Pennsylvania Route 63 (PA 63) is a state highway located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. The western terminus of the route is at PA 29 in Green Lane, Montgomery County. The eastern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) in Bensalem Township, Bucks County. PA 63 runs northwest to southeast for most of its length. The route heads through a mix of suburban and rural areas of northern Montgomery County as a two-lane road, passing through Harleysville, before coming to an interchange with I-476 (Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension) in Kulpsville. From this point, PA 63 continues through predominantly suburban areas of eastern Montgomery County as a two- to four-lane road, passing through Lansdale, Maple Glen, Willow Grove, and Huntingdon Valley. Upon entering Northeast Philadelphia, the route follows Red Lion Road and U.S. Route 1 (US 1) before heading southeast on a freeway called Woodhaven Road to I-95.
What would become PA 63 was originally designated as Legislative Route 198 in 1911, running from Green Lane to Northeast Philadelphia. When first designated, PA 63 ran from PA 29 in Green Lane east to US 611 (now PA 611) in Willow Grove, following its current alignment. In 1928, it was extended east to PA 532 in Northeast Philadelphia, following Edge Hill Road, Terwood Road, and Welsh Road to Bethayres, where the route continued along Philmont Avenue to PA 532. By 1940, PA 63 was moved to its current alignment between Willow Grove and Bethayres and was realigned to follow Byberry Road to PA 532. The former alignment of PA 63 on Edge Hill Road and Terwood Road became PA 163, which was removed by 1950. In the 1950s, the Woodhaven Road freeway was planned to serve Northeast Philadelphia, connecting I-95 to PA 63 at Philmont Avenue, with a further extension northwest to I-276 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) in Southampton once planned. The freeway was completed to Evans Street just west of US 1 in the 1960s and PA 63 was extended along Byberry Road and Woodhaven Road to end at I-95. In the 1980s, PA 63 was rerouted to use Red Lion Road and US 1 to reach Woodhaven Road. Plans to extend Woodhaven Road northwest through the rest of Northeast Philadelphia remain, but have been on hold due to community opposition and financial constraints.
Route description Green Lane to Lansdale
PA 63 begins at a T intersection with PA 29 (Gravel Pike) in the borough of Green Lane in Montgomery County. From this intersection, the route heads southeast as two-lane undivided Main Street, passing by several homes. After crossing Upper Ridge Road, the road enters Marlborough Township and becomes Sumneytown Pike. PA 63 continues through rural areas with some development, passing through the community of Sumneytown. Upon crossing Unami Creek, the route enters Upper Salford Township and heads into forested areas, where PA 63 meets the southern terminus of PA 563 (Ridge Road) and Old Skippack Road at an intersection. Following that intersection, the road passes through a mix of farmland, woodland, and residential developments, reaching a junction with Barndt Road. The route crosses over the East Branch Perkiomen Creek before entering Lower Salford Township at the intersection with Morwood Road. At this point, PA 63 becomes Main Street and heads into the community of Harleysville, where it passes through suburban residential neighborhoods before heading into a commercial area, crossing PA 113 (Harleysville Pike).
In the area of this intersection, PA 63 is briefly a divided highway. After PA 113, the road passes through the center of Harleysville. The road turns south, becoming a three-lane road with a center left-turn lane before it heads to the southeast again as a two-lane road, continuing past a mix of farm fields and residential and commercial development. PA 63 bypasses the community of Mainland to the northeast with two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane. After crossing Skippack Creek, the road enters Towamencin Township at the Wambold Road intersection, at which point it heads into the North Penn Valley region.
In Towamencin Township, PA 63 widens to four lanes and is called Sumneytown Pike again, passing woods and development before reaching the Lansdale interchange with I-476 (Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension). The I-476 interchange includes full access via a ramp passing through the toll plaza along with additional ramps to southbound I-476 and from northbound I-476. Southeast of I-476, the route enters a commercial area in the community of Kulpsville, where PA 63 turns northeast onto Forty Foot Road, a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane. The highway passes through suburban areas, narrowing to three lanes before widening back to five lanes. Along this stretch, the route passes southeast of Dock Mennonite Academy before crossing Allentown Road. A short distance later, PA 63 reaches a commercial area and turns southeast onto two-lane undivided Welsh Road, with Forty Foot Road continuing northeast toward the borough of Hatfield as PA 463. Along Welsh Road, PA 63 forms the border between Hatfield Township to the northeast and Towamencin Township to the southwest. The road heads through residential neighborhoods, crossing Orvilla Road.
At the intersection with Squirrel Lane/Oak Boulevard, PA 63 briefly forms the border between the borough of Lansdale to the northeast and Towamencin Township to the southwest before fully entering Lansdale and becoming Main Street. The road passes a mix of homes and businesses, coming to a junction with the northern terminus of PA 363 (Valley Forge Road). After the PA 363 junction, the road runs through the downtown area of Lansdale, where the route crosses the Liberty Bell Trail and SEPTA's Lansdale/Doylestown Line at-grade south of the Lansdale station before it intersects Broad Street. The road leaves the downtown and heads into areas of homes and businesses. At a crossing of Wissahickon Creek, PA 63 forms the border between Lansdale to the northeast and Upper Gwynedd Township to the southwest.
Lansdale to Philadelphia
After intersecting North Wales Road, PA 63 runs along the border of Montgomery Township and Upper Gwynedd Township and again becomes Welsh Road, passing several businesses as a four-lane divided road. The route becomes a two-lane undivided road as it heads between business parks to the northeast and farms and woods to the southwest ahead of a junction with US 202 Bus. (Dekalb Pike). A short distance after intersecting the US 202 parkway and the southern terminus of the US 202 Parkway Trail, PA 63 forms the border between Montgomery Township to the northeast and Lower Gwynedd Township to the southwest. The road passes through a mix of residential and commercial development, widening into a three-lane road with two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane. PA 63 intersects Evans Road before it leaves the North Penn Valley region as it becomes the border between Horsham Township and Lower Gwynedd Township and crosses PA 309 (Bethlehem Pike), with jughandles controlling the movements from PA 309 to PA 63.
The route narrows back to two lanes as it passes residential subdivisions, crossing Park Creek before becoming the border between Horsham Township to the northeast and Upper Dublin Township to the southwest at the Tennis Avenue intersection. Farther southeast, the road comes to a junction with Butler Pike. Upon reaching the community of Maple Glen, PA 63 passes businesses and crosses PA 152 (Limekiln Pike) and Norristown Road. Past Maple Glen, the road continues past more homes along with a few farms.
Farther southeast, the route turns into a three-lane road with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes as it passes near a mix of business parks and residential and commercial development. PA 63 widens to four lanes at Dresher Road, with two lanes in each direction, and soon reaches a junction with Dreshertown Road. The road becomes a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane as it comes to the Blair Mill Road intersection, at which point it forms the border between Upper Moreland Township to the northeast and Upper Dublin Township to the southwest.
PA 63 turns into a four-lane divided highway that soon becomes undivided as it crosses over the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) and Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Line before heading into a mix of residential and commercial areas as a five-lane road again. Upon forming the border between Upper Moreland Township and Abington Township, the road name changes to Moreland Road and it briefly turns into a divided highway at the Fitzwatertown Road intersection. The route heads into the community of Willow Grove as a five-lane road. The road enters business areas, becoming a divided highway again as it passes to the northeast of the Willow Grove Park Mall. PA 63 intersects Easton Road and loses the median at the Davisville Road junction before crossing SEPTA's Warminster Line at-grade. The route passes a mix of homes and businesses as it comes to an intersection with PA 611 (Old York Road).
At this point, PA 63 heads into wooded residential areas as a two-lane road. At the intersection with Edge Hill Road, the route turns southwest onto that road and fully enters Abington Township. Farther southwest, PA 63 makes a turn southeast onto Old Welsh Road. The road curves to the east and crosses into Lower Moreland Township. The road becomes Welsh Road again and widens to four lanes as it enters a mix of residential and commercial establishments in the community of Huntingdon Valley, crossing the Pennypack Trail at the Terwood Road intersection and the Pennypack Creek. At the junction with Carson Terrace/Walton Road, there is a westbound jughandle for right turns and U-turns. Upon intersecting PA 232 (Huntingdon Pike) in the community of Bethayres, the route becomes Philmont Avenue and narrows back to two lanes. PA 63 turns south-southeast onto Red Lion Road and crosses SEPTA's West Trenton Line at-grade as it continues through wooded residential subdivisions, making a curve to the southeast and intersecting Pine Road before heading into the city of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County.
Philadelphia to Bensalem PA 63 enters the Northeast Philadelphia section of the city a short distance past the Pine Road intersection. PA 63 widens into a four-lane divided highway and passes between a former golf course (site of the former Budd Company Red Lion plant) to the north and homes and industrial developments to the south. The road continues through a mix of residential and commercial development as it crosses Verree Road and PA 532 (Bustleton Avenue). East of PA 532, the route passes over CSX's Trenton Subdivision railroad line and comes to an intersection with US 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard).
PA 63 turns northeast and forms a concurrency with US 1 on Roosevelt Boulevard, a wide boulevard with local-express lanes. The road carries a 3-3-3-3 lane configuration as it heads northeast through areas of businesses and industrial parks. After intersecting Byberry Road, the concurrency with US 1 ends at an unfinished cloverleaf interchange with Woodhaven Road, where PA 63 heads southeast onto the Woodhaven Road freeway. Woodhaven Road continues northwest of US 1 as an unsigned quadrant route numbered State Route 1022 to an intersection with Evans Street, which connects to Byberry Road, before coming to a dead end at an entrance to an industrial park.