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Image:I-79.svg
Interstate 79 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Image:Interstate 79 map.png
Length:	343 mi (552 km)
South end:	Image:I-77.svg I-77 in Charleston, WV
Major junctions:	Image:I-68.svg I-68 in Morgantown, WV Image:I-70.svg I-70 near Washington, PA Image:I-76.svg I-76 near Pittsburgh, PA Image:I-80.svg I-80 near Mercer, PA Image:I-90.svg I-90 near Erie, PA
North end:	Image:PA-5.svg PA 5 in Erie, PA

Interstate 79 (abbreviated I-79) is an interstate highway in the eastern United States. It runs from Charleston, West Virginia at Interstate 77 to Erie, Pennsylvania at Pennsylvania Route 5.

Contents 1 Length 2 Major cities 3 Intersections with other interstates 4 Shunpiking the Pennsylvania Turnpike 5 Spur routes 6 History 6.1 West Virginia 7 Notes and miscellanea 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Length

Miles	km	state
160	257	West Virginia
183	295	Pennsylvania
343	552	Total

[edit] Major cities

Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.

• Charleston, West Virginia
• Clarksburg, West Virginia
• Fairmont, West Virginia
• Morgantown, West Virginia
• Washington, Pennsylvania
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (bypassed)
• Erie, Pennsylvania

[edit] Intersections with other interstates

• Interstate 77 in Charleston, West Virginia
• Interstate 64 in Charleston, West Virginia via Interstate 77 for less than 1 mile
• Interstate 68 in Morgantown, West Virginia
• Interstate 70 in Washington, Pennsylvania
• Interstate 279 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Interstate 76 in Cranberry Twp, Pennsylvania
• Interstate 80 in Pardoe, Pennsylvania (near Mercer, Pennsylvania)
• Interstate 90 in Erie, Pennsylvania

[edit] Shunpiking the Pennsylvania Turnpike

Shunpiking the Interstate 70 portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike via Interstate 68 and Interstate 79 is actually shorter than using the Turnpike. From Hancock, Maryland to Washington, Pennsylvania using the Turnpike the route is 155 miles, while the Shunpiking route from Hancock, Maryland to Washington, Pennsylvania via Morgantown, West Virginia is 151.8 miles. The speed limit is also higher on the Shunpiking route as West Virginia has a speed limit of 70 mph.

[edit] Spur routes

• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - I-279, I-579

Image:I-79.svg	edit Auxiliary routes of Interstate 79
I-279	Pennsylvania
I-579	Pennsylvania

[edit] History

[edit] West Virginia

In 1967, the first segment of Interstate 79 to be completed was from Exit 125 to Exit 132 in Harrison County and Marion County counties<ref name="RDR">Release Date Report. West Virginia Department of Transportation. August 2003.</ref>. Three years later, a 13-mile portion opened to traffic from Exit 132 to Exit 145, bypassing Fairmont<ref name="RDR"/>.

In 1971, a ten-mile segment of the interstate was completed from Exit 51 to Exit 61 all within Braxton County, and from Exit 105 to Exit 115 south of Clarksburg in Lewis County and Harrison County.

One year later, Braxton County had a brief portion completed from Exit 46 to Exit 51. Lewis County saw work on its segment from milepost 98.6 to Exit 105 be completed. Work continued on portions of Interstate 79 in Braxton, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, and Monogalia counties.

In 1973, significant portions of the interstate were completed<ref name="RDR"/>. Interstate 79 opened from Exit 62 to milepost 98.6 just north of the U.S. Highway 19 interchange in Lewis County. A small two mile portion from Exit 115 to Exit 118 was completed in Harrison County. In Monongalia County, a brief stretch of Interstate 79 was completed between Exit 146 and Exit 152, including the interchange with Interstate 68 at Exit 148.

In 1974, a segment from Exit 25 to Exit 46 was opened to traffic<ref name="RDR"/>. A brief portion was opened from Exit 118 to Exit 125. One year later, a segment from Exit 19 in Kanawha County to Exit 25 opened. The remaining segments of Interstate 79 to be completed were all within Kanawha County and the southern terminus with Interstate 77.

In 1977, a ten mile segment from Exit 9 to Exit 19 was opened to traffic<ref name="RDR"/>. Two years later, Interstate 79 was considered complete when it was constructed from its southern terminus to Exit 9. This included a large directional-Y interchange with Interstate 77 adjacent to the Elk River.

[edit] Notes and miscellanea

This interstate primarily acts as a thoroughfare through western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is a major route for Canadians using the Buffalo, New York crossing traveling to and from Florida.

I-579, which consists mostly of the Veterans Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh, is a short Interstate, but not the shortest. (Its length is officially 1.57 miles (2.53 km); I-375 in Michigan is shorter and signed. I-878, at 0.72 miles (1.16 km), is the shortest unsigned interstate, as of 2002.)

The road is signed as the "Jennings Randolph Expressway" in West Virginia. In the three most northern counties it is signed as passing through the "High Tech Corridor", which would strike many as ironic.

[edit] References

<references/>

[edit] External links

• Interstate 79 at Larry's Phat Page

edit Main Interstate Highways (major in pink)														Image:I-blank.svg
4	5	8	10	12	15	16	17	19	20	22	24	25	26	27	29
30	35	37	39	40	43	44	45	49	55	57	59	64	65	66
66 (W)		68	69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76 (W)		76 (E)		77	78
79	80	81	82	83	84 (W)		84 (E)		85	86 (W)		86 (E)		87
88 (W)		88 (E)		89	90	91	93	94	95	96	97	99	(238)
H-1	H-2	H-3
Unsigned			A-1	A-2	A-3	A-4	PRI-1		PRI-2		PRI-3
Lists		Main - Auxiliary - Suffixed - Business - Proposed - Unsigned Gaps - Intrastate - Interstate standards - Replaced

Browse numbered routes
< Image:PA-78.svg PA 78	PA		PA 79 Image:PA-79.svg >