Pennsylvania Route 873

Pennsylvania Route 873 (PA 873) is a north-south, two-lane road in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, mainly located in northern Lehigh County with a small section in Northampton County. Its southern terminus is at PA 309 in Schnecksville. Its northern terminus is at PA 248 in the Lehigh Township hamlet of Weiders Crossing. The route runs through rural areas in northern Lehigh County, intersecting the western terminus of PA 329 in Neffs. PA 873 passes through Slatington as Main Street before it crosses the Lehigh River into Northampton County and immediately reaches its northern terminus south of Lehigh Gap in Blue Mountain.

Pennsylvania Route 873
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length8.860 mi[1] (14.259 km)
ExistedMay 9, 1966[2]–present
Major junctions
South end PA 309 in Schnecksville
  PA 329 in Neffs
North end PA 248 in Lehigh Township
Location
CountiesLehigh, Northampton
Highway system
← PA 872PA 875 →

The road between Schnecksville and Lehigh Gap was originally designated part of Legislative Route 163 in 1911. This section of road became part of U.S. Route 309 (US 309) when the U.S. Highway System was established in 1926. In the late 1920s, PA 22 and PA 130 were briefly marked concurrent with US 309 at different times. In the 1950s, US 309 was moved to a new alignment to the west, and part of PA 29 was designated onto the road between Schnecksville and Lehigh Gap. PA 873 was designated onto this road on May 9, 1966 after PA 29 was split into two segments.

Route description
PA 873 northbound past its southern terminus at PA 309 in Schnecksville

PA 873 begins at an intersection with PA 309 in the community of Schnecksville in North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, which is in the Lehigh Valley. From this intersection, the route heads north on a two-lane undivided road, passing a mix of homes and businesses. The road turns northeast and passes residences and fields before intersecting the western terminus of PA 329. From here, PA 873 continues north into the residential community of Neffs before curving northwest and entering Washington Township. In this area, the road passes through a mix of housing developments and farmland as it turns north and passes over Interstate 476 (Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension). The route continues through rural areas of homes and woods prior to crossing into the borough of Slatington. Here, PA 873 becomes Main Street and is lined with residences before reaching the commercial downtown, where the road makes a sharp turn to the east. The route turns north onto Walnut Street and passes more businesses before running past a few homes a short distance to the west of Slatington Airport. PA 873 leaves Slatington for Washington Township again and runs through wooded areas with some residences. The route turns northeast, with the Appalachian Trail joining the road, and crosses the Lehigh River into Lehigh Township in Northampton County, where it passes over Norfolk Southern's Lehigh Line before ending at PA 248 at the base of Blue Mountain south of Lehigh Gap. The Appalachian Trail turns south onto PA 248 at this point.[3][4][5]

History

When Pennsylvania first legislated routes in 1911, what is now PA 873 was incorporated as part of Legislative Route 163, which ran between Allentown and Mauch Chunk (present-day Jim Thorpe).[6] With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, the section of road between Schnecksville and Lehigh Gap was designated as part of US 309, a route that ran from Philadelphia north to Wilkes-Barre.[7][8] At this time, the entire road was paved.[7] PA 22 was designated concurrent with US 309 on this stretch of road in 1927.[9] A year later, PA 130 replaced the PA 22 designation along US 309.[10] By 1930, the concurrent PA 130 designation was removed along this stretch of US 309, which intersected PA 29 in Schnecksville and PA 45 in Lehigh Gap.[11] US 309 was shifted west to a new alignment between Allentown and Hazleton in the 1950s, and PA 29 was shifted east to follow the road running between Schnecksville and Lehigh Gap.[12] On May 9, 1966, the PA 29 designation between Allentown and West Nanticoke was removed, splitting the route into two segments. As a result, PA 873 was designated onto the former alignment of PA 29 between US 309 (now PA 309) in Schnecksville and PA 248 (which replaced PA 45) in Lehigh Gap.[2]

Major intersections
CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
LehighNorth Whitehall Township0.0000.000 PA 309 – Allentown, Tamaqua, HazletonSouthern terminus
1.3342.147 PA 329 east (Bellview Road) – EgyptWestern terminus of PA 329
NorthamptonLehigh Township8.86014.259 PA 248 (Lehigh Drive) – Palmerton, Lehighton, EastonNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
  •  U.S. Roads portal
  •  Pennsylvania portal

References
  1. Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. "State Highway Traffic Route Changes Announced". Jim Thorpe Times-News. May 5, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved November 13, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Google (February 4, 2011). "overview of Pennsylvania Route 873" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  4. Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  5. Northampton County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 6, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  6. Map of Pennsylvania Showing State Highways (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1911. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  7. Pennsylvania Highway Map (eastern side) (Map). Gulf Oil. 1926. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  8. Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: U.S. Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via University of North Texas Libraries.
  9. Pennsylvania Highway Map (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1927. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  10. Pennsylvania Highway Map (Philadelphia Metro) (Map). Gulf Oil. 1928. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  11. Tourist Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1930. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  12. Official Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1960. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2014.

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