Road Photo Trip 8/4/01 - Southern Clinton and Lycoming Counties Part I

by Timothy Reichard

This trip begins northbound on PA 26 leaving State College around 1 PM. The goal of this Saturday trip was to capture on film as many route termini and multiplex shields as possible before the sun set. I wanted to help out Adam Prince with his PA Ends web site, which at this time was looking for photos of route termini in Pennsylvania, especially in the Clinton and Lycoming Counties area.. It was a hot, sun-with-clouds day, but warmer than on Thursday. First stop, some new signs along the I-99 corridor. I drove on to the Mount Nittany Expressway (US 322) from its interchange with PA 26 just north of State College. The next exit I encounter is a huge one, partially complete, mostly under construction. Just a week and a half ago I noticed some new shields along the expressway—shields that seemed prematurely posted.

US 220 and US 322 join for a ~3-mile duplex between Port Matilda and Martha Furnace. But this photo wasn't taken there. This photo was shot on the Mount Nittany Expressway (US 322) just north of State College and ~11 miles east of the other duplex. This is the only new US 220 shield on US 322. Southwestbound traffic here has three lanes. The rightmost lane is the on-ramp from the interchange serving Park Avenue and Future I-99/Future US 220. US 220 and I-99 will eventually form a triplex with US 322 from this interchange to Port Matilda. The US 220/US 322 shields appeared the week of 7/23/01. Photo shot 8/4/01.

It seemed that the US 220 shield shouldn't be there—not yet, anyway. Once the segment of I-99 from this expressway northward to I-80 is complete, then the US 220 would make perfect sense, as US 220 route will be relocated from its Martha Furnace-Milesburg path to the I-99 alignment. But for now, this should be only US 322.

I made a U-turn by exiting at the next exit, Woodycrest/Toftrees, and backtracking on US 322 eastbound to the PA 26 interchange. I exited and headed northbound. I passed the southern PA 150 junction amidst all the Nittany Mall traffic that seems worthy of an I-99 interchange for alleviation, and indeed there will be one for the mall. Continuing northward, I met PA 64 and reached the Bellefonte Bypass. The expressway ends just before the I-80 interchange, which will need to be reconstructed for Future I-99 to proceed to the north. I continued on PA 26 until I reached its northern end.

The northern terminus of PA 26 is at PA 150 near Howard. Coincidentally, PA 150 has its southern terminus at PA 26 about 20 miles to the southwest. Photo shot 8/4/01.

Just before reaching this sign, I crossed the bridge over the Foster Joseph Sayers Lake.

Not only do PA 26 and PA 150 end at each other, but they both end PA 64's route. Taking PA 150 northbound, I reached PA 64's northern end.

The northern terminus of PA 64 is at PA 150 in Mill Hall. Photo shot 8/4/01.

There isn't a place to pull over the car to take this photo, nor is there a convenient place to park to walk and take it, nor is there much of a place to walk if I could park close. This photo was taken during my third attempt of approaching the signs and stopping on the road without having any traffic behind me. But this is the challenge of such photography.

Then I turned around on PA 150 and took PA 64 southbound to reach the next end.

The northern terminus of PA 477 is at PA 64 west of Salona. The photo was shot at the west end of the PA 477 overpass above the US 220 expressway. The SOUTH US 220 shield points to the on-ramp to the expressway, which narrows to two lanes at this interchange. Two sets of PA 64 directional shields are visible in the background. Photo shot 8/4/01.

This terminus probably did not change when the US 220 expressway was built. But the next end probably did change. I drove forward, back to the PA 64 end (yet again I traveled the last few hundred feet of PA 64), and took PA 150 northbound to Lock Haven.

The eastern terminus of PA 120 is at US 220 just southeast of Lock Haven. No END PA 120 sign was posted. PA 120 begins at this interchange with the US 220 expressway and continues straight ahead. The shields just beyond the overpass are directional shields for SOUTH US 220 (turn left) and WEST PA 120 (straight ahead). Photo shot 8/4/01.

The eastern terminus of PA 120 was probably always at US 220. But before the US 220 expressway was built, US 220 followed what is now PA 150 in Lock Haven. PA 120 ended a block or two from the next terminus.

The southern terminus of PA 664 is at PA 120 in Lock Haven. This intersection (cut off at the bottom of the photo) is PA 664's end, which lacks a posted END PA 664 shield. PA 120 westbound is to the right, eastbound is straight ahead. One block straight ahead, PA 120 meets PA 150 southbound, and one more block ahead, PA 120 meets PA 150 northbound. Continuing ahead, PA 120 ends at US 220 just out of sight. Photo shot 8/4/01.

This photo was shot at the same intersection as the previous photo. PA 120 heads forward to the intersection and turns right (in the previous photo, PA 120 came from the right and turned right to go straight ahead). PA 664 begins to the left. Photo shot 8/4/01.

Turning left, I followed PA 664 for its entire length, about 15 miles. The route begins with a bridge across the West Branch Susquehanna River and continues up and down mountainous terrain.

>> Continue to Part II >>