 The northern endpoint of the route was cut back to an interchange with I-81 in Lickdale in the 1970s.By 1997, PA 72 was rerouted north from Lickdale to its present northern terminus at PA 443.In 2011, a $20.2 million project began to replace the at-grade crossing with the Norfolk Southern tracks in Lebanon with bridges over the tracks in order to eliminate traffic congestion that resulted from the frequent train traffic crossing the road.