.svg) Future Interstate 99 | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length | 30 mi (48 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| North end |   I-99 begins near Bedford |
| South end |   I-68 / US 40 near Cumberland |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Pennsylvania, Maryland |
| Highway system | |
Future Interstate 99 (Future I-99) is a Future Interstate from I-70/I-76/PA Turnpike in Bedford, PA to I-68/US 40 near Cumberland, MD, it's very unknown if US 220 is going to be Upgraded to Interstate Standards, the other being is US 219 as it's unknown if it's going to be Upgraded to Interstate Standards and Signed as I-67 in Pennsylvania.
The southern terminus of Interstate 99 in Bedford is also likely to change, as the highway is part of the Appalachian Thruway/High Priority Corridor 9. Improvements are planned for U.S. 220 south to Cumberland, and expansion to Interstate standards may occur at some point.
History
editCorridor O
editCorridor O of the Appalachian Development Highway System was assigned in 1965,[citation needed] running from Cumberland, Maryland (Corridor E, now I-68) to Bellefonte (I-80) along US 220.[1] The portion in Pennsylvania, from Bedford north to Bald Eagle, was upgraded to a freeway in stages from the 1960s to the 1990s. The first section, from US 30 in Bedford to PA 56 near Cessna, opened in the latter half of the 1960s.[2][3] Two more sections—from PA 56 north to modern exit 15 in Blair County and from Charlottsville (exit 45) to Bald Eagle—were completed in the 1970s.[3][4] The portion between exit 15 and Altoona (exit 33) was finished in the 1980s[4][5] while the segment between modern exits 33 and 45 was opened by 1997.[6]
In 1991, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) was signed into law.[7] It included a number of High Priority Corridors, one of which—Corridor 9—ran along US 220 from Bedford to Williamsport, and then north on US 15 to Corning, New York.[8] The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 amended ISTEA; among these amendments were that "the portion of the route referred to in subsection (c)(9) [Corridor 9] is designated as Interstate Route I-99".[9] This was the first Interstate Highway number to be written into law rather than to be assigned by AASHTO. The number was specified by Representative Bud Shuster, who said that the standard spur numbering was not "catchy"; instead, I-99 was named after a street car, No. 99, that took people from Shuster's hometown of Glassport to McKeesport. I-99 violates the AASHTO numbering convention associated with Interstate Highways, since it lies east of I-79 but west of I-81 (the convention suggests that it should be located very close to the Atlantic Ocean, at least east of I-95).[10]
- ^ "Status of the Appalachian Development Highway System as of September 30, 2009" (PDF). Appalachian Regional Commission. December 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Pennsylvania (Map) (1964–65 ed.). Cartography by H. M. Gousha Company. Sun Oil Company. 1964.
- ^ a b Official Map of Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1970. Retrieved July 18, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 1980. Retrieved July 18, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Pennsylvania Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 1989. Retrieved July 18, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Easy-to-Read Travel Atlas: United States–Canada–Mexico (Map). Rand McNally and Company. 1997. p. 44. ISBN 0-528-81575-X.
- ^ "Bill Summary & Status H.R.2950". Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ "Bill Text H.R.2950". Retrieved June 23, 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "National Highway System Designation Act of 1995". Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ Hamill, Sean D. (December 27, 2008). "Road Stirs Up Debate, Even on Its Name". The New York Times.