U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 22.

U.S. Route 22 marker

U.S. Route 22
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT & DRJTBC
Length: 337.60 mi[1] (543.31 km)
Existed: 1926 – present
Major junctions
West end: US 22 in Hanover Township
 

Toll PA 576 in Washington County
I-79 near Pittsburgh
US 30 in Wilkinsburg
I-76 / I-376 / Penna Turnpike in Monroeville
I-99 / US 220 in Duncansville
US 322 / US 522 in Lewistown
US 11 / US 15 near Duncannon
I-81 / US 322 in Harrisburg
I-78 from Fredericksburg to Kuhnsville

I-476 / Penna Turnpike NE Extension in South Whitehall Township
East end: US 22 in Easton
Location
Counties: Washington, Allegheny, Westmoreland, Indiana, Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Dauphin, Lebanon, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton
Highway system
PA 21PA 22

U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is an eastwest route stretching from Cincinnati, Ohio in the west to Newark, New Jersey in the east. In Pennsylvania, the route runs for 337.60 miles (543.31 km) between the West Virginia state line at Washington County, where it is a limited-access expressway-grade route through the western suburbs of Pittsburgh, to the New Jersey state line at Easton.

Route description

US 22 carries multiple names as it progresses across the state, including the William Penn Highway and the Lehigh Valley Thruway. Several sections of the road are freeway, including the Lehigh Valley Thruway.

US Route 22 crosses into Pennsylvania from West Virginia as the William Penn Highway. It becomes concurrent with U.S. Route 30 and then also with I-376 west of Pittsburgh, and becomes the Penn Lincoln Parkway. It continues as such through Pittsburgh and beyond the end of the US 30 concurrency, and when I-376 reaches its eastern end at the Pennsylvania Turnpike, US 22 goes onto William Penn Highway again (with Murrysville as a control city). It is also known as the Admiral Peary Highway from Armagh to the Altoona area. From New Florence through most of Ebensburg, US 22 is an expressway with the remaining portion from Ebensburg to Cross Creek operating as a limited-access freeway. From Duncansville to Mount Union, US 22 is a two-lane road with occasional passing and truck-climbing lanes, and it passes through the business district of Huntingdon, where it is three lanes (one lane each way with a turning lane in the middle). It becomes concurrent with US 522 near Mount Union and remains a two-lane road. The US 522 concurrency continues until Lewistown. US 22 bypasses the downtown area of Lewistown as a four-lane limited access highway and becomes concurrent with US 322, continuing as a four-lane limited access highway along the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers until Harrisburg. In Harrisburg (with the US 322 concurrency ending at I-81), it continues as N Cameron Street, Arsenal Blvd., Herr St., Walnut St., Jonestown Rd., and Allentown Blvd. In Fredericksburg, US 22 becomes concurrent with I-78 for a 40-mile (64 km) stretch before splitting off on to the Lehigh Valley Thruway.

Lehigh Valley Thruway

US 22 eastbound at PA 145 interchange in Whitehall Township

The Lehigh Valley Thruway is a 24-mile-long (39 km) freeway portion of US 22 from the eastern end of the Interstate 78/US 22 concurrency in Kuhnsville, west of Allentown, to the state line in Easton. The highway travels just to the north of Allentown and Bethlehem and passes through Easton. Originally, I-78 would have continued with the U.S. 22 concurrency on the Lehigh Valley Thruway into New Jersey, with I-278 running south as a bypass, and I-178 and I-378 serving Allentown and Bethlehem respectively. Due to opposition in Phillipsburg, New Jersey on the building of a I-78/U.S. 22 highway through the town (the same opposition that later killed the Somerset Freeway for I-95 in 1982), PennDOT and NJDOT decided to reroute the I-78 highway onto the proposed I-278 bypass and allow U.S. 22 to remain on the limited-access highway, which, after going through a series of sharp, potentially dangerous curves in Easton and crossing the Delaware River into NJ, becomes an at-grade divided highway in Phillipsburg. Traffic on the Lehigh Valley Thruway is often heavy at rush hour, particularly near the PA 145 interchange. The series of sharp curves is locally known as "Cemetery Curve", and because of it, the speed limit is lowered to 45 mph at Route 248 and then lowered to 35 mph around the sharpest part of the curves. At the interchange with Bushkill Street, US 22 becomes an elevated highway until crossing into New Jersey. The speed limit drops once again to 25 mph while crossing the Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge.

History

The William Penn Highway was organized as an alternative to the Lincoln Highway being parallel to the Pennsylvania Railroad west of Harrisburg. The route's New York Extension was adopted in 1916. The Pennsylvania Department of Highways assigned the Pennsylvania Route 3 designation to this road in 1924, and in 1926 it became part of U.S. Route 22 when the United States Highway System was formed,[2] The road became problematic for motorists in Lebanon along the current U.S. Route 422; Reading via U.S. Routes 22 and 222; and Allentown on Hamilton Street (US 22).[3] The highway continued through Allentown on Hanover Avenue and through Bethlehem on Broad Street, Linden Street, and Easton Avenue.

Pennsylvania Route 43 was aligned as a bypass, north of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, that ran from U.S. Route 22, U.S. Route 11, and Pennsylvania Route 5 in Harrisburg to Pennsylvania Route 12 in Bethlehem.[4] The route from Fogelsville to Allentown, now Main Street, Tilghman Street, Broadway, College Heights Boulevard, and Liberty Street, was designated LR 443 in 1925,[5] and was soon incorporated into "Traffic Route 43."[6] The New York Times was recommending use of this cutoff by early 1931.[6] On June 8, 1931, the American Association of State Highway Officials came to a resolution for the traffic problem, by replacing the PA 43 corridor with US 22. The Pennsylvania Department of Highways moved the William Penn Highway name to match.[2][3] The state truncated PA 43 to Susquehanna Street from Allentown to Bethlehem.[4][7][8][9] Signs were changed to reflect the new designations on May 31, 1932, with the new route designations officially in place on June 1, 1932.[10]

Tilghman Street was eventually connected directly from Cetronia to Allentown by a bridge over Cedar Creek; Tilghman Street (west of the Lehigh River) and Union Boulevard (east of the river) were joined in 1929 by a bridge. By 1936, US 22 had been moved from its Hamilton Street and Broad Street alignment to Tilghman Street and Union Boulevard through Allentown and Bethlehem. When the Lehigh Valley Thruway was completed in 1954, US 22 was moved onto it. With the completion of Interstate 78, US 22 was moved onto that highway from Fredericksburg to Kuhnsville.

Former alignment

Old U.S. Route 22 is the former PA 43, and the earlier version of the newer, more traveled U.S. Highway 22. It starts in the unincorporated community of Bethel, Pennsylvania of Berks County and ends in Cetronia, just outside the city of Allentown (Lehigh County) where it becomes Main Street and then Tilghman Street. This road, although no longer a major state highway, is well traveled by those who live in the vicinity. It passes through several communities including Shartlesville, Jalappa, West Hamburg, Edenburg, Krumsville, and New Smithville. It also passes through the boroughs of Strausstown, Hamburg and Lenhartsville. Old U.S. Route 22 crosses seven Pennsylvania highways including 501, 419, 183, 61, 143, 737, and 863. Through these different neighborhoods, this road is defined as Old Route 22, Hex Highway, and Shartlesville Road.

From Cetronia east, the old road is State Route 1002 in Lehigh County, comprising Tilghman Street and Union Boulevard in Allentown. In Northampton County, the 1940s highway is Union Boulevard, Linden Street, and Easton Avenue in Bethlehem; William Penn Highway between Bethlehem and Easton; and Butler Street, 13th Street, and Northampton Street in Easton.

Future

In 2011, it was announced that plans were being resurrected to widen US 22 from Allentown to Bethlehem. Part of the plan is to reconstruct the Lehigh River Bridge. The plan's cost is between $240 to $320 million.[11] Details of the proposed construction can be found on www.22lv.com.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
WashingtonHanover Township US 22 west WeirtonWest Virginia border
PA 18 Florence, Burgettstown
Smith TownshipBavington
Robinson Township Toll PA 576 west (Southern Beltway) Pittsburgh International AirportCurrent eastern terminus of PA Toll 576 as of August 2015
AlleghenyNorth Fayette Township PA 980 south McDonald, MidwayNorthern terminus of PA 980
NoblestownTo Pennsylvania Motor Speedway
US 30 west / PA 978 south ImperialWestern terminus of US 30 concurrency, northern terminus of PA 978
Hankey Farms
Orange Belt (Oakdale)Westbound exit and eastbound entrance, western terminus of Orange Belt concurrency
Montour Church Road, Old Steubenville Pike, Bayer RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
Robinson Township I-376 west (Airport Parkway) / Orange Belt Pittsburgh International AirportWestern terminus of I-376 concurrency, exit 60A from I-376, eastern terminus of Orange Belt concurrency
60B PA 60 south Crafton
61Ridge Road
62 Yellow Belt (Campbells Run Road)Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Collier Township64A I-79 Washington, Erie
Rosslyn Farms64BRosslyn FarmsWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
CarnegieBuses only (West Busway)Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
65 PA 50 Carnegie, Heidelberg
Green Tree67 PA 121 Green Tree, Mount Lebanon, Crafton
Pittsburgh68Parkway Center DriveWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
69A US 19 south (Banksville Road)Western termini of US 19/US 19 Truck concurrencies; eastbound exit is via exit 69C
69B
US 19 Truck south / PA 51 south Uniontown
Westbound exit is via exit 69A
69C US 19 north / PA 51 north West EndEastern terminus of US 19 concurrency; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Fort Pitt Tunnel under Mount Washington
69C PA 837 to PA 51 West EndWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
Monongahela RiverFort Pitt Bridge
Pittsburgh70ABoulevard of the Allies, Liberty AvenueConsol Energy CenterEastbound exit and westbound entrance
70BFort Duquesne Boulevard – Convention Center, Strip DistrictEastbound exit and westbound entrance
70C
I-279 / US 19 Truck north Fort Duquesne Bridge, North Shore
Eastern terminus of US 19 Truck concurrency
70DStanwix StreetNo eastbound exit
71AGrant Street
71BSecond AvenueWestbound exit only
72AForbes Avenue – OaklandEastbound exit and westbound entrance
72B To I-579 (Crosstown Blvd) / PA 885 north (Boulevard of the Allies) / Liberty BridgeWestbound exit and eastbound entrance, access to I-579 and Liberty Bridge is via Boulevard of the Allies
73 PA 885 (Bates Street) Oakland, GlenwoodWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; signed as exits 73A (south) and 73B (north)
74 Blue Belt Squirrel Hill, Homestead
Squirrel Hill Tunnel under Squirrel Hill
Swissvale77Edgewood, Swissvale
Wilkinsburg78A US 30 east Forest HillsEastern terminus of US 30 concurrency; no westbound exit
78B PA 8 north WilkinsburgSouthern terminus of PA 8
Churchill79AGreensburg PikeEastbound exit and westbound entrance
79B PA 130 Churchill
80
US 22 Bus. east Monroeville
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Penn Hills81 PA 791 north / Yellow Belt Penn Hills
Monroeville84A PA 48 south / Orange Belt MonroevilleEastbound exit and westbound entrance, northern terminus of PA 48
84B Orange Belt PlumEastbound exit and westbound entrance

US 22 Bus. west Monroeville
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
I-376 to I-76 / Penna Turnpike Harrisburg, OhioEastern terminus of I-376
East end of freeway
PA 286 east (Golden Mile Highway)Eastbound exit and westbound entrance, westbound exit and eastbound entrance provided by at-grade intersection, western terminus of PA 286
WestmorelandSalem Township PA 66 Delmont, GreensburgSingle-point urban interchange
PA 819 Slickville, Forbes Road, Greensburg
New Alexandria US 119 south GreensburgWestern terminus of US 119 concurrency
PA 981 (Latrobe New Alexandria Road) Latrobe, Saltsburg
Blairsville PA 982 south DerryNorthern terminus of PA 982
Indiana PA 217 Blairsville, DerryInterchange
Burrell Township US 119 north Homer City, IndianaInterchange, eastern terminus of US 119 concurrency, to Indiana University of Pennsylvania
West Wheatfield Township PA 259 Brush Valley, Robinson, BolivarInterchange
East Wheatfield Township PA 56 Brush Valley, ArmaghInterchange
PA 403 Dilltown, JohnstownInterchange
CambriaJackson Township PA 271 Mundys Corner, Nanty GloInterchange
Ebensburg US 219 to US 422 Johnstown, Carrolltown, IndianaInterchange
High StreetInterchange
Western terminus of freeway
Ebensburg, Loretto (Rowena Drive)
Munster Township PA 164 south – Munster, PortageNorthern terminus of PA 164
Cresson Township PA 53 Cresson
William Penn Highway – Summit
BlairAllegheny TownshipTunnelhill Road Tunnelhill, Gallitzin
I-99 / US 220 Altoona, Bedford
PA 764 north AltoonaWestern terminus of PA 764 concurrency
Eastern terminus of freeway
PA 764 southEastern terminus of PA 764 concurrency
Hollidaysburg PA 36 (Penn Street) Altoona, Roaring Spring
Catharine Township PA 866 south (Juniata River Road)Northern terminus of PA 866
HuntingdonMorris Township PA 453 north (Birmingham Pike) to PA 45 Tyrone, State CollegeSouthern terminus of PA 453
Alexandria PA 305 east (Bridge Street) AlexandriaWestern terminus of PA 305
Huntingdon PA 26 Everett, Huntingdon, State CollegeInterchange
Mill Creek PA 829 south CassvilleNorthern terminus of PA 829
PA 655 northWestern terminus of PA 655 concurrency
Brady Township PA 655 south (Oriskany Road)Eastern terminus of PA 655 concurrency
MifflinWayne Township PA 747 south (North Jefferson Street) Mount UnionNorthern terminus of PA 747
US 522 south (Croghan Pike)Western terminus of US 522 concuurency
LewistownWestern terminus of freeway

US 22 Bus. east
Western terminus of Business US 22
US 322 west State CollegeWestern terminus of US 322 concurrency
Electric Avenue
US 522 north (Walnut Street) SelinsgroveEastern terminus of US 522 concurrency
East Charles StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance

US 22 Bus. west Lewistown
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance, eastern terminus of Business US 22
JuniataFermanagh TownshipArch Rock Road
PA 35 Mifflintown, McAlistervilleTo Mifflintown Airport
Walker Township PA 75 south Port RoyalNorthern terminus of PA 75
Delaware Township PA 333 East Salem, Thompsontown
Pfoutz Valley Road
PerryGreenwood Township To PA 17 Millerstown
Howe Township PA 34 Newport, Bloomfield
Buffalo TownshipMidwayWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
Watts TownshipWatts
Amity Hall
DauphinReed Township US 11 / US 15 Camp Hill, Selinsgrove
Eastern terminus of freeway
PA 849 west DuncannonEastern terminus of PA 849, no access from PA 849 to US 22/322 westbound
Western terminus of freeway
Susquehanna RiverClarks Ferry Bridge
Reed Township PA 147 north HalifaxSouthern terminus of PA 147
PA 325 east (Mountain Road)Western terminus of PA 325
Dauphin PA 225 north Halifax, DauphinSouthern terminus of PA 225
Middle Paxton TownshipDauphin Borough, Stony CreekWestbound exit
HecktonEastbound exit
PA 443 – Fishing Creek, Rockville, Fort Hunter
Susquehanna Township PA 39 Linglestown, Rockville
I-81 south Carlisle
I-81 north / US 322 east to I-83 Hershey, Hazleton, AllentownEastern terminus of US 322 concurrency
East end of freeway
Harrisburg PA 230 east (Cameron Street) Downtown Harrisburg, Capitol Complex, City IslandWestern terminus of PA 230
Lower Paxton Township I-83 / US 322 to I-81 Carlisle, Hazleton, AirportInterchange
West Hanover Township PA 39 (Hershey Road) Hershey
East Hanover Township PA 743 (Laudermilch Road) to I-81 Grantville, Hershey
LebanonEast Hanover Township PA 934 to I-81 Annville, Fort Indiantown GapInterchange
Union Township PA 72 Lebanon, LickdaleCloverleaf interchange
Bethel Township PA 343 south (Pine Grove Street) LebanonWestern terminus of PA 343 concurrency
PA 343 north (Pine Grove Road) to I-78 westEastern terminus of PA 343 concurrency
Local TrafficOld US 22 (Hex Highway)
Western terminus of freeway
8 I-78 west HarrisburgWestern terminus of I-78 concurrency
BerksBethel Township10 PA 645 Frystown
Bethel13 PA 501 Bethel
Bethel Township15GrimesNo access across I-78/US 22, no tractor trailers
16MidwayTo Conrad Weiser Homestead
17 PA 419 Rehrersburg
Strausstown19 PA 183 Strausstown
Upper Bern Township23Shartlesville
Tilden Township29 PA 61 Reading, PottsvilleSigned as exits 29A (south) and 29B (north) on the westbound side
Hamburg30Hamburg
Greenwich Township35 PA 143 Lenhartsville
40 PA 737 Kutztown, KrumsvilleTo Kutztown University
LehighWeisenberg Township45 PA 863 Lynnport, New Smithville
Upper Macungie Township49 PA 100 Trexlertown, FogelsvilleSplit into exits 49A (south) and 49B (north)
I-78 east New JerseyEastbound exit and westbound entrance, eastern terminus of I-78 concurrency, I-78 exit 51
Cetronia, KuhnsvilleAccess via SR 1002 (Tilghman Street), former routing of US 22 through Allentown
South Whitehall Township I-476 / Penna Turnpike NE Extension Scranton, PhiladelphiaLehigh Valley interchange of the PA Turnpike's Northeast Extension
PA 309 Quakertown, TamaquaCloverleaf interchange, To I-78 east, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, and Lehigh Carbon Community College
Cedar Crest BoulevardTo Muhlenberg College and Cedar Crest College
15th Street
Whitehall Township PA 145 (MacArthur Road/7th Street)To Allentown Center City, Lehigh Valley Mall, and Whitehall Mall
Fullerton Avenue
Hanover Township PA 987 north (Airport Road) LVI AirportCloverleaf interchange, southern terminus of PA 987
Bethlehem PA 378 south BethlehemNorthern terminus of PA 378, to Lehigh University, Historic Bethlehem, Sands Casino Resort; Formerly I-378
NorthamptonSchoenersville Road
Hanover Township PA 512 north (Center Street)Southern terminus of PA 512, to Moravian College
Bethlehem Township PA 191 north (Nazareth Pike)Southern terminus of PA 191, to Northampton Community College
PA 33 to I-78 Bethlehem, Stroudsburg
Palmer Township PA 248 (25th Street) WilsonTo Palmer Heights and Easton
Easton13th Street
PA 248 / PA 611 / 4th StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance
3rd Street – EastonWestbound exit and eastbound entrance, to Lafayette College
PA 611 EastonWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
Delaware RiverEaston-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge
WarrenPhillipsburg US 22 east to I78 PhillipsburgNew Jersey border
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2007 software, Driving Directions
  2. 1 2 "William Penn Highway: US 22 in Pennsylvania". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  3. 1 2 Butko, Brian A.; Kevin Joseph Patrick (1999). Diners of Pennsylvania. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2878-1.
  4. 1 2 1930 state map, front side (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  5. Public Law 191, passed April 8, 1925
  6. 1 2 Dickinson, Leon A. (February 1, 1931). "Highways Into the Deep South". New York Times. p. 136. Retrieved 2009-08-14. Here one meets and follows U.S. Route 22 through Bethlehem to Allentown; then along Route 43 direct to Harrisburg.
  7. Allentown Area Map (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1929. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  8. State Map, back side (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. 1930. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  9. 1941 Lehigh County Map (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  10. "U.S. Route 22 Through Reading Changed to 222". Reading Times. June 1, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved August 7, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  11. Express-Times File Photo. "Route 22 widening back in play as commission finds new funding sources, officials say". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

Wikimedia Commons has media related to U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania.


U.S. Route 22
Previous state:
West Virginia
Pennsylvania Next state:
New Jersey
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