How to Travel Pennsylvania's Interstate 476

If you've ever traversed Pennsylvania and saw the 132.1 miles (212.6 km) I-76 [1] and wondered "what route is this" when you saw that it has something to do with Pennsylvania's Turnpike, this article will describe this longest auxiliary Interstate Highway's [2] route.

1

Travel in Delaware County.

  1. In Delaware County, I-476 travels almost directly northwest as the Mid-County Expressway (locally named "Blue Route") from I-95 (exit 7) until it meets US-1, then rights itself and travels northeast until it gets to Haverstown, and travels northwest again until it gets to Wayne, then rights one last time until it exits the county on an ENE direction while still taking the same name. This portion of the roadway isn't tolled and lies just south of the T-intersection of I-476 and I-76 beginning within Chester.
    • In Delaware County, I-476 has exits for MacDale Blvd in Ridley Township (with access to Ridley, Chester, and Widener Universities) at exit 1, Media-Swathmore with access to Baltimore Pike at exit 3 in Nether Providence Township, US-1 (exit 5) and PA-3 (exit 9) in Marple Township, and US-30 in Radnor Township.
      • I-476's southern terminus at I-95 also holds the keys to getting to Philadelphia International Airport, seeing as they are one of the exits on that subroute.
      • This portion of the route passes by several notable items including CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision and running parallel to Crum Creek, winding through Wallingford and Swarthmore (SEPTA's Media/Wawa Line and an interchange with the Baltimore Pike then crosses over SEPTA's Route 101 trolley.) It'll widen just past the PA-3 overpass in Broomall (PA-3) and just past US-30's interchange, where stone monuments sit atop a hill.
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2

Travel in Montgomery County.

  1. In Montgomery County, I-476 travels ENE almost diagonally-straight as the Veterans Memorial Highway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension. until it reaches its exit for I-76, then heads more NNE and stays that way through Conshohocken, up to Plymouth Meeting where it meets I-276 and moments later reaches the Toll gantry plaza (formerly called the Mid-County Toll Plaza) and it begins it's now-cashless/cardless tolled transit north as the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike) on an almost-straight north journey through other small towns including Mid-County and Lansdale.
    • In Montgomery County, you'll have exits for West Conshohocken's I-76/PA-23 towards Philadelphia and Valley Forge (exit 16), Plymouth Township's Conshohocken route (exit 18A) or Norristown (exit 18B), Plymouth Meeting (exit 19), or I-276 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike towards Plymouth Rd-Harrisburg (but there is no northbound exit or southbound entrance) (exit 20).
      • In this section, the highway passes over SEPTA's Norristown High-Speed Line and Amtrak's Keystone Corridor, further meeting up with I-76 in West Conshohocken, then crossing the Norfolk Southern's Harrisburg Line, the Schuylkill River, SEPTA's Manyunk/Norristown Line and the Schuylkill Rail Trail meeting with other interchanges before passing over Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Line.
    • Pass through the Mid-County Toll Plaza. This begins the tolled portion of the interstate.
    • In the remainder of Montgomery County, you'll pass through the exits for Mid-County (there's no interchange name, number or signage at mile marker 19.97 miles (32.14 km) so you'll want to be on a lookout for I-276 towards Harrisburg-New Jersey at mile marker 20.33 miles (32.72 km) (but seems to be paired with the direct signage's trouble-spots just after and before the tolling plaza before it heads into Lansdale's PA-63 (exit 31).
    • In this section, it'll pass over CSX's Stony Creek Branch line in the North Penn Valley Region. and reaching more rural towns of farms.
3

Travel in Bucks County.

  1. It travels almost straight on the diagonal between West Rockhill Township and Milford on an almost straight diagonal on the corner.
    • In this county, the only exit is in Milford for Quakertown at PA-663 (exit 44).
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4

Travel in Lehigh County.

  1. In Lehigh County, you'll traverse mountainous terrain. It'll begin to travel northwest as it comes into the county, but just south of Emmaus, it'll right itself and travel NNW through Allentown (it's biggest city yet on the route), until it passes through Washington Township and Walnutport, PA.
    • It only has one exit in South Whitehall Township for Lehigh Valley, though this exit has access to Allentown's US-22 (Lehigh Valley Thruway) to I-78 and PA-309 towards Allentown and Harrisburg.
    • It has one of two service plazas (in both directions serving the same plaza with a roadway overpass connecting north to the building on the southbound side)
      • In this section, you'll travel through the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area and into developed areas passing over Norfolk Southern's Reading Line, then reaching Allentown and under Norfolk-Southern's C&F's Secondary Rail into farmland again.
5

Traverse the Blue Mountain.

  1. This tunnel is untolled but has no cell service due to iron-clad walling.
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6

Travel in Carbon County.

  1. In Carbon County, you're starting to reach the northern area of the state, and by the time the end of the county is near, you're reaching the Pocono Mountains. The route follows a zig-zag pattern as it makes its way around mountains.
    • In Carbon County, you'll have exits for Franklin Township's US-209 Mahoning Valley towards Lehighton-Straudsburg with access to Jim Thorpe (exit 74), Penn Forest Township's PA-903 with access to Jim Thorpe-Lake Harmony and access to Long Pond (exit 87), and Kidder Township's I-80/I-380/PA-940 towards Hazleton-Mount Pocono (exit 95).
    • It's other service plaza exists inside Penn Forest Township for the Hickory Run Service Plaza. This one is bigger than Allentown's services, but can use other services here.
    • In this section, you'll cross over the Lehigh River, Norfolk-Southern's Lehigh Line, and even at one point pass through Hickory Run State Park.
7

Travel in Luzerne County.

  1. In Luzerne County, you'll reach the last ends of mountains and even encounter the northern terminus of the tolled portion of the road. It'll make its way past Wilkes-Barre as it makes its way to Scranton. It comes into the county in a northwest direction, but rights just past Penn Lake Park until it reaches Bear Creek Township then travels more NE until it almost S-curves just south of Westminster, curves through a small suburb of Wilkes-Barre and bee-lines past Langdon to the county-line's squarish-edgy northeast border.
    • In Luzerne County, expect exits for Wilkes Barre's PA-115 in Bear Creek Township (exit 105), followed by the Wyoming Valley Toll Plaza (marking the end of the closed-ticket system of the Turnpike) and Wyoming Valley exit for I-81 and PA-315 (exit 115).
      • In this section, you'll cross the Lehigh River and into interchanges leading to Wilkes-Barre, then come into the northern toll plaza near Pittston, just past the following exit, you'll cross by a Luzerne and Susquehanna Railway line on a Luzerne and Susquehanna Railway line bridge as it comes into the Wyoming Valley.
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8

Travel in Lackawanna County.

  1. In Lackawanna County, as the highway comes in through Moosic, it comes in with a northwest direction, but as it makes its way, it'll twist and turn past Old Forge, just north of that, it'll change direction and travel north then later northeast, even then curving and heading northeast just south of Clarks Summit, turning a little bit closer and traveling northeast again right up until it reaches it's last exit past US-11. (Unfortunately, this route doesn't have much push-off onto other highways outside of a slight connector route to I-81 towards Scranton-Clarks Summit-Binghamton and Wilkes Barre.)
    • In Lackawanna County, there are exits for Keyser Avenue towards Old Forge and Taylor in Taylor (exit 122) and I-81/US-6/US-11 at its northern terminus in South Abington Township (exit 131).
      • In this set, there are still two separate Toll Plazas you'll meet up with -but the fees are very nominal. Both are located on the roadway for Keyser Avenue, and Clarks Summit found at mile markers 121.61 miles (195.71 km) and 131.20 miles (211.15 km).
      • In this section, it avoids Scranton but comes to a Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad line over Norfolk-Southern's Sunbury Line and Lackawanna River then later reaches a mainline all-electronic toll plaza at an exit to Taylor's Keyser Avenue and comes to a crossing in Clarks Summit on the John E. Fitzgerald Memorial Bridge over Norfolk-Southern's Sunbury Line and hairpin curve and another all-electronic toll plaza and finishes with connections to I-81 as it joins US-6 without a toll.

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      References

      1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_476
      2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_476

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