Allentown, PA: Transportation

You can reach Allentown through different forms or modes of transportation. In this article, let us discuss every single option available for you, including traveling in and around the city.

There are currently four expressways running through the bounds of the city, and each with their respective exits. For instance, Interstate 78 runs from Harrisburg in the west and to New York City Holland Tunnel in the eastern part. The Northeastern Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike meanwhile runs from Plymouth Meeting near Philadelphia in the south and to Interstate 81 located at Clarks Summit (north). Pennsylvania Route 309 likewise runs from Philadelphia in the south and then to the Poconos in the north. U.S. Route 22 runs from Cincinnati in the west to Newark in New Jersey in the east.

Also, there are nine primary inbound roads leading to Allentown, Pennsylvania. These are the Airport Road, Fullerton Avenue, Cedar Crest Boulevard, Lehigh Street, Hamilton Boulevard, Pennsylvania Route 145, Mauch Chunk Road, Union Boulevard, and Tilghman Street.

Furthermore, the public busses stationed within Allentown are managed by LANTA. It is a public bus system that serves the entire Lehigh and Northampton Counties. But aside from that, there are also various private bus lines given as options to the commuters. For instance, Bieber Tourways provides direct service to Philadelphia and its intermediate points. Trans-Bridge Lines on the other hand takes passengers to The Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City and intermediate points. Finally, Susquehanna Trailways have a direct service for the public to Hazelton in Philadelphia and intermediate points.

In the past, the city of Allentown was also a passenger rail hub. It was served by the Central Railroad of New Jersey, Lehigh, and New England Railroad, along with the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Reading Railroad, and the Lehigh Valley Transit Company. Meanwhile, routes served Scranton and Wilkes-Barre to the north, Williamsport and Buffalo to the northwest, Jersey City and New York to the east, Reading and Harrisburg to the west, and finally, Philadelphia to the south.

Presently though, Allentown does not have any passenger rail service anymore since the last one provided by SEPTA ended in 1979.

Air Travel

Allentown’s main airport is the Lehigh Valley International Airport. It is located about three miles off the northeast of the city. It is operated by the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority and has direct flights to the cities of Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and several cities in Florida.

Also, the other two airports, Philadelphia International Airport and Newark International Airport are just around one hour (drive) from the heart of the city. These airports provide several flight services around the U.S. Finally, there’s the Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport, which is actually only a two-runway general aviation establishment in South Allentown. This is primarily used for private aviation.

So when planning to visit Allentown, you should by now already know how to get there. It’s really just a matter of preference on how you want to travel. Your main options are buses and plane. But if you want to bring your car with you, embarking on a road trip sounds fun, too.