U.S. Route 19

Infobox U.S. Route
article_route=19

---

length_mi=1,406
length_ref= [http://www.us-highways.com/us1830.htm US Highways from US 1 to US 830] Robert V. Droz]
length_km=2,262
yrcom=1926
direction_a=South
direction_b=North
from=jct|state=FL|US|41 near Bradenton, FL
junction= jct|state=FL|I|10 near Monticello, FL
Jct|state=GA|I|20|I|75|I|85 in Atlanta, GA
Jct|state=NC|I|26|I|40 in Asheville, NC
jct|state=VA|I|81 in Bristol, VA
Jct|state=WV|I|64|I|77 near Beckley, WV
Jct|state=WV|I|79 "(numerous locations)"
jct|state=PA|I|70 in Washington, PA
jct|state=PA|I|76 in Warrendale, PA
jct|state=PA|I|80 near Mercer, PA
jct|state=PA|I|90 near Erie, PA
to=jct|state=PA|US|20 in Erie, PA

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

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 at Memphis, Florida, just north of Bradenton, Florida at an intersection with U.S. Route 41. [http://www.geocities.com/usend1019/End019/end019.htm Endpoints of US highways] ]

Route description

Florida

According to a "Dateline NBC" study, 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.cite web | url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7844269/|title=MSNBC report on America's deadliest roads | publisher=MSNBC | accessdate=2007-04-21 | date=June 7, 2005] Multiple efforts to improve US 19 have been suggested to the FDOT, among them, an overpass strictly for left-turn lanes. [ [Suncoast News; Taking the High Road by Carl Orth; August 4, 2001] ]

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 US 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.

US 19 also has a bannered alternate route which is located on the original path of US 19. It begins in Holiday approximately one mile north 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 overlaps SR 60 on Court/Chestnut St. and heads East to Missouri Ave. Alt. US 19 and SR 60 overlap 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 ( [http://www.southeastroads.com/us-019_fl.html] [http://www.myus19.com] ), due to the cancellation of an extension of Interstate 375 in the late 1970s.

Major intersections

Georgia

US 19 pursues an independent path in Georgia, with Interstate 75 as much as 50 miles (80 km) away. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 41 in downtown Atlanta continuing south through Clayton County, GA where it joins Georgia State Route 3 and 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 US 41 In Griffin, GA. It continues its southern route passing through Albany before exiting Georgia from Thomas County. Between downtown Atlanta and I-285, it overlaps State Route 9 (Roswell Road). Between Interstate 285 and Dahlonega, Georgia, it has a concurrency with State Route 400.

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 as the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway. US 19 passes through the Eastern Cherokee Indian Reservation.

Tennessee

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.

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.

Virginia

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

West Virginia

US 19 enters West Virginia as a four lane highway near Bluefield, where it narrows to a two-lane as it winds northward. It later parallels Interstate 77 and 64 until it reaches Beckley, where it becomes the four-lane Corridor L. It crosses the New River Gorge Bridge at Fayetteville and passes through Summersville, and Birch River before arriving at Interstate 79, five miles (8 km) south of Sutton. From there, it runs concurrent with Interstate 79 from exit 57 to exit 67 at Flatwoods, West Virginia . Then, it exits and reverts a two lane highway, more or less following the route of Interstate 79 as it passes through Weston, Clarksburg, Fairmont, and Morgantown before crossing into Pennsylvania.

Route 19 through Summersville, West Virginia has been dubbed the "World's Largest Speed Trap." [cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05324/608879.stm|title=Speed trap or safety measure? Summersville, W. Va., police wrote 10,000 tickets in 2004|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|author=Anya Sostek|date=2005-11-20|accessdate=2008-01-10]

Pennsylvania

It is closely paralleled by Interstate 79 for its entire length. Its northern terminus runs through the city of Erie crossing its downtown and suburban areas before heading towards Interstate 79. It runs close to the heart of Pittsburgh and traverses the West End Bridge with a great view of Downtown Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle, Point State Park, and Heinz Field.

In northern Washington County, U.S. Route 19 was modernized after the trolley service operated the former Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo) was discontinued in August 1953. Initially Route 19 ran parallel to the trolley line, and later expanded over the tracks through part of Mt. Lebanon in souther Allegheny County.

U.S. 19 then proceeds north through Pittsburgh's Northside, West View, Perrysville and Ross Township, McCandless Township and Wexford, where it is referred to as Perry Highway. In Cranberry Township, it connects with I-79, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and PA 228. A popular destination along the route is Baldinger's Market outside Zelienople. Continuing through Mercer and Crawford counties, the route terminates in the city of Erie.

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

History

Prior to US Highway Numbering System, US 19 was West Virginia Route 4.

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 remnant of this proposed road. The beltway road was proposed in 1974, but dead by 1980. [http://www.southeastroads.com/us-019_fl.html Pinellas Beltway/St. Petersburg Clearwater Expressway reference] ]

See also

*List of U.S. Routes

Related U.S. Routes

* U.S. Route 119
* U.S. Route 219
* U.S. Route 319

Bannered and suffexed routes

*U.S. Route 19E
*U.S. Route 19W
*U.S. Route 19 Business in Dahlonega, Georgia
*U.S. Route 19 Truck in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

References

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