14-23: I-78 West Around the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania

Follows I-78 West from it's final miles in New Jersey across the Delaware River and by passing the Lehigh Valley to the south in Eastern Pennsylvania.

[@swabby429]

Fusion jazz is a good pick for this road and landscape. Yet another excellent video.

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@thecoolannishatk.]

Or trance

[@shaunganley]

Amazing to see the concrete road from 1989 still exists along most of this stretch. I recall riding this road a lot as a kid going outlet shopping in Reading... before outlets became commonplace.

[@mgarner1227]

I am from the Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem) so I love this video! Thanks for doing it!

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks for watching!

[@jmvfrva]

That's the only section of I-78 that I have not been on in PA. Nice to see it finally.

[@Freewayjim]

It's a nice ride, you'd enjoy it, nicer than your standard PA highway fare.

[@FireRescue80]

I'm from the Allentown area. Love the video and music.

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@FireRescue80]

@@Freewayjim You're welcome!

[@lonelyman1967]

Once again, another masterpiece . Awesome video.

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@CraptasticJack]

What a wonderful video mate, thank you for making a video in the LV.

[@Freewayjim]

Ah I see you found it, great! and thank you.

[@EphemeralProductions]

LOVE the music! Jazz-type and smooth-jazz type is one of my favorite types of music! Great video.

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@chuckg-ross1378]

Thanks for this great showcase of the Lehigh Valley! I always loved those mountain views when approaching the Hellertown/Bethlehem exit from the east. The Lehigh Valley, imo, has much more scenic and pleasant-to-drive roads than the Philly area to our south (or at least outside of rush hour lol). 611 along the Delaware River from Easton on south is excellent as well

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you for watching!

[@Omegasunrise]

Believe it or not my aunt lives off Applebutter Ln. But I remember going there to visit and that was another highly traveled interstate with lots of truck travel. Thanks for the video! Great memories. =)

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks for watching!

[@FreewayBrent]

What a nice drive this is. Love the greenery of the surrounding hills...just looks like a very fun freeway to drive, especially for PA standards. That final descent into Allentown at 6:18 was pretty awesome!

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks, I felt it was worth a video, glad you enjoyed it.

[@cjs121675]

Nice ride Jim! Always glad to see PA- and an area I have always wanted to see- since one day I'd like to see the Leheigh Valley Iron Pigs play baseball- nice ride! Also a good tune and nice to see areas of the US of A's history!

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@MegaFred1958]

A beautiful day for a ride!

[@dave11686]

Awesome vid, can't wait for more!

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@MountainHawkPYL]

The HELLertown exit is at mile 66.6....and I am not making this up!

[@EpicThe112]

MountainHawkPYL westbound is mp 67.0-66.8 and 66.6 is eastbound for PA-412 Hellertown Bethlehem exit and NJ Border is MP 77.3 after exit 75 the last exit in Pennsylvania coming to you from Phillipsburg, NJ Exit 3 off I-78 last exit in NJ

[@michaelfawbush7988]

grew up here, graduated from Ambridge in 82

[@CheeseMasterSports]

Nice job. Liked the rock cut starting at 6:16. Cant wait for Pittsburgh!

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks Nash, you like the next two from Pittsburgh I'm sure.

[@soapyfish2238]

I keep watching to see if my car is ever in one of your vids.

[@johnhancock1989]

I love the music!

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks, glad to hear that!

[@CrystalClearWith8BE]

After crossing the Delaware River bypassing Phillipsburg and Easton by using westbound I-78, you must pay $1 for it. US 22/Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge also have a toll heading west too. I'm pretty sure the Northampton Street Bridge have no tolls in both directions. Speaking of that bridge, before US 22 and I-78, it charges tolls until 1921.

[@jjnycguy]

Very nice video, Jim. I'll be up in that area in a couple of months. Hopefully, I'll be able to record most of my 3500 mile trip. I'm looking forward to it. :-)

[@BNforever2009]

good drive !!

[@socarboy]

Another great ride.

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks!

[@EpicThe112]

Nice video Jim and the NJ border is actually mp 77.3 on I-78 in the Lehigh Valley, and I'm glad that you didn't film US-22 around the Lehigh Valley since it has heavy traffic on weekdays from PA-309 or I-476 up to PA-191 exit this is mostly heard on WFMZ 69 96.1 WCTO 104.1 WAEB-FM & 100.7 WLEV traffic reports. Area wise those Allentown stations go into Berks county like Wyomissing Hills and Reading areas both are 35 miles south of Allentown via US-222 South which was filmed by Maryland Freeways

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks, never even thought of using US-22 to be honest.

[@Usaloverivan1]

+Freewayjim US-22 is a PAIN!

[@EpicThe112]

You are correct since it's usually between PA-512 Center Street and I-78 exit 49 PA-100 via I-476 Toll Road Philadelphia Scranton exit if you listen to WAEB 790AM WCTO 96.1 FM WLEV 100.7 & WAEB-FM 104.1 traffic reports and 35 mph (55 km/h) speed limit between 13th street and PA-611 exits due to the cemetary curve. Regarding the NJ State line it's MP 337.9 on US-22 East at PA-611 4th street but MP 77.3 on I-78 east past Exit 75 since I live in Phillipsburg, NJ area

[@CrystalClearWith8BE]

In mile 3 of I-78 in New Jersey, it would have been better when the signs say "last exit before toll" and "westbound I-78 to Pennyslvania via tolls". Because of that, westbound crossing of every major bridge across the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania are tolled. I mean most of the bridges linking those states across that river are tolled for westbound commute.

[@jonstefanik9400]

From what I remember it was 75 Cents at the time I went through in 2009 and they don't toll going east. I don't know about now but back then they didn't even have a "Welcome to New Jersey" sign going east. I was sad and withdrawn that they didn't welcome me.

[@KTNUSA]

I would love to see some clips from Allentown to Pittsburgh, via I-81, I-83, and I-76. Since your around my home area (Lancaster County, PA).

[@Freewayjim]

Did not film any of those roads due to traffic in Harrisburg and lighting conditions along I-76 in the late afternoon.

[@TheSolarcatcher]

What a great ride with the perfect track. I can understand tolling the lower Delaware river crossings, but tolling the upper river crossings (including the Delaware Water Gap) is pretty criminal. Only on the east coast. But I'm glad they did the bypass as the U.S. 22 alignment would've made a classical Pennsylvanian highway,

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you, yes agreed, that $1 toll seemed like tolling for the sake of it, at least give us a decorative structure to look at.

[@EpicThe112]

Kris US-22 in Allentown suffers from heavy delays between PA-191 to PA-309 and in some cases traffic back ups occur at the Easton toll bridge due to the bridge rehabilitation so I-78 is the less congested way when travelling between Bloomsbury,NJ and Allentown,PA

[@CheeseMasterSports]

Your Welcome. Sorry I have not Been around, its really Busy down here in TX.

[@Freewayjim]

It's quite alright.

[@CheeseMasterSports]

Thanks.

[@JohnDoe-cd6ro]

So there's a highway I took from Orlando, Florida to North Jersey with the "avoid toll roads" option on just because I wanted to see the "scenic route" through Pennsylvania. All I remember seeing were these beautiful, lush, green, rolling hills in the distance. They were of pretty high altitude but they weren't mountains. They were like hills. The only vegetation I could see was grass and not many trees. I had never seen anything like that. There were houses on them. You would have thought that it was somewhere like Ireland or something straight out of the Lord of The Rings. It was either I78 or 76. Can anyone tell me where this was?

[@Freewayjim]

All the rural interstates in Pennsylvania pretty much fit that description, it could have been I-78 or I-80 and I-81, I can't possibly know, I wasn't there.

[@JohnDoe-cd6ro]

@@Freewayjim Thanks anyway. I appreciate it. I'm just from Jersey and we don't have any geography like that. I mean I've seen tropics (on vacation), I've seen farmland, I've seen plains, the shore, mountains, cities, suburbs, country, woodlands, and the Pine Barrens but I've never seen anything quite like THAT. I swear I was half expecting to see a leprachaun. It was so unique.

[@Freewayjim]

@@JohnDoe-cd6ro If you thought that was something wait til you go out west someday.

[@danclark6769]

I'm just wondering. Are you are uploading your videos as 60fps now that KZbin supports it?

[@Freewayjim]

Yes.

[@benlonghighway]

Not much to say here, except why not widen the highway to three lanes between the State Line and Allentown, huh? Just a short two lane section makes no sense. Can't wait to see Pittsburgh again! :)

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks, I think you'll enjoy the two Pittsburgh videos I have.

[@DWNY358]

I-78: the only interstate where all its "3DI's"don't intersect it (I-278 and I-678).That's because the road was never completed east of Manhattan.

[@carlmoore3215]

Also, I-278 ends in NJ at US 1 and never got extended west to connect to I-78.

[@charlespeakjr6337]

I-78 supposedly ends at Canal St in Lower Manhattan near the Holland Tunnel (never saw those signs-Lol). I-278 continues over the New Goethals Bridge, Staten Island Expressway over the Verrazzano to the Gowanus Expressway into to BQE, all the way into Bronx, where in becomes the Bruckner Expressway. The Bruckner section of I-278 then merges into I-95 going towards Ct.

[@carlmoore3215]

@@charlespeakjr6337 I know where I-278 goes, but do you understand the additional remark by me (I-278 in NJ)?

[@charlespeakjr6337]

Carl. I'm checking my father's old NJDOT maps. They were from the mid 1960s. They would show where I-278 coming off the Goethals Bridge on the Jersey side in Linden would have gone through Roselle, Roselle Park, Kenilworth and would have connected to I-78 and NJ State Rt. 24 in Springfield. Sorry that I misread your question. You must have either worked or lived in Union County or also worked for the State of NJ.

[@carlmoore3215]

@@charlespeakjr6337 Actually, I've only lived in northern Delaware and northeastern Maryland, although I have driven many roads in NYC area some years back now. In 2009, I went off northbound US 1 onto I-278.

[@faizthesurprise]

how much was all this equipment you used and how did it fit in your car

[@Freewayjim]

The equipment and software altogether probably cost a couple grand and here is a video of the setup. Freewayjim In-Car Video Camera Setup

[@carlmoore3215]

You have Welcome notice about 2:00 but that's not yet in Pennsylvania.

[@Freewayjim]

Yes it is, once you cross the river it's PA.

[@carlmoore3215]

And where is the Delaware River bridge in the video? Need a time.

[@Freewayjim]

1:52 and I announced we were about to cross it in a notation just before that, what more would you like me to do?

[@Freewayjim]

It's not much of a bridge to be honest.

[@carlmoore3215]

I think I need to stand corrected on this one. The toll (westbound only) would be collected after the bridge, i. e. In Pennsylvania. I do have some interest in history (Revolutionary period or so) in this area, but haven't driven this road in many years.

[@Ironhorse5583]

New Jersey: Get in for free, but it'll cost you to get out!

[@supernova9870]

Traveled must of pa...

[@BeckettSong]

40 miles=64 kilometers