Pennsylvania Route 222
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North end | PA 145 in Allentown | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Pennsylvania | |
Counties | Lehigh | |
Highway system | ||
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Pennsylvania Route 222 (PA 222) is a 4.482 mi (7.213 km)-long state highway located in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs in the Lehigh Valley region in eastern Pennsylvania.
Most of the route runs along Hamilton Boulevard. In Center City Allentown, the route is aligned along West Hamilton, West Linden, and West Walnut Streets. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 78 (I-78) and PA 309 in Dorneyville, where the roadway changes designation from PA 222 to U.S. Route 222 (US 222). The northern terminus is PA 145 in Allentown.
Since the city's founding in the 18th century, Hamilton Street was among the first streets constructed in the city and served as the main street in Center City Allentown. Hamilton Street and Hamilton Boulevard became part of the William Penn Highway in 1916, PA 3 in 1924, and US 22 in 1926. In 1931, US 22 was routed to a new alignment to the north, and Hamilton Boulevard and Hamilton Street west of 15th Street became a part of US 222. In the 1950s, US 222 was rerouted to bypass Allentown, leaving Hamilton Boulevard and Hamilton Street through the city unnumbered.
In 1984, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) proposed extending US 222 from I-78/PA 309 to Center City Allentown, where it would end at PA 145. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) rejected extending US 222 into Allentown, and PA 222 was instead designated to run between I-78/PA 309 and US 222 and PA 145 in 1991.
Route description
PA 222 begins at an interchange with
To the east, the road intersects Cedar Crest Boulevard, a major north–south arterial in the Lehigh Valley area. The Da Vinci Science Center is located at the northeast corner of PA 222 southbound and Cedar Crest Boulevard on the campus of Cedar Crest College.[3][4]
Northeast of Cedar Crest Boulevard, the two carriageways merge onto Hamilton Boulevard, with a U-turn ramp from the northbound direction to the southbound direction at the merge, as it passes to the south of Cedar Crest College. At this point, PA 222 leaves South Whitehall Township for Allentown. The route becomes a four-lane undivided road and passes through residential areas. At the intersection with Ott Street, PA 222 curves east onto Hamilton Street and runs along the southern edge of Cedar Creek Park, where it intersects 24th Street. The road continues east through residential and commercial areas, narrowing to three lanes with two northbound lanes and one southbound lane at the 20th Street intersection. The route passes to the north of St. Luke's Hospital–Allentown Campus between 18th and 17th streets and comes to an intersection with 15th Street.[3][4]
PA 222 heads into Center City Allentown, where it splits into a one-way pair at 12th Street. Northbound PA 222 turns south onto 12th Street and east onto Walnut Street while southbound PA 222 runs west along Linden Street to 12th Street, following 12th Street south to Hamilton Street. Walnut Street is two lanes and two-way until 10th Street, where it becomes one-way with two northbound lanes heading east, while Linden Street is one way southbound with two lanes heading west. The one-way paring continues east past homes and businesses in the downtown area. Southbound PA 222 passes to the north of the PPL Center sports arena, where the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League play, between 8th and 7th streets. PA 222 intersects 7th Street, which carries southbound PA 145, before it reaches its northern terminus at 6th Street, which carries northbound PA 145. The Allentown Transportation Center serving LANta buses is located north of Linden Street between 7th and 6th streets.[3][4]
History
From the establishment of
20th century
Following an economic depression in the late 19th century, Allentown rebounded briefly in the early 20th century, establishing many shopping stores along Hamilton Street, the commercial center of the city, which hosted the annual Workhorse Parade, was a popular attraction in the 1910s.[5]
When the Sproul Road Bill's adoption on May 31, 1911,[6] the state began maintenance over state highways. One of those highways was Legislative Route 157, the modern Hamilton Boulevard section of PA 222, west of Allentown. Another state highway was Legislative Route 159, aligned east of Allentown to downtown Bethlehem along Hanover Avenue and Broad Street. No routes had a designation within Allentown.[7][8]
In 1916, the
On June 8, 1931, the
In the late 1950s, US 222 was realigned to a newly constructed bypass carrying
In 1984,
Major intersections
The entire route is in Lehigh County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exit 54 (I-78/PA 309); southern terminus; northern terminus of US 222; to I-476 | |||||
Allentown | 4.342 | 6.988 | PA 145 south (7th Street) – Quakertown | ||
4.482 | 7.213 | PA 145 north (6th Street) – Whitehall | Northern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
- U.S. Roads portal
- Pennsylvania portal
References
- ^ a b Bureau of Maintenance and Operations (January 2015). Roadway Management System Straight Line Diagrams (Report) (2015 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- Lehigh County (PDF)
- ^ a b "Routes 222, 145 Hookup Approved PENNDOT Signs Along Hamilton Will Lead To 7th St. CROSSING". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. July 10, 1991. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
- ^ a b c Google (December 13, 2014). "overview of Pennsylvania Route 222" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ a b c Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Highway Map (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ISBN 0-7385-0996-5.
- ^ "Department of Highways". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ 1911 state Map, showing the early state highways (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ a b "William Penn Highway: US 22 in Pennsylvania". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- ^ ISBN 0-8117-2878-1.
- ^ 1930 state map, front side (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- ^ 1941 Lehigh County Map (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ 1940 state map, back side (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- ^ National Bridge Inventory, a database compiled by the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, available at nationalbridges.com Archived 2013-10-31 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 2007-06-26.
- ^ 1970 state map, back side (PDF) (Map). Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- ^ 1980 state map, back side (PDF) (Map). PennDOT. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
- ^ Mellin, Ted (1984-07-31). "Route 145 Extension Through The City Receives Backing". The Morning Call. pp. B03. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (June 4, 1990). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
External links