Pennsylvania Route 3

Pennsylvania Route 3
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT, Borough of West Chester, and City of Philadelphia
Length	24.326 mi[1] (39.149 km)
Existed	1937[2]–present
Major junctions
West end	US 322 Bus. in West Chester
Major intersections	US 202 / US 322 near West Chester PA 352 in Westtown Township PA 926 in Willistown Township PA 252 in Newtown Square PA 320 in Broomall I-476 near Broomall US 1 in Havertown US 13 in Philadelphia I-76 in Philadelphia
East end	PA 611 in Philadelphia
Location
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Counties	Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia
Highway system
Pennsylvania State Route System Interstate US State Scenic Legislative
← PA 2 → PA 4

Pennsylvania Route 3 (PA 3) is a 24.3-mile (39.1 km) state highway located in the southeastern portion of Pennsylvania. The route runs from U.S. Route 322 Business (US 322 Bus.) in West Chester east to PA 611 in Philadelphia.

The route begins in downtown West Chester and heads east out of the borough as a one-way pair of streets. Between West Chester and Upper Darby, PA 3 follows a four-lane divided highway named West Chester Pike through suburban areas. Along this stretch, the route passes through Edgmont, Newtown Square, Broomall, and Havertown. The route has an interchange with Interstate 476 (I-476) between Broomall and Havertown. Upon reaching Upper Darby, PA 3 heads into Philadelphia along Market Street. In Philadelphia, the route follows multiple one-way pairs, running along Chestnut Street eastbound and Walnut Street westbound in West Philadelphia before heading into Center City Philadelphia along Market Street eastbound and John F. Kennedy Boulevard westbound and ending at Philadelphia City Hall.

Philadelphia and West Chester were linked by a dirt road dating back to 1793. The Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Company was created to build a toll road between the two places in 1848. The turnpike was built as a plank road between Philadelphia and Newtown Square in the 1850s before becoming a stone road in the 1880s. A horse-drawn rail line was built along part of the turnpike in the 1850s and a trolley service was introduced in the 1890s. The state took over the West Chester Pike in 1918. In 1927, the route was designated as part of PA 5.

PA 3 replaced the PA 5 designation between West Chester and Philadelphia in 1937. Trolley service was replaced by buses in the 1950s to allow for the widening of PA 3 between West Chester and Philadelphia to four lanes. By 1960, PA 3 was shifted to end at US 13 in Southwest Philadelphia. The routing was shifted to US 13 west of University City by 1970 before the route was extended east to Philadelphia City Hall during the 1970s.