U.S. Route 6 (US 6) travels east–west near the north edge of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from the Ohio state line near Pymatuning Reservoir east to the Mid-Delaware Bridge over the Delaware River into Port Jervis, New York. It is the longest highway segment in the commonwealth. Most of it is a two-lane rural highway, with some freeway bypasses around larger towns. Except east of Dunmore, where it is paralleled by Interstate 84 (I-84), it is the main route in its corridor. What is now I-80—the Keystone Shortway—was once planned along the US 6 corridor as a western extension of I-84.Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, August 14, 1957 Note: the corridor had already been shifted south by September 1955, but the numbering was done on a map from August 2, 1947. The corridor was originally the Roosevelt Highway from Erie, Pennsylvania, to Port Jervis, New York, designated Pennsylvania Route 7 (PA 7) in 1924. The PA 7 designation soon disappeared, but, as US 6 was extended and relocated, the Roosevelt Highway followed it. The Pennsylvania section of US 6 was renamed the Grand Army of the Republic Highway in 1946; this name was applied to its full transcontinental length by 1953.
US 6 meets with US 19 near Meadville, where it turns north with US 19 to a point east of Edinboro. There it turns east (while US 6N heads west to US 20 at West Springfield) and passes through the Northern Tier. At Towanda, it turns more southeasterly to reach Dunmore, then turning back northeast out of Dunmore to Carbondale and generally east and southeast to New York. US 6 fully encompasses three Pennsylvania Scenic Byways: the Route 6 Heritage Corridor Scenic Byway in Warren, McKean, Potter, and Tioga counties, the Gateway to the Endless Mountains Scenic Byway along the bypass of Tunkhannock, and the Governor Casey Scenic Byway along the freeway portion in Lackawanna County between I-81 in Dunmore and PA 247 in Jessup.
At in length, US 6 is the longest numbered highway in Pennsylvania.
Route description Ohio to Warren
US 6 enters Pennsylvania from Ohio in Crawford County, heading southeast as a two-lane undivided road through farmland and woodland to the north of Pymatuning State Park, which is home to Pymatuning Reservoir. The route heads into the borough of Linesville, where it heads southeast through developed areas of the borough on Penn Street before turning east onto East Erie Street, passing north of Conneaut Area Senior High School. The road continues southeast through more rural areas as it heads away from the state park, passing over the Canadian National Railway's Bessemer Subdivision railroad line. US 6 intersects the southern terminus of PA 618 before it reaches a junction with PA 285 on the western edge of the borough of Conneaut Lake. Here, US 6 heads east for a concurrency with PA 285 and the two routes head east through the borough on Water Street. The road intersects US 322/PA 18 in the center of Conneaut Lake, where the two routes join US 6 and PA 285. A block later, PA 285 splits to the south. US 6/US 322/PA 18 become a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane and head east out of the borough, passing to the south of Conneaut Lake. PA 18 splits from US 6/US 322 by turning to the north, with US 6/US 322 continuing east-northeast on Conneaut Lake Road through farms and woods with some development. The road heads into a business area to the west of the city of Meadville and comes to a roundabout with US 19 and the southern terminus of PA 98, at which point US 19 becomes concurrent with US 6 and US 322. The roadway becomes a four-lane divided highway and comes to a cloverleaf interchange with I-79. Past this interchange, the three routes reach an intersection with the southern terminus of PA 102 before curving north and entering Meadville upon crossing French Creek and a Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad line. The road becomes French Creek Parkway and US 322 splits to the east, with US 6/US 19 continuing north through developed areas to the east of the railroad line. The two routes leave Meadville and narrow to a two-lane undivided road, passing through wooded areas with some fields and development as it follows the French Creek and the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad. In the borough of Saegertown, US 6/US 19 head north along Main Street and form a concurrency with PA 198, intersecting PA 198 at roundabouts on either end of the borough. The road continues northeast through more rural areas alongside the creek and railroad, reaching the borough of Venango. Here, the two routes head north on Church Street before turning east onto Cussewago Street and curving north onto River Street. US 6/US 19 run northeast through farms and woods with some development to the borough of Cambridge Springs. The two routes head northeast on Venango Avenue before intersecting the northern terminus of PA 86 and the western terminus of PA 408 in the center of the borough, where they turn onto North Main Street and continue northeast. US 6/US 19 reach a junction with the southern terminus of PA 99 before leaving Cambridge Springs and heading through rural areas.
US 6/US 19 continue into Erie County and comes to an intersection with the eastern terminus of US 6N, at which point US 6 splits from US 19 by turning to the east and crossing French Creek. The route passes through the borough of Mill Village, where it crosses under a Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad line, and runs through a mix of farmland and woodland with some development. The road continues through rural land and turns northeast to reach the borough of Union City, where it comes to a junction with PA 8. At this point, US 6 heads north along with PA 8 through developed areas of the borough on South Main Street, crossing a Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad line. In the downtown area of Union City, US 6 splits from PA 8 by turning east onto East High Street at a crossing of a Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad line. The route leaves Union City and heads through farm fields and woods, reaching a junction with PA 89 to the north of the borough of Elgin. Here, PA 89 forms a concurrency with US 6 before splitting to the south. The route runs east-northeast through wooded areas with some development prior to entering the city of Corry. In Corry, US 6 becomes West Columbus Avenue and runs through developed areas in the northern part of the city, crossing PA 426 and becoming East Columbus Avenue. In the eastern part of Corry, the road passes south of Corry Memorial Hospital.
The route enters Warren County, where it heads into the Pennsylvania Wilds region, and runs through farmland prior to an intersection with the western terminus of PA 957 in Columbus as it runs parallel to a Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad line to the south. The road crosses under the railroad tracks and heads through a mix of farms and woods before it curves to the southeast away from the railroad tracks and comes to a junction with the southern terminus of PA 958. US 6 continues south-southeast through rural land and reaches the community of Pittsfield, where it intersects PA 27 and turns to the east, forming a concurrency with that route. The road heads east through a mix of rural areas and development parallel to a Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad line located south of the road to the borough of Youngsville, where PA 27 splits to the north. At this point, US 6 becomes a four-lane divided highway called the Youngsville Bypass that crosses Brokenstraw Creek and heads to the south of Youngsville. East of the borough, the route comes to an interchange with East Main Street that provides access to Youngsville and Irvine. The highway heads east through rural areas alongside the Brokenstraw Creek and reaches a trumpet interchange with US 62. At this point, US 62 heads east for a concurrency with US 6, and the road runs through wooded areas and development to the north of a Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad line and the Allegheny River, transitioning into a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane. The road becomes a four-lane divided highway again and reaches the city of Warren, where it passes over the railroad and US 62 and US 6 Business (US 6 Bus.) head northeast into the central part of the city at an interchange. US 6 crosses the Allegheny River and passes through developed areas in the southern part of Warren, reaching an eastbound exit and westbound entrance at Main Avenue. Past this interchange, the divided highway narrows to two lanes before the road curves to the southeast and becomes a two-lane undivided road that runs through wooded areas with a Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad line and the river to the northeast. At the southeast edge of Warren, the roadway crosses the railroad tracks and US 6 Bus. returns to US 6 at an intersection.
Warren to Mansfield After passing Warren, US 6 reaches an intersection with the western terminus of PA 59, which heads east to follow the Allegheny River. From here, the route continues southeast into the Allegheny National Forest, winding to the south parallel to a Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad line as it enters mountainous terrain. US 6 passes southeast through developed areas of the borough of Clarendon along North Main and South Main streets. Past here, the road heads south-southeast through more of the national forest, with occasional development along the road. In the community of Sheffield, the route comes to an intersection with the eastern terminus of PA 666 and curves to the east. US 6 continues through rugged forests and heads northeast before making a turn to the southeast.