My dad (yonchie88) passed away in December 2019, so I've taken over some of his caches. My dad enjoyed caching, and I hope to keep some of his caches active for a while. I no longer live in PA, so any help from other cachers to help with maintenance would be greatly appreciated. - C B
U.S. Route 22 is a west-east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at U.S. 27, U.S. 42, U.S. 127, and U.S. 52 to Newark, New Jersey at U.S. Route 1/9 in the Newark Airport Interchange. U.S. 22 also carries the names of the William Penn Highway throughout most of Pennsylvania. In southwest Ohio, it overlaps with Ohio State Route 3 and is familiarly known as the 3C Highway, "22 and 3", and Montgomery Road. A section of U.S. 22 between New Alexandria at U.S. Route 119 and Harrisburg at Interstate 81 has been designated a part of Corridor M of the Appalachian Development Highway System.
OHIO
In Ohio, U.S. 22 between Zanesville and Lancaster roughly follows the route of Zane's Trace, an early pioneer road blazed by Colonel Ebenezer Zane beginning in 1796. From Cincinnati to Washington Court House, U.S. 22 roughly follows the historic 3C Highway which connected Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. This section is also contiguous with Ohio State Route 3. Both U.S. 22 and State Route 3 end in downtown Cincinnati.
WEST VIRGINIA
Known as the Robert C. Byrd Expressway, the expressway passes for approximately five miles within the state of West Virginia, through or bordering the city of Weirton for its entire length, from the Pennsylvania state line on the east to the Ohio River and Steubenville, Ohio on the west. With the opening of the first segment of the Byrd Expressway in the mid-1970's, U.S. 22 was reassigned, starting on the new road from the PA/WV state line, continuing on Cove Rd. where the expressway ended and joining the remainder of the original route at Main St. The Pennsylvania Ave. segment of U.S. 22 from Colliers way to Main St. was reassigned as WV Route 105 and Alt. U.S. 22was reassigned as WV Route 507. In 2003, WV 507 was extended along the previous U.S. 22 alignment from Cove Rd. to the Fort Steuben Bridge and was reassigned as County Route 507. The Fort Steuben Bridge, which originally carried U.S. 22 across the Ohio River until the construction of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, was permanently closed on January 8, 2009, and demolished by detonation on February 21, 2012.
PENNSYLVANIA
U.S. 22 enters Pennsylvania as a limited-access highway connecting Weirton, West Virginia, and Steubenville, Ohio, with Pittsburgh. Through much of the Pittsburgh area, it multiplexes with Interstate 376 and U.S. 30. U.S. 30 merges with U.S. 22 near Imperial and Pittsburgh International Airport, and both highways then merge with Interstate 376 in Robinson Twp. Together, these three highways form a busy, limited-access multiplex through the city of Pittsburgh. U.S. 30 then splits from Interstate 376 and U.S. 22 in Wilkinsburg, and Interstate 376 ends at the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) in Monroeville. Eas of Interstate 376, U.S. 22 continues east as a primary arterial highway between Pittsburgh and major population centers in central Pennsylvania, such as Johnstown, Altoona, State College, Huntingdon, and Lewistown. The entire length between Pittsburgh and Interstate 99 just west of Altoona was widened to at least four lanes by summer 2011. U.S. 22 between eight miles east of Interstate 81 to Allentown is concurrent with Interstate 78. Former highway alignments of U.S. 22 that parallel this section are collectively known as the "Hex Highway", so called because of the Berks County-based Pennsylvania Dutch families that hang hex signs on their barns. U.S. 22 in eastern Pennsylvania is a four lane limited-access expressway between Easton and Interstate 78 to the west; it is dually designated with the Lehigh Valley Thruway in Allentown. The original designation for this expressway was to be Interstate 78, but local opposition to a freeway in Phillipsburg, along with substandard conditions at Easton, forced federal highway officials to relocate Interstate 78 south of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and Phillipsburg. U.S. 22 then crosses the Delaware River on the Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge.
NEW JERSEY
U.S. 22 in New Jersey predates, and was largely replace by, Interstate 78 as it was built between 1956 and 1989, and shares designation from exit 3 to exit 18. U.S. 22 was an expressway in some segments, including the area around Perryville and Clinton. It connects Phillipsburg with Newark in New Jersey. U.S. 22 has one major interchange besides Interstate 78, that being Interstate 287, although it is not a full interchange, with two missing movements, U.S. 22 eastbound to Interstate 287 northbound and Interstate 287 southbound to U.S. 22 westbound. The only level crossing of the highway happens in Union County in the Union Twp. section of the highway. It once belonged to the Rahway Valley Railroad; the crossing was closed in 1992 when service on the railroad was ended.
HISTORY
U.S. 22 is one of the original U.S. Routes, though in the 1925 plan it was to terminate in Cleveland, Ohio, entering Ohio on modern U.S. Route 422. In the finalized 1926 plan, it the followed the current course to U.S. 40, where it ended. In 1932, it had been extended to Cincinnati as it is currently, replacing Ohio State Route 10 and following preexisting State Route 3.