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| Pennsylvania Route 39 | |
|---|---|
| State | PA |
| Route | 39 |
| Length mi | XX.XX |
| Established | 19XX |
| Directions | West–East |
| Terminus a | Harrisburg |
| Terminus b | Dauphin County |
| Counties | Dauphin County |
Pennsylvania Route 39 is a state highway in Pennsylvania serving suburban and urban corridors in Dauphin County and adjacent municipalities. The route connects neighborhoods and commercial centers while intersecting major arteries and providing access to regional landmarks such as Harrisburg, Paxtang, Steelton, Derry Township, and Susquehanna Township. It functions as both a local connector and a feeder to limited-access facilities including Interstate 81, Interstate 83, and U.S. Route 22.
The corridor begins near central Harrisburg and progresses eastward through mixed residential, commercial, and industrial zones. Early segments run adjacent to Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex frontage roads and pass near City Island, traversing neighborhoods served by SEPTA Regional Rail connections. Moving east, the highway crosses arterial streets that link to Hershey-bound routes and to commuter corridors serving Lebanon County.
Further along, the route threads between green spaces and suburban developments, skirting institutions such as Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg satellite facilities and healthcare campuses linked to Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. It intersects collector roads that provide access to Harrisburg International Airport and freight rail junctions operated by Norfolk Southern Railway and Conrail. Approaching Susquehanna Township, the roadway aligns with commercial strips containing retail nodes and light manufacturing sites, while also offering connections to U.S. Route 322 and state-maintained parklands.
The eastern terminus is situated near township borders where the roadway meets county routes serving semi-rural neighborhoods and agricultural parcels. Throughout, the alignment alternates between two-lane and multi-lane cross-sections, incorporating center turn lanes, signalized intersections, and short limited-access segments that facilitate traffic flow to regional thoroughfares such as I-76 feeder ramps and U.S. Route 11 intersections.
The corridor that comprises the modern route evolved from 19th- and early 20th-century turnpikes and plank roads that connected Harrisburg to surrounding townships and to Lancaster trade routes. During the automobile boom of the 1920s and the subsequent establishment of the Pennsylvania Department of Highways, the alignment received state designation and incremental improvements, paralleling expansions of Pennsylvania Route 3 and other numbered highways.
Post-World War II suburbanization, influenced by federal acts such as the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, prompted widening projects, realignments, and grade separations to accommodate commuter patterns between Harrisburg and emerging suburbs like Paxtang and Hummelstown. Through the late 20th century, ITS deployments and traffic-calming measures were introduced in response to growth tied to regional employers, educational institutions, and healthcare centers including Penn State Health affiliates.
Major reconstruction phases in the 1990s and 2000s addressed pavement deterioration, drainage improvements, and intersection modernizations coordinated with municipal plans from Susquehanna Township, Lower Paxton Township, and Upper Paxton Township. Recent decades have seen multimodal planning initiatives connecting the corridor to Capital Area Transit (CAT) routes and to bicycle networks promoted by local advocacy groups and county planning commissions.
- Junction with Interstate 81 providing north–south access toward Scranton and Chambersburg. - Interchange with Interstate 83 linking to York and central Baltimore corridors. - Crossing of U.S. Route 22 toward Allentown and Harrisburg International Airport access roads. - Connection to U.S. Route 322 facilitating travel to State College and Lewistown. - Intersections with multiple county routes serving Dauphin County townships and boroughs, including arterial feeders toward Dauphin and New Cumberland.
Traffic volumes vary along the corridor, with peak hourly flows concentrated near Harrisburg and at interchanges serving Interstate 81 and Interstate 83. Commuter peaks correspond to employment centers such as the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, medical campuses, and educational institutions, and to retail clusters anchored by regional shopping centers. Freight movements are present where the route parallels rail yards operated by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation, and where truck access to local industrial parks is required.
Safety analyses by county planners highlight higher collision rates at older signalized intersections that were not originally engineered for current volumes; these locations often coincide with access points to Penn State Health facilities and high-density residential developments. Public transit integration via Capital Area Transit (CAT) and park-and-ride facilities has mitigated single-occupant vehicle use along segments adjacent to commuter rail connections.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation oversees pavement preservation, winter maintenance, and signage on the route, coordinating with local municipalities for right-of-way adjustments and streetscape projects. Recent improvement programs have included mill-and-overlay resurfacing, ADA-compliant curb ramp installations, stormwater upgrades tied to Clean Streams Law-driven requirements, and signal retiming projects developed with traffic engineers from regional MPOs.
Bridge rehabilitation efforts have been undertaken on structures spanning tributaries of the Susquehanna River and on overpasses crossing freight corridors, with funding derived from state transportation budgets and federal grants administered under programs like the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. Streetscape and pedestrian enhancements have been phased in near transit hubs and institutional campuses to improve multimodal access.
The corridor interfaces with state-numbered highways and county routes that form a network linking Harrisburg to surrounding communities, including spurs and former alignments that retain local route numbers. Designated truck routes and temporary detours have been established during construction, coordinated with regional traffic management centers and with agencies such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for through-routing of longer-distance freight. Preservation of historic segments connects to heritage trails and historic districts recognized by entities like the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.