Last Minute Travel Planning-Filter

July 19, 2006 10:54 AM

What's the best route to take from Philadelphia to State College, PA?

I'm flying into Philadelphia tomorrow and, after a short stop, need to drive to State College, PA. Google Maps and Mapquest provide vastly different directions, with travel time ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 hours. Any advice on the best route to take (preferably with focus on simplicity, as I've never been to PA before)?

posted by Danelope to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

From the airport, jump immediately on to I-76 W. You'll cross a bridge immediately. Keep on I-76 for about 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic, until you hit the Pennsylvania turnpike.

Take I-76 West to Harrisburg, then take a short stretch of I-283 N to Rt. 322 N. Follow that to State College.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:04 AM on July 19, 2006

From PSU's site:
From the Philadelphia area, take Philadelphia Schuylkill Expressway to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, leave the Turnpike at exit 247 (Harrisburg East), and follow I-283 to I-83 and proceed north on I-83 to the I-81 interchange. Then follow I-81 south to Route 322, 22 West exit. Proceed west on Route 322 through Lewistown to State College exit #74.

Schuylkill is pronounced SKOO-kul, BTW, and the expressway is busy, busy, busy. On the bright side, the Turnpike from Philly to Harrisburg isn't too bad.
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:10 AM on July 19, 2006

Avoid I-76 (The Schuylkill) if it's anywhere near rush hour. I'd suggest taking 95 south to 476 to the turnpike. Not much better but heading west from philly at that time is a mess.
posted by cmfletcher at 11:35 AM on July 19, 2006

If you start your drive during the morning or evening rush hour, I highly recommend avoiding the Schuylkill Expressway (locally referred to as the Sure-kill). Alternative route from the airport is quite easy:
Take I-95 South for a few miles
Take I-476 North to the turnpike.
Yes this way also gets it's share of traffic, however, in addition to almost always being busy, the Schuylkill is also a very stressful drive.
posted by walleeguy at 11:42 AM on July 19, 2006

Avoid I-76 (The Schuylkill) if it's anywhere near rush hour. I'd suggest taking 95 south to 476 to the turnpike. Not much better but heading west from philly at that time is a mess.

NB.: They're both bad. Construction on I-95 around I-476 makes for half-hour to an hour backups in both directions.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:55 AM on July 19, 2006

Follow Blazecock's directions. It's 90 min or so from King of Prussia to Harrisburg (barring rush hour) and a little over 90 from harrisburg to State college.

The trip is very, very, very, easy. Only other note, as you get north of harrisburg, you'll go through some single lane drive off of a "highway"....and the speed limits change. Also, the last leg of the trip up to PSU, the cops heavily patrol.

You'd only take the I-81 route if you were in northeast philadelphia or Trenton areas. If you're coming near/around the airport/king of prussia, it's much faster to take 76 w (which is a toll road.)
posted by filmgeek at 12:16 PM on July 19, 2006

It might be worth mentioning since s/he has never been, that the PA Turnpike is a toll road. Y'know, toll tickets, toll booths, change, etc.
posted by fixedgear at 1:49 PM on July 19, 2006

Blazecock is droppin' the science. The I-95 to I-476 route will add miles and traffic, so just leave NOT during afternoon rush. As he said, take the Schuykill I-76 Westbound, merge onto the Turnpike West (also I-76), go to Harrisburg.

A few things: get off at the Harrisburg EAST exit, which will put you on I-283 West or North. Do not exit at Harrisburg West, the second of the two Harrisburg exits, which would put you on the West Shore (of the Susquehanna river), which is NOT where you want to be, unless you want to visit my parents. The toll will be $4.50 from King of Prussia to Harrisburg East.

Things get just a little tricky around Harrisburg. Here's a google map of the area in question. After you change from I-283 to I-322 and follow it for a bit (keep going past exits for Union Deposit and Colonial Park), you will actually have to merge onto I-81 SOUTH for a few miles before you pick up I-322 North again. Just follow the signs, it's pretty well-marked. Bon voyage!
posted by The Michael The at 1:58 PM on July 19, 2006

Lots of good advice here. WATCH FOR COPS. State troopers abound on the PA Turnpike, but once you're on 322 you should be a little better off. PA state cops are big, dumb, and (I hear) like to give tickets to out-of-state drivers.
posted by hifiparasol at 6:53 PM on July 19, 2006

Thanks to everyone for your advice! While the majority of the trip was an unmitigated disaster, following Blazecock and The Michael The's directions resulted in a remarkably smooth drive.
posted by Danelope at 12:06 AM on July 31, 2006