End of historic US highway 140 |
1926-1977
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US 140 was among the original 1926 routes; its east terminus was in Baltimore, and the west end was in Gettysburg. This excerpt is from AASHO's Apr. 1927 route log:
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This photo was taken looking north on Baltimore Street. Today's Business US 15 was once mainline 15, and at least for a time US 140 was signed as if it ended here at its junction with US 15:
US 30 is about a half-mile straight ahead, and since that junction is right in the center of town (Lincoln Square), it would not be surprising if US 140 was dual-signed ahead with US 15 to its junction with US 30. However, this photo shows that signage in Lincoln Square indicated "TO US 140":
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This photo was looking northeast on Emmitsburg Road/Steinwehr Avenue. Business US 15 angles to the north (left) on Baltimore. A sharp right on Baltimore becomes Baltimore Pike, which is signed PA hwy. 97 on the other side of the US 15 bypass. But historically that was the west beginning of US 140:
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Even after the US 15 bypass was built around Gettysburg, and the original route of US 15 became Business 15 through town, the US 140 designation continued to end at its historic junction until AASHTO agreed to decommission it in Oct. 1977. The verbiage of that action noted that the true endpoint of US 140 was at its junction with US 30:
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Research and/or photo credits: Alex Nitzman; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2003;
last updated Dec. 20, 2021.
last updated Dec. 20, 2021.