Interstate 99

Interstate 99

Interstate 99 is a part of the US Interstate highway system. It is an intrastate only road in Pennsylvania. Its southern terminus is at Bedford, Pennsylvania at Interstate 76 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike) and its northern terminus (as of 2002) is at Bald Eagle, Pennsylvania at U.S. Highway 220. Eventually, the Pennyslvania and New York transportation departments plan to extend the interstate to Painted Post, New York at Interstate 86.

Table of contents

1 Number of miles
2 "Major" cities along the route
3 Intersections with other Interstates
4 Spur routes
5 Notes

Number of miles

Pennsylvania - 58 miles

"Major" cities along the route

Altoona, Pennsylvania

Intersections with other Interstates

Interstate 76 at Bedford, Pennsylvania.

Spur routes

None

Notes

Located east of Interstate 79 and west of Interstate 81, Interstate 99 is the bane of many road enthusiasts who treasure an orderly and sequential numbering system for Interstate highways. Interstate 99 is also known as the Appalachian Thruway and the Bud Shuster Byway, and it is the first Interstate highway to have its designation written into law (by Congressman Bud Shuster in the National Highway Designation Act of 1995). Several other Interstates (including future Interstate 66 in Kentucky and Interstate 86 in New York) have since had their designations written into law.

The number 99 violates the standard numbering convention associated with Interstate highways. According to numbering guidelines, the lowest odd numbers are on the West Coast and the highest numbers are on the East Coast. Several north-south routes, including Interstates 81, 83, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95, and 97, all lie east of Interstate 99.

For another example of an Interstate route with a non-standard designation, see Interstate 238.

The end of I-99 at Interstate 70 involves a pair of complex intersections and a quarter-mile drive on Business Route US 220. This unusual configuration is required to support the toll booths on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Since the routes do not directly interchange, it can be argued that I-99 does not intersect any other 1 or 2-digit interstate as of 2004.

However, Interstate 99 is planned to intersect Interstate 80 near State College, Pennsylvania at some point in the future. Bud Shuster rejected the number 980 for this interstate, saying that he hated it.