U.S. Route 522 is a
spur route of
U.S.
Route 22 in the eastern United States
. The southern terminus of the route is at
U.S. Route 60 in
Powhatan,
Virginia
. The northern terminus is at
U.S. Route 11 and
U.S. Route 15 in
Selinsgrove,
Pennsylvania
. US 522 passes through the states of Virginia
, West Virginia
, Maryland
, and
Pennsylvania
.
Route description
Virginia
U.S. 522 begins at U.S. 60 north of Powhatan, then passes through
Goochland, Gum Spring, Cuckoo, Mineral, Culpeper, Sperryville,
Washington, Front Royal, and Winchester before passing into West
Virginia en route to Maryland and Pennsylvania.
West Virginia
U.S.
522
travels through Morgan County
in West Virginia for about .
The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) has now selected a
Preferred Alternative for the US 522 project. In general terms, the
route runs parallel to -- and east of -- the existing Route 522 for
approximately from the Maryland state line to the Virginia state
line. It will be, for most of its length, within of the current
522. In the vicinity of the proposed Ridge Historic District,
however, the alignment extends farther away to avoid impacting
either that site or the adjacent fish hatchery.
Also, immediately
south of Berkeley Springs
, the projected route would veer further east to
avoid the downtown area.
Maryland
U.S. Route 522 crosses into Maryland from the West Virginia state
line on a bridge over the Potomac River. Upon crossing the river,
Route 522 crosses through the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National
Historic Park, which surrounds the highway with trees. The
first intersection along the highway in Maryland is for Berm Road
and Canal Street, both which serve the local park.
After an intersection
with South Street, Route 522 turns to the north and enters Hancock
, a town in Washington County.
In Hancock, the highway intersects with
Maryland Route 144, known locally as West
Main Street. The route then continues into downtown Hancock, where
the development rises and intersects with High Street. Limestone
Road begins to parallel to the east, but the local road quickly
terminates in the middle of woods in
Myersdale. In Myersdale, Route 522 heads
onto an local onramp and becomes concurrent with
Interstate 70 and
U.S. Route 40 along the
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway.
After the highway merges into I-70 and U.S.
Route 40, the route
parallels a former alignment of Maryland Route 523, which paralleled the
highways to the Pennsylvania border. The three highways make a curve to
the north, interchanging with
Interstate
68, where U.S. Route 40 turns off the alignment. Route 522 and
Interstate 70 continue northward through a small, undeveloped
valley, where the highways cross the state border into
Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania
U.S.
522
begins at Selinsgrove at an intersection with U.S. 11 & U.S.
15.
It
passes through the towns of Middleburg
, Beavertown
, Beaver Springs
, and McClure
before reaching Lewistown
, where it begins a concurrency with U.S. 22.
It remains concurrent with U.S.
22 to Mount Union
where it continues south through the towns of
Shirleysburg
, Orbisonia
, Shade Gap
, Burnt Cabins
, and Fort
Littleton. At Fort Littleton, the
Pennsylvania Turnpike has an
intersection with U.S. 522.
It then continues south to pass through the
towns of McConnellsburg
, Webster
Mills, Needmore, and
Warfordsburg
, before beginning a concurrency with Interstate 70, and then crossing into
Maryland.
History
US 522
was created in 1926 and signed from Lewistown to Selinsgrove in Pennsylvania. A year later, US 522 was extended south to
Hancock,
Maryland along its current alignment. The portion
from
U.S. Route 40 in Hancock to
U.S. Route 22 in
Mount Union,
Pennsylvania was previously U.S.
Route 622 from 1925 to 1927. The designation,
shown on the 1925
U.S. Highway System plan, may not have been
signed.
Major intersections
Maryland
References
Wikis
Map
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