| U.S. Route 224 | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length: | 289 mi (465 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: | US 24 / SR 5 / SR 9 at Huntington, IN |
|
I-69 at Markle, IN |
|
| East end: | US 422 Bus. / PA 18 at New Castle, PA |
| Highway system | |
|
United States Numbered Highways |
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U.S. Route 224 is a spur of U.S. Route 24. It currently runs for 289 miles (465 km) from New Castle, Pennsylvania at U.S. Route 422 Business and Pennsylvania Route 18 to Huntington, Indiana at U.S. Route 24. It passes through the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. It goes through the cities of Youngstown, Ohio, Akron, Ohio, and Findlay, Ohio.
In Northeast Ohio, US 224 is located a short distance north of the Western Reserve's southern boundary.
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US 224 crosses into Mahoning Township in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and becomes West State Street, a two-lane undivided road. The road heads through wooded areas with some homes and commercial establishments, heading to the east-southeast. The route curves to the northeast in Peanut and passes over a Norfolk Southern railroad line, coming to an intersection with PA 551. Here, PA 551 turns northeast to form a concurrency with US 224. The road heads through wooded areas and crosses the Mahoning River and two CSX railroad lines. PA 551 splits from US 224 by heading north on North Edinburg Road, with US 224 continuing into wooded areas with some farm fields. The road turns to the southeast and enters Union Township. The route continues through wooded areas with some farmland and homes, passing to the south of New Castle Municipal Airport and heading through the community of Parkstown. US 224 heads into businesses areas, gaining a second lane westbound before widening into a six-lane divided highway as it comes to an interchange with I-376/US 422. Past this interchange, the road becomes a three-lane road with a center left-turn lane and passes through a mix of residences and businesses, running through the community of Oakwood. The route heads into New Castle and passes through wooded areas of development, gaining a second westbound lane and coming to an intersection with US 422 Business. At this point, US 422 Business turns east to join US 224 on four-lane divided West Falls Street, passing more development and crossing over a New Castle Industrial Railroad line and the Shenango River. The road heads to the east and continues through commercial areas. US 224 ends at an intersection with PA 18, at which point US 422 Business turns south to join that route.[1][2]
Although U.S. 224 is only in Pennsylvania for 10 miles, the eastern terminus has changed several times since being issued in 1933, ending at various points in New Castle, Pennsylvania or in adjacent Union Township west of the city.[3] The eastern terminus has been moved five times (1936, 1947, 1974, 1977, 2008), the most notable of which was in the 1970s when the New Castle Bypass opened in 1974 and saw an extension of U.S. 224 through the city itself and into Shenango Township at the eastern terminus of the bypass, essentially taking over U.S. 422's old alignment after 422 moved to the bypass.
The route was truncated back at the current interchange with 422 and Interstate 376 in 1977 while the old alignment through New Castle was replaced by Business 422. This would be the case until March 20, 2008, when 224 was officially extended two miles (3 km) to PA 18 inside the New Castle city limits with the placement of new signs. PennDOT had gotten approval from the AASHTO for the extension in September 2007.[4]
The extension of U.S. 224 marked the second extension of a major highway into downtown New Castle in a little more than a year, as Pennsylvania Route 65 was extended a mile from its previous terminus with Business 422 to the PA 108/PA 168 concurrency in February 2007.
The entire route is in Lawrence County.
| Location | Mile[1] | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahoning Township | 0.0 | US 224 west (Center Road) | Ohio border | |
| PA 551 south (Jackson Street) | West end of PA 551 overlap | |||
| PA 551 north (North Edinburg Road) | East end of PA 551 overlap | |||
| Union Township | I-376 / US 422 (Benjamin Franklin Highway) | I-376/US 422 exit 13 | ||
| New Castle | US 422 Bus. west (Sampson Street) |
West end of US 422 Bus. overlap | ||
| 10.1 | US 422 Bus. east / PA 18 (North Jefferson Street) |
East end of US 422 Bus. overlap | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||
| Browse numbered routes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ← PA 223 | PA | PA 224 → | ||