chapterRestaurants, hotels, specialty shops, farm stands and other businesses can be found along Main Street. There are numerous ... chapter - 2-5 of Christ is located at the crest

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Hex Highway TouringRoute

Hamburg to Strausstown

Overview

The on-road Hex Highway automobile and bicycletouring route begins on State Street in downtownHamburg. The route continues west on State Street/Old Route 22 (Hex Highway) through Shartlesvilleinto Strausstown. The route travels through thecountryside, giving way to magnificent views ofthe surrounding agricultural fields and mountain-ous landscapes. Working farms with hundred yearold barns dot the landscape along Old Route 22,reflecting the rich agrarian heritage. Many of thesehistoric barns are decorated with a uniquePennsylvania Dutch Folk Art design, referred to ashex signs or "Barn Art". These hex signs are amajor attraction in the Northern Berks County areaand they are prevalent along the Route 22 corridor.

The charming small-town character of Hamburg,Shartlesville and Strausstown also help define thecharacter of the touring route. These historictowns have intriguing architecture and flourishingbusinesses that serve the community. Businessesand residences lie side by side, adding to theunique cultural fabric of the streetscapes and bring-ing life to the streets. Some of the businesses inthese towns, like Haag's Hotel in Shartlesville,have been serving the public since the 1800's, andcontinue the traditions of their PennsylvaniaDutch-German heritage.

Analysis

The eastern terminus of the Hex Highway touringroute begins on State Street in Hamburg. Thisstreet is home to Hamburg's business district, com-plete with specialty shops, dining, and assortedother small businesses. The architecture of thetown reflects its historic rural and industrial roots.The old market building on the corner of Third andState Streets is a perfect example of this beautifularchitecture. More detailed information aboutHamburg can be found in Chapter 4 of this report,“Reconnections”.

The Hex Highway touring route travels west,

Figure 2.2 The State Street Bridge looking east towardHamburg.

Figure 2.1 A typical view from the Hex Highway of agricul-tural fields and the Blue Mountains in the distance

H e x H i g h w a y T o u r i n g R o u t e

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across the State Street Bridge over the SchuylkillRiver. The bridge serves as the primary westernentrance into Hamburg. The State Street Bridge iscurrently in a general state of disrepair, with dilapi-dated sidewalks and rusted light fixtures. Despitethis, the State Street Bridge is an attractive archi-tectural structure with classic features. From thebridge there are impressive views of the river.PennDOT is planning for the repair of this wonder-ful bridge. This bridge is also a very importantpedestrian and automotive link from LowlandRoad.

Once repaired, this bridge serves as a valuable andattractive passage into and out of Hamburg. Therepair of the bridge’s sidewalks, and the wideningof the shoulder along Lowland Road, would pro-vide a pedestrian linkage between State Street toLowland Road and the Hamburg/ Tilden PedestrianBridge.

West of Lowland Road, the wide shoulder alongState Street provides the opportunity to create aroute for the pedestrian/cyclist into West Hamburg.However, before traveling into West Hamburg, thetrail passes under Route 61 and the Reading BlueMountain and Northern Railroad. The Route 61underpass is a wide and high concrete structurethat is wide enough to accommodate the trail.However, the railroad underpass is a narrow stonestructure but does have a separated sidewalk on theeastbound side. This does require westboundpedestrians and cyclists to cross Old Route 22before and after the crossing. Once through theunderpass, the trail continues along West StateStreet through West Hamburg. This segment of theroad has wide shoulders and sidewalks. Homesinterspersed with small businesses line the street.

The route continues west through Tilden Townshipon Old Route 22/Hex Highway. After passing theWest Hamburg Elementary School, residentialneighborhoods dissipate into rolling farmland anddistant views of wooded mountains. The trailgracefully follows the topography of the land along

the shoulder of Old Route 22 passing over tricklingstreams and through rural landscapes. There aregrand views of the Blue Mountains to the north.The road widens at one point for about ¼ mile tothree lanes over a steep hill and then returns backto two lanes. The road then enters Upper BernTownship and soon turns into Main Street,Shartlesville.

The route enters Shartlesville on Main Street afterpassing the Upper Bern School and municipalbuilding. Wide shoulders and sidewalks makeimplementing a pedestrian/cycle trail through thetown of Shartlesville relatively easy. Shartlesville

Figure 2.3 The Route 61 underpass in the foreground andthe Reading and Blue Mountain railroad underpass in thedistance.

Figure 2.4 Haag's Hotel and Restaurant is one of the localbusinesses in Shartlesville that caters to tourists and localsalike.

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is significantly smaller than Hamburg and is slight-ly more than a block deep on both sides of MainStreet. Charming rural architecture is foundthroughout the town and businesses stand nextdoor to residences. Restaurants, hotels, specialtyshops, farm stands and other businesses can befound along Main Street. There are numerousopportunities for trail-users to stop and rest or shopat the local shops.

At the western edge of town, Mountain Road inter-sects Main Street. Billboards clutter the intersec-tion, pointing the way to numerous local attractions(Fig.2.5). The I-78 interchange ramps ontoMountain Road, providing an easy on-off access.Near the I-78 interchange, gas stations, conven-ience store and Dairy Queen front onto MountainRoad. Further north on Mountain Road, are theShartlesville Industrial Park, Mountain SpringsRodeo and Campground and the Appalachian Trail.

Continuing on Old Route 22, after passingMountain Road, Main Street intersects RoadsideDrive. Roadside Drive accesses to RoadsideAmerica, a tourist attraction showcasing the"worlds largest indoor miniature village". As theHex Highway travels west it enters UpperTulpehocken Township. The road is wide enoughto accommodate the on-road trail until it is pinchedby a narrow bridge that crosses a stream afterWagner Road. This narrow bridge needs to bewidened for the safety of those using the trail.After crossing this bridge, the road widens againand passes the Hillcrest campground.

Traveling westward, the trail crosses streams, pass-es farms and reveals impressive views of the rurallandscape. Near Power Drive, a narrow bridgeeliminates existing shoulders. It is necessary toprovide a continuous safe route forpedestrians/cyclists. Several stream crossingsrequire widening to accommodate a separate bikelane.

After passing the Tilden Township maintenancebuilding, the Zion Blue Mountain United Church

Figure 2.7 The Zion Blue Mountain Church on the HexHighway. Note the parking lot in the foreground. The BlueMountains can be seen from this lot.

Figure 2.5 Unique billboards are found at the intersection ofMountain Road and Main Street.

Figure 2.6 One example of the barns along the HexHighway. Note the Hex Art on the side of the barn.

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of Christ is located at the crest of a hill. This beau-tiful structure takes full advantage of the amazingview of Blue Mountain and the surrounding land-scape. The Church's large parking lot is perchedhigh above a valley and provides the opportunityfor an interpretation of these wonderful views.

After passing the Zion Blue Mountain Church, thetrail continues westward to a traffic light controlledintersection at Route 183. This intersection ismoderately busy and precautions should be takento ensure the safe crossing by trail-users. The trailthen passes the Strausstown Elementary Schooland enters Strausstown. Strausstown is similar to Shartlesville in character,but is even smaller in scale. Old Route 22 isflanked on either side by a single block of mixedresidential and commercial uses. Homes and a fewsmall businesses lie adjacent to each other, com-prising the total extent of the town.

Recommendations

The existing Old Route 22 corridor provides theperfect backbone for an interpretive trail. The trailpasses century old farms, and affords breathtakingviews of surrounding agrarian and mountainouslandscapes. The trail passes through historic townsand the trail derives its unique character from itssurroundings. Although the foundation for thistrail has already been laid, there are numerousimprovements necessary to make this a safe andfunctional pedestrian and cyclist route. The forma-tion of this route for automobile touring requiressignage and promotion.

1. Shoulder expansion.

The expansion of the shoulders along the OldRoute 22 corridor and Lowland Road to accommo-date bicyclists and pedestrians is the most impor-

tant road improvement. It is recommended by theAmerican Association of State Highway andTransportation Officials (AASHTO) in the Guidefor the Development of Bicycle Facilities that theshoulder width on roads with speed limits greaterthan 50 mph must be expanded to at least five (5)feet to accommodate a dedicated pedestrian/cyclistroute.

A majority of the touring route’s estimated con-struction cost is for paving of a bike lane.PennDOT might accommodate paving of theshoulder within budgeted maintenance improve-ments. Of the $1.029 million estimated cost,$935,000 relates to paving shoulders.

2. Widen two bridges.

Although the overwhelming majority of the OldRoute 22 right-of-way is wide enough to accom-modate an on-road bike route, the road is pinchedin two locations by narrow bridges. Therefore it isnecessary to widen these bridges and provide safepassage for the bike lanes.

3. State Street Bridge improvements.

The existing condition of the pedestrian sidewalkson State Street Bridge is poor condition. It is nec-

Figure 2.8 A view of downtown Strausstown from OldRoute 22.



essary to make major improvements to the side-walks to improve the pedestrian link from StateStreet to Lowland Road and the western entranceinto and out of Hamburg. Such improvementsmust include reconditioning of the sidewalks andlight fixtures, resurfacing of the roadway and theaddition of handicap access ramps to make themsafe and usable by all pedestrians. PennDOT iscurrently planning improvements to this bridge.The borough should monitor the proposedimprovements to ensure PennDOT is sensitive tothe historic structure and makes accommodationsfor the pedestrian and cyclist.

4. Safety signage.

Along the Old Route 22 corridor, numerous roadswill intersect the proposed route therefore requiringthe need to alert vehicles of pedestrian and bicycletraffic. This necessitates the installation of signagealong the trail warning vehicles of the presence ofpedestrians and cyclists, and indicating dangerousintersections. The use of an ID sign will clearlydelineate the trail route to both bicyclists andmotorists.

5. Interpretive signage.

Throughout Hamburg, Strausstown andShartlesville, as well as at key points betweentowns, it is suggested that interpretive and orienta-tion signage be judiciously installed. These signswill disseminate information about historically sig-nificant points of interest and facility locations.Detailed recommendations for each town can befound in the "Reconnections" section of chapter 4of this report.

6. Parking facilities.

In order to accommodate the needs of cyclistsusing the trail, it may be necessary to provide park-ing facilities for both bicycles and vehicles. InHamburg, the existing parking lot at the park couldhandle this need. In Shartlesville, the municipalpark could be used. In Strausstown, the parking lotfor the Church is a possible location. The use ofthe church lot will need to be approved with thechurch.

Cost EstimateHamburg to Strausstown Route

Hamburg to Shartlesville Road

Subtotal $591,527.50

Shartlesville Road Through Strausstown

Subtotal $438,065.00

Total Cost $1,029,592.50*

* $965,167 for paving shoulders/bridge improvements and $64,425 for signage,

pavement markings, etc.

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Figure 2.9 A typical section of Old Route 22/ Hex Highway with proposed bicycle lanes.



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Documents

chapterRestaurants, hotels, specialty shops, farm stands and other businesses can be found along Main Street. There are numerous ... chapter - 2-5 of Christ is located at the crest