Pennsylvania Route 73 (PA 73) is a long east–west state highway in southeastern Pennsylvania. It runs from PA 61 near Leesport southeast to the New Jersey state line on the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River in Philadelphia, where the road continues south as New Jersey Route 73. The route passes through rural areas of Berks County, crossing U.S. Route 222 (US 222) in Maiden Creek before heading southeast through Oley and Boyertown. PA 73 continues into Montgomery County and intersects PA 100 in Gilbertsville and PA 29 in Schwenksville before it heads into the northwest suburbs of Philadelphia. The route passes through Skippack and intersects US 202 in Center Square, PA 309 in Springfield Township, and PA 611 near Jenkintown. PA 73 continues through Northeast Philadelphia on Cottman Avenue, crossing US 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard) and US 13 (Frankford Avenue) before coming to an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95) near the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge.
Predating the Interstate and U.S. Highway Systems, the Skippack Pike, a modern section of the route, served as the primary connector between Philadelphia and the northwest suburbs. The Skippack Pike dates back to 1713 and was completed as a turnpike in 1855. Legislative Route 197 connected Reading to Philadelphia along the PA 73 corridor in 1911. PA 73 was designated in 1928 to run from PA 23 near Blue Ball east to US 1 in Philadelphia, heading north to Reading and northeast to Oley before heading southeast to Philadelphia. The route was extended east to the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge after it opened in 1929. The portion of route between Leesport and Maiden Creek became the eastern part of PA 383 by 1930. PA 73 was shifted to its current alignment in eastern Montgomery County in the 1950s. The western terminus of PA 73 was realigned to Leesport by 1966; the former route between Blue Ball and Reading became PA 625 while most of the remainder between Reading and Oley is now unnumbered. PA 73 was shifted to its current routing to the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge in the 1960s, having previously followed Frankford Avenue and Robbins and Levick streets on a one-way pair.
Route description
Berks County
PA 73 begins at an intersection with PA 61 in Ontelaunee Township, Berks County, to the north of the city of Reading and to the southeast of the borough of Leesport. From this intersection, the route heads northeast on two-lane undivided Lake Shore Drive past a mix of farm fields and development, passing south of Schuylkill Valley High School. The road continues east into wooded areas and runs along the south shore of Lake Ontelaunee, where it crosses Maiden Creek at the dam that forms the lake. Past the lake, PA 73 enters Maidencreek Township and comes to a bridge over Norfolk Southern's Evansville Industrial Track railroad line as it runs through agricultural areas with some homes. The route heads east-southeast and intersects US 222 in the community of Maiden Creek. PA 73 continues along Main Street and runs through residential areas in the community of Blandon, where it crosses Norfolk Southern's Reading Line at-grade. Past Blandon, the road curves south into forested areas in the South Mountain range and enters Ruscombmanor Township as Blandon Road. The route turns southeast through wooded areas with some residential and commercial development and intersects PA 12 in Breezy Corner. PA 73 continues east through rural land in the Oley Valley region, where it reaches a roundabout with PA 662.