Pa. Rt. 15

[Eddie Longest]

I'm headed to western NY next week with my camper. The computer routes me up Rt. 15 through Pa. What is Rt. 15 like above Harrisburg to the NY state line. Would I be better off driving further and just go up I-81. I have never been above Harrisburg Pa. on Rt.15.
Eddie

[Wallo]

Go Rt. 15, I-81 will take too long. I am originally from Niagara Falls, NY, moved to the Harrisburg area in 1986. Did the Rt. 15 run hundreds of times in all weather the 20 years I lived there. Went back this summer with the Scamp to visit old neighbors and friends in Harrisburg and then up to Buffalo. I was very impressed with what PA has done with Rt. 15. Most of it is now 4 lanes to NY. About an hour north of Harrisburg is Selinsgrove/Shamokin Dam. You'll know it because you have to get off the 4 lane highway and are funneled thru town. Stay in the left hand lane, the semi trucks usually stay in the right and they slow traffic down. It is traffic light after traffic light for about 5 miles. It is the one place that has bottle necks because of the traffic lights and trucks. But it's been that way since I travelled from 1986. Watch the route signage in Williamsport. You have to make a left turn just after crossing the bridge, then about 4 miles there is an exit to continue on 15N. When you get into NYS, it turns into I-390 to Rochester. It took me about 4.5 hrs to get from Duncannon, PA to Lancaster, NY.

Have a safe trip.

[Eddie Longest]

Alice
Thank you, just what I wanted to know and more.
Eddie

[Wallo]

Hope you have a nice trip. Are you familiar with the Camp Hill area? If you go thru there between 4-6PM on a week day it's a parking lot on the Camp Hill by-pass, which is rt. 15. It also gets bad on weekends because of shoppers going to the malls. It took PA over 30 years just to improve Rt. 15 from Harrisburg to the NYS line when it took NY only about 5 years (~1970-1975) to make their portion of rt. 15 into I-390 from Rochester to the PA state line.

[Eddie Longest]

I have been caught in that traffic before going to Scranton. I was planning to cut over to I81 just south of H-Burg then take 11/15 north. Rt 15 near the Md./Va. line also turns into a parking lot that time of day.
Eddie

[Eddie Longest]

I went up I-81 on my trip, as with all Pa. interstates it has it's ups and downs. I returned south on Rt 15. It was a very nice drive mostly interstate quality or controlled access roads, but you are routed through several towns. Since a lot of the route follows a river south it is mostly a down hill run. I picked up two MPG on the leg of the trip from NY state line to Harrisburg. I'm sure going north on Rt-15 I would not be as pleased with my gas mileage.
Eddie

[Radar1]

Eddie, were you at the Samson state park gathering? We would have liked to have gone there but the timing was just a couple weeks off. We were probably close to your neck of the woods last week at Langley AFB. We are headed to Acadia next week, then cut across to North Bay Canada, then South through PA to Cherokee NC. See you there!

[Wallo]

Eddie, glad you had a good trip. Yes, PA probably has the worst interstate/toll roads in the nation. We have side streets in UT wider than the PA turnpike, both sides together. The bridges on I-81 and i-83 in Harrisburg are in serious need of repair and there have been a couple of collapses. It has taken almost 30 years for Rt. 15 to become what it is today from a bumpy 2 lane highway. But you're back safe and sound from your adventure. Hope you had a wonderful time.

[Ron F]

Eddie, It was nice seeing you and Laura at the rally last week. We're making our way south on 15 now. We're full-timers, so we don't go anywhere too fast. We're at Ives Run (CoE park) in Tioga, PA for a few days, then we get back on 15 south as we inch toward FL.
Ron & Jane