U.S. Route 422
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U.S. Highway 422 is a spur of U.S. Highway 22, however starts no where near U.S. Highway 22, which is farther north and is near Allentown, Pennsylvania. This highway violates AASHTO numbering, as it has two sections of the highway. The middle section (between Hershey, Pennsylvania and Ebensburg, Pennsylvania) is "missing", (but "connected" by US 22 and US 322).
Signed as an east-west roadway, it provides a connection from the suburban Philadelphia town of King of Prussia to Reading, Pennsylvania via a freeway format. Upon reaching Reading, it becomes a local route, passing through such central Pennsylvania towns as Lebanon and Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, finally merging with U.S. Highway 322 in downtown Hershey, Pennsylvania.
The western section of US 422 is a spur of U.S. Highway 22 starting in Ebensburg, PA, near by US 22. It travels through Kittanning, Pennsylvania as well as Butler, Pennsylvania and New Castle, Pennsylvania, crossing the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, passing by Youngstown, Ohio and Warren, Ohio before ending in Cleveland, Ohio.
In Pennsylvania, it is also referred to as "The Ben Franklin Highway".
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania to Hershey, Pennsylvania
|
The Eastern section of U.S. Route 422 is a spur route of the United States Numbered Highways of U.S. Route 22 | |
| Length: | 100 mi |
|---|---|
| Formed: | 1900s |
| Eastern terminus: | King of Prussia, Pennsylvania |
| Western terminus: | Hershey, Pennsylvania |
Travelers will find the eastern-most terminus of Route 422 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, accessible from a number of major roadways in the area, including the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Schuylkill Expressway, and U.S. Highway 202. This is a major interchange for the Turnpike, for it drops its I-276 signage heading west in favor of I-76 signage for the remainder of its trip across Pennsylvania. In the early 2000s, the entire interchange underwent a massive five-year reconstruction project that involved the construction of new ramps, the widening of all intersecting roadways, and much more. Several small businesses in the King of Prussia area were demolished as part of this project, and the nearby King of Prussia Mall shopping complex was also affected.
As Route 422 makes its way through Montgomery County, it passes through a number of suburban and rural areas. Oaks, Trooper, Royersford, Collegeville (home of Ursinus College), and Limerick are among these communities.
The eastbound lanes of the superhighway almost always come to a virtual standstill during each weekday morning rush hour, as commuters from the western suburbs make their way towards Philadelphia. Many also use the route to travel to and from the sprawling Oaks Corporate Center office park, located just before the terminus in King of Prussia. Riders may also note the presence of two giant cooling towers, part of the Limerick nuclear power plant. Before arriving in one of the key towns of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Pottstown, Route 422 also passes by the Pottstown-Limerick Airport, one of many smaller airports in eastern Pennsylvania.
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania to Cleveland, Ohio
The Western section of U.S. Route 422 | |
| Length: | 200 mi |
|---|---|
| Formed: | 1900s |
| Eastern terminus: | Ebensburg, Pennsylvania |
| Western terminus: | Cleveland, Ohio |
The western section of US 422 starts at Ebensburg, PA ending in Cleveland, Ohio.
In Pennsylvania, the highway passes through Cambria, Indiana, Armstrong, Butler and Lawrence counties.
The western section was first signed in 1926. Originally, the highway was routed along existing roads, but much of US 422 now runs along purpose-built alignments.
An expressway bypass of Butler city was built in the early 1960s. The section that runs through Moraine State Park near Butler was upgraded to expressway standards in 1969. In the 1970s, bypasses were built around the cities of New Castle, Kittanning and Indiana. Sections of the Indiana and Kittanning bypasses remained incomplete until 1995 and 2000, respectively.
US 422 in Ohio travels through Mahoning, Trumbull, Geauga and Cuyahoga counties. It ends at Public Square in downtown Cleveland.
Most of the highway in Ohio still runs along its original alignment. The section in Parkman Township, Geauga County was twinned during World War II. The four-lane divided highway was extended to Warren by 1950. In 1971, an expressway bypass around downtown Youngstown opened.
East of Cleveland, US 422 originally ran along Chagrin Boulevard through Woodmere, Pepper Pike, Moreland Hills, Chagrin Falls and Bainbridge Township. A freeway connecting downtown Solon to interstate highways 271 and 480 was signed as Alt. US 422. In 1991, the freeway was extended eastward to Ohio 44 in Bainbridge, and US 422 was rerouted along I-271 and the former Alt. US 422.
The new freeway made US 422 a popular route for truckers and commuters and made the remaining two-lane portion in Geauga County particularly dangerous. The state has added stoplights, rumble strips and extra width to the road to try to alleviate some of the danger.
In Cleveland, US 422 runs easterly along Woodland Avenue and Kinsman Road, through the Kinsman neighborhood. At Lee Road in Shaker Heights, the street name changes to Chagrin Boulevard. In 1959, the eastern suburbs changed the name of the street, since the Kinsman district was (and still is) known as a rough neighborhood. Woodmere, with its sizable African-American population, resisted the change, since Chagrin Falls had a racist reputation. Today, US 422 in Shaker Heights and Beachwood is almost a linear edge city, with millions of square feet in office space adjacent. It is one of the busiest streets in Greater Cleveland.
In Trumbull County, US 422 still runs through the center of Warren and Girard. The section from downtown Warren to Ohio 46 is known as "The Strip" and is lined with shopping centers, fast-food restaurants and other retail establishments. In the 1960s and '70s, Strip nightclubs attracted top-name entertainers.
External links
- ["Route 422"], at John Simpson's Unofficial Ohio State Highways Web Site.
- ["US 422"] at Jeff Kitsko's Pennsylvania Highways.
- ["Chapter 5: The Birth of a Planned Community, 1951-1965"], in Jeffrey Morris, Beechwood, The Book, at the Cleveland Memory Project.
See also
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