A CE180 RUNS OUT OF FUEL AS IT APCHS AVP; PA. PLT DECIDES TO LAND THE ACFT ON THE HWY. NO DAMAGE INCURRED.

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AT XX00; SEP/YY/97; I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN BY TELEPHONE WITH FSS; PROPOSING AN XX45 DEP FROM ASH TO AOO. THE APPROX LENGTH OF THE LEG WAS 330 NM. CONSIDERING THE FORECASTED WINDS AND AN AIRSPD OF 130 KTS; THE FILED TIME ENRTE WAS 3 HRS WITH 4 HRS 15 MINS FUEL ABOARD. MY NAME WAS GIVEN AS PIC ON THE FLT PLAN. DURING THE DRIVE TO THE ARPT; IT WAS AGREED THAT THE OTHER OCCUPANT OF THE ACFT; ABC (WHO IS THE ACFT OWNER; AN ATP AND FLT INSTRUCTOR) WOULD FLY THE LEG AND BE PIC. DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTION BEFORE TKOF; I OBSERVED MS ABC CLB ON THE WING STRUTS TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE FUEL AND CHK SECURITY OF THE FUEL CAPS. WHILE ON THE STRUTS SHE COMMENTED TO ME THAT THE TANKS WERE FULL; AND WHILE NOT ACTUALLY SEEING THE CAPS THEMSELVES; I OBSERVED MS ABC MAKING ARM MOTIONS CONSISTENT WITH SECURING THE FUEL CAPS. AFTER COMPLETION OF THE PREFLT INSPECTION AND LOADING THE ACFT; ABC CONTACTED ASH TWR AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO AOO PURSUANT TO THE FLT PLAN FILED BY ME. NO AMENDMENT TO THE FLT PLAN WAS MADE REFLECTING THE CHANGE OF PIC. APPROX 1 HR 35 MINS AFTER DEP; I NOTICED THAT THE FUEL GAUGES WERE NOT BEHAVING AS USUAL. RATHER THAN BOUNCING; THEY WERE FAIRLY STEADY. THE GAUGES APPEARED TO BE WORKING; AS THEY WERE LOWERING; BUT REGISTERED SOMEWHAT LESS FUEL IN THE TANKS THAN WOULD BE EXPECTED AFTER 1 1/2 HRS OF FLT. APCH CTL WAS CONTACTED; A 'FUEL PROB' RPTED; AND VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT WERE REQUESTED BY MS ABC. AFTER RECEIVING A CLRNC TO DSND AND TURN TOWARD WILKES BARRE ARPT; THE ENG ROUGHENED. WHILE BELOW CLOUD BASES AND APPROX 10 NM FROM THE ARPT; THE ENG ROUGHNESS INTENSIFIED; AND MS ABC ELECTED TO LAND ON THE HWY BENEATH US RATHER THAN FLY TO REACH THE ARPT. RPTING HER INTENTIONS TO APCH CTL; THE LNDG ON THE HWY WAS EFFECTED WITHOUT INCIDENT.