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Wikipedia / U.S. Route 19

U.S. Route19 or U.S. Highway19 (US19) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.

The highway's southern terminus is at Memphis, Florida, which is just south of St. Petersburg at an intersection with US 41. Its northern terminus is in Erie, Pennsylvania, at an intersection with US 20 about from the shores of Lake Erie.

The length of the highway is , including both US19E/US19W paths through North Carolina and Tennessee.

Route description

|- |FL | |- |GA | |- |NC | |- |19E | |- |19W | |- |TN | |- |VA | |- |WV | |- |PA | |- |Total | |}

Florida

US19 runs along Florida's west coast from an interchange with US 41 in Memphis, south of St. Petersburg, and continues to the Georgia border north of Monticello. US19 remains independent of Interstate 75 (I-75), even as the routes converge in the Tampa Bay area. The route is cosigned with I-275 over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge over the mouth of Tampa Bay, US 98 between the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge and Perry, US 27 Alternate (US27 Alt.) between Chiefland and Perry, and US 27 between and Perry and Capps.

The unsigned designation for US19 in Florida, between Memphis and Perry, is State Road 55 (SR55). Between Perry and Capps, it follows SR 20, and, between Capps and the Georgia border, it follows SR57.

According to a 2005 Dateline NBC report, part of US19 in Florida may be the most dangerous road in the U.S. A Highway Patrol test period beginning in 1998 and ending in 2003, as mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, showed the stretch of US19 from Pasco to Pinellas county to average approximately 52deaths a year, or 262deaths in the five-year duration of the study; 100 of these deaths were pedestrian related, making US19 the worst road to walk on in these two counties. Multiple efforts to improve US19 have been suggested to the Florida Department of Transportation, among them, an overpass strictly for left-turn lanes.

Currently, US19 between Clearwater and St. Petersburg is getting a freeway-style upgrade due to the cancelation of an extension of I-375 in the late 1970s.

Georgia

US19 enters Georgia just south of Thomasville as Lee Highway, concurrent with State Route 3 (SR3). It continues north, passing through Albany, Americus, Ellaville, Butler, Thomaston, and Zebulon. It becomes concurrent with US 41 in Griffin. It then proceeds through the western tip of Henry County, passing through Hampton, home of Atlanta Motor Speedway, and continues north through Clayton County and Jonesboro, entering Atlanta.

US19/US41 travels through the south side of Atlanta as Metropolitan Parkway (formerly Stewart Avenue) and through Downtown Atlanta as Northside Drive. The concurrencies with US41 and SR3 end when US19 turns east onto 14th Street in Midtown, beginning a concurrency with SR 9. It then turns north on Peachtree Street until it intersects with SR 141 in Buckhead and becomes Roswell Road. US19 then continues north through Sandy Springs until it reaches I-285's north side. There, the concurrency with SR9 ends and US19 is briefly concurrent with I-285, for about .

US19 leaves I-285 to travel through the northern suburbs of Atlanta along SR 400. Most of this section is a limited-access road with four lanes in each direction, becoming two lanes in each direction as the highway continues away from the northern suburbs of Atlanta. It picks back up as Lee Highway north of Atlanta. It arrives in Dahlonega, where it is no longer concurrent with SR400, before about of extremely curvy road, which includes a concurrency with US 129. The last major town it travels through in Georgia is Blairsville.

North Carolina

US19 is cosigned with US129 from the Georgia line to Murphy as Lee Highway, then is cosigned with US 74, as well as US 129 as far as Graham County. US129 veers away from US19, heading north to Robbinsville, and continuing to Maryville, Tennessee. US19 and US74 are cosigned as far as Ela, after which US74 veers south, leaving US19 to head into the Great Smoky Mountains. US19 passes through the Qualla Boundary. For a brief time, US19 is cosigned with US 276. Then, US19 is cosigned with US 23 from Lake Junaluska to Mars Hill (and with US 70 in Asheville), which closely parallels I-40 and then Future I-26.

Just north of Mars Hill, US19 continues solo to Cane River, where US19 splits: US19E toward Burnsville and US19W toward Erwin, Tennessee.

U.S. Route 19E

Traversing from Cane River, North Carolina, to Bluff City, Tennessee, US19E first goes east to Burnsville and Spruce Pine, then north along the banks of the North Toe River to Cranberry and Elk Park, before crossing the North Carolina–Tennessee state line. Heading northeast, it goes through Roan Mountain, Hampton, and Elizabethton, rendezvousing with US19W in Bluff City.

U.S. Route 19W

Traversing from Cane River, North Carolina, to Bluff City, Tennessee, US19W goes immediately north along the banks of the Cane River to the communities of Ramseytown and Sioux, then northwest through the Unaka Range, crossing the North Carolina–Tennessee state line. At Ernestville, US19W joins with I-26/US 23 and proceeds through Erwin, Unicoi, and Johnson City. In Johnson City, it switches partners to US 11E along Bristol Highway, rendezvousing with US19E in Bluff City.

Tennessee

US19 starts again in Bluff City, heading northeast along the Volunteer Parkway (and concurrency with US 11E) to Bristol. In downtown Bristol, US19 crosses the Tennessee–Virginia state line on State Street.

Virginia

US19 goes northeast from Bristol, parallel to I-81, until Abingdon. It then heads north to Lebanon, through Clinch Mountain, then northeast again through the towns of Claypool Hill, Tazewell, and then finally to Bluefield, where it enters West Virginia.

West Virginia

US19 enters West Virginia as a four-lane highway in Bluefield, where it narrows to two lanes as it winds northward. It later parallels I-77/I-64 until it reaches Beckley, where it goes northeasterly on an expressway-grade four-lane highway. Crossing the New River via the New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville, it passes through Summersville and Birch River before arriving at I-79, south of Sutton. From there, it runs concurrent with I-79 from exit57 to exit67 at Flatwoods. Then, it exits and reverts to a two-lane highway, more or less following the route of I-79 as it passes through Weston, Clarksburg, Fairmont, and Morgantown before crossing into Pennsylvania. The distance from Beckley from I-79 is also known as Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) Corridor L. It allows traffic to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area to bypass Charleston, and is thus part of a main link from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvania

US19 is closely paralleled by I-79 for its entire length. From the state line, it goes north to Washington and then through Pittsburgh. It crosses the Ohio River via the West End Bridge just west of Downtown Pittsburgh. In Cranberry Township, north of Pittsburgh, US19 shares a major junction between I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) and I-79, via the Cranberry Connector. US19 crosses I-80 in the East Lackawannock Township. Near Erie, it crosses I-90 before going through the downtown area, ending at US 20 (26th Street).

ADHS corridors

US19 overlaps with three corridors that are part of the ADHS, which is part of Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). Passed in 1965, the purpose of the ADHS is to generate economic development in previously isolated areas, supplement the Interstate Highway System, connect Appalachia to the Interstate System, and provide access to areas within the region as well as to markets in the rest of the nation.

History

Florida

US19 first entered Florida in 1929. It underwent two route shifts, the first in 1933 and the second in 1946, which adjusted it to its current alignment. US19 was extended to its southern terminus of Memphis in September 1954, when the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened to traffic.

Starting around 1956, US19 was four-laned, initially in the Perry area, working north toward the Georgia border. The entire route in Florida was four-laned by 1972.

The planned St. Petersburg–Clearwater Expressway, or Pinellas Beltway, would have followed the current alignment of US 19 Alt. from I-275 to Clearwater, Florida. The intersection of Seminole Boulevard and Bay Pines Boulevard is a remnant of this proposed road. The beltway road was proposed in 1974, but it was dead by 1980.

North Carolina

In North Carolina, US19 was North Carolina Highway 10 (NC10) from the Georgia state line to Asheville, NC29 from Asheville to Madison County, NC69 to a point near the Tennessee state line, and either NC194 or NC694 for a short distance south of the Tennessee state line.

The original US19 in Yancey, Mitchell, and Avery counties mostly followed the route now designated US19E. US19W in Yancey County was US19-23 in 1935, and what is now US19E was US19A. The US19E and US19W designations have been used since 1930.

Prior to 1948, US19 between Ela and Waynesville essentially followed the route of present-day US74. Then, this road was called US 19A and the section of NC 28. From Ela to Cherokee and the section of NC 293 from Cherokee to near Waynesville became US19. Improvements were made, including a new section of highway west of Lake Junaluska.

Around 1956, US19/US23 was widened to four lanes from Lake Junaluska to Canton.

By 1970, a section of US19 west of Murphy, also designated US 64 (and later US 74), was widened to four lanes.

In January 1983, after improvements to US19A had made it similar to an Interstate Highway, the state proposed designating US19A as US19 Bypass. At one point, changing US19A to US19 was considered, but businesses in Maggie Valley opposed the idea of their highway being changed to US19A. US19A became the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway.

Tennessee

US19 originally went from the North Carolina state line to US 511. In 1928, US19 was extended with US511 to Bristol and into Virginia. In 1930, US19 south was truncated to Bluff City (the current State Route 44 [SR44]/SR 390 junction), as US19E was assigned to US19 south to North Carolina.

This is still US19E except Old Highway19E/Buck Creek Road east of Shell Creek; Carter Street, Main Street, Conway Street, and Cloud Land Drive in Roan Mountain; Crabtree and Old Rock Quarry roads west of Roan Mountain; Little Mountain Church Road; Holtsclaw Road; Herman Johnson Loop; J D Whitehead Road; Old Highway19E, Schoolhouse Road, and Dave Simerly Road in Tiger Valley; Rittertown Road south of Hampton; Church and 1st streets through Hampton; and Mill Pond Road in the Valley Forge area.

The quite winding alignment where it crosses the Doe River twice is completely abandoned; State Line Road/Johnson Avenue/Sycamore Street/Broad Street through Elizabethton, plus today's SR 400 and Bristol/Elizabethton/Old Elizabethton highways to Bluff City.

In 1931 or 1932, US19 south was extended over US19W to the new US19E/US19W split in Hillcrest (the current SR44/Elizabethton Highway junction)

Virginia

Although an original U.S. Highway, US19 does not appear on the 1926 official road atlas (which shows other U.S. Highways) nor the 1927 Clason road atlas. It does appear on a mid-1927 official map. It ran generally as it does today. In this routing, US19 was added to US11 and State Route10 (SR10) from the Tennessee state line to Abingdon, SR106 from Abingdon to Hansonville, SR112 from Hansonville to Lebanon, and SR11 from Lebanon to the West Virginia state line.

Initially, US19 entered Virginia via Pennsylvania Avenue in Bristol, Tennessee, then used State Street west to Front Street north to Spencer Street northeast to Mary Street east to Goodson Street north to Danville Avenue east to Fairview Street north to Massachusetts Avenue east to Texas Avenue north, which became Old Abingdon Highway ran back into US11/US19 near the I-81 interchange.

US19 followed today's US11 approaching Abingdon, then used Colonial Avenue and crossed the railroad to modern US11 at roughly the Bytt Street location, then US 58 Alt. northwest. US19 followed today's US19/US58 Alt. to Hansonville except SR766 near Abingdon, SR633 loop at Butts, SR775 at Greendale, and SR876/SR802 at Holton.

Leaving Hansonville, US19 used today's US19 up to SR674, then abandoned alignment on the north side to Sunset Drive, US19, SR841 (except initially used SR758 loop) to US 19 Business (US19 Bus.), some of US19 Bus., Gilbert Street/Old Fincastle Road, SR82, and US19 Bus. through Lebanon.

East of Lebanon, US19 used SR656 loop back to US19. After a brief stretch of today's US19, US19 followed the SR872 loop near SR80 eastbound. US19 followed more of today's US19 but near SR80 westbound stayed north of the creek on Old Rosedale Highway and some abandoned alignments until around SR644. East of here, US19 more closely followed it current path although in the field it appears old alignment pieces are visible to the north side.

Before SR369, US19 originally used SR770 to cross into Tazewell County, then SR609 north back to US19. US19 followed its current path to Claypool Hill except it used the SR705 loop. At Pounding Mill, US19 used SR637 but otherwise followed US19/US 460 and then US 19 Bus./US 460 Bus. to SR16 Alt.

Initially, US19 followed Old Fincastle Turnpike in western Tazewell, then current US19 Bus. through Tazewell, then Ben Bolt Road east to SR61. US19 then followed SR61 north to SR678 (Market Street). US19 followed SR678 north to SR645 east which used to connect back to modern US19/US460.

US19 followed today's US19 to Bluefield, West Virginia, except SR781, SR 680 loops in Springville, SR665, and SR744/SR1520 Shannandale. There are other visible unnumbered loops that are visible to the north side of US19/US460. In Bluefield, US19 used Greever and East streets.

West Virginia

Appeared in December 1926 as an original U.S. Highway, replacing West Virginia Route4 (WV4) from Bluefield to Westover and WV30 from Westover to Pennsylvania.

The original description of US19 in the 1925 West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) annual report had US19 ending at US 60 in Gauley Bridge and the 1926 official maps of both Virginia and West Virginia show this, but, by the time the U.S. Numbered Highway System went live in late 1926, US19 did extend all the way through West Virginia.

The road from Beckwith to US60 was completed as new construction in 1926. It is unclear if US19 was briefly part of the old route via Kanawha Falls which became part of WV61 (now County Route13, or CR13).

In 1929, US19 was rerouted at Belva to the current WV39 crossing of Twentymile Creek. The old route used today's CR16/6 which no longer crosses the railroad and abandoned routing northwest to the Creek crossing which remained many decades past but is now gone along WV16 north of the WV39 junction.

In about 1931, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, US19/US21 was removed from CR19/19 (Cherry Creek Circle) and CR119/8 (Lamar Circle) in Cherry Creek; CR19/17 (Marshall Circle) all between Ghent and Shady Spring; also CR19/28 (Ransom Drive), CR119/20 (Little Vine Drive), and CR19/14. Old US19 loops above Shady Spring.

Also, in about 1931, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, US19/US21 was rebuilt from Skelton to Mount Hope and removed from CR19/5 and CR4 (Prosperity Road) through Prosperity; CR16/68 (Bradley School Road); and CR19/1 (Maple Lane; no longer connects to), CR1/25, CR19/43 (Sherwood Road), and CR21/8 (Sherwood Heights Road).

In about 1934, US19 was given a new routing between Bluefield and Princeton. The old route became CR25 (Old Princeton Road) out of Bluefield; CR25 (Mercer Mall Road) to Edison (some of this is now WV123); WV71 legs (now CR19/33 [Maple Acres Road] to Glenwood; Glenwood/Green Valley/Old Bluefield roads [CR19/29] from Glenwood to Princeton).

Also, in about 1934, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, the original Beckley Bypass was completed. It is referred to as "Alternate Route" through at least 1936. Then, by 1940, it appears mainline US19 was moved onto it, leaving behind US19 Alt. (now WV16, CR21/5, more WV16, and all of WV210) through Beckley.

Also, in about 1934, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, US19/US21 was put on mostly new construction from Oak Hill to Fayetteville, leaving behind CR19/2 (Broadway Avenue) and CR19/1 (Nickelville Road).

In about 1935, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, US19/US21 was removed from Covington and Piney Creek roads near Raleigh (south edge of Beckley)

Also, in about 1935, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, US19/US21 was put on new construction between Glen Jean and Oak Hill leaving behind CR20 (now CR21/20) from Glen Jean to Whipple Junction and CR15 from Whipple Junction to Oak Hill.

Also, in about 1935, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, US19/US21 was removed from CR21/4 (Old Court Street) north of Fayetteville.

Also, in about 1935, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, US19 was removed from Colasessano Drive which no longer crosses Buffalo Creek to Old Pennsylvania Avenue north of Fairmont.

In about 1936, according to that year's WVDOT annual report, US19/US21 was removed from today's CR119/6 (Sheloh Circle) and CR119/2 (Madoc Circle) in Cool Ridge.

In 1936 or 1937, US19 was removed from CR19/9 and CR19/10 (Robinson Run Road) in Bowlby.

Between 1947 and 1949, US19 was rerouted to run directly from Beckley to Summersville as an addition to WV41. The old route through Fayetteville to Gauley Bridge remained part of US21 (now WV16 except US19 used WV211 through Mount Hope) while Gauley River to Summersville became an extended WV39.

Pennsylvania

For many years, the Venango Path was a Native American trail between the Forks of the Ohio (present day Pittsburgh) and Presque Isle Bay. This trail follows modern US19 from Pittsburgh across the Allegheny River to Perrysville. It continues to Wexford and crosses Brush Creek at Warrendale. Here, the path and modern road separate for a time. The path goes across fields while the road parallels it—from a distance of to the west—for about to Ogle.

US19 in Pennsylvania has maintained a similar alignment for much of its history. In 1928, US19 was moved to its current route between Pittsburgh and Meadville. The West End Bridge in Pittsburgh was completed in 1932, and US19 was realigned to cross the bridge. In 1936, US19 was moved to its current alignment between Zelienople and Harmony. Through the 1940s and 1950s, different parts of US19 were widened.

In 1987, the Phase One project started to connect two sections of Ohio River Boulevard near Western Avenue and Chateau Street. Phase Two of the project included a new interchange between the Pennsylvania Route 65 (PA65) expressway (concurrent with US19 west of the interchange) and the West End Bridge. The bridge was closed for two years for construction but reopened in 1991 while construction finished in 1992.

In 2003, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) started a project to build a US19 tunnel under the Norfolk Southern Railway, as well as align the West End Bypass with the West End Circle, the intersection of US19, PA 51, PA 60, and PA 837. The project was completed in 2010.

In 2016, a diverging diamond interchange was built at the intersection of US19 and I-70/I-79 in South Strabane Township.

PennDOT has started construction on a multilane roundabout at the intersection of US 6, US19, US 322, and PA 98 in Vernon Township, near Meadville. Construction was expected to be completed in October 2019.

PennDOT has also started construction on an intersection improvement project at the northern intersection of US19 and PA 97. PA97 were realigned to meet US19 at a 90-degree angle, and new left-turn lanes and traffic signals were installed. Construction was expected to be completed in October 2019.

Major intersections

  1. Southern segment

    1. Florida

    2. in Memphis

    3. in Terra Ceia. The highways travel concurrently to St. Petersburg.

    4. in Sugarmill Woods. The highways travel concurrently to Perry.

    5. in Chiefland

    6. in Perry

    7. West Of Perry

    8. north-northeast of Capps

    9. in Monticello

    10. Georgia

    11. east of Thomasville. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Thomasville.

    12. In Thomasville

    13. in Albany. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

    14. southwest of Americus. The highways travel concurrently to Americus.

    15. southwest of Salem. The highways travel concurrently for approximately .

    16. south of Griffin. The highways travel concurrently to Atlanta.

    17. west of Morrow

    18. in Forest Park

    19. on the Atlanta–Hapeville city line

    20. in Atlanta

    21. in Atlanta. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

    22. in Atlanta. US19/US78/US278 travel concurrently through the city.

    23. in Sandy Springs. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

    24. in Turners Corner. The highways travel concurrently to Topton, North Carolina.

    25. in Blairsville.

    26. North Carolina

    27. in Ranger. US19/US64 travel concurrently to Murphy. US19/US74 travel concurrently to southwest of Bryson City.

    28. in Cherokee. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

    29. in Dellwood. The highways travel concurrently to Lake Junaluska.

    30. in Lake Junaluska. US19/US23 travel concurrently to northeast of Mars Hill. US19/US74 travel concurrently to west of Clyde.

    31. in Asheville

    32. in Asheville. I-26/US19 travel concurrently to northeast of Mars Hill. I-240/US19 travel concurrently through the city.

    33. in Asheville. US19/US70 travel concurrently to Weaverville.

    34. in Woodfin. The highways travel concurrently to Weaverville.

    35. in Cane River

    Northern segment

    1. Tennessee

    2. in Bluff City. US11E/US19 travel concurrently to Bristol, Virginia.

    3. in Bristol. The highways travel concurrently to Bristol, Virginia.

    4. Virginia

    5. in Bristol. The highways travel concurrently to Abingdon.

    6. in Bristol

    7. in Claypool Hill. The highways travel concurrently to Bluefield.

    8. West Virginia

    9. in Bluefield. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

    10. northeast of Bluefield. The highways travel concurrently to southwest of Princeton.

    11. south-southeast of Camp Creek

    12. in Hico

    13. south-southwest of Sutton. The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest of Flatwoods.

    14. northwest of Walkersville

    15. in Weston. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

    16. in Clarksburg

    17. in Fairmont. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

    18. southwest of Westover

    19. in Morgantown

    20. Pennsylvania

    21. in Washington Township

    22. in South Strabane Township

    23. in South Strabane Township. The highways travel concurrently to Washington.

    24. in South Strabane Township

    25. in Pittsburgh.

    26. in Marshall Township

    27. in Cranberry Township

    28. south of Zelienople

    29. in Muddy Creek Township

    30. in Findley Township

    31. in Mercer. The highways travel concurrently to north of Mercer.

    32. in Vernon Township. US6/US19 travel concurrently to LeBoeuf Township. US19/US322 travel concurrently to Meadville.

    33. in Vernon Township

    34. in LeBoeuf Township

    35. in Summit Township

    36. in Erie

See also

References