Pennsylvania Route 54

PA Route 54 marker

PA Route 54
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length: 81 mi[1] (131 km)
Existed: 1928 – present
Major junctions
West end: US 15 near Montgomery
  I-180 near Milton
I-80 near Danville
US 11 in Danville
I-81 in Mahanoy City
PA 309 in Hometown
East end: US 209 in Nesquehoning
Location
Counties: Lycoming, Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, Schuylkill, Carbon
Highway system
← PA 53PA 55 →

Pennsylvania Route 54 (PA 54) is a state highway which runs for 81.4 miles (131.0 km)[2] in eastern Pennsylvania. It runs from U.S. Route 209 in Nesquehoning, Carbon County in the east to U.S. Route 15, which is three miles (5 km) west of Montgomery, Lycoming County in the west.

Route description

Pennsylvania Route 54 west in Montgomery, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Route 54 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 15 in Clinton Township. It travels east and becomes known as Main Street in Montgomery. It briefly turns to the left onto Montgomery Street, where it intersects Pennsylvania Route 405, before making a right turn as 2nd Street and then crossing over the West Branch Susquehanna River. Pennsylvania Route 54 and Pennsylvania Route 405 end their concurrency in Delaware Township. PA 54 passes through the village of Delaware Run and later intersects Interstate 180 at an interchange. After I-180, the route has an intersection with the Susquehanna Trail. In Turbotville, PA 54 intersects Pennsylvania Route 44 and the two have a concurrency which ends a couple of miles east of Turbotville. PA 54 continues as Continental Blvd. PA 54 passes through the small Washingtonville as Water Street, before returning to its Continental Blvd designation and intersecting Pennsylvania Route 254. PA 54 heads south and adds a lane in each direction for the interchange with Interstate 80.

Pennsylvania Route 54 north of Danville

Shortly afterward, PA 54 also intersects Pennsylvania Route 642 before heading into Danville. It has an intersection with U.S. Route 11 and then, at Mahoning Street, changes name from Continental Blvd to Factory Street. The route then crosses the north branch of the Susquehanna River and enters Riverside as Mill Street, before immediately turning to the east and being called Elysburg Road. Several miles later, PA 54 enters Elysburg as Market Street and has an intersection with Pennsylvania Route 487. PA 54 continues as Market Street until leaving Elysburg.

Pennsylvania Route 54 a few miles southeast of Elysburg

PA 54 runs through Bear Gap, passes the Shamokin Reservoir to its west on the Roaring Creek, and continues up Second Mountain through the village of Natalie all before its intersection with Pennsylvania Route 61 in the village of Strong. Highways 54 and 61 were formerly concurrent and went on together down the current route of PA 61 through Centralia and Mount Carmel. PA 54 heads south and has an intersection with Pennsylvania Route 901, and the two form a concurrency and are named Locust Gap Hwy and pass the village of Locust Gap. PA 901 then turns south and splits off from PA 54 in Merrian. PA 54 passes through the village of Locustdale as Main Street and then enters Ashland as Center Street and has another intersection with PA 61. The two are concurrent until PA 61 turns south on Hoffman Blvd and PA 54 continues east. PA 54 enters Girardville as Mahanoy Ave and then passes through Connerton as Connerton St. PA 54 becomes Lower Main Rd in Lost Creek, and briefly becomes Upper Main Rd before entering Shenandoah. In Shenandoah, PA 54 is called Centre St and has an intersection with Pennsylvania Route 924 in the center of Shenandoah. East-southeast of Shenandoah, PA 54 passes the village of Ellen Gowan and St. Nicholas. PA 54 takes a left turn at the more famous of the two St. Nicholas coal breakers, once claimed to be the largest coal breaker in the world. Heading east, PA 54 later enters Mahanoy City as Centre St. In Mahanoy City, PA 54 is the southern terminus of Pennsylvania Route 339. Between Mahanoy City and an intersection with Interstate 81, PA 54 is called Vulcan Hill Rd. After the interchange with I-81, PA 54 passes through Grier City and Park Crest as Barnesville Dr, and then through Barnesville as Pine Creek Dr. It enters Hometown as Mahanoy Ave and then intersects Pennsylvania Route 309. The route continues through Hometown as Lafayette Ave, and then after Hometown, is called Hauto Hwy. South of the Hauto Dam, PA 54 enters Nesquehoning as Stock St. PA 54 ends as Industrial Complex with an intersection with U.S. Route 209 in Nesquehoning.

History

In 1961, the section of PA 54 between Mausdale and Ashland was replaced by PA 45 in order simplify route numbers by connecting the two segments of that route.[3] In 1966, PA 54 was extended to its current eastern terminus by replacing PA 45 between Mausdale and Nesquehoning.[4][5]

Centralia branch of PA 54/61

Because of the underground coal mine fire in Centralia, the original branch of Routes 54 and 61, which went from Centralia to Ashland, has been permanently closed because the road has severely opened up and buckled extensively. This branch was repaired in 1983 for $500,000; then in 1992 it was deemed too expensive to repair again. In 1994, the branch was permanently closed.

PA 54 used to run concurrent with PA 61 through Centralia but was rerouted along Pennsylvania Route 901 and three quadrant routes in 1999, completely bypassing Centralia. Nowadays, only PA 61 goes through Centralia while PA 54 now goes directly from Ashland to Mount Carmel Township along the aforementioned alignment via PA 901. The road signs for PA 54 were removed from Centralia several years ago.

Routes 54 and 61 meet up again at an intersection just outside Mount Carmel.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
LycomingMontgomery US 15 – Allenwood, Selinsgrove, WilliamsportWestern terminus of PA 54
PA 405 north (Montgomery Street) to I-180North end of PA 405 concurrency
NorthumberlandDelaware Township PA 405 south – WatsontownSouth end of PA 405 concurrency
I-180 – WilliamsportInterchange
Turbotville PA 44 north (Main Street) – Turbotville, McEwensvilleWest end of PA 44 concurrency
MontourAnthony Township PA 44 south – ExchangeEast end of PA 44 concurrency
Washingtonville PA 254 – Millville, Milton
Valley Township I-80 – Bloomsburg, MiltonInterchange
PA 642 west – MiltonWest end of PA 642 concurrency
PA 642 east (Jerseytown Road)East end of PA 642 concurrency
Danville US 11 (Bloom Street) – Bloomsburg, Northumberland
NorthumberlandRalpho Township PA 487 (Valley Avenue) – Bloomsburg, Sunbury
Mount Carmel PA 61 – Mt. Carmel, Kulpmont
PA 901 west – ShamokinWest end of PA 901 concurrency
PA 901 east – Schuylkill HavenEast end of PA 901 concurrency
SchuylkillAshland PA 61 northWest end of PA 61 concurrency
PA 61 south (Hoffman Boulevard) – Frackville, PottsvilleEast end of PA 61 concurrency
Shenandoah PA 924 (Main Street)
Mahanoy City PA 339 north (Main Street) – BrandonvilleSouthern terminus of PA 339
I-81 – Hazleton, HarrisburgInterchange
Rush Township PA 309 (Claremont Avenue) to I-81 – Hazleton, Tamaqua
CarbonNesquehoning US 209 (Catawissa Street, Market Street) – Jim Thorpe, Lansford, TamaquaEastern terminus of PA 54
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pennsylvania Highways - Pennsylvania Route 54
  2. ↑ https://maps.google.com/
  3. ↑ "Part of Route 54 Changed to 45". Shamokin News-Dispatch. March 31, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved August 16, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ General Highway Map of Montour County, Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1966. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  5. ↑ Official Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1970. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
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