THE MEDIA BYPASS: In 1958, the Pennsylvania Department of Highways began on a four-lane expressway bypass on new alignment from just east of Middletown Road (PA 352) in Media Township to Sproul Road (PA 320) in Marple Township. A full diamond interchange was built at North Providence Road (PA 252), and a partial interchange was built at State Road. Like many expressways built in Pennsylvania during that time, the four-lane Media Bypass was built with a guardrail separating traffic flows, inadequate acceleration-deceleration lanes, and narrow shoulders.

The Media Bypass was completed in 1960. Upon completion of the Media Bypass, US 1 was rerouted from Baltimore Pike onto the bypass. At the end of the bypass, the new alignment took US 1 onto State Road, Township Line Road, and City Line Avenue into Philadelphia.

When plans were revived for the Mid-County Expressway / "Blue Route" (I-476) during the mid-1980's, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) replaced the original plans for a traditional cloverleaf interchange with a "volleyball" interchange that required less land around the environmentally sensitive Crum Creek watershed.

A full description of a "volleyball" interchange follows from Scott Oglesby's interchange design pages at kurumi.com:

All turning motions are handled in an intermediate square structure connecting the eight ramps. Turning traffic travels around the square in the same direction as a roundabout in that country. Through traffic can proceed on either intersecting road without stopping.

The interchange between the Media Bypass and I-476 was completed in 1991. The existing Media Bypass was rehabilitated in the area of the I-476 interchange around this time. Noise barriers were erected along the bypass between I-476 and Collins Drive in 2000.

THE KENNETT-OXFORD BYPASS: Work on the four-lane Kennett-Oxford Bypass began in 1965 with construction of a 6.4-mile-long section from Gap Newport Pike (PA 41) in West Grove Borough to Baltimore Pike just northeast of Kennett Square. Interchanges were built at Newark Road and Unionville Road (PA 82). This section of the Kennett-Oxford Bypass opened in 1966, but the US 1 designation did not appear on the completed bypass until the following year.

In 1968, construction began on 17.8 miles of four-lane expressway from PA 41 south to Ridge Road in Nottingham Township, just north of the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. Interchanges were built at PA 841, PA 796, PA 896, PA 10, PA 472, and PA 272. This section of the bypass was completed in 1970.

This 2004 photo shows the southbound Kennett-Oxford Bypass (US 1) just south of the exit for PA 252 (Christine Road) in Nottingham Township, Chester County. (Photo by Alex Nitzman, northeastroads.com.)

AN I-95 BYPASS BETWEEN PHILADELPHIA AND BALTIMORE: During the 1960's and early 1970's, highway planners in Pennsylvania and Maryland conceived a US 1 Expressway connecting Philadelphia and Baltimore. The proposed expressway was to not only relieve congestion along towns on the US 1 corridor, but also ease the traffic burden along I-95 between the two metropolitan areas.

Beginning in Philadelphia, US 1 likely would have taken the path of the Lansdowne Expressway to the northern end of the Media Bypass in Marple Township. At the southern end of the Media Bypass, a new four-lane expressway was to have been built to close the 15.2-mile-long gap between Media Township and Kennett Square. Both the Lansdowne Expressway and the Kennett-Media Bypass were canceled in 1977.

Continuing south on US 1 out of the Keystone State, officials in the Free State proposed a 39-mile-long freeway replacement for US 1. The "Perring Freeway," which was to be named for the extension of the Perring Parkway (MD 41), was to have been built initially as a two-lane ("super-2") controlled-access road, but the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) was to have purchased right-of-way for a six-lane freeway. The freeway, which was estimated to have cost at least $120 million in 1972 dollars, was canceled during the late 1970's.

SOURCES: 1985 Regional Transportation Plan, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (1969); "State Primary Highway System and Highway Needs Study," Maryland Department of Transportation (1972); "Interstate 476, Mid-County Expressway from I-76 to I-95: Administrative Action Final Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Statement," Federal Highway Administration and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (1983); "State and Sproul To Change Again" by Jane Galloway, The County Press (7/23/2005); Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission; Jeff Kitsko; Raymond C. Martin; Alex Nitzman; Len Pundt.

  • US 1 shield by Ralph Herman.
  • Lightpost by Millerbernd Manufacturing Company.

US 1 EXPRESSWAY-SOUTH OF PHILADELPHIA SECTION LINKS:

CURRENT SMART TRAVELER ROAD CONDITIONS:

OFF-SITE EXIT LISTINGS:

  • US 1 (Pennsylvania) exit list by Jeff Kitsko.

VIEW OR SUBMIT YOUR RATING TO RATETHEROADS.COM:

  • US 1 Expressway (South of Philadelphia Section)

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