U.S. Route 322

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U.S. Route 322
Length:	494[1] mi (795 km)
Formed:	1926[2]
West end:	US 6/20/42/422/SR 3/8/14/43/87 in Cleveland, OH
Major junctions:	I-90 in Cleveland, OH I-271 in Mayfield Heights, OH I-79 in Meadville, PA I-80 near Brookville, PA I-99 in Port Matilda, PA I-81/I-83 in Harrisburg, PA I-95 in Chester, PA I-295 in Bridgeport, NJ NJ Tpk near Swedesboro, NJ GSP in Pleasantville, NJ
East end:	US 40/Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City, NJ
United States Numbered Highways Spur of US 22 List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: U.S. Route 322

U.S. Route 322 is a 494 mi (795.0 km) long, east-west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur of U.S. Route 22 and one of the original highways from 1926. It was at one time called the Lakes to Sea Highway.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Route description

[edit] Ohio

US 322 begins at the junction of U.S. Routes 6, 20, 42, and 422, and Ohio State Routes 3, 8, 14, 43, and 87 at Public Square in Downtown Cleveland.^[3][4][5] East of Public Square, the route runs easterly through midtown Cleveland conjoined with US 6 along Superior Avenue. Northwest of Cleveland State University, US 322 turns south onto 13th Street and runs eastward on Chester Avenue through Playhouse Square. Exiting the commercial district, US 322 interchanges Interstate 90, at exit 173. In University Circle, US 322 is briefly concurrent with US Route 20 (Euclid Avenue). The overlap terminates where US 322 becomes Mayfield Road to traverse the eastern Cleveland suburbs of Cleveland Heights, South Euclid, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, and Gates Mills before entering Geauga County.^[6]

Through Geauga and Ashtabula Counties, US 322 is named Mayfield Road until it enters Pennsylvania. In Geauga County, US 322 passes through suburban Chesterland and into Ohio's second largest Amish community^[7], which includes the rural townships of Claridon and Huntsburg. In Ashtabula County, US 322 crosses through Windsor Township, the village of Orwell, and Williamsfield Township before crossing the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line south of Pymatuning Reservoir.^[8]

[edit] Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, US 322 is signed as 28th Division Highway, in honor of the 28th Infantry Division.^[9] The route enters Pennsylvania taking a northeasternly course. In Meadville, US 322 overlaps U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 19. Southeast of Meadville, the highway runs generally southeast through Crawford, Venango and Clarion Counties. Once leaving Clarion borough, US 322 interchanges Interstate 80, at exit 70. From I-80, it continues on a solid east-west routing crossing Jefferson County. The route overlaps U.S. Route 219 near the northern termini of U.S. Route 119, south of Du Bois. East of US 219, the route takes a southernly turn to traverse Moshannon State Forest, before taking an east-west alignment. From Clearfield to U.S. Route 220, the highway runs southeast and is partly divided.^[9]

US 322 near State College. The blank spots will be replaced with I-99 shields.

In the State College area, the current alignment of US 322 overlaps US 220 for 6 miles. The highway is expected to be concurrent with Interstate 99 along with US 220 from Port Matilda to I-80 near Mount Eagle; the concurrency will take place when the I-99 extension is completed.^[10] Northeast of Port Matilda, US 220 and US 322 depart the Appalachian Thruway via an interchange and proceed east on the 28th Division Highway while the Thruway continues to the northeast as US 220 Alternate.^[11]

West of State College, the 28th Division Highway terminates at a partially constructed interchange between the 28th Division Highway, Scotia Road, and the Mount Nittany Expressway. Near the southern end of the exit, US 220 and US 322 depart the 28th Division Highway and follow a circular ramp clockwise to form the eastbound lanes of the Mount Nittany Expressway. The US 220/US 322 overlap ends at a complex interchange north of downtown State College along the future corridor of I-99.^[13][9]

East of the overlap, US 322 continues southeastward through State College and its immediate suburbs on the Mount Nittany Expressway. After three exits, US 322 reverts to an at-grade highway two miles east of State College in Boalsburg, merging with US 322 Business and proceeding eastward along Boal Avenue as the route exits the State College area. Between Boalsburg and Lewistown, the highway traverses Tussey Mountain and Jacks Mountain, in the Rothrock State Forest, as it turns to the south.^[14][15]

Between Milroy and Lewistown, US 322 is a limited-access road. After three exits, it briefly overlaps U.S. Route 522 and begins a long overlap with U.S. Routes 22. South of Lewistown, US 22/US 322 enters the Narrows (Pennsylvania), an 8-mile stretch of road through the Juniata River water gap in Shade Mountain. Construction to convert this section of the highway from a two-lane highway to a divided, limited-access four lane highway was completed in December 2007, ^[16] and it includes building the longest mechanically stabilized earth wall in the U.S.^[17] The highway exists the narrows in Arch Rock, traverses Juniata County, and crosses the Tuscarora Mountain on a southeasternly course along the banks of the Juniata River. South of the Susquehanna crossing, the freeway is parallel to the river for 15 miles before entering the Harrisburg Area.^[18][19]

North of downtown Harrisburg, the US 22/322 overlap interchanges with Interstate 81 at exit 67. While US 22 continues through the interchange and heads into downtown, US 322 departs US 22 and joins I-81 northbound. I-81 and US 322 remain concurrent for three miles to exit 70, where US 322 exits, following Interstate 83, which has its northern terminus at the interchange, south through the innermost suburbs of Harrisburg.^[20][21] After two exits, US 322 returns to an at-grade roadway at the Eisenhower Interchange (exit 47), departing I-83 and following Paxton Street east toward Hummelstown.^[22][9] West of the borough, US 322 becomes a freeway once again, becoming the Hummelstown Bypass after crossing Fiddlers Elbow Road. The route runs south of Hummelstown, interchanging with two local roads before meeting the eastern terminus of Pennsylvania Route 39 and the western terminus of U.S. Route 422 at an interchange midway between Hummelstown and Hershey.^[23]

US 322 outside Spring Mills

US 322 heads east from the interchange, becoming the at-grade West Governor Road as it passes south of Hershey. East of the Hershey Area, the route runs eastward via the scenic Horseshoe Pike. The Horseshoe Pike portion ends west of Cornwall, where US 322 bypasses the town.^[24] East of the bypass, the route becomes grade-leveled again, passes under the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), and runs eastward known as the 28th Division Highway. East of Ephrata, US 322 interchanges U.S. Route 222. Between US 222 and Downingtown, the route runs southeastward through the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. In Downingtown, US 322 interchanges U.S. Route 30.^[25]

Where the highway approaches the West Chester Area, it bypasses the borough via West Chester Bypass. At the end of the at-grade bypass, the eastbound lane of US 322 merges onto U.S. Route 202 southbound to begin an overlap. After three exits, the US 202/US 322 overlap becomes grade leveled running north-south.^[26] South of West Chester, the overlap is a major divided highway in Delaware County. In Concord Township, US 322 turns east onto U.S. Route 1 and leaves U.S. Route 202 at Painters' Crossroad. One mile conjoined with US 1 east of US 202, US 322 leaves US 1 via a turn southeastward to become the Conchester Highway. Approaching Chester, the route has three exits (one with PA 452, Bethel Road at the CSX rail line, and Highland Avenue) before beginning an overlap with Interstate 95, at exit 3A. The overlap with I-95 is a brief one, where US 322 leaves I-95, at exit 4, and crosses the Delaware River to enter New Jersey via the Commodore Barry Bridge.^[27]

[edit] New Jersey

Main article: U.S. Route 322 in New Jersey

US 322 crossing the Delaware River on the Commodore Barry Bridge.

US 322 enters New Jersey via the Commodore Barry Bridge just north of Delaware and crosses historic Mullica Hill, New Jersey. In Glassboro, it bisects Rowan University. At Williamstown, US 322 goes onto the "Black Horse Pike" (picking up where NJ 42 ends) and follows it the rest of the way to Atlantic City, being concurrent with U.S. Route 40 from Mays Landing on east. In the 1960s and 1970's, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) had planned for a freeway bypass of U.S. Route 322 around Glassboro. Later it was planned as a New Jersey Turnpike extension, but all plans were dropped due to budget cuts and mounting opposition.

[edit] See also

• Hummelstown Bypass

[edit] Related U.S. Routes

• U.S. Route 22
• U.S. Route 222
• U.S. Route 422
• U.S. Route 522

[edit] External links

• U.S. Route 322 ends. Sanderson, Dale. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
• History of U.S. Route 322 in Pennsylvania. Kitsko, Jeff. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
• US 322 expressway (Pennsylvania, unbuilt). Philly Roads. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
• U.S. Route 322 pictures. Northeast Roads. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.

[edit] References

Browse numbered routes
< SR 321	OH		SR 323 >
< PA 321	PA		PA 324 >
< NJ 303	NJ		NJ 324 >