road with alternating divided and undivided stretches through urban residential and commercial development, crossing Ridge Avenue/Fairmount Avenue and Girard Avenue, the latter of which carries SEPTA's Route 15 trolley line. The road enters Cecil B. Moore and crosses Cecil B. Moore Avenue as it heads through the Temple University campus, passing to the east of the Liacouras Center multi-purpose arena between Cecil B. Moore Avenue and Montgomery Avenue. PA 611 leaves the university campus at the Diamond Street intersection and runs past more urban homes and businesses, crossing Dauphin Street and continuing into Glenwood.
Just south of the Lehigh Avenue intersection, the road passes over SEPTA's Main Line north of the North Broad station. After the Glenwood Avenue junction, the route passes under Amtrak's Northeast Corridor railroad line east of the North Philadelphia station serving Amtrak and SEPTA's Trenton Line and Chestnut Hill West Line. PA 611 heads into the Nicetown–Tioga section of Philadelphia and crosses Allegheny Avenue, at which point it runs to the west of the Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry before intersecting Westmoreland Street/Rising Sun Avenue. The route passes between the Temple University School of Medicine to the west and Temple University Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children to the east between Ontario Street and Venango Street. The road continues through urban areas as a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane and intersects Erie Avenue and Germantown Avenue before passing over Conrail Shared Assets Operations' Richmond Industrial Track line south of Lycoming Street. The route crosses Hunting Park Avenue before it comes to a junction with US 13, where left turns are prohibited. A short distance later, PA 611 reaches a partial interchange with US 1, with access to southbound US 1 via Cayuga Street and from northbound US 1 via St. Lukes Street. The missing movements to and from US 1 are provided by US 13.
Past US 1, the route continues north through the Logan section of Philadelphia. After crossing Windrim Avenue, the road passes under railroad tracks carrying CSX's Trenton Subdivision line and SEPTA's Main Line. PA 611 continues past more urban homes and runs to the west of Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital between Somerville Avenue and Tabor Road. The route heads between the Philadelphia High School for Girls to the west and SEPTA's Olney Transportation Center to the east before it crosses Olney Avenue and Old York Road in a commercial area. At Grange Avenue, the Broad Street Line splits to the east to head toward its northern terminus at the Fern Rock Transportation Center. The road runs past urban homes and businesses, intersecting Stenton Avenue/Godfrey Avenue, as it continues into East Oak Lane. Here, PA 611 splits from Broad Street to head north-northeast along two-lane undivided Old York Road, passing more residences and businesses. The route comes to an interchange with the southern terminus of PA 309 at Cheltenham Avenue on the northern border of Philadelphia.
Montgomery County
At the interchange with PA 309, PA 611 enters Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County and continues north along four-lane divided Old York Road, running past businesses before heading through Melrose Park and passing west of Gratz College. The road curves northeast at the Ashbourne Road intersection and passes under SEPTA's Main Line, at which point it heads into Elkins Park and runs past businesses, crossing Church Road and the Tacony Creek. The route turns back to the north and passes more residential development, heading to the east of Salus University before coming to an intersection with PA 73. Upon crossing PA 73, PA 611 enters Abington Township and passes east of a high-rise apartment complex as it runs through commercial areas, becoming the border between the borough of Jenkintown to the west and Abington Township to the east.The route fully enters Jenkintown and turns into four-lane undivided York Road, heading through the downtown area. The road passes more commercial development and becomes the border between Abington Township to the west and Jenkintown to the east. PA 611 fully enters Abington Township again and turns into a divided highway called Old York Road, coming to a bridge over SEPTA's West Trenton Line west of the Noble station in Noble. The route continues north past businesses along with a few nearby homes, bending to the north-northeast. The road runs through Abington Township, where it reaches a junction with Susquehanna Road and heads to the east of Jefferson Abington Hospital. PA 611 continues north past more commercial development, passing under Edge Hill Road. Farther north, the route crosses Old Welsh Road before it comes to an intersection with PA 63, at which point it enters Upper Moreland Township. Here, the road becomes undivided North York Road and heads into Willow Grove, curving northwest and crossing Davisville Road and then SEPTA's Warminster Line at-grade south of the Willow Grove station.
Past the train station, PA 611 intersects Easton Road, where it continues north along four-lane divided Easton Road. A short distance later, the route comes to a junction with the southern terminus of PA 263, which splits to the northeast along North York Road. This intersection has no direct access from southbound PA 611 to PA 263. Past this junction, PA 611 heads northwest as a four-lane undivided road past a mix of suburban homes and businesses. The road curves north and briefly becomes a divided highway at the Fitzwatertown Road intersection before passing more commercial development and crossing under Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Line. The route transitions into a divided highway again and reaches the Willow Grove interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike ; this interchange is a double trumpet interchange. Past this interchange, the road widens to a six-lane divided highway and runs past businesses. Upon crossing Blair Mill Road, PA 611 heads into Horsham Township and turns into a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane.
The route then becomes a four-lane divided highway and curves northwest, crossing Pennypack Creek and coming to a junction with the eastern terminus of PA 463 in Horsham. This intersection has no direct access from PA 463 to northbound PA 611. A short distance later, the road intersects Dresher Road/Meetinghouse Road near Horsham Friends Meeting, with Dresher Road providing access to PA 463. PA 611 bends to the north-northwest and the median becomes a center turn lane, with the route passing more development and becoming the eastern border of the Biddle Air National Guard Base. The road runs through Hallowell and continues north between the air station to the west and commercial development to the east, coming to an intersection with County Line Road.