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| U.S. Route 19 Business | |
|---|---|
| State | Multiple |
| Type | US-Bus |
| Route | 19 |
| Length mi | Varies |
| Established | 20th century |
| Direction a | South |
| Direction b | North |
| Terminus a | Various |
| Terminus b | Various |
U.S. Route 19 Business is a designation for several business routes of U.S. Route 19 that serve downtowns and commercial centers along the parent highway in the eastern United States. These business routes provide access to municipal cores such as those in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Carolina, and often trace alignments through historic districts, transportation hubs, and central business districts. They are maintained by a mix of state departments of transportation and local authorities and intersect with numerous federal, state, and local highways.
Business alignments of U.S. Route 19 Business typically follow former mainline corridors through city centers such as Erie, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Clarksburg, West Virginia, Asheville, North Carolina, and Thomasville, Georgia. Along their lengths these routes intersect major facilities including Interstate 79, Interstate 79 Business (Erie), U.S. Route 11, U.S. Route 220, and various state routes like Pennsylvania Route 8, West Virginia Route 20, and North Carolina Highway 5. Corridors often pass notable landmarks such as Point State Park, Fayette County Courthouse, University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University, and downtown historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Typical cross sections include two- to four-lane urban arterials with signalized intersections at junctions with streets named for figures like George Washington, William Pitt, or local civic leaders, and proximity to intermodal facilities such as Pittsburgh International Airport and regional rail stations served historically by Pennsylvania Railroad and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
Business routes of U.S. Route 19 originated during mid‑20th century realignments when state highway agencies and the American Association of State Highway Officials coordinated renumbering to move mainline traffic onto bypasses or new alignments constructed in response to growth after World War II. Early changes were influenced by federal highway policies under administrations of presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower and transportation initiatives tied to the creation of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Specific reassignments occurred during urban renewal periods in cities such as Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania when urban planners and agencies like the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation adopted bypasses and redesignated former alignments as business routes. Subsequent decades saw further revisions due to interstate construction, local annexations, and cooperation between organizations including the United States Department of Transportation and state DOTs in West Virginia and North Carolina.
Major junctions of U.S. Route 19 Business corridors include intersections with national and regional thoroughfares such as Interstate 79, Interstate 64, U.S. Route 60, U.S. Route 11, U.S. Route 220, and state arteries like Pennsylvania Route 97, West Virginia Route 20, and North Carolina Highway 280. In urban centers, business routes meet principal streets that connect to landmarks including Civic Arena (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, Marshall University, and downtown waterfronts adjacent to the Ohio River and Monongahela River. Many intersections are complex interchanges influenced by historic rail crossings of carriers such as the Norfolk Southern Railway, CSX Transportation, and the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad mainlines.
Various special routes and former alignments exist, created as spurs, loops, or alternate designations during successive realignments in municipalities like Clarksburg, West Virginia, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and Asheville, North Carolina. These include former business loops replaced by municipal street networks, truck routing adjustments near industrial zones like those around Pittsburgh Plate Glass facilities, and wartime-era detours used during periods of construction tied to projects overseen by agencies such as the Works Progress Administration and Tennessee Valley Authority in adjacent regions. Some decommissioned segments have been absorbed into state or county route systems administered by entities like the North Carolina Department of Transportation or repurposed as scenic byways near protected areas such as Pisgah National Forest.
Traffic volumes on U.S. Route 19 Business corridors vary widely, with urban segments near Pittsburgh and university campuses experiencing high peak flows, while rural sections in Appalachian counties see lower average daily traffic counts. Maintenance responsibility is typically shared among the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, West Virginia Division of Highways, Georgia Department of Transportation, and local municipal public works departments. Funding and improvements have been influenced by federal programs administered by the Federal Highway Administration, state transportation plans, and regional metropolitan planning organizations such as the Allegheny County Department of Mobility and Infrastructure and planning commissions in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Business alignments of U.S. Route 19 have shaped commercial development in downtowns and historic districts, influencing retail corridors, main street revitalization efforts championed by organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and economic strategies tied to chambers of commerce in cities such as Erie, Clarksburg, and Asheville. Cultural assets along these routes include theaters, museums, and campuses like Carnegie Mellon University, Seneca Caverns, and local performing arts centers that contribute to heritage tourism promoted by state tourism offices. Redevelopment initiatives often coordinate with historic preservation standards and federal tax credit programs administered by the National Park Service to rehabilitate commercial buildings and bolster pedestrian-oriented districts along former mainline corridors.
Category:U.S. Highways Category:Historic roads in the United States