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US 422 (western segment) | US 422 ALT | US 422 Bus | US 422 Byp
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US 422 eastern segment at US Ends.com
Photo: US 422 on a characteristic light pole in Hershey PA (GMSV 2011)
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| ROUTE LOG |
US 322: 0 - 0 US 422 Bus Wyomissing: 40.4 - 40.4 US 222 SB: 0.4 - 40.8 US 222 NB: 1.8 - 42.6 US 422 Bus Reading: 1.7 - 44.3 US 222 Bus: 0.9 - 45.2 I-176 (Exit 11): 2.5 - 47.7 US 422 Bus: 1.9 - 49.6 US 202: 33.3 - 82.9
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Creation: Appeared June 1927 as a renumbering of US 120 from US 22 Reading PA to US 1-13 (now PA 611) Philadelphia. Pennsylvania was insistent upon this designation because they wanted the Ben Franklin Hwy to have one number. AASHO informed them that it would not be possible to replace US 22 from Ebensburg to Reading but agreed to have a discontinuous US 422. By this point Pennsylvania had been so hard-nosed about designations and kept threatening to not sign US routes that AASHO was ready to grant them just about anything, including a discontinuous US 422.
| It is unclear whether US 422 ended in Reading where it met US 22 (9th and Penn) or whether it followed US 22 to Penn Square. On the other end, pinpointing Philadelphia endpoints is greatly complicated by the fact that 1920s-30s map did not show where the US routes went and the city didn't post them until 1931. There is a photo that suggests US 422 and US 309 initially ended at City Hall where US 1-13 definitely went and possibly US 611.
 1927 RMcN
 1928 Official Adjustments: In June 1931 (AASHO), US 422 was extended west to Harrisburg, replacing US 22 which was given a direct routing from Harrisburg to Allentown. US 422 ended at Front/Market intersection, where US 11, US 15, US 22, US 230, US 322, and US 422 all intersected at one point.
 1933 Texaco Between 1931-33, US 422 was moved from Perkiomen Ave to Mineral Spring Rd from eastern Reading to Mt. Penn.
It is very difficult to pin down US 422 route changes within Philadelphia. But by about 1934 it appears US 422 was rerouted in Philadelphia to use Germantown Ave to US 611 (now PA 611) Broad St. It is unclear if US 422 continued down Broad to City Hall. The old, original route appears to have remained US 309, leaving Germantown Ave at Allens Ln, then Lincoln Dr to Ridge Ave, then Kelly Dr to Ben Franklin Pkwy which used to make it to City Hall.
By the late 1930s, the highway west out of Hershey was rerouted to stay on Old West Chocolate Ave west past today's PA 39, then south on abandoned alighnment under the RR to Walton Ave. The old route used Mae St to Walton Ave. It is possible this occurred when the route was still US 22. Around 1935, US 422 was rerouted at Barren Hill to use Ridge Ave into Philadelphia to end at US 1-13 Bypass (now US 1) City Ave. The previous routing became US 422 Bypass into Philadelphia to Mt AiryAve, then unnumbered Germantown Ave from there to Broad St. About 1938, US 422 was rerouted in Harrisburg to use Paxton St to Front St to end at Market. The old route became part of PA 14. Today this is Derry St through Paxtang, then 40th St south back to the I-83 ROW.
Also about 1938, US 422 was removed from Tulpehocken Rd through Millardsville. Also about 1938, US 422 was given one way splits through Baumstown (WB was new construction) and removed from nearby Monocacy Creek Rd Also about 1938, US 422 was given one way splits through Douglassville (WB was new construction) and removed from abandoned/Old Philadelphia Pike/abandoned from Douglassville to Stowe. About 1942, US 422 was removed from Old Cumberland St east of Lebanon. In 1945 or 1946, US 422 was rerouted in Philadelphia, replacing US 422 Bypass from Barren Hill across northern Philadelphia to the Palmyra-Tacony Bridge. The old route down Ridge Ave became US 422 ALT.
 1950 Official About 1947, US 422 was removed from Main Ave through Meyerstown; also removed from Old West Penn Ave east of Robesonia. Between 1940-48, US 422 was removed from both Hallowell Rd segments, plus a little Germantown Pike east of Norristown. About 1949, US 422 was removed from Main St through Stouchsburg and High St through Womelsdorf. Between 1951-53, US 422 was given one way splits from eastern Reading to Mt. Penn. WB used Mineral Spring Rd, while EB began using Perkiomen Ave.
 1960 Official About 1955, US 422 and US 422 ALT basically swapped routes below Barren Hill, crossing over on a brief overlay using Church Rd. US 422 returned to the Ridge Ave route into Philadelphia, which no longer connected to City ASAve but instead curled around onto Allegheny Ave to end at US US 1-13 Hunting Park Ave. The previous route across northern Philadelphia became US 422 ALT, but only to Mt Airy Ave. US 422's routing from there became Mt Airy Ave; Chew St; Olney Ave; 7th St; Tabor St; C St; US 1-13 Roosevelt Blvd; Levick St (now PA 73).
 1960 Official In June 1956 (AASHTO), US 422 was given a southern bypass of Hummelstown, leaving behind Bridge St and Main St through town; Walton Ave to an abandoned alignment just west of PA 39 where it turned north to cross the RR, then east directly to Old West Chocolate Ave to Hershey. US 422 was also removed from the nearby Witmer Rd/Grayson Rd loop. In July 1957, AASHTO deferred allowing Pennsylvania to truncate US 422 west to the US 322 split at Hummelstown. About 1960, US 422 was given one-way splits in Lebanon. WB continued to use the original route on Cumberland St. EB used 10th St/Walnut St/Lincoln Ave. In November 1960 (AASHO), US 422 west was truncated to US 322 Hummelstown. The old route to Harrisburg remained US 322 (this is now Front St/Paxton St/I-83 ROW/Paxton St to Rupp Hill Rd, then still US 322).
In late 1960, US 422 was removed from Ridge Ave/Allegheny Ave (became unnumbered) in Philadelphia and instead replaced part of US 422 ALT by using Germantown Pike into Philadelphia, then Washington Ln and Wayne Ave to US 13 Hunting Park Ave.
 1970 Official In December 1962 (AASHO), US 422 was given its bypass around the south of Reading and the north of Wyomissing/West Reading. The old route became US 422 Business.
 1966 Berks County In July 1966 (AASHO), US 422 was given its bypass around the south of Pottstown. The old route became High St through town. About 1966, US 422 was given a bypass around the north of Norristown by using Germantown Pike to Collegeville. The old route became Ridge Pike through Eagleville; Main St into Norristown; Airy St through Norristown; Sandy Hill Rd east of Norristown. Between 1961-69, the EB split in Lebanon changed to 12th St/Walnut St/Lincoln Ave. In May 1984 (AASHTO), US 422 was routed onto new freeway from the east end of the Pottstown bypass southeast to US 202 at King of Prussia. This left behind a bit of Evergreen Rd; Ridge Pike through Limerick; Main St through Trappe and Collegeville; Germantown Pike/Ave into Philadelphia; Washington Ln and Wayne Ave to US 13 Hunting Park Ave.
Between 1991-97, the EB split in Lebanon was changed to 16th St/Walnut/PA 897 5th Ave. Between 1998-2002, the EB split in Lebanon changed to 12th St/Walnut/8th Ave Comments: US 422 between Hershey and Reading is an absolute slog. | |||||||||||||||
Hummelstown, PA
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US 422 western segment at US Ends.com
Page last modified 13 April 2026