U.S. Route 6 in Pennsylvania - History

History

As approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on November 11, 1926, the west end of US 6 was at Kane, where U.S. Route 120 continued west to Erie. (US 6 ended concurrent with U.S. Route 219, which ran east to Mt. Jewett along US 6 before turning north to New York.) US 6 also used present Pennsylvania Route 706, U.S. Route 11 and Pennsylvania Route 106 between Wyalusing and Carbondale, while U.S. Route 106 took the southerly route via Scranton.

By the end of 1927, US 6 had replaced US 120 in running west from Kane to Erie (making US 120 no longer connect to its "parent" U.S. Route 20), and had swapped places with US 106 via Scranton; this took it along the Jefferson Highway. It was defined by AASHO to serve the following places in Pennsylvania: Erie, Waterford, Corry, Warren, Kane, Farmers Valley, Coudersport, Wellsboro, Canoe Camp, Mansfield, Towanda, Wyalusing, Tunkhannock, Clarks Summit, Scranton, Carbondale, Honesdale, Milford, and Matamoras. By 1930 its west end was at 26th Street (U.S. Route 20) and State Street (US 6 - now Pennsylvania Route 505) in Erie. (By then U.S. Route 19 ended a block to the west on Peach Street, where it still ends today.)

This original routing deviates majorly from present US 6 in the following places, roughly using the following current routes:

• Pennsylvania Route 505 and Pennsylvania Route 97, Erie to Union City
• Pennsylvania Route 46, Pennsylvania Route 446 and Pennsylvania Route 155, Smethport to Port Allegany
• Pennsylvania Route 660 and U.S. Route 15 Business west of Mansfield
• Pennsylvania Route 92 and Pennsylvania Route 307, Tunkhannock to Clarks Summit

In 1931, US 6 was extended west to Greeley, Colorado. It left its old route - which then became U.S. Route 6N - at Waterford, and headed south on former Pennsylvania Route 5 and U.S. Route 19 and west on U.S. Route 322 and former Pennsylvania Route 77 into Ohio. This whole section from Waterford to Cleveland, Ohio was regarded as temporary, but the only change was a relocation by 1936 along Pennsylvania Route 79 from Union City west to US 19 south of Waterford. (Former US 6 from Mount Union to Waterford became Pennsylvania Route 97. At the same time, US 6N was moved to the rest of former PA 79 from US 19 west to U.S. Route 20 - its current route.)

Since then, only minor realignments and bypasses have been made to the route of US 6.