at its opening in the early 1970s, i-476 was a 4 mile long, 4-lane spur expressway connecting the schuylkill expressway with the pennsylvania turnpike in plymouth meeting. it significantly helped reduce congestion through king of prussia and the schuylkill expressway as it provided a more direct link from the main line suburbs to the northern suburbs and new jersey. the highway was initially planned to connect down to i-95 in delaware county, but due to environmental and local opposition, this portion did not open until 1990.