Interstate 676

Interstate 676 marker

Interstate 676

Map
I-676 highlighted in red, PennDOT's definition of I-676 to I-95 in blue
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-76 (Ohio–New Jersey)
Maintained by PennDOT, DRPA, and NJDOT
Length6.90 mi[1] (11.10 km)
Existed1964[2]–present
HistoryCompleted in 1991[3]
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-76 / US 30 in Philadelphia, PA
Major intersections
South end I-76 / Route 76C in Gloucester City, NJ
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesPennsylvania, New Jersey
CountiesPA: Philadelphia
NJ: Camden
Highway system
PA 672PA PA 680
Route 495NJ I-695

Interstate 676 (I-676) is an Interstate Highway that serves as a major thoroughfare through Center City Philadelphia, where it is known as the Vine Street Expressway, and Camden, New Jersey, where it is known as the northern segment of the North–South Freeway, as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Highway in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Its western terminus is at I-76 in Philadelphia near the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Fairmount Park. From there, it heads east and is then routed on surface streets near Franklin Square and Independence National Historical Park, home of the Liberty Bell, before crossing the Delaware River on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. On the New Jersey side of the bridge, the highway heads south to its southern terminus at I-76 in Gloucester City near the Walt Whitman Bridge. Between the western terminus and downtown Camden, I-676 is concurrent with U.S. Route 30 (US 30).

After World War II, freeway approaches were planned for both sides of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which was completed in 1926 and serves as a part of US 30. In Pennsylvania, the Vine Street Expressway was planned to run along the northern edge of Center City to the Schuylkill River, while, in New Jersey, the North–South Freeway was to head south along the Route 42 corridor. When the Interstate Highway System was created in the 1950s, this stretch of highway was a part of I-80S, with Interstate 680 (I-680) continuing on the Schuylkill Expressway to the Walt Whitman Bridge.

In 1964, the designations became I-76 and I-676, respectively, and, in 1972, the two routes were switched onto their current alignments. I-676 in New Jersey was completed between I-76 and Morgan Boulevard by 1960 and north of there to downtown Camden by the 1980s. The Vine Street Expressway was opened from the Schuylkill Expressway to 18th Street by 1960 and east of there to I-95 on January 10, 1991, despite opposition from the adjacent community and other obstacles to construction. There are grade-level intersections in the connections between the Vine Street Expressway and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

  1. ^ "Route Log and Finder List, Table 2". Federal Highway Administration. October 31, 2002. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rambler was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Bittan, Dave (January 11, 1991). "Expressway Through Your City's Heart Opens Vine Highway Connects Schuylkill to I-95". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search