Pennsylvania Route 291

Pennsylvania Route 291 marker
Pennsylvania Route 291
Map
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length14.014 mi[1] (22.553 km)
Existed1928–present
Major junctions
West end
Major intersections
East end I-76 / Penrose Avenue in Philadelphia
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountiesDelaware, Philadelphia
Highway system
PA 290 PA 292

Pennsylvania Route 291 (PA 291) is an east–west state route in Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 13 (US 13) and US 13 Business (US 13 Bus.) in Trainer, Delaware County, east to Interstate 76 (I-76) in South Philadelphia near the Walt Whitman Bridge and the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Except for a short 1-mile (1.6 km) section between the western terminus and the Chester/Trainer line, PA 291 is mostly a four-lane highway. From the western terminus to the eastern part of Chester, the route has a concurrency with US 13. It runs parallel to the Delaware River for much of the route. The route passes through industrial areas near the river in Delaware County, serving Chester, Eddystone, Essington, and Lester. PA 291 enters Philadelphia near the Philadelphia International Airport, at which point it has an interchange with I-95. The route crosses the Schuylkill River on the George C. Platt Memorial Bridge and continues along Penrose Avenue to I-76. It has been designated the Industrial Heritage Highway.[2][3]

PA 291 was first designated by 1928 along an unpaved road from PA 420 in Prospect Park east to PA 191. The route was extended west to US 13 in Eddystone by 1930 on a paved road. PA 291 was realigned to run from US 13 in Trainer to PA 420 in Essington by 1940. The route was extended to PA 191 in Philadelphia by 1950, following Industrial Highway. PA 291 was extended to US 611 (now PA 611) at Philadelphia City Hall in Center City Philadelphia along Penrose Avenue, Moyamensing Avenue, and Broad Street. A freeway was proposed along the PA 291 corridor between I-95 and I-76 from 1950 until the 1970s, when it was cancelled due to funding issues. The eastern terminus was moved to its current location by 1989, with an extended PA 611 replacing PA 291 on Broad Street. Around 2000, the route was rebuilt as a five-lane road in Chester. PA 291 was realigned further to the northwest to bypass the Philadelphia International Airport in 2006.

  1. ^ Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. ^ "Industrial Heritage Parkway Interpretive Signage Guidelines - Volume I Project Narrative" (PDF). Delaware County Planning Commission. May 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  3. ^ "Industrial Hwy Transportation Improvements, Route 291, LR-542, Chester, Delaware County: Environmental Impact Statement". Federal Highway Administration. 1986. Retrieved 8 April 2019.