Pennsylvania Route 12

Pennsylvania Route 12
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length	9.566 mi[1] (15.395 km)
Existed	December 1998[2]–present
Major junctions
West end	US 222 / US 422 in Wyomissing
Major intersections	PA 183 in Reading PA 61 in Muhlenberg Township US 222 Bus. in Muhlenberg Township PA 73 in Breezy Corner
East end	PA 662 in Pricetown
Location
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Counties	Berks
Highway system
Pennsylvania State Route System Interstate US State Scenic Legislative
← PA 11 → US 13

Pennsylvania Route 12 (PA 12) is a 9.566-mile-long (15.395 km) state highway located in Berks County in eastern Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 222 (US 222) and US 422 in Wyomissing. Its eastern terminus is PA 662 in the community of Pricetown in Ruscombmanor Township. In the Reading area, PA 12 is a four-lane freeway called the Warren Street Bypass that heads northeast through urban areas, coming to interchanges with multiple roads including PA 183, PA 61, and US 222 Business (US 222 Bus.). In Alsace Township, the route becomes a two-lane undivided road with at-grade intersections called Pricetown Road and continues northeast through rural areas, intersecting PA 73 before ending at PA 662.

Pricetown Road originally existed in the 18th century as a road to link farmers in Pricetown to markets in Reading. The Warren Street Bypass was first planned in 1949 as a widening of Warren Street in Reading leading to a new bridge over Tulpehocken Creek to Wyomissing. In the 1950s, the Warren Street Bypass was completed from Wyomissing northeast to US 222 (Allentown Pike, now 5th Street Highway) north of Reading, providing a bypass of Reading. US 222 was routed onto this bypass by 1976, with the Warren Street Bypass extended northeast to Pricetown Road in 1980. The part of the Warren Street Bypass northeast of US 222 along with Pricetown Road became State Route 2026 (SR 2026) when the Location Referencing System was established. In 1998, PA 12 was assigned to its current alignment following the rerouting of US 222 onto a new bypass of Reading.