Interstate 380 (Pennsylvania)

Route description

I-380 begins at an interchange with I-80 in the northeastern corner of Tunkhannock Township in Monroe County, heading north as a four-lane freeway. The road soon crosses into Tobyhanna Township and runs through forested areas in the Pocono Mountains with nearby development. The highway comes to an interchange with PA 940 to the west of Pocono Summit. I-380 continues north and crosses into Coolbaugh Township, where it curves northwest and runs through dense forests. The road passes through part of Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 127 before it comes to a northbound exit and southbound entrance at PA 423 near Tobyhanna. A short distance later, the highway comes to a southbound exit and northbound entrance serving the northern terminus of PA 611. Following this interchange, I-380 passes to the southwest of the Tobyhanna Army Depot before it runs along the border between Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 127 to the southwest and Gouldsboro State Park to the northeast. Farther northwest, the highway comes to a diamond interchange with the southern termini of PA 435 and PA 507 near Gouldsboro.

Immediately after the PA 435/PA 507 interchange, I-380 passes through a small corner of Lehigh Township in Wayne County before it crosses the Lehigh River into Clifton Township in Lackawanna County. The highway continues through forested areas and curves to the north, passing a northbound weigh station and crossing into Covington Township. The freeway runs past a southbound weigh station and bends northwest again. The route curves back to the north into a mix of fields and woods and reaches a diamond interchange with PA 307. Past this interchange, I-380 curves north into the borough of Moscow and coming to a southbound exit and northbound entrance at PA 690. The roadway curves northwest and passes through a corner of Spring Brook Township before entering Roaring Brook Township, where it runs through forests with nearby development and comes to an interchange with I-84.

At this point, I-84 and I-380 become concurrent, with the freeway using I-84's exit numbers and mileposts. The two routes continue north through forested areas in the Moosic Mountains, entering Dunmore and coming to a bridge over Roaring Brook and a Delaware–Lackawanna Railroad line. After this bridge, the highway curves northwest and comes to a southbound exit and northbound entrance with the northern terminus of PA 435. The freeway widens to six lanes and winds through the mountains before it comes to an interchange with Tigue Street, at which point it runs past commercial development. A short distance later, I-84 and I-380 both come to their termini at an interchange with I-81 and US 6, with the freeway merging onto northbound I-81/westbound US 6.

History

Prior to receiving its current designation, I-380 had several other designations. When the initial numbers for the Interstate System were assigned in 1957, the Scranton–New York route (including the current I-380) was designated Interstate 82. This changed the next year, and the Scranton-Stroudsburg connection became Interstate 81S, a spur of I-81.

In 1961, construction began on a short section of the route between what is now Exit 2 for PA 435 (then part of U.S. Route 611) and its northern terminus at I-81 outside of Scranton. This section was opened in 1962 as part of US 611. In 1964, the designation of the proposed road was changed again to Interstate 81E and construction began on the section between the southern terminus at Interstate 80 and Exit 3 for PA 940 near Pocono Manor. This section was built at the same time as the connecting section of I-80 and both opened in 1965.

In 1967, construction on the road was restarted on a 17-mile (27 km) southern section from PA 940 to PA 423 and PA 507 to the Dorantown Road overpass, and, in 1968, was expanded to the sections from PA 423 to PA 507 and the Dorantown Road overpass to PA 307. This section opened in 1970 with US 611 multiplexed onto the portion between Exit 8 (now PA 611) and Exit 13 (PA 507) adjacent to Gouldsboro State Park.

Interstate 380 received its current name 1973, the same year the northern section was upgraded to Interstate standards. In 1974 and 1975, work commenced on the final sections from PA 307 to the Shutters Road underpass and Shutters Road to PA 435, respectively. This included an interchange with Interstate 84 was opened to traffic in 1976 as an east-west highway with mileage-based exit numbers. These mileage-based numbers were scrapped by 1977 and replaced with eight sequential numbers beginning in Scranton. Mileage-based exit numbers were revived in 2001 when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation renumbered its Interstate System exit numbers. I-380 was redesignated as a north–south highway so that its exit numbers would commence from I-80 in the south.