U.S. Route 19

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U.S. Route 19

Length:

1,406 mi^[1] (2,262 km)

Formed:

1926^[1]

South end:

US 41 at Memphis, FL

Major
junctions:

I-10 at Drifton, FL

I-75 at Forest Park, GA

I-85 at Hapeville, GA

I-20 at Atlanta, GA

I-40 at Asheville, NC

I-81 at Bristol, VA

I-77 at Camp Creek, WV

I-64 at Beckley, WV

I-70/I-79 at Washington, PA

I-76/PA Tpk. at Cranberry Township, PA

I-80 near Mercer, PA

I-90 near Erie, PA

North end:

US 20 at Erie, PA

United States Numbered Highways
U.S. Routes - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U.S. Route 19 is a north-south United States highway. Despite encroaching Interstate highways, the route has remained a long-haul route, connecting Lake Erie with the Gulf of Mexico.

1 Termini
2 Alternate routes
3 States traversed
4 Most dangerous road
5 Related US routes
6 References

[edit] Termini

As of 2004, the highway's northern terminus is in Erie, Pennsylvania at an intersection with U.S. Route 20 about a mile from the shores of Lake Erie. Its southern terminus is in Memphis, Florida, south of Tampa at an intersection with U.S. Route 41.^[2]

[edit] Alternate routes

As of 2004, US 19 splits into US 19E and US 19W in Bluff City, Tennessee. The routes rejoin in rural Yancey County, North Carolina. While US 19W heads directly for Interstate 26 in Johnson City, Tennessee, US 19E takes a 70-mile (113 km) path through the Great Smoky Mountains. US 19W doesn't completely avoid the mountains, however. It breaks off of I-26 shortly before the Tennessee-North Carolina border, and takes a tortuous path through the mountains of Yancey County, North Carolina.

An "Alt 19" exists in Florida, beginning at the intersection of US 19 in Holiday, Pasco County, Florida, it runs for 34.6 miles west of US 19 near the Gulf coast ending at the intersection of US 19 and 5th Avenue North in St. Petersburg, Florida. It used to continue east of this along 5th Avenue North, to the intersection with US 92. The planned St. Petersburg-Clearwater Expressway, or Pinellas Beltway, would have followed the current alignment of "Alt 19" from I-275 to Clearwater, Florida. The intersection of Seminole Boulevard and Bay Pines Boulevard is a remenant of this proposed road. The beltway road was proposed in 1974, but dead by 1980.^[3]

There is a "Business 19" that goes through Dahlonega, Georgia. US 19 proper bypasses the town to the east.

A "Truck 19" designation exists in Pittsburgh, running from Wexford, Pennsylvania to Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Interstingly enough, while both of that route's terminuses are with the regular U.S. 19, the two routes actually intersect near the Fort Pitt Tunnel on Pittsburgh's West End.

[edit] States traversed

The highway passes through the following states:

[edit] Pennsylvania

Closely paralleled by Interstate 79 for its entire length.

Additional Information:

Its northern terminus runs through the city of Erie crossing its downtown and suburban areas before heading towards Interstate 79
Runs close to the heart of Pittsburgh
Traverses the West End Bridge with a great view of Downtown Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle, Point State Park, and Heinz Field.

[edit] West Virginia

New River Gorge Bridge

Closely paralleled by Interstate 79, Interstate 64, and Interstate 77, except for the Corridor L segment east of Charleston.

Additional information:

Crosses New River Gorge Bridge north of Fayetteville.
Prior to US Highway Numbering System this was West Virginia Route 4

[edit] Virginia

Main article: U.S. Route 19 in Virginia

Paralleled by Interstate 81, 10-20 miles (16-32 km) distant across a mountain ridge.

[edit] Tennessee

US 19 breaks away from the interstate, but alternate route US 19W is co-signed with Interstate 26 for much of its Tennessee length. US 19E in Tennessee is the same highway as State Route 37.

[edit] North Carolina

The split routes join together and are co-signed or closely parallel Interstate 26 and Interstate 40 until I-40 veers north, leaving US 19 to head into the Great Smoky Mountains. US 19 passes through the Eastern Cherokee Indian Reservation.

[edit] Georgia

US 19 pursues an independent path in Georgia, with Interstate 75 as much as 50 miles (80 km) away.

Additional information:

It is the same road as U.S. 41 in downtown Atlanta continuing south through Clayton County, GA where it is known as Tara Boulevard through the western tip of Henry County, GA and Hampton, GA passing Atlanta Motor Speedway where it is known as Bear Creek Boulevard and splitting away from U.S. 41 In Griffin, GA
Between downtown Atlanta and I-285, it is the same road as State Route 9 (Roswell Road)
Between Interstate 285 and Dahlonega, Georgia, it is the same road as State Route 400.

[edit] Florida

US 19 remains independent of I-75, even as the routes converge on Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida. The route is co-signed with US 27 between Capps and Perry, Alternate U.S. 27 between Perry and Chiefland, US 98 between Perry and Chassahowitzka, and Interstate 275 over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge over the mouth of Tampa Bay.

See also: U.S. Route 19 Alternate (St. Petersburg, Florida)

US 19 also has a bannered alternate route which is located on the original path of US 19. It begins in Holiday just shy of the Pinellas County line, enters the county in Tarpon Springs, runs along the Intracoastal Waterway through Dunedin, Clearwater, and Largo, heads due south into Seminole, and turns east to meet up with its parent in St. Petersburg. State Road 595 also follows this path, but extends past US 19 into downtown St. Petersburg.

US Alt 19 has been permanently rerouted as of the week of January 27, 2007 in Clearwater and Largo. When approaching from Dunedin, Alt 19 now travels down Myrtle St instead of continuing down Ft. Harrison and is multiplexed with SR 60 on Court/Chestnut St. and heads East to Missouri Ave. Alt. US 19/SR 60 is multiplexed from Myrtle Ave to Missouri Ave. Alt 19 then travels down Missouri Ave to Largo to meet at W.Bay/E. Bay Drive to meet its former configuration. Currently, signage has been reflected to this change from north to south but the city of Largo has not updated the changed path of Alt. 19 as of February 2007. New mileage will have to be slightly recalcuated to reflect the new mileage of US Alt 19 in Pinellas County.

The secret designation for US 19 in Florida, beteween Perry and Memphis, is State Road 55. Between Perry and Capps, it follows State Road 20, and between Capps and the Georgia border, it follows State Road 57.

Currently, US 19 between Clearwater and Pinellas Park is getting a freeway-style upgrade ([1] [2]), due to the cancellation of an extension on Interstate 375 in the late 1970s.

Studies were being conducted for possible tolled express lanes along the US 19 freeway corridor during 2004/2005^{[citation needed]}. However, a recently passed rider in the SAFETEA-LU Federal transportation bill in 2005 banned such express lanes from being built.

[edit] Most dangerous road

According to some studies, ^{[attribution needed]} part of US 19 in Florida is the most dangerous road in the United States. A Florida Highway Patrol test period beginning in 1998 and ending in 2003, as mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, showed the stretch of US 19 from Pasco County to Pinellas County to average approximately 52 deaths a year, or 262 deaths in the 5 year duration of the study. 100 of these deaths were pedestrian related making US 19 the #1 worst road to walk on in these two counties.^[4]

[edit] Related US routes

[edit] References

		edit Main U.S. Routes
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
40	41	42	43	44	45	46		48	49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59
60	61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79
80	81	82	83	84	85		87		89	90	91	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99
101		163						400				412				425
Lists		U.S. Routes - Bannered - Divided - Replaced