Pennsylvania Route 120

"U.S. Route 120" redirects here. For the US 120 in the preliminary 1925 plan, see U.S. Route 120 (1925).

PA Route 120 marker

PA Route 120

Highways in Pennsylvania with PA 120 in red.
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length: 103.886 mi[1] (167.188 km)
Existed: 1926 (as US 120) – present
Major junctions
West end: US 219 / PA 948 in Ridgway
 

PA 255 in St. Marys
PA 46 in Emporium
PA 155 near Emporium
PA 555 in Driftwood
PA 872 near Jericho

PA 144 in Renovo
East end: US 220 near Lock Haven
Location
Counties: Elk, Cameron, Clinton
Highway system
← US 119PA 121 →

Pennsylvania Route 120 (PA 120) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, running from U.S. Route 219 in Ridgway east to U.S. Route 220 near Lock Haven.[2]

Bucktail State Park Natural Area

PA 120 in Clinton County, at the western end of Bucktail State Park Natural Area

In much of Cameron and Clinton counties, PA 120 is a Pennsylvania Scenic Byway designated the Bucktail State Park Natural Area.[3] Bucktail State Park Natural Area runs 75 miles (121 km) from Emporium to Lock Haven, and is named for the Pennsylvania Bucktails Regiment, who came from the area during the American Civil War. PA 120 and the park run along Sinnemahoning Creek and the West Branch Susquehanna River and also pass through Renovo (in Clinton County).

Bucktail State Park Natural Area was established by the Pennsylvania State Legislature in 1933. It includes 21,039 acres (85.14 km2), of which 9,239 acres (37.39 km2) are in Cameron County and 11,800 acres (47.75 km2) in Clinton County. While much of the land is state owned and part of the Elk and Sproul State Forests, there are also many tracts of privately owned land within the official boundaries of the park. The law establishing the park defined its boundaries as "all that area of land extending in length from the western city line of Lock Haven, in Clinton County, to the eastern borough line of Emporium, in The County of Cameron, and along the course of the western branch of the Susquehanna River, and its tributary, Sinnemahoning Creek, in Clinton and Cameron counties, an estimated distance of 75 miles, and in width from mountain rim to mountain rim across the valley."[4] The park is primarily dedicated to wildlife viewing, especially elk.

History

The PA 120 bridge over the West Branch Susquehanna River, as seen from Hyner View State Park in Clinton County.
US 120 in the "final" 1926 plan; it was truncated to Ridgway-Reading in 1927

PA 120 follows an old Native American Trail, the Sinnemahoning Path. This trail was used by Native Americans to cross the eastern continental divide (specifically the Allegheny Front) between the Susquehanna River (which drains into the Chesapeake Bay) and the Allegheny River (which forms the Ohio River with the Monongahela River at Pittsburgh and eventually drains into the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River). American Pioneers also used the trail to make their way west and it was also known as the Bucktail Trail.

U.S. Route 120
Location: Ridgway – Lock Haven
Existed: 1926–1967

PA 120 was U.S. Route 120 until ca. 1967. US 120 was initially planned in 1926 as an Erie–Philadelphia route, but was truncated to Ridgway–Reading in 1927, the route west of Ridgway primarily becoming an extension of US 6[5] and that to the east of Reading becoming the eastern segment of US 422.[6] The portion east of Lock Haven of the remainder of the route became US 220, US 15, and US 122 ca. 1935; this alignment is now roughly followed by US 220, I-180, PA 147, and PA 61.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
ElkRidgway0.0000.000 US 219 / PA 948 (Main Street) – Kersey, Brockway, Bradford, Warren
0.2350.378
US 219 Truck north (Osterhaut Street)		Western end of US 219 Truck northbound concurrency
Ridgway Township1.1831.904
US 219 Truck		Eastern end of US 219 Truck northbound concurrency; US 219 Truck northbound one-way only
St. Marys10.16316.356 PA 255 south (South St. Marys Street) – DuBoisWestern end of PA 255 concurrency
10.36316.678 PA 255 north (North Michael Street) – JohnsonburgEastern end of PA 255 concurrency
CameronEmporium29.14246.900 PA 46 north (Woodland Avenue) – SmethportSouthern terminus of PA 46
Shippen Township30.55049.165 PA 155 north (Sizerville Road) – Port AlleganySouthern terminus of PA 155
Driftwood47.59776.600 PA 555 west (Chestnut Street) – WeedvilleEastern terminus of PA 555
Grove Township51.35582.648 PA 872 north (First Fork Road) – AustinSouthern terminus of PA 872
ClintonRenovo73.945119.003 PA 144 north (Tamarack Road) – GaletonWestern end of PA 144 concurrency
75.503121.510 PA 144 south (Birch Street) – MoshannonEastern end of PA 144 concurrency
Lock Haven103.073165.880 PA 664 north (North Jay Street) / East Water Street – SwissdaleSouthern terminus of PA 664
103.148166.001 PA 150 south (East Main Street) – Lock Haven UniversityOne-way pair on PA 150
103.224166.123 PA 150 north (East Church Street)One-way pair on PA 150
103.509–
103.575		166.582–
166.688		Walnut StreetInterchange; no access to westbound PA 120
Castanea Township103.759–
103.886		166.984–
167.188		 US 220 (Appalachian Thruway) to I-80 / Jarrett Avenue – Milesburg, WilliamsportDiamond interchange, US 220 exit 111
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ Google (July 24, 2014). "Pennsylvania Route 120" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Bucktail Trail". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Bucktail State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
  5. ↑ Weingroff, Richard F. "U.S. 6: The Grand Army of the Republic Highway". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
  6. ↑ Weingroff, Richard F. "U.S. 22: The William Penn Highway". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2013-01-20.

Route map: Bing / Google

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