PA Route 56
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length	108 mi[1] (174 km)
Major junctions
West end	C.L. Schmitt Bridge in New Kensington
	US 422 near Indiana US 119 in Homer City US 22 in Armagh US 219 near Johnstown I-99 / US 220 near Bedford
East end	US 30 near Bedford
Location
Counties	Westmoreland, Armstrong, Indiana, Cambria, Somerset, Bedford
Highway system
Pennsylvania State Route System Interstate US State Scenic Byways Legislative ← PA 55 PA 57 →

Pennsylvania Route 56 (PA 56) is a major 108-mile-long (174 km) state highway located in central Pennsylvania. Its western terminus is at the eastern end of the C.L. Schmitt Bridge in New Kensington. Its eastern terminus is on U.S. Route 30 west of Bedford.

Route description[edit]

PA 56 starts at the eastern end of the C.L. Schmitt Bridge, across the Allegheny River from the PA 28 freeway. PA 56 merges with PA 66 for a short distance in Armstrong County. It then travels east and eventually merges with PA 156, crossing into Indiana County. At this point, it merges with U.S. Route 422 and heads toward Indiana. In Indiana, U.S. Route 422 and PA 56 become a short freeway. At the U.S. 119 exit, PA 56 merges with US 119, heading south. PA 56 breaks away from US 119 outside of Indiana and continues east on a two-lane road. Approaching Armagh, it crosses US 22 at an interchange. The route then enters Westmoreland County again briefly, passing through its extreme northeastern corner. It is at this point, that PA 56 crosses through Seward. A short time after passing through Seward, it crosses into Cambria County. Continuing east, it travels along the southern side of the Conemaugh River through the Conemaugh Gap. It then emerges into the city of Johnstown. PA 56 travels through the heart of the West End section of Johnstown on two-lane city streets. It then merges with PA 403 on Broad Street, a four-lane road containing many traffic signals. At the final signal, it breaks away from PA 403 and becomes a freeway entitled Johnstown Expressway. PA 56 enters the four-lane expressway and meets US 219. It eventually exits US 219 at Scalp Avenue, the original interchange, and continues east toward Windber. The Route enters Somerset County at Windber. Once past Windber, PA 56 returns to two-lanes. It enters Bedford County at the top of Laurel Ridge at 2,700 feet (820 m) above sea level. The descent down the eastern slope contains a dangerous hairpin curve that has been the site of many accidents over the years. It then crosses Interstate 99 / US 220 at an interchange near Cessna. After a short distance, PA 56 crosses over I-99 and US 220, then later passes under the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstates 76 and 70). The route ends at a T intersection with US 30 in Wolfsburg, west of Bedford.

Major intersections[edit]

This section contains a table that is missing mileposts for one or more junctions. Please help by adding the missing mileposts.

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Allegheny	East Deer Township	0.0	0.0	To Freeport Road	Western terminus
Allegheny River		0.3	0.48	C.L. Schmitt Bridge
Westmoreland	New Kensington	1.1	1.8	PA 366 south (Stevenson Boulevard)	West end of PA 366 concurrency
		1.3	2.1	PA 780 (Powers Drive)	Western terminus of PA 780
		2.0	3.2	PA 366 north (Stevenson Boulevard) – Tarentum	Interchange, east end of PA 366 concurrency
	Allegheny Township	9.3	15.0	PA 356 north (Stevenson Boulevard)	West end of PA 356 concurrency
		9.9	15.9	PA 356 south	East end of PA 356 concurrency
	Vandergrift	13.5	21.7	PA 66 Alt. north (Beechers Court)	West end of PA 66 ALT concurrency, eastbound PA 56 only
Armstrong	North Vandergrift	14.1	22.7	PA 66 north / PA 66 Alt. south	West end of PA 66 concurrency, east end of PA 66 ALT concurrency
	Apollo	16.7	26.9	PA 66 south (1st Street)	East end of PA 66 concurrency
	Kiskiminetas Township	23.9	38.5	PA 156 south	West end of PA 156 concurrency
	South Bend Township	30.0	48.3	PA 210 north	Southern terminus of PA 210
Indiana	Shelocta	33.0	53.1	US 422 west / PA 156	West end of US 422 concurrency, east end of PA 156 concurrency, Northern terminus of PA 156
	Armstrong Township			West end of freeway
		38.0	61.2	US 422 Bus. east (Philadelphia Street)	Western terminus of US 422 BUS
	White Township	40.3	64.9	PA 286 (Oakland Avenue)
		42.6	68.6	US 119 north / US 422 east – Punxsutawney, Ebensburg	West end of US 119 concurrency, East end of US 422 concurrency
		42.9	69.0	US 422 Bus. (Wayne Avenue)	Eastern terminus of US 422 BUS
				East end of freeway
	Homer City	45.9	73.9	US 119 south	East end of US 119 concurrency, interchange
	Center Township	48.7	78.4	PA 954	Southern terminus of PA 954
	Brush Valley Township	51.4	82.7	PA 259 north	West end of PA 259 concurrency
		51.4	82.7	PA 259 south	East end of PA 259 concurrency
	Armagh	57.8	93.0	US 22	Interchange
	East Wheatfield Township	60.2	96.9	PA 711 north	West end of PA 711 concurrency
Westmoreland	Seward	60.8	97.8	PA 711 south	East end of PA 711 concurrency
Cambria	Johnstown	68.3	109.9	PA 403 north (Cooper Avenue)	West end of PA 403 concurrency
		70.1	112.8	PA 403 south (Menoher Boulevard)	East end of PA 403 concurrency
				West end of freeway
				To PA 271 / PA 403 south (Bedford Street)	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
				Geistown, Dale	Eastbound exit, westbound entrance
				Widman Street
	Richland Township			Walters Avenue
		75.6	121.7	US 219 north – Ebensburg	West end of US 219 concurrency
				PA 756 – Elton, Geistown
		77.5	124.7	US 219 south – Somerset	East end of US 219 concurrency
				East end of freeway
Somerset	Paint	80.0	128.7	PA 601 (Main Street)	Northern terminus of PA 601, interchange
	Windber	81.6	131.3	PA 160
Bedford	Pleasantville	96.6	155.5	PA 96
	Bedford Township	105	169	I-99 / US 220	Interstate 99 exit 3
		105	169	US 220 Bus. to I-76 / Penna Turnpike	Northern terminus of US 220 BUS
		108	174	US 30 (Lincoln Highway)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

PA 56 Truck[edit]

Current[edit]

PA Route 56 Truck
Location	New Kensington, Pennsylvania
Existed	1980–present

Pennsylvania Route 56 Truck is a 2-mile-long (3.2 km) truck route in the Pittsburgh industrial suburb of New Kensington, Pennsylvania. The route's western terminus also marks the end of its parent, as each formulate a different way of travel for those who have crossed the C.L. Schmitt Bridge. While Route 56 makes several turns as it passes through the stop light-filled center of the community, the truck route runs as the four-lane Industrial Boulevard along the Allegheny River, before turning back north as it is multiplexed with Pennsylvania Route 366.

Former[edit]

PA Route 56 Truck
Location	Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Existed	2013–2015

Pennsylvania Route 56 Truck was an east-west truck route bypassing a weight-restricted bridge over Little Brush Creek in Brush Valley, on which trucks over 29 tons and combination loads over 40 tons were prohibited. It was formed and established in 2013 and it used to follow US 119 and US 22. As of October 2015, the "Truck PA 56" signs were removed off of US 22 and US 119.

See also[edit]

• 
  U.S. Roads portal
  


• 
  Pennsylvania portal
  

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pennsylvania Route 56.

Route map: