U.S. Route 422
U.S. Route 422 is a spur route of US 22 split into two segments in the U.S. states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The western segment of US 422 runs from downtown Cleveland, Ohio, east to Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. The eastern segment, located entirely within Pennsylvania, runs from Hershey east to King of Prussia, near Philadelphia. US 422 Business serves as a business route into each of four towns along the way.
In downtown Cleveland, the western terminus of the western segment of US 422 is at US 6, US 20, US 42, and State Route 3 in Cleveland's Public Square, while the eastern terminus of the western segment is at an interchange with US 219 near Ebensburg. In Hershey, the eastern segment of US 422 begins at an interchange with US 322 and Pennsylvania Route 39, while the eastern terminus of the eastern segment is at an interchange with US 202 and I-76 near King of Prussia. US 422 is named the Benjamin Franklin Highway in Pennsylvania in honor of Benjamin Franklin.
Numbering and gap
The segmented nature of US 422 violates American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials numbering conventions, representing the only gap in a U.S. route not involving the Canada–United States border or Yellowstone National Park. At the creation of the U.S. Highway system, AASHTO proposed the present western segment as the full length of US 422, while Pennsylvania wanted it to stretch across the state as part of a proposed Philadelphia–Omaha "Ben Franklin Highway" – including the Philadelphia–Reading road, which AASHTO had proposed to be a part of US 120. AASHTO questioned this request and noted that it would not renumber the longer US 22 from Reading to Ebensburg to create a continuous route; Pennsylvania assented to the two disconnected segments, and they were approved.Route description
Western segment
Ohio
The western section of US 422 begins at US 6 and US 20 at the center of Cleveland's Public Square in the downtown district. US 422 and SR 14, which shares its western terminus with that of US 422, form a concurrency as the roadway heads south from the square. Less than a mile from the Public Square, US 422 and SR 14 intersect the Cleveland Innerbelt, the confluence of Interstate 90 and the northern termini of I-71 and I-77. US 422 and SR 14 split at the interchange as SR 14 turns south to join SR 43. SR 8 begins at the eastern terminus of the US 422/SR 14 overlap, forming a concurrency with US 422 along Woodland Avenue.US 422 runs easterly along Woodland Avenue and Kinsman Road, through the Kinsman neighborhood. As it crosses Cleveland's city limits just west of Lee Road in Shaker Heights, the street name changes to Chagrin Boulevard, named for the Chagrin River and Chagrin Falls in Cleveland's eastern suburbs. Today, US 422 in Shaker Heights and Beachwood, where it now merges with I-271, is almost a linear edge city, with millions of square feet in office space centered on this corridor. It is one of the busiest streets in Cuyahoga County and Greater Cleveland. It serves as the primary commercial district for the wealthiest pocket of communities in Northeast Ohio.
File:US_422_Freeway_Ohio.png|alt=|left|thumb|The US 422 freeway west of the SR 44 interchange in Auburn Township
At Northfield Road, SR 8 turns to the south, leaving US 422 to continue east along Chagrin Boulevard. Two miles east of SR 8 in Beachwood, US 422 intersects SR 87 and SR 175, running concurrent with the former for two blocks to I-271 exit 29. Here, US 422 departs SR 87 and Chagrin Boulevard at the southbound ramp to I-271 and joins the expressway southward for. At Exit 27, US 422 splits from I-271 and proceeds through the eastern suburbs of Cleveland as a limited-access highway, exiting Cuyahoga County and entering Geauga County.
In Auburn Township, US 422 returns to grade-level upon crossing the LaDue Reservoir. The route continues to the southeast, cutting through northeast Portage County and then entering Trumbull County, where US 422 runs through the center of Warren and Girard. The section from downtown Warren to SR 46 is known as "The Strip" and is lined with shopping centers, fast-food restaurants and other retail establishments, including the Eastwood Mall. In the 1960s and 1970s, nightclubs along The Strip attracted top-name entertainers.
Farther southeast, US 422 enters Youngstown and Mahoning County before entering Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania
US 422 enters Pennsylvania northwest of New Castle. Three miles northwest of New Castle the route spurs off to bypass New Castle running along with I-376. I-376 spurs off and becomes a toll road, while US 422 continues onward to where it becomes a two-lane road with a center lane three miles southwest of New Castle. The route continues to the east where it meets with US 19 and adjacent I-79. The road becomes an expressway again after its intersection with I-79 through Moraine State Park. The expressway ends just north of Prospect by the Big Butler Fairgrounds. It proceeds further for seven miles to where it becomes an expressway bypassing Butler, and ending in East Butler. It continues on for fifteen miles, becoming an expressway again to bypass Kittanning, where it meets with the Allegheny Valley Expressway at the northern terminus of that expressway. At this point, PA 28 joins US 422 in a concurrency. US 422/PA 28 crosses over the Allegheny River and PA 66 joins US 422 and PA 28 on the expressway. At the east end of the expressway, PA 28/PA 66 splits to the north and US 422 becomes a two-lane highway with a center lane. It continues in this way for eighteen miles to where it bypasses Indiana, where it junctions with US 119. The expressway continues for eight miles to where the expressway ends north of Yellow Creek State Park, becoming a two-lane highway. It continues like this for sixteen miles, until just before its terminus at US 219 near Ebensburg.Eastern segment
Dauphin and Lebanon counties
The eastern section of US 422 begins at a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 322 and the eastern terminus of PA 39 east of the borough of Hummelstown in Derry Township, Dauphin County, heading northeast as a four-lane freeway that soon ends and becomes an at-grade divided highway called West Chocolate Avenue. The road passes commercial development along with some farm fields and residential development as it heads into the community of Hershey. The route heads into a mix of homes and businesses and turns east-northeast, where it narrows to a two-lane undivided road. At this point, West Chocolate Avenue becomes lined with street lamps that are shaped like Hershey's Kisses. US 422 continues along West Chocolate Avenue and comes to an intersection with PA 743 at Cocoa Avenue in the center of Hershey. At this point, the route becomes East Chocolate Avenue, a three-lane divided with two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane that passes southeast of the site of the original Hershey Chocolate factory. The road becomes undivided, still with two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane, and passes near a few residences and businesses as it heads between the Hershey Country Club to the north and Spring Creek Golf Course to the south, narrowing to two lanes. US 422 runs past more residential and commercial development, leaving Hershey and heading through the community of Palmdale.US 422 enters the borough of Palmyra in Lebanon County and becomes West Main Street, running past homes and a few businesses. The route heads into the downtown area and the name changes to East Main Street at the Railroad Street intersection. The road runs past residences before it passes through commercial areas and comes to an intersection with the northern terminus of PA 117. US 422 gains a center left-turn lane and continues past businesses, leaving Palmyra for North Londonderry Township and becoming Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The route bends east and passes between businesses to the north and residential development to the south before it heads into farmland and crosses Killinger Creek, where it becomes the border between North Annville Township to the north and South Annville Township to the south as West Main Street. The road heads through agricultural areas with some woods, homes, and businesses, crossing the Quittapahilla Creek into Annville Township. At this point, US 422 heads east as a two-lane road that is lined with homes. In the commercial center of Annville, the route crosses PA 934 and becomes East Main Street, heading south of the Lebanon Valley College campus. The road continues east past residential areas with a few businesses, gaining a center left-turn lane. US 422 heads into the borough of Cleona and becomes West Penn Avenue, heading past homes and commercial establishments. The route becomes East Penn Avenue at the Center Street intersection and runs through more developed areas, becoming the border between Cleona to the north and North Cornwall Township to the south. The road becomes the boundary between North Lebanon Township to the north and North Cornwall Township to the south and the name changes to Cumberland Street. US 422 heads east past businesses and passes to the south of the Lebanon Valley Mall. The route runs along the border between West Lebanon Township to the north and North Cornwall Township to the south as it continues through commercial areas with a few homes.
US 422 enters the city of Lebanon at the 16th Street intersection, where it becomes a four-lane undivided road that passes commercial development and encounters an abandoned railroad line at the north end of the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail. At 12th Street, the route crosses Quittapahilla Creek and splits into a one-way pair following Cumberland Street westbound and Walnut Street eastbound, with each street carrying two lanes of traffic. US 422 continues east past urban rowhouses along with a few businesses, intersecting the southbound direction of PA 72 at 10th Street and the northbound direction of PA 72 at 9th Street. The westbound direction heads through the downtown area of Lebanon, passing south of the Harrisburg Area Community College Lebanon Campus, while the eastbound direction heads through residential areas to the south of downtown. Farther east, US 422 passes urban areas of homes and businesses in the eastern part of Lebanon, with the eastbound direction passing north of WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital. On the eastern border of Lebanon, the route comes to an intersection with the northern terminus of PA 897. At this, westbound US 422 becomes the border between Lebanon to the north and South Lebanon Township to the south, briefly becoming a three-lane divided highway with two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane between PA 897 and North 5th Avenue before becoming a one-way road again, while eastbound US 422 fully enters South Lebanon Township, heading past residential areas in the community of Hebron. Eastbound US 422 turns north and passes businesses, crossing Quittapahilla Creek and rejoining westbound US 422 at East Cumberland Street. At this point, US 422 heads northeast as four-lane undivided East Cumberland Street past businesses, passing through a corner of Lebanon before entering North Lebanon Township and coming to a bridge over Norfolk Southern's Harrisburg Line as it passes north of the community of Avon. The route becomes a three-lane road with a center left-turn lane and runs along the border between North Lebanon Township to the northwest and South Lebanon Township to the southeast, heading through residential areas in the community of Avon Heights. The road heads into a mix of farmland and residential and commercial development. US 422 enters Jackson Township and becomes West Lincoln Avenue, crossing the Tulpehocken Creek and continuing through agricultural areas with some homes and businesses. The route heads into business areas and enters the borough of Myerstown, where it reaches an intersection with the southern terminus of PA 645. The road becomes a four-lane divided highway and crosses PA 501 before becoming East Lincoln Avenue at the Railroad Street intersection. US 422 leaves Myerstown for Jackson Township again and becomes a three-lane road with a center turn lane, heading east through farmland with some commercial development. The road intersects Wintersville Road/Millardsville Road, where it briefly become a divided highway before regaining a center left-turn lane.