Pennsylvania Route 45
Encyclopedia
Pennsylvania Route 45 or State Route 45 is an 86 miles (138.4 km) long state highway
located in central Pennsylvania
. PA 45 is called the Purple Heart Highway.The western terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 453
in the Morris Township
near the community of Water Street
. The eastern terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 642
west of the small town of Mooresburg
.
to Easton
. The 1928 revision expanded this route westward; PA 45 was signed on two different sections, the connection between them being signed as part of US 120 (later US 122, now PA 405
, PA 147
, and PA 61
). The "middle" section was signed from Water Street
to Montandon, between Milton
and Northumberland
, and the east section from Ashland
to Easton.
In 1928, the route was under construction from Indianland to Beersville and completed the following year on the Ashland to Easton section. In 1930, the route was paved from Lehigh Gap to Indianland on the eastern section. In 1934, the eastern terminus was moved from Walnut Street to 13th Street in Easton.
In 1932, a western section of PA 45 was opened from Belsano to US 22
near Sankertown and Cresson. The route replaced US 422
from Belsano to Ebensburg and US 22 from Ebensburg to Cresson when those designations were placed on a straighter route. In 1936, the eastern terminus of the middle section was moved from Montandon to Mausdale. In 1946, the eastern terminus of the western section was truncated from Cresson to Ebensburg. Until 1952, the middle section entered Mooresburg
on a different route. In 1951, construction began on a bypass which opened in 1952. In 1955, the eastern terminus in the eastern section was moved from 13th Street to Third Street in Easton.
Until 1961, there was a break between Mausdale and Ashland, that was connected when PA 54 was truncated to Mausdale. Also in 1961, the western section of PA 45 was decommissioned; the piece of PA 45 between Belsano and Nanty Glo became part of an extension of PA 933 and is currently part of PA 271
.
In 1962, the route was changed from going into State College
via US 322 and then PA 26, to go straight from PA 26 to Boalsburg
. In 1966 the eastern section was renumbered as PA 248
, leaving the current alignment the only one to hold the designation. The eastern terminus was fixed at its current location, with the road reverting to PA 642 from Mooresburg to Mausdale and to PA 54 south/east of Mausdale.
, Union County, Pennsylvania
. Narrow streets within the borough are avoided by this designation, and a complicated intersection with Pennsylvania Route 304
, which does not contain turning lanes, is bypassed. The route is multiplexed with other highways for its entire length: it begins as a portion of Pennsylvania Route 104
southbound, then it is cosigned with Truck 304, before traveling back northbound along Route 304.
. The route is somewhat antiquated, multiplexed entirely with other routes, and significantly longer than the twisty mainline. Traveling mostly in Franklin Township
and Warriors Mark Township, the route begins in the west by branching northbound along Pennsylvania Route 453
, before continuing west along Pennsylvania Route 550
, and travelling south along Pennsylvania Route 350
to meet up with its parent.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
located in central Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. PA 45 is called the Purple Heart Highway.The western terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 453
Pennsylvania Route 453
Pennsylvania Route 453 is a long state highway located in Huntingdon, Blair, and Clearfield counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at US 22 in Water Street; the northern terminus is at PA 879 in Curwensville....
in the Morris Township
Morris Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Morris Township is a township in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 416 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 12.1 square miles , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there...
near the community of Water Street
Water Street, Pennsylvania
Water Street is a small unincorporated village in the Canoe Valley of Morris Township, part of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The Frankstown Branch Juniata River runs north along the west foot of the Tussey Mountain ridge to the village, before turning east along U.S. Route 22,...
. The eastern terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 642
Pennsylvania Route 642
Pennsylvania Route 642 is an long state highway located in Union, Northumberland, Montour, and Columbia counties in Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at US 15 in Kelly Township. The eastern terminus is at PA 254 in Madison Township....
west of the small town of Mooresburg
Mooresburg, Pennsylvania
Mooresburg is an unincorporated community in Liberty Township, Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its latitude is 40.982N. Its longitude is -76.705W.-Notable people:...
.
History
When Pennsylvania's "traffic routes" were established in 1925, PA 45 was originally signed from HerndonHerndon, Pennsylvania
Herndon, formerly Trevorton Junction, is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Herndon was first founded by Robert A. Parrish in 1840. The town was later named for Naval commander William Lewis Herndon, who died in 1857 while trying to rescue passengers from his sinking...
to Easton
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
. The 1928 revision expanded this route westward; PA 45 was signed on two different sections, the connection between them being signed as part of US 120 (later US 122, now PA 405
Pennsylvania Route 405
Pennsylvania Route 405 is a state highway that runs for in north central Pennsylvania, United States. The southern terminus of Pennsylvania Route 147 in West Chillisquaque Township...
, PA 147
Pennsylvania Route 147
Pennsylvania Route 147 is a north–south route that runs for along the east shore of the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania, United States. The northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 80 and Interstate 180 in Turbot Township. The southern terminus is at an interchange...
, and PA 61
Pennsylvania Route 61
Pennsylvania Route 61 is an -long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route is signed on a north–south direction, from U.S. Route 222 Business in Reading to U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 15 in Shamokin Dam. PA 61 meets up with Pennsylvania Route 54 in Ashland and these...
). The "middle" section was signed from Water Street
Water Street, Pennsylvania
Water Street is a small unincorporated village in the Canoe Valley of Morris Township, part of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The Frankstown Branch Juniata River runs north along the west foot of the Tussey Mountain ridge to the village, before turning east along U.S. Route 22,...
to Montandon, between Milton
Milton, Pennsylvania
Milton is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg. Settled in 1770, it was incorporated in 1817, and is governed by a charter that was revised in 1890...
and Northumberland
Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the...
, and the east section from Ashland
Ashland, Pennsylvania
Ashland is a borough in Schuylkill county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, 12 miles northwest of Pottsville. The Borough lies in the anthracite coal region of eastern Pennsylvania. Settled in 1850, Ashland was incorporated in 1857, and was named for Henry Clay's estate near Lexington, Kentucky....
to Easton.
In 1928, the route was under construction from Indianland to Beersville and completed the following year on the Ashland to Easton section. In 1930, the route was paved from Lehigh Gap to Indianland on the eastern section. In 1934, the eastern terminus was moved from Walnut Street to 13th Street in Easton.
In 1932, a western section of PA 45 was opened from Belsano to US 22
U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania
U.S. Route 22 is an east–west route stretching from Cincinnati, Ohio in the west to Newark, New Jersey in the east. In Pennsylvania, the route runs for between the West Virginia state line at Washington County, where it is a limited-access expressway-grade route through the western suburbs...
near Sankertown and Cresson. The route replaced US 422
U.S. Route 422
U.S. Route 422 is a long spur route of US 22 split into two segments in the U.S. states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The western spur begins in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and ends at Ebensburg, Pennsylvania...
from Belsano to Ebensburg and US 22 from Ebensburg to Cresson when those designations were placed on a straighter route. In 1936, the eastern terminus of the middle section was moved from Montandon to Mausdale. In 1946, the eastern terminus of the western section was truncated from Cresson to Ebensburg. Until 1952, the middle section entered Mooresburg
Mooresburg, Pennsylvania
Mooresburg is an unincorporated community in Liberty Township, Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its latitude is 40.982N. Its longitude is -76.705W.-Notable people:...
on a different route. In 1951, construction began on a bypass which opened in 1952. In 1955, the eastern terminus in the eastern section was moved from 13th Street to Third Street in Easton.
Until 1961, there was a break between Mausdale and Ashland, that was connected when PA 54 was truncated to Mausdale. Also in 1961, the western section of PA 45 was decommissioned; the piece of PA 45 between Belsano and Nanty Glo became part of an extension of PA 933 and is currently part of PA 271
Pennsylvania Route 271
Pennsylvania Route 271 is a north–south state route located in Western Pennsylvania. Its southern terminus is at PA 711 in Oak Grove in Ligonier Township, and its northern terminus is at US 219 in Northern Cambria...
.
In 1962, the route was changed from going into State College
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
via US 322 and then PA 26, to go straight from PA 26 to Boalsburg
Boalsburg, Pennsylvania
Boalsburg is a census-designated place in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,578 at the 2000 census. The village claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. The name Boalsburg comes from...
. In 1966 the eastern section was renumbered as PA 248
Pennsylvania Route 248
Pennsylvania Route 248 is a long state highway in eastern portions of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 209 in Weissport. The eastern terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 611 in Easton....
, leaving the current alignment the only one to hold the designation. The eastern terminus was fixed at its current location, with the road reverting to PA 642 from Mooresburg to Mausdale and to PA 54 south/east of Mausdale.
Major intersections
PA 45 Truck (Mifflinburg)
Pennsylvania Route 45 Truck is a 2 miles (3.2 km) long truck route in MifflinburgMifflinburg, Pennsylvania
-Education:There are no colleges or universities in Mifflinburg.The Mifflinburg Area School District has a number of its schools located in the borough. It has the high school , the middle school and the Mifflinburg Area Intermediate School which opened for the 2006 school year...
, Union County, Pennsylvania
Union County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,624 people, 13,178 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile . There were 14,684 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
. Narrow streets within the borough are avoided by this designation, and a complicated intersection with Pennsylvania Route 304
Pennsylvania Route 304
Pennsylvania Route 304 is an long state highway located in Union county in Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at PA 45 in Mifflinburg. The eastern terminus is at US 15 in Winfield.-Route description:...
, which does not contain turning lanes, is bypassed. The route is multiplexed with other highways for its entire length: it begins as a portion of Pennsylvania Route 104
Pennsylvania Route 104
Pennsylvania Route 104 is a long state highway located in Perry, Juniata, Snyder, and Union counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at US 11/US 15 between McKees Half Falls and Liverpool...
southbound, then it is cosigned with Truck 304, before traveling back northbound along Route 304.
PA 45 Truck (Huntingdon County)
Pennsylvania Route 45 Truck is a 17 miles (27.4 km) long truck route designed to avoid steep grades and sharp turns along mainline Route 45 in western Huntingdon County, PennsylvaniaHuntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,913.Huntingdon County was created on September 20, 1787, from part of Bedford County. Its county seat is Huntingdon.-Geography:According to the U.S...
. The route is somewhat antiquated, multiplexed entirely with other routes, and significantly longer than the twisty mainline. Traveling mostly in Franklin Township
Franklin Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Franklin Township is a township in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 447 at the 2000 census.-General information:*ZIP Code: 16865*Area Code: 814*Local Phone Exchange: 632*School District: Tyrone Area School District...
and Warriors Mark Township, the route begins in the west by branching northbound along Pennsylvania Route 453
Pennsylvania Route 453
Pennsylvania Route 453 is a long state highway located in Huntingdon, Blair, and Clearfield counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at US 22 in Water Street; the northern terminus is at PA 879 in Curwensville....
, before continuing west along Pennsylvania Route 550
Pennsylvania Route 550
Pennsylvania Route 550 is a 36 mile long state highway in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 45 Truck and Pennsylvania Route 453 east of Tyrone...
, and travelling south along Pennsylvania Route 350
Pennsylvania Route 350
Pennsylvania Route 350 is an long state highway located in Huntingdon, Blair, and Centre counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 45 in Franklin Township...
to meet up with its parent.