Pennsylvania Route 61 (PA 61) is an state highway that is located in Pennsylvania in the United States. The route is signed north-south despite running in a northwest-southeast direction from U.S. Route 222 Business (US 222 Bus.) in Reading to US 11/US 15/PA 147 in Shamokin Dam.
PA 61 heads north from Reading through Berks County to Hamburg, where it meets Interstate 78 (I-78)/US 22. The route continues into the Coal Region in Schuylkill County and heads through Schuylkill Haven, Pottsville, Frackville, where it has an interchange with I-81, and Ashland.
PA 61 passes through the southern part of Columbia County, where it turns west in Centralia, before it heads into Northumberland County and runs west through Mount Carmel, Kulpmont, Shamokin, and Sunbury. The route crosses the Susquehanna River into Snyder County and soon reaches its northern terminus.
PA 61 roughly follows the alignment of the Centre Turnpike, a turnpike from Reading to Sunbury that was completed in 1814. The road between Reading and Sunbury became part of US 120 when the U.S. Highway System was created in 1926. In 1935, this section of road became part of US 122, a route than ran from US 1 in Oxford north to US 11/US 111 in Northumberland.
US 122 saw multiple upgrades and realignments in the following years. In 1963, US 122 was decommissioned and PA 61 was designated onto the former alignment of US 122 between US 222 (now US 222 Bus.) in Reading and PA 147 in Sunbury. Upgrades and realignments continued to be made to PA 61. In 1990, the route was extended north from Sunbury to US 11/US 15 in Shamokin Dam. A section of PA 61 south of Centralia was closed in 1993 after the Centralia mine fire damaged the road and made it unsafe to travel on; this section was bypassed with a realignment to a parallel road through Byrnesville. The closed section of PA 61 was used by pedestrians and bicyclists and was covered with graffiti before being blocked to public access and covered with dirt in 2020.
Route description Berks County
PA 61 begins at US 222 Bus. in Reading in Berks County, and heads west on two-lane undivided Greenwich Street, a road that is maintained by the city. This road intersects Centre Avenue and North 4th Street a short distance apart, at which points the route briefly splits into the one-way pair of Centre Avenue northbound and North 4th Street southbound and becomes state-maintained. At the intersection of North 4th Street and Centre Avenue, both directions of PA 61 continue northwest on two-lane undivided Centre Avenue, passing through urban areas of homes.
The road becomes three lanes with one northbound lane and two southbound lanes and curves north, running between residences and businesses to the west and a large cemetery to the east. The route narrows to two lanes and continues past urban development. PA 61 heads into commercial areas and widens to four lanes, crossing Norfolk Southern's Spruce Street Industrial Track at-grade before passing to the east of FirstEnergy Stadium, the home ballpark of Minor League Baseball's Reading Fightin Phils. The road heads into Muhlenberg Township and becomes a divided highway as it reaches a partial cloverleaf interchange with the PA 12 freeway (Warren Street Bypass).
Past this interchange, the route continues north into suburban areas as Pottsville Pike, a four-lane divided highway with some intersections controlled by jughandles. PA 61 heads past businesses and passes under Norfolk Southern's Reading Line. The road becomes undivided and runs through more commercial areas. The route briefly becomes a divided highway again at the Bellevue Avenue intersection, heading to the west of the Reading Outer Station along the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad.
The highway transitions to a three-lane road with a center left-turn lane and passes under the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad's Reading Division line. PA 61 runs past businesses and industrial development before it heads through Tuckerton, where it passes homes and businesses.
The road becomes a four-lane divided highway as it comes to a partial cloverleaf interchange with the US 222 freeway. Following this, the route enters Ontelaunee Township and runs along the east bank of the Schuylkill River as it passes through Ontelaunee. PA 61 heads farther from the river and crosses under a Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad line, entering industrial areas and passing west of the Ontelaunee Energy Facility. The road heads near more commercial development and curves northwest, crossing Maiden Creek. The route runs through farmland and comes to an intersection with the western terminus of PA 73.
Past this intersection, PA 61 passes a mix of businesses and fields before it enters the borough of Leesport. Here, the road turns into four-lane undivided South Centre Avenue and runs past homes and some businesses. The route becomes North Centre Avenue and passes more residences, running to the east of a Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad line.
PA 61 leaves Leesport for Ontelaunee Township again, where it becomes four-lane divided Pottsville Pike and passes a few businesses. The road curves north and heads through a mix of fields and woods with some residential and commercial development to the east of the railroad tracks, with the Schuylkill River further to the west, bending northeast and entering Perry Township. The route curves north and continues through rural land with some industrial development, where it crosses a railroad spur at-grade, before the river and railroad tracks head further to the west.
PA 61 then runs through more farmland and woodland before it becomes the border between the borough of Shoemakersville to the west and Perry Township to the east, passing businesses and coming to an intersection with the northern terminus of PA 662. From here, the road fully enters Shoemakersville before crossing into Perry Township, heading north-northwest past homes and businesses with some farmland.
The route becomes undivided and curves north in a wooded area, entering Windsor Township and passing more roadside development. PA 61 crosses into the borough of Hamburg and runs past businesses as a four-lane divided highway. The road comes to an intersection with South 4th Street, which heads north into the center of the borough. From here, the route curves northwest as an unnamed road and passes over a Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad line, heading into wooded areas with the Schuylkill River to the southwest and businesses and industrial development to the northeast. The road passes over the river, entering Tilden Township, and continues over Old Route 22 and the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad's Reading Division line.
PA 61 comes to a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-78/US 22 and heads past businesses, passing east of a Cabela's store. The road runs through farm fields before it enters forested areas, crossing over the Schuylkill River Trail and coming to a bridge over the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad's Reading Division line and the Schuylkill River.
Schuylkill County Upon crossing the Schuylkill River, PA 61 enters the borough of Port Clinton in Schuylkill County and passes over the Appalachian Trail before heading through the Schuylkill Gap in forested Blue Mountain along with the river. The road becomes Center Street and curves north, running between homes and some businesses to the west and the mountain to the east. The route heads into West Brunswick Township, becoming Centre Turnpike and heading north through forested mountains with the Little Schuylkill River to the west and a tract of Weiser State Forest to the east. PA 61 heads through a mix of fields and woods and passes over the river and the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad's Reading Division line before coming to a jughandle-controlled intersection with PA 895 in Molino.
At this point, PA 895 joins PA 61 for a concurrency and the two routes head northwest along a four-lane divided highway with a Jersey barrier, running through a mix of farm fields and woods. The road crosses into the borough of Deer Lake, passing through wooded areas with nearby residential neighborhoods. PA 895 splits from PA 61 at a jughandle-controlled intersection by heading southwest, with PA 61 splitting into a one-way pair carrying two lanes in each direction. The northbound direction heads past development while the southbound direction bypasses the development to the west, leaving Deer Lake for West Brunswick Township and heading through Pinedale.
The route becomes a four-lane divided highway with a Jersey barrier and some intersections controlled by jughandles, continuing northwest past fields and woods with some residential and commercial development. PA 61 curves to the west and becomes a four-lane undivided road, passing south of Geisinger St. Luke's Hospital, before becoming a three-lane road with one northbound lane and two southbound lanes and entering North Manheim Township. The route becomes three lanes with two northbound lanes and one southbound lanes before transitioning to a four-lane road as it passes south of the borough of Orwigsburg, briefly becoming three lanes with one northbound lane and two southbound lanes at the Greenview Road intersection. The road becomes a four-lane divided highway and reaches PA 443 at a jughandle-controlled intersection.
At this point, PA 443 heads west for a concurrency with PA 61, and the two routes run west-southwest through business areas as Center Avenue. The road passes to the south of the Penn State Schuylkill university campus before it continues past more development. The two routes enter the borough of Schuylkill Haven and become a four-lane undivided road, passing homes. PA 443 splits to the south and PA 61 continues west, passing businesses and crossing back into North Manheim Township. The route widens to a four-lane divided highway with several intersections controlled by jughandles and comes to an intersection with the northern terminus of PA 183 east of the borough of Cressona. Here, the road curves north and becomes unnamed, passing between the Cressona Mall and businesses to the west and woodland to the east. PA 61 continues north a short distance to the east of the Schuylkill River and passes through a narrow valley straddling Second Mountain and Sharp Mountain.
Farther north, the route continues through wooded areas with some development and bends northwest, intersecting Centre Street, which crosses the Schuylkill River into the borough of Mount Carbon. PA 61 passes through a section of the borough of Palo Alto before it comes to a bridge over a Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad line and enters Pottsville. Here, the road becomes South Claude A. Lord Boulevard and passes near commercial development, crossing the Schuylkill River before coming to an intersection with US 209.
Past this intersection, PA 61 turns into a four-lane undivided road and runs past businesses to the east of Center City Pottsville, with the road name changing to North Claude A. Lord Boulevard after crossing East Norwegian Street. The route heads near residential and commercial development with some wooded areas, becoming a divided highway and curving to the northeast. The road turns north and leaves Pottsville for Norwegian Township, passing through woodland as Pottsville-St. Clair Highway. PA 61 heads into business areas and passes to the east of Fairlane Village Mall, entering East Norwegian Township. The route bends north-northwest and enters the borough of St. Clair, where it becomes Joseph H. Long Boulevard and runs between wooded areas to the west and residential areas to the east, curving to the north and passing west of a shopping center.