The beginning of Interstate 176 as the freeway departs the toll plaza with the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) at Morgantown. Northbound drivers quickly encounter the partial-cloverleaf interchange of Exits 1A/B with Pennsylvania 10. The pull-through panel doubles as the advance guide sign for Pennsylvania 10 south and Pennsylvania 23 (Exit 1B). Photo taken 08/11/04.
A California style exit number adorns the Exit 1B overhead for Pennsylvania 10 Morgantown Road) southbound. Pennsylvania 10 travels from here into the village of Morgantown where the highway merges with Pennsylvania 23 (Main Street). Pennsylvania 10 continues from there to Honey Brook as Pennsylvania 23 sinks westward to New Holland. Photo taken 08/11/04.
Interstate 176 northbound reassurance shield posted between the Pennsylvania 10 diamond interchange and the Shiloh Road overpass. This section of Interstate 176 was completed in 1996 to directly tie into Interstate 76 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The previous trumpet interchange between Pennsylvania 10 and Interstate 76 was abandoned in favor of the new junction. Photo taken 08/11/04.
The original Interstate 176 spur into Morgantown ties into the new alignment just west of the Shiloh Road overpass and Exit 2 interchange with Pennsylvania 10. Pennsylvania 10 parallels the north-south freeway between Morgantown and Reading along the original alignment of U.S. 122. Photo taken 04/23/04.
One-mile guide sign for Exit 7 (Pennsylvania 10) and Green Hills on Interstate 176 (Morgantown Expressway) northbound. Pennsylvania 10 (Morgantown Road) intersects Pennsylvania 568 (Kurtz Mill Road) one quarter mile south of the Exit 7 off-ramp. There the two state routes join together briefly before Pennsylvania 568 parts ways for Green Hills Road and Gibraltar. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Interstate 176 northbound at the Exit 7 off-ramp to adjacent Pennsylvania 10 (Morgantown Road). A pair of connector ramps link the northbound carriageway with the adjacent two-lane Morgantown Road. Ahead Pennsylvania 10 travels underneath the Morgantown Expressway to a pair of ramps serving the southbound direction of Interstate 176. Pennsylvania 10 otherwise continues northward away from Interstate 176 into the city of Reading. Photo taken 08/11/04.
Interstate 176 northbound maintains older concrete on the stretch between Exit 7 and the northern terminus at U.S. 422 (Benjamin Franklin Highway). Photo taken 04/23/04.
Mileage sign with the U.S. 422 westbound control points of Shillington (pop. 5,059) and Reading (pop. 81,201), and U.S. 422 eastbound control point of Birdsboro (pop. 5,064). Photo taken 04/23/04.
Interstate 176 ends guide sign posted 2.50 miles south of the Exit 11 trumpet interchange with U.S. 422. U.S. 422 intersects Interstate 176 as a freeway between Reiffton (pop. 2,816) and Wyomissing (pop. 8,587) within the Reading metropolitan area. Photo taken 04/23/04.
The original concrete of Interstate 176 was overlaid with asphalt on the final mile of the freeway. Note also how the foliage encroaches on the one-mile end sign for the northern terminus as compared with the April 2004 photograph above. Photo taken 08/11/04.
A parallel surface route to U.S. 422 between Shillington, Birdsboro, and Pottstown (pop. 21,711) is Pennsylvania 724 (Philadelphia Avenue). The east-west route intersects Interstate 176 just one mile south of its end with U.S. 422 at the Exit 10 diamond interchange. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Drawing to within one mile of the Pennsylvania 724 (Philadelphia Avenue) off-ramp of Exit 10 on Interstate 176 north. Philadelphia Avenue intersects Pennsylvania 10 (Morgantown Road) 1.75 miles west of the Morgantown Expressway. 2.4 miles from there is the Pennsylvania 724 overlap with U.S. 222 in the town of Shillington. Photo taken 04/23/04.
A second Interstate 176 ends sign resides just ahead of the Exit 10 off-ramp to Pennsylvania 724. Interstate 176 in conjunction with U.S. 422 and 222 provides a non-stop freeway between the city or Reading and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. While U.S. 422 and 222 are freeways, neither of them are part of the Interstate system. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Pennsylvania 724 (Philadelphia Avenue) traffic departs Interstate 176 northbound at Exit 10. Philadelphia Avenue carries Pennsylvania 724 1.75 miles east to junction Pennsylvania 568 (Green Hills Road) at Gibraltar and 5.4 miles to junction Pennsylvania 82 (Furnace Street) in the town of Birdsboro. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Interstate 176 northbound at Exit 10 with fresh asphalt pavement overlaying the original concrete pictured in the above photobox. Photo taken 08/11/04.
Diagrammatical overhead for the upcoming Exit 11 trumpet interchange with U.S. 422 southeast of Reading. Interstate 176 ascends across a railroad corridor just north of the Exit 10 diamond interchange. Photo taken 04/23/04.
End Interstate 176 shield posted ahead of the ramp partition for U.S. 422 east (Birdsboro and Pottstown) and U.S. 422 west (Reading and Shillington). The mainline of Reading freeway spur defaults onto the U.S. 422 westbound loop ramp ahead. 2.75 miles separate the Exit 11B ramp and U.S. 222 Business & Pennsylvania 10 SPUI at Lancaster Avenue in Reading itself. Photos taken 04/23/04 & 08/11/04.
Exit 11A departs Interstate 176 northbound for U.S. 422 east. The freeway comes to an end two miles to the east at junction U.S. 422 Business (Perkiomen Avenue) in Reiffton. From there U.S. 422 overtakes Perkiomen Avenue on the 14 mile drive to Douglassville, Stowe (pop. 3,062), and Pottstown. The federal highway upgrades to the limited access Pottstown Expressway upon reaching Stowe. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Scenes Pertaining to Interstate 176
Descending toward the original southern terminus of Interstate 176 (Morgantown Expressway) on Pennsylvania 10 north & 23 east (Main Street) in Morgantown itself. The two state routes join for 0.75 miles through Morgantown between Interstate 176 and downtown. Depicted here is the junction shield assembly for the northbound carriageway beginning of the Morgantown Expressway. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Until 1996 the intersection of Pennsylvania 10 & 23 with the Morgantown Expressway composed the original south end of Interstate 176. A change was made to directly tie the Interstate 76 spur into the Pennsylvania Turnpike mainline at the nearby Morgantown trumpet interchange. A new freeway was constructed southeast from the original alignment across Pennsylvania 10 to Interstate 76 itself. The new ramps displaced the original Pennsylvania 10 trumpet interchange in the process.
The original construction of Interstate 176, then Interstate 180, saw no direct connection between it and the Pennsylvania Turnpike due to the preexisting Pennsylvania 10 trumpet. As the need for better connections between adjoining limited access highways increased, it was decided to replace the at-grade connection via Pennsylvania 10 and Pennsylvania 10 & 23 (Main Street) with direct access to the Interstate 176 mainline. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Less than one mile removed from the Morgantown overlap with Pennsylvania 23, Pennsylvania 10 intersects Interstate 176 at a partial-cloverleaf interchange. The junction supplements the original trumpet connection between the state route and Interstate 176. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Motorists utilizing the Pennsylvania 10 on-ramp to Interstate 176 southbound default into the Pennsylvania Turnpike Morgantown Interchange toll plaza. Interstate 76 skims south of the Reading area and north of the Lancaster area between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Photo taken 04/23/04.
Continuing through the Interstate 176 junction on Pennsylvania 10 as it nears a northbound on-ramp to Reading and Mineview Drive. Pennsylvania 10 (Morgantown Road) snakes northward to Green Hills east of Interstate 176. Ramps link the two highways via Exit 7 on the Morgantown Expressway itself at Interstate 176 and Pennsylvania 10's next encounter. Photo taken 04/23/04.
The northbound on-ramp to Interstate 176 allows Pennsylvania 23 westbound drivers the opportunity to access the Morgantown Expressway from the new alignment. The partial-cloverleaf interchange with Pennsylvania 10 otherwise is signed as Exit 1A from Interstate 176. The old alignment spur merges with the new freeway via a partial "Y" interchange as Exit 1B. Photo taken 04/23/04.
