page_title: Pennsylvania Route 61
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Pennsylvania Route 61 / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Higher resolution photograph of the Route&#160;61 crack, in Centralia, Pennsylvania.
context_page_description: Pennsylvania Route 61 is an 81.8-mile-long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route is signed on a north–south direction, from U.S. Route 222 Business in Reading northwest to US 11/US 15 in Shamokin Dam. PA 61 heads north from Reading through Berks County to Hamburg, where it meets Interstate 78 /US 22. The route continues into the Coal Region in Schuylkill County and heads through Schuylkill Haven, Pottsville, Frackville, and Ashland. PA 61 passes through the southern part of Columbia County, where it turns west in Centralia, before it heads into Northumberland County and runs west through Mount Carmel, Kulpmont, Shamokin, and Sunbury. The route crosses the Susquehanna River into Snyder County and soon reaches its northern terminus.
  PA 61 roughly follows the alignment of the Centre Turnpike, a turnpike between Reading and Sunbury that was completed in 1814. The road between Reading and Sunbury became part of US 120 when the U.S. Highway System was created in 1926. In 1935, this section of road became part of US 122, a route than ran from US 1 in Oxford north to US 11/US 111 in Northumberland. US 122 saw multiple upgrades and realignments in the following years.
context_section_description: On March 25, 1805, the Centre Turnpike Road Company was chartered to build the Centre Turnpike, a turnpike running from Reading northwest to Sunbury along the rough alignment of present-day PA 61. Construction of the Centre Turnpike began in 1808 and was completed in 1814. Following the passage of the Sproul Road Bill in 1911, what is now PA 61 was designated as Legislative Route 160 between Reading and Hamburg, Legislative Route 141 between Hamburg and Schuylkill Haven, Legislative Route 140 between Schuylkill Haven and Pottsville, and Legislative Route 161 between Pottsvile and Sunbury. 
  With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, the road between Reading and Sunbury was designated as part of US 120, a route that ran from Philadelphia northwest to Erie. At this time, the entire length of US 120 between US 22 in Reading and Sunbury was paved. In 1927, PA 42 was designated concurrent with US 120 between Reading and Centralia, PA 45 was designated concurrent with US 120 between Ashland and Shamokin, and PA 55 was designated concurrent on the section of US 120 between Shamokin and Sunbury. The concurrent state routes were removed from US 120 between Reading and Sunbury in 1928. 
  In May 1935, the eastern terminus of US 120 was truncated to US 220 in Lock Haven. US 122 was designated in April 1935 to run from US 1 in Oxford north to US 11/US 111 in Northumberland, replacing PA 42 between Oxford and Reading and US 120 between Reading and Northumberland, effective in May 1935. US 122 was rerouted to bypass Orwigsburg to the southwest by 1940, having previously followed Brick Hill Road, Market Street, and present-day PA 443 through the town. In the 1930s, US 122 was widened to a multilane road between Reading and Leesport, from a point north of Shoemakersville to Hamburg, between a point south of Schuylkill Haven and Pottsville, for a short distance south of Frackville, and for a short distance north of Shamokin. US 122 was upgraded to a multilane road in the 1940s between Leesport and north of Shoemakersville, between Port Clinton and south of Orwigsburg, between St. Clair and south of Frackville, between Frackville and Shamokin, between north of Weigh Scales and north of Paxinos, and for a short distance north of Stonington. In the 1940s, US 122 was realigned to bypass Center City Pottsville to the east  along Pottsville Boulevard between US 209 in Pottsville and south of St. Clair, having previously followed Centre Street through Center City Pottsville and Nichols Street and Ann Street between Pottsville and St. Clair  By 1953, US 122 was rerouted to bypass Hamburg to the west on a divided highway between south of Hamburg and Port Clinton, having previously followed 4th Street and Port Clinton Avenue between Hamburg and Port Clinton. US 122 was upgraded to a divided highway in the 1950s between north of Leesport and north of Shoemakersville, along the bypass of Orwigsburg, from north of St. Clair to south of Frackville, between Ashland and the border between Columbia and Northumberland counties, and between Weigh Scales and Paxinos. In the 1950s, US 122 was upgraded to a divided highway from Schuylkill Haven through Pottsville to south of St. Clair, being realigned to bypass Mount Carbon. This alignment of US 122 bypassed the previous alignment that followed Centre Street through Mount Carbon north to US 209 in Pottsville.
  US 122, which had been replaced with PA 10 between Oxford and Morgantown in the 1950s, was decommissioned in 1963. The section of US 122 between Morgantown and Reading became a northern extension of PA 10 while the section between Reading and Sunbury was designated PA 61. When designated, PA 61 ran from US 222 (now US 222 Bus.) in Reading northwest to PA 147 in Sunbury. In 1966, PA 54 was designated concurrent with PA 61 between Ashland and north of Atlas. In the 1960s, PA 61 was upgraded to a divided highway between north of Tuckerton and north of Leesport, between north of Shoemakersville and south of Hamburg, and between Port Clinton and Deer Lake. The section of PA 61 through Pottsville was r
caption: A view of the closed, damaged section of PA 61 south of Centralia
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