Pennsylvania Route 272 (PA 272) is a highway in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the Lancaster area. The southern terminus of the route is at the Mason–Dixon line southeast of Nottingham, where the road continues into Maryland as Maryland Route 272 (MD 272). The northern terminus is at an interchange with U.S. Route 222 (US 222) and PA 568 near Adamstown, where PA 568 continues east. The route heads from the Maryland border northwest through the southwestern corner of Chester County, intersecting US 1 in Nottingham. PA 272 continues west into Lancaster County and intersects US 222 in Wakefield, where it turns north and passes through Buck before widening into a divided highway as it comes to another junction with US 222 in Willow Street. Here, the route becomes unsigned and follows US 222 north through Lancaster along a one-way pair of city streets. North of Lancaster, US 222 splits at an interchange with US 30 and PA 272 becomes signed again, heading northeast parallel to the freeway alignment of US 222 and passing through Akron, Ephrata (where it intersects US 322), and Adamstown. The route enters Berks County and comes to its northern terminus.
PA 272 was first designated in 1928 to run from US 222/PA 72 in Wakefield east to US 1/PA 12 in Nottingham. The route was fully paved by 1940. In the 1940s, PA 272 was extended south from Nottingham to the Maryland border, replacing a section of PA 42 between the Maryland border and Chrome. The route was extended north from Wakefield to US 222 in Willow Street in the 1960s. This extension replaced what became a southern extension of PA 72 from Lancaster in the 1930s. The route was extended from Willow Street to US 222 and PA 568 in Adamstown following the completion of the US 222 freeway between Lancaster and Adamstown in 1977. PA 272 followed US 222 through Lancaster and ran along the former alignment of US 222 between Lancaster and Adamstown. In 2006, the intersection at the northern terminus was converted to an interchange following the extension of the US 222 freeway from Adamstown to the Reading area.
Route description PA 272 is mostly in Lancaster County, except for about a mile at the northern terminus where it enters Berks County and the southernmost part of the route, which is in Chester County. Through the city of Lancaster, it is unsigned but concurrent with US 222.
Maryland state line to Lancaster
The southern terminus of PA 272 is at the Maryland state line in East Nottingham Township in Chester County, where the road continues south into that state as MD 272. From the state line, the route heads north on two-lane undivided Chrome Road through a mix of farmland and woodland. In the community of Chrome, PA 272 turns west on Christine Road and continues northwest through agricultural areas with some trees and homes. The road crosses the North East Creek into West Nottingham Township and runs through more rural areas before reaching the community of Nottingham. Here, the route passes homes and comes to a bridge over an East Penn Railroad line before it intersects Baltimore Pike to the north of the Herr's plant. PA 272 runs past a mix of residences and businesses and comes to a partial cloverleaf interchange with the US 1 freeway. A park and ride lot is situated within the northwest portion of this interchange. Past this interchange, the road heads through a mix of farmland and residential subdivisions, reaching the community of Glen Roy. The route continues west into wooded areas with some fields.
PA 272 crosses the Octoraro Creek into Little Britain Township in Lancaster County and becomes Nottingham Road, curving northwest into agricultural areas with some trees and homes. The road reaches the community of Oak Hill and turns west, passing through more rural land. The route passes near residential development in the community of Little Britain before it continues through farmland and passes through Oakryn. PA 272 enters Fulton Township and runs through agricultural areas with occasional homes, reaching an intersection with US 222 in the community of Wakefield. At this point, the route turns north for a concurrency with US 222 along Robert Fulton Highway, running through a mix of farms and homes. PA 272 splits from US 222 in the community of Penn Hill by heading northwest along Lancaster Pike. The road heads through agricultural areas with some trees and homes, curving north and leaving Fulton Township, where it becomes the border between Drumore Township to the west and East Drumore Township to the east. The route continues through rural areas and turns northwest, passing through the communities of Hensell and Drumore Center. PA 272 curves north and runs through more farmland with some residential and commercial development before coming to an intersection with PA 372 in the community of Buck. At this intersection, PA 272 crosses westbound PA 372 while eastbound PA 372 turns north for a short concurrency with northbound PA 272 before it splits to the east.
Past Buck, PA 272 crosses into Providence Township and runs through a mix of farmland and woodland with some commercial development, passing to the east of Buck Motorsports Park and bending northwest. The road continues north through farms and woods with some homes and businesses. The route widens into a four-lane divided highway and the travel lanes split as the road heads northwest through wooded areas and passes under the Enola Low Grade Trail. Both directions of PA 272 rejoin in the community of Smithville and it continues north as a four-lane divided highway through a mix of farms and woods with some homes and businesses, curving northwest. The road crosses Pequea Creek into Pequea Township and becomes Willow Street Pike, continuing through rural areas with some development before reaching the community of Willow Street. Between Smithville and Willow Street, a few of the intersections along the divided highway are controlled by jughandles. In Willow Street, both directions of the route split, with the northbound direction heading into residential and commercial areas, while the southbound direction bypasses Willow Street to the west through farmland. PA 272 continues into West Lampeter Township and runs through more developed areas in Willow Street before it comes to a junction with US 222/PA 741.
At this point, US 222 turns north to join PA 272 along Willow Street Pike, and PA 272 becomes unsigned along the US 222 concurrency. Both directions of Willow Street Pike rejoin and it continues north as a two-lane undivided road past commercial development before it runs through wooded residential areas, passing through Hollinger. US 222/PA 272 crosses Mill Creek and heads through the community of Lyndon. The road briefly gains a center left-turn lane as it continues through wooded areas of development and passes to the west of a golf course. US 222/PA 272 splits into a one-way pair, with two lanes in each direction, and crosses the Conestoga River into Lancaster Township.
Lancaster to Adamstown
After crossing the Conestoga River, northbound US 222/PA 272 becomes Highland Avenue and southbound US 222/PA 272 is called South Prince Street. The southbound direction intersects PA 324 in the community of Engleside before the two routes continue into the city of Lancaster, heading into urban residential and commercial areas. A short distance after entering Lancaster, northbound US 222/PA 272 intersects the end of one-way northbound PA 324 and heads onto South Queen Street. The two routes continues past urban rowhouses along South Queen Street northbound and South Prince Street southbound, with South Queen Street passing to the west of Woodward Hill Cemetery. Northbound US 222/PA 272 splits from South Queen Street by heading northeast onto Church Street, which carries three lanes of one-way traffic, while northbound PA 72 starts along South Queen Street. Just south of downtown Lancaster, the northbound direction of the route turns north onto South Lime Street, which carries two lanes of one-way traffic. US 222/PA 272 heads into the commercial downtown of Lancaster and crosses eastbound PA 462 at King Street. Past this, the route becomes North Lime Street northbound and North Prince Street southbound, crossing eastbound PA 23 at Chestnut Street and westbound PA 23/PA 462 at Walnut Street. The two routes leave the downtown area and run through urban areas of homes and businesses. The northbound direction passes to the east of Lancaster General Hospital between East James and East Frederick streets while the southbound direction passes to the east of Penn Medicine Park, home of the Lancaster Stormers baseball team, north of the Harrisburg Avenue/West James Street intersection. At the intersection with Liberty Street, northbound US 222/PA 272 shifts west a block onto four-lane undivided North Duke Street, a two-way road, while the one-way pair continues into Manheim Township. A block later, at McGovern Avenue, both directions of US 222/PA 272 rejoin along North Duke Street. Southbound US 222/PA 272 follows McGovern Avenue west between North Duke Street and North Prince Street, forming the border between a portion of the city of Lancaster that is home to the Lancaster station along Amtrak's Keystone Corridor railroad line to the north and Manheim Township to the south. The roadway is a three-lane road with two westbound lanes that carry southbound US 222/PA 272 and one eastbound lane. McGovern Avenue reaches an intersection with northbound PA 72 at North Queen Street, where northbound PA 72 turns west to join southbound US 222/PA 272 along the road. At North Prince Street, southbound US 222/PA 272 turn south while PA 72 becomes two-way heading north.
Both directions of US 222/PA 272 continue north along four-lane undivided North Duke Street and the road reaches the Thaddeus Stevens Bridge over Amtrak's Keystone Corridor, where it becomes the border between Manheim Township to the west and Lancaster to the east. At Keller Avenue/Marshall Avenue, the road name changes to Lititz Pike and it fully enters Manheim Township, running through commercial areas as a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane. Northbound US 222 and PA 272 head northeast onto Oregon Pike, with PA 272 becoming signed again, while southbound US 222 and PA 501 continue north along Lititz Pike. The two routes continue northeast as a three-lane road with a center left-turn lane and runs past businesses and a few homes before it comes to an interchange with the US 30 freeway. Here, US 222 heads east along US 30 and PA 272 continues northeast along Oregon Pike, passing through commercial areas and narrowing to two lanes. The road continues through suburban areas of homes and businesses and passes through the community of Roseville. Farther northeast, the route widens to a divided highway at the Landis Valley Road intersection, where it passes to the southeast of the Landis Valley Museum in the community of Landis Valley. PA 272 becomes undivided again and passes through wooded residential areas before it enters farmland. The route becomes parallel to the US 222 freeway located to the southeast and reaches direct ramps to and from the southbound lanes of US 222. Access to and from the northbound lanes is provided by Jake Landis Road, which passes under US 222 and connects to Butter Road, which provides access to the ramps. The route heads through wooded areas and passes over Lititz Run before it comes to the eastern terminus of PA 722 near the community of Oregon.