Pennsylvania Roads - PA 291

PA 291


Not, as Chester would have it, US 291, which never existed before these shields.


And another one. At least the new trend in Pennsylvania is restoring the state name to Interstate shields.


WB on Bartram Ave. (see the street sign with the tiny shield) alongside Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). The RIDOT-style shields appear to be permanent.


The original route of PA 291 was on the east side of I-95, which is now within PHL. Once the airport decided it wanted to expand, it rerouted 291 to Bartram Ave. and took over this section of the highway. The northern part of the road was obliterated and appears to be rebuilt into the entrance to an expanded parking lot. The southern part was left mostly intact except for some grass preventing traffic from continuing on it, and intact means that even the old signs are still all there. There are also various large, heavy things lying in the roadway.


Within PHL, where I got stuck after following next to abandoned PA 291 EB. Lack of consistency isn't always surprising in a non-road agency, but you rarely get gems like the EAST shield.


The northern end of the closed section of PA 291, looking south on Penrose Ave. from Island Ave. As an aside, Essington Ave. is another major street bisected by the airport, but that one happened many years ago for the modern terminals.


WB from Penrose Ave. to Island Ave., turning at the closed highway and discovering button copy that was originally not on PA 291.


More green shields and one very worthy surprise await on Island Ave., SB approaching PA 291. I'm glad Sesame Street taught me how to recognize that one of these things is not like the others.


Turning from S. 26th St. onto Penrose Ave. and then across the George C. Platt Bridge over the Schuylkill River, fortunately with button copy.


Looking southeast at the other Schuylkill River crossing, I-95 and the Girard Point Bridge.


The Platt Bridge seen from the NJ side of the Delaware, hiding behind I-95.


EB on the west side of the bridge. PA 291 was to have been a freeway connecting I-95 to the south and I-76 to the west across the Platt Bridge, because that connection cannot be made directly between those freeways. PA 291 is still used for the connection, but there are a number of traffic signals to contend with.

To US 322
Onto I-95
To I-76
Unbuilt Industrial Expwy. on Steve Anderson's phillyroads.com
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