The Allegheny County Belt System color codes various county roads to form a unique system of routes in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania , and around the city of Pittsburgh .
73-557: Unlike many major American cities with belt systems composed of number-coded limited-access roads , the Allegheny County Belt System roads are not intended to be used as high-speed routes. Rather, the system is a navigational aid for motorists in unfamiliar portions of the county. Five routes were introduced in the early 1950s: from outermost to innermost, the Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, and Blue Belts. The Purple Belt
146-413: A city or town, with the standard of road being anything from an ordinary city street up to motorway level. An excellent example of this is London's North Circular/South Circular ring roads, which are largely made up of (mainly congested) ordinary city streets. In some cases, a circumferential route is formed by the combination of a major through highway and a similar-quality loop route that extends out from
219-669: A complete belt road around Hawaii Island . Other major U.S. cities with such a beltway superhighway: There are other U.S. superhighway beltway systems that consist of multiple routes that require multiple interchanges and thus do not provide true ring routes. Two designated examples are the Capital Beltway around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania using Interstate 81 , Interstate 83 , and Pennsylvania Route 581 and "The Bypass" around South Bend, Indiana using Interstate 80 , Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 31 , and Indiana State Road 331 . Edmonton , Alberta, has two ring roads. The first
292-610: A map of Allegheny County prominently displaying the Belt System. Allegheny County produces maps featuring the Belt System. The Red Belt is the outermost belt in the system. Unlike the other belts in the system, the Red Belt does not make a part of a complete loop—instead, it runs entirely east–west across the northernmost part of Allegheny County. The current Red Belt is 33.5 miles (53.9 km) long and runs through largely rural communities. Going from west to east, it begins at
365-593: A part of the Yellow Belt to the south of Pittsburgh. It connects with Lebanon Church Road at Pennsylvania Route 51 in Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania , connecting Clairton Boulevard (PA 51) with Broughton Road, which connects with Pennsylvania Route 88 and Bethel Church Road. Curry Hollow was a former town along this road, where it crosses the CSX railroad tracks next to Jefferson Memorial Park. East of PA 51,
438-564: A right-hand turn onto Washington Boulevard/PA 8 South and the Green Belt continues straight on Allegheny River Boulevard/PA 130 East. The Purple Belt is the innermost colored belt in the system, running through downtown Pittsburgh . Unlike the other belts, it was established in 1995 in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Wayfinder System , a color-coded signage system downtown which helps tourists and locals find many of
511-707: A ring road or ring road system: In Iceland , there is a 1,332 km ring road, called the ring road (or Route 1), around most of the island (excluding only the remote Westfjords ). Most of the country's settlements are on or near this road. Major cities that are served by a ring road or ring road system: US 19 (PA) U.S. Route 19 ( US 19 ) in Pennsylvania is closely paralleled by Interstate 79 (I-79) for its entire length. US 19 enters Pennsylvania from West Virginia in Greene County near Mount Morris . Its northern terminus
584-526: A segment of the Orange Belt), the Yellow Belt had the distinction of being the only belt in the system with a segment situated on an Interstate Highway . Starting in Neville Township at Exit 65—Neville Island, the Yellow Belt runs concurrently along I-79 for four miles northbound to Exit 68—Mount Nebo Road along the border of Sewickley Hills and Ohio Township . Curry Hollow Road composes
657-528: A through-the-city route there, with the Beltway encircling the city as I-495. The portion of I-95 entering the city from the south was soon completed (and so signed), primarily by adapting an existing major highway, but the planned extension of I-95 through residential areas northward to the Beltway was long delayed, and eventually abandoned, leaving the eastern portion of the Beltway as the best Interstate-quality route for through traffic. This eastern portion of
730-634: A town or city, typically without either signals or road or railroad crossings. In the United States, beltways are commonly parts of the Interstate Highway System. Similar roads in the United Kingdom are often called "orbital motorways". Although the terms "ring road" and "orbital motorway" are sometimes used interchangeably, "ring road" often indicates a circumferential route formed from one or more existing roads within
803-681: A true beltway , although the partially completed Southern Beltway is currently under construction as a partial beltway. Opponents of a full beltway have suggested residents should use the belt system, although some have said that the city doesn't promote it enough and wonder why signage for it is still maintained. The Belt System consists of six beltways. The Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red Belts travel distances of 2 miles (3.2 km), 38 miles (61 km), 39 miles (63 km), 78 miles (126 km), 92 miles (148 km), and 34 miles (55 km), respectively. The Purple, Blue, and Yellow belts are complete loop routes, beginning and ending at
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#1732786878931876-532: A true ring road around Detroit is effectively blocked by its location on the border with Canada and the Detroit River ; although constructing a route mostly or entirely outside city limits is technically feasible, a true ring around Detroit would necessarily pass through Canada, and so Interstate 275 and Interstate 696 together bypass but do not encircle the city. Sometimes, the presence of significant natural or historical areas limits route options, as for
949-405: Is a loose conglomeration of four major arterial roads with an average distance of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the downtown core. Yellowhead Trail forms the northern section, Wayne Gretzky Drive /75 Street forms the eastern section, Whitemud Drive forms the southern and longest section, and 170 Street forms the western and shortest section. Whitemud Drive is the only section that
1022-409: Is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducing traffic volumes in the urban centre, such as by offering an alternate route around the city for drivers who do not need to stop in the city core. Ring roads can also serve to connect suburbs to each other, allowing efficient travel between them. The name "ring road"
1095-413: Is a true controlled-access highway , while Yellowhead Trail and Wayne Gretzky Drive have interchanges and intersections and are therefore both limited-access roads . 170 Street and 75 Street are merely large arterial roads with intersections only. The second and more prominent ring road is named Anthony Henday Drive ; it circles the city at an average distance of 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from
1168-654: Is also the only one of the belts to not leave the city at any point. Also, while signage for all of the other belts is maintained by the Allegheny County Department of Public Works , the Purple Belt is maintained by the City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. The belt does not cross any numbered routes. It travels in a loop on four two-way streets— Stanwix Street , Fort Duquesne Boulevard/11th Street, Grant Street and Boulevard of
1241-710: Is at US 20 in the city of Erie . Part of it is named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry , hero of the Battle of Lake Erie . In northern Washington County , US 19 was modernized after the former Pittsburgh Railways Interurban (PRCo) trolley service was discontinued in August 1953. Initially, US 19 ran parallel to the trolley line and later expanded over the tracks through part of Mt. Lebanon in southern Allegheny County . US 19 then proceeds north through Pittsburgh 's North Side , West View , Perrysville , Ross Township , McCandless , and Wexford , where it
1314-417: Is challenging when a through highway and a loop bypass together form a circumferential ring road. Since neither of the highways involved is circumferential itself, either dual signage or two (or more) route numbers is needed. The history of signage on the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C., is instructive here. Interstate 95 , a major through highway along the U.S. East Coast , was originally planned as
1387-618: Is referred to as Perry Highway. In Cranberry Township , it connects with I-79 , the Pennsylvania Turnpike ( I-76 ), and Pennsylvania Route 228 (PA 228). Continuing through Mercer and Crawford counties, the route meets its terminus at a junction with US 20 in Erie. The US 19 Truck designation exists in Pittsburgh, running from Wexford to Mt. Lebanon. Although both of that route's terminuses are with
1460-846: Is used for the majority of metropolitan circumferential routes in Europe, such as the Berliner Ring , the Brussels Ring , the Amsterdam Ring , the Boulevard Périphérique around Paris and the Leeds Inner and Outer ring roads. Australia , Pakistan and India also use the term ring road, as in Melbourne 's Western Ring Road , Lahore 's Lahore Ring Road and Hyderabad 's Outer Ring Road . In Canada
1533-500: The Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C. Some ring roads, such as Washington's Capital Beltway, use "Inner Loop" and "Outer Loop" terminology for directions of travel, since cardinal (compass) directions cannot be signed uniformly around the entire loop. The term 'ring road' is occasionally – and inaccurately – used interchangeably with the term ' bypass '. Bypasses around many large and small towns were built in many areas when many old roads were converted to four-lane status in
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#17327868789311606-474: The Frankfurt area, major national highways converge just outside city limits before forming one of several routes of an urban network of roads circling the city. Unlike in United States, route numbering is not a challenge on European ring roads as routes merge to form the single designated road. However, exit and road junction access can be challenging due to the complexity of other routes branching from or into
1679-576: The Highland Park neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and Monongahela River via Homestead Grays Bridge between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Squirrel Hill and Homestead . As of 2016, sections of the Blue Belt have been closed, marked one way, resigned and/or rerouted. Construction and traffic flow are the believed primary causes. For one mile in northeastern Pittsburgh, the Blue and Green Belts form
1752-943: The North and South Circular roads and the Inner Ring Road ). Birmingham also has three ring roads which consist of the Birmingham Box ; the A4540 , commonly known as the Middleway; and the A4040 , the Outer Ring Road. Birmingham once had a fourth ring road, the A4400 . This has been partially demolished and downgraded to improve traffic flow into the city. Other British cities have two: Leeds , Sheffield , Norwich and Glasgow . Cleveland, OH and San Antonio, TX , in
1825-493: The Pittsburgh Zoo in Pittsburgh's Highland Park neighborhood. The Blue Belt is the innermost belt in the original system, making a complete 38.1-mile (61.3 km) circle around the city. The current Blue Belt runs relatively close to skirting the border of the City of Pittsburgh on all sides, though it does make excursions into border towns such as Dormont and McKees Rocks . It generally serves urban communities in
1898-495: The United States , also each have two, while Houston, Texas will have three official ring roads (not including the downtown freeway loop). Some cities have far more – Beijing , for example, has six ring roads , simply numbered in increasing order from the city center (though skipping #1), while Moscow has five, three innermost ( Central Squares of Moscow , Boulevard Ring and Garden Ring ) corresponding to
1971-866: The 1930s to 1950s, such as those along the Old National Road (now generally U.S. 40 or Interstate 70 ) in the United States, leaving the old road in place to serve the town or city, but allowing through travelers to continue on a wider, faster and safer route. Construction of fully circumferential ring roads has generally occurred more recently, beginning in the 1960s in many areas, when the U.S. Interstate Highway System and similar-quality roads elsewhere were designed. Ring roads have now been built around numerous cities and metropolitan areas, including cities with multiple ring roads, irregularly shaped ring roads and ring roads made up of various other long-distance roads. London has three ring roads (the M25 motorway ,
2044-680: The 1950s and not yet completed, called the Suburban Beltway. It consists of several roads— Lagimodière Boulevard , Abinojii Mikanah , the Fort Garry Bridge, the Moray Bridge, William R Clement Parkway , Chief Peguis Trail and the Kildonan Bridge . Saskatoon , Saskatchewan, has a ring road named Circle Drive. It is cosigned as Saskatchewan Highway 16 and Saskatchewan Highway 11 along the whole route since
2117-415: The 2013 opening of Circle Drive South. Regina , Saskatchewan has a partial ring road that is named Ring Road ; however, due to the city's urban growth since the road was originally constructed, it no longer functions as a true ring road and has instead come to be used partially for local arterial traffic. The Regina Bypass , a new partial ring road, has replaced it, although Ring Road must still be used in
2190-586: The Allies . (In the counter-clockwise direction, it follows Smithfield Street and 4th Avenue to bypass the left turn from Boulevard of the Allies onto Grant Street, which is prohibited at certain times.) This lies inside the area bounded by the Allegheny River , Interstate 579 , Interstate 376 and Interstate 279 . Ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline , beltway , circumferential ( high ) way , loop or orbital )
2263-604: The Beltway ", derived metonymically from the Capital Beltway encircling Washington, D.C. Ring roads have been criticised for inducing demand , leading to more car journeys being taken and thus higher levels of pollution being created. By creating easy access by car to large areas of land, they can also act as a catalyst for development, leading to urban sprawl and car-centric planning. Ring roads have also been criticised for splitting communities and being difficult to navigate for pedestrians and cyclists. Most orbital motorways (or beltways) are purpose-built major highways around
Allegheny County belt system - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-468: The Beltway was then redesignated from I-495 to I-95, leaving the I-495 designation only on the western portion, and the completed part of the planned Interstate inside the Beltway was redesignated as a spur, I-395 . A few years later, the resulting confusion from different route numbers on the circumferential Beltway was resolved by restoring I-495 signage for the entire Beltway, with dual signage for I-95 for
2409-501: The Blue Belt, to make a complete loop around the city, over a distance of 77.6 miles (124.9 km) through the northern, eastern, southern, and western sectors of the county. For several miles in the southern part of the county, it is the outermost of the belts. The Yellow Belt stretches from its southernmost point in South Park , north and west to the border of Moon , north and east to Hampton and West Deer , and east as far as
2482-593: The Monongahela River was decommissioned) The Green Belt forms a half-circle around the city, with a length of 38.6 miles (62.1 km), through suburban communities in the northern and eastern sectors of the county. (The gap is due to geographic concerns rather than intersecting with other counties, as is the case with the Red and Orange Belts.) The current Green Belt begins eastbound on Camp Horne Road at PA 65 in Emsworth and originally terminated before
2555-475: The Orange Belt crosses three: Ohio River via Sewickley Bridge between Sewickley and Moon Township , Allegheny River via C.L. Schmitt Bridge between New Kensington and East Deer Township , and Youghiogheny River via Boston Bridge between Versailles and Elizabeth Township . For 1.5 miles (2.4 km), the Orange Belt briefly enters Westmoreland County from the C.L. Schmitt (New Kensington) Bridge to
2628-901: The Rankin Bridge in Rankin. This was later extended to its current southeastern terminus at PA 148 and the Yellow Belt in McKeesport , giving the Green Belt the distinctions of being the only one in the system to cross the same river (Monongahela) twice and terminate at another belt route. In its path around the city, the belt crosses or joins PA 8 (at its northernmost point in Hampton Township ), PA 28 , PA 65 , PA 130 , PA 148 , and PA 837 . It also briefly joins US 19 in Ross Township . There are three Green Belt crossings over two of Allegheny County's four rivers. From
2701-461: The United States. In many cases, such as Interstate 285 in Atlanta, Georgia , circumferential highways serve as a bypass while other highways pass directly through the city center. In other cases, a primary Interstate highway passes around a city on one side, with a connecting loop Interstate bypassing the city on the other side, together forming a circumferential route, as with I-93 and I-495 in
2774-788: The West End Bridge. The bridge was closed for two years for construction but reopened in 1991, while construction finished in 1992. In 2003, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) started a project to build a US 19 tunnel under the Norfolk Southern Railway , as well as align the West End Bypass with the West End Circle , the intersection of US 19, PA 51 , PA 60 , and PA 837 . The project
2847-893: The Yellow Belt becomes Lebanon Church Road and crosses Pennsylvania Route 885 in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania , connecting Clairton Boulevard (PA 51) with Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard. The Allegheny County Airport is on the road. Both Curry Hollow Road and Lebanon Church Road are signed as SR 3048. The Yellow Belt is also the only belt in the system to cross all four Allegheny County rivers: Ohio River via Coraopolis Bridge between Coraopolis and Neville Island , Monongahela River via Mansfield Bridge between Dravosburg and McKeesport , Youghiogheny River via Jerome Street Bridge in McKeesport and Allegheny River via Hulton Bridge between Harmar and Oakmont (The Orange Belt also had this distinction until its southernmost segment which crossed
2920-592: The area of Lawrence, Massachusetts . However, if a primary Interstate passes through a city and a loop bypasses it on only one side (as in the Wilmington, Delaware , area), no fully circumferential route is provided. Within cities, ring roads sometimes have local nicknames; these include Washington DC's Interstate 495 (The "Capital Beltway"), Interstate 270 in Columbus, Ohio (The "Outerbelt"), and Interstate 285 in Atlanta (The "Perimeter"). Route numbering
2993-611: The border to Penn Hills / Plum before returning to the start. It crosses or follows PA 50 , PA 51 , PA 60 , PA 65 , PA 88 , PA 121 , PA 130 , PA 148 , PA 380 , PA 791 , and PA 910 . It also crosses or follows US 19 and US 22 . It crosses the Neville Island Bridge and the Mansfield Bridge . Until 2010, when PA 60 was renumbered I-376 beginning in Robinson Township (which includes
Allegheny County belt system - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-726: The bridge (Ohio River) to 11th Street in Ambridge, right on Duss Avenue, right on 8th Street, left on PA 65 South into Allegheny County, and left on Cross Street in Leetsdale where the current Red Belt begins eastbound Eastern end: Began at the intersection of Leechburg and Freeport Roads at PA 366 in New Kensington/Westmoreland County and ran along PA 366 West, across the Tarentum Bridge (Allegheny River) into Allegheny County and continuing where
3139-716: The brief stretch of this belt in Westmoreland County and two short segments of the Red Belt in Beaver County). Starting at the intersection of Library and Clifton Roads in Bethel Park where the Orange Belt currently terminates from the southwest, the former segment begins at PA 88 South through Library and Finleyville (Washington County), then continues left onto Washington Avenue / Finleyville–Elrama Road, left onto PA 837 North (back into Allegheny County), and right onto PA 51 South for 2 miles (3.2 km) to
3212-475: The city of Calgary , Alberta, for an entire length of 101-kilometre (63 mi). Winnipeg , Manitoba, has a ring road which is called the Perimeter Highway . It is designated as Manitoba Highway 101 on the north, northwest and east sides and as Manitoba Highway 100 on the south and southwest sides. The majority of it is a four-lane divided expressway . It has a second ring road, planned since
3285-472: The common destinations in the city. (In the Wayfinder system, downtown destinations are colored purple. None of the other colors in that system correspond to the Belt System colors.) Thus, it uses a different style of signage than the other belts. Unlike the other belts, the Purple Belt's primary intent is not for navigation around the circumference of the city, but rather to assist in navigation downtown. It
3358-614: The concentric lines of fortifications around the ancient city, and the two outermost ( MKAD and Third Ring ) built in the twentieth century, though, confusingly, the Third Ring was built last. Geographical constraints can complicate the construction of a complete ring road. For example, the Baltimore Beltway in Maryland formerly crossed Baltimore Harbor on a high arch bridge prior to its collapse in 2024, and much of
3431-533: The county line on Logan's Ferry Road (formerly PA 909). The original Orange Belt completed a 121-mile (195 km) circle by crossing into Washington County , but the southernmost stretch from Bethel Park to Forward Township , including the entire 8.5-mile (13.7 km) Washington County segment, was removed by early 1973 to keep the Belt system within the Allegheny County border (with the exceptions of
3504-498: The current Red Belt begins westbound The Orange Belt is longest belt in the system, running 91.7 miles (147.6 km). For most of its route, it is the outermost route in the system, except for the north of the county, where the Red Belt runs. The Orange Belt was originally a complete circle until a 12-mile (19 km) stretch in the south from Bethel Park to Forward Township was decommissioned (See decommissioned Orange Belt segment below). The current Orange Belt runs through
3577-476: The current southeastern terminus at PA 48 North. Originally, the Orange and Yellow Belts were the only two in the system to cross all four major Allegheny County rivers. Today, only the latter carries that distinction as the former's decommissioned segment includes the crossing of the Monongahela River via Malady Bridge (PA 51) between Elizabeth and West Elizabeth . The Yellow Belt is one of two belts, along with
3650-509: The downtown core. It is a freeway for its entire 78-kilometre (48 mi) length, and was built to reduce inner-city traffic congestion, created a bypass of Yellowhead Trail, and has improved the movement of goods and services across Edmonton and the surrounding areas. It was completed in October 2016 as the first free-flowing orbital road in Canada. Stoney Trail is a ring road that circles
3723-596: The early 1970s initially reduced the use and need of the belt routes. As urbanization of the county spread further out from the City of Pittsburgh, however, the Belt System helped reduce suburban congestion. Many of the roads selected in the mid-20th century today play key roles in the long-range regional transportation plans of Allegheny County. Many of the roads chosen for the belts have been converted from simple country lanes to urban collector roads and to urban arterials. In its millennium edition, Pittsburgh Magazine (published by WQED television) recognized White as one of
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#17327868789313796-665: The highway's concurrent use as a through Interstate on its eastern portion. The longest complete beltway in the United States is the Charles W. Anderson Loop , a 94-mile (151 km) loop in Texas that forms a complete loop around the Greater San Antonio area. The longest complete belt road, or a beltway that is only two lanes, in the United States is Hawaii Belt Road , a 260-mile (420 km) belt in Hawaii that forms
3869-569: The intersection of PA 65 and Cross Street in Leetsdale (just south of the Allegheny– Beaver County line) and ends at the intersection of PA 366 and East 7th Avenue in Tarentum . The Red Belt briefly enters Beaver County in two places where it crosses to the north bank of Big Sewickley Creek. Unlike other belts in the system, most of which access many state highways, the Red Belt only intersects numbered highways at its endpoints, along with US 19 in Marshall Township, PA 8 in Richland Township, and Interstate 79 just below Butler County . Much of
3942-417: The long-proposed Outer Beltway around Washington, D.C., where options for a new western Potomac River crossing are limited by a nearly continuous corridor of heavily visited scenic, natural, and historical landscapes in the Potomac River Gorge and adjacent areas. When referring to a road encircling a capital city, the term "beltway" can also have a political connotation, as in the American term " Inside
4015-459: The northeast quadrant of the city. Hamilton , Ontario, has the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway , Highway 403 and the Red Hill Valley Parkway which form a ring on three sides. Sudbury , Ontario, has a partial ring road consisting of the Southwest and Southeast Bypasses segment of Highway 17 , and the Northwest Bypass segment of Highway 144 . An unofficial northeast "bypass" route can also be completed on city arterial roads that largely bypass
4088-561: The northeast, the belt traverses the Allegheny River via the Highland Park Bridge between O'Hara Township and the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Highland Park. Traveling southeast, the Green Belt runs across the Monongahela River via Rankin Bridge between Rankin and Whitaker , down PA 837 South for 5 miles and across the Monongahela again via McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge (between said towns) where it terminates. The Green Belt runs through many Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Its most notable landmark destinations include Kennywood Park in West Mifflin and
4161-488: The northern, eastern, southern, and western sections of the county, connecting four county parks (including South Park and North Park ) and the Pittsburgh International Airport . It stretches from its southwestern terminus at PA 88 in Bethel Park northwest to Moon Township and Sewickley , then northeast to Richland Township and West Deer Township , southeast to Plum and Monroeville , and finally southwest to its southeastern terminus at PA 51 in Elizabeth. Much of
4234-481: The northern, southern, and eastern sectors of the county. In its path around the city, the belt crosses or joins PA 8 , PA 28 , PA 51 , PA 88 , PA 121 , and PA 837 . It also briefly joins US 19 . Only a small portion of the route (on PA 28) is a freeway . The Blue Belt crosses the Ohio River via McKees Rocks Bridge between McKees Rocks and the Brighton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh , Allegheny River via Highland Park Bridge between Sharpsburg and
4307-449: The one hundred most influential people of the 20th century in the Pittsburgh region. Rick Sebak of WQED television also produced a local feature on the Allegheny County Belt System in the 1990s. In the mid-1990s, the City of Pittsburgh developed a Purple Belt for the downtown area using the county system as a guideline. A sign from the belt system is a featured Pittsburgh landmark on Yinztagram . As of 2014, Pittsburgh does not have
4380-413: The only concurrent segment in the system. The two belts meet (Blue northbound, Green southbound) at the northern end of the Highland Park Bridge off Exit 6 on PA 28. From there, the dual Blue/Green Belt route runs across said bridge, around the loop onto Butler Street/PA 8 South and to the intersection of Allegheny River and Washington Boulevards where the belts split up. Here, the Blue Belt continues with
4453-522: The parent road, later reconnecting with the same highway. Such loops not only function as a bypass for through traffic, but also to serve outlying suburbs . In the United States, an Interstate highway loop is usually designated by a three-digit number beginning with an even digit before the two-digit number of its parent interstate. Interstate spurs, on the other hand, generally have three-digit numbers beginning with an odd digit. Circumferential highways are prominent features in or near many large cities in
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#17327868789314526-532: The partially completed Stockholm Ring Road in Sweden runs through tunnels or over long bridges. Some towns or cities on sea coasts or near rugged mountains cannot have a full ring road. Examples of such partial ring roads are Dublin's ring road ; and, in the USA, Interstate 287 , mostly in New Jersey (bypassing New York City), and Interstate 495 around Boston , none of which completely circles these seaport cities. In other cases, adjacent international boundaries may prevent ring road completion. Construction of
4599-416: The regular US 19, the two routes also intersect near the Fort Pitt Tunnel on Pittsburgh's West End . US 19 in Pennsylvania has maintained a similar alignment for much of its history. In 1928, US 19 was moved to its current route between Pittsburgh and Meadville . The West End Bridge in Pittsburgh was completed in 1932, and US 19 was realigned to cross the bridge. In 1936, US 19
4672-410: The ring road. One of the most renowned ring roads is the Vienna Ring Road ( Ringstraße ), a grand boulevard constructed in the mid-19th century and filled with representative buildings. Due to its unique architectural beauty and history, it has also been called the "Lord of the ring roads", and is declared by UNESCO as part of Vienna's World Heritage Site . Major European cities that are served by
4745-435: The route is rural. The largest suburban sprawl along the route has occurred between US 19 and PA 8. Both ends of the Red Belt originally ran outside of Allegheny County and were truncated to their current termini in 1974. As a result, it's the only belt in the system not to cross any of Allegheny County's main rivers. Western end: Began at the PA 51 end of the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge in Aliquippa/Beaver County, ran across
4818-437: The route was previously rural, though suburban sprawl has placed it in many prominent commercial corridors. The Orange Belt crosses or joins many Pennsylvania routes, including the entirety of PA 48 , PA 50 , PA 51 , PA 56 , PA 88 , PA 366 , PA 380 , PA 910 , and PA 978 . It also crosses or joins Interstate 376 Business , I-376 , US 22 and US 30 in two areas. Of the four major rivers in Allegheny County,
4891-429: The same points. The Orange Belt was a complete loop until 12 miles (19 km) of the southernmost stretch (including its entire stretch through Washington County) was decommissioned in the 1970s to keep the belt system entirely in Allegheny County. It still briefly traverses Westmoreland County in New Kensington. Before its 1980 acquisition by the Chevron Corporation , the PIttsburgh-based Gulf Oil Corporation published
4964-409: The signs were posted throughout the finalized belt routes, starting with the Orange route, then Blue, Yellow, Red and Green. The belt routes were not intended as high-speed or limited-access roads, but instead as a well-defined road system away from the existing major arterials and their congestion. The construction of the Interstate Highway System and regional parkways during the late 1950s through
5037-460: The term is the most commonly used, with "orbital" also used, but to a much lesser extent. In Europe and Australia, some ring roads, particularly longer ones of motorway standard, are known as "orbital motorways". Examples are the London Orbital (generally known as the M25; 188 km), Sydney Orbital Network (110 km) and Rome Orbital (68 km). In the United States many ring roads are called beltlines , beltways or loops , such as
5110-417: The urban core of the city, but are not fully controlled-access and must be shared with local traffic in the Nickel Centre and Rayside-Balfour districts of the city. Most major cities in Europe are served by a ring road that circles either the inner core of their metropolitan areas or the outer borders of the city proper or both. In major transit hubs, such as the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris and
5183-447: Was added later. All roads in the system retain their original names. The Allegheny County Belt System was developed in the late 1940s by Joseph White, an engineer with the Allegheny County Department of Public Works, as a wayfarer system using a network of federal, state, and municipal roads to offer residents alternative traffic patterns that did not lead to downtown Pittsburgh 's congested Golden Triangle. From late 1951 to early 1952,
5256-619: Was completed in 2010. In 2016, a diverging diamond interchange was built at the intersection of US 19 and I-70 /I-79 in South Strabane Township . PennDOT started construction on a multilane roundabout at the intersection of US 19, US 6 , US 322 , and PA 98 in Vernon Township , near Meadville . Construction was expected to be completed in October 2019. PennDOT has also started construction on an intersection improvement project at
5329-529: Was moved to its current alignment between Zelienople and Harmony . Through the 1940s and 1950s, different parts of US 19 were widened. In 1987, the Phase One project started to connect two sections of Ohio River Boulevard near Western Avenue and Chateau Street. Phase Two of the project included a new interchange between the PA ;65 expressway (concurrent with US 19 west of the interchange) and
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