Philadelphia: early road map?

[usends]

Trying to verify where US 422 ended in Philadelphia from 1927-1935... anyone have access to a map that sheds light? 
(I am aware of the 1930 official that is available on PennDOT's website, but it is not helpful with respect to intra-city highway routings.)

[Alps]

I believe - sorry, no proof, mind you - that once 422 hit 611, it technically continued south to end at Penn Square. At least in its original Ridge Road alignment. The later Germantown Road alignment may and may not have ended at 611.

[jemacedo9]

On the same PennDOT site with the 1930 map, there should be a link to the back of the map...that has the intra-city routings. 

On the 1930 back, US 422 Ridge Pike to Norristown, then Airy St to Germantown Pike/Germantown Ave to Broad St/US 611.

HOWEVER, on the 1940 back, same alignment through Norristown, but short of the Phila City line, US 422 cut back over to Ridge Ave and appears to end at Lincoln Dr which is labeled as US 309.  Then there is a By-pass US 422 on Germantown Ave -> Chew St -> Olney Ave -> Tabor St, then a multiplex on Roosevelt Blvd (labeled By-Pass US 1/13), then on Levick St w/ PA 73, across the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to a probable end at US 130.  Note - I'm not sure why US 1/13 is labeled By-Pass because I can't find the "main" US 1/13.

On the 1950 back, the By-Pass US 422 from 1940 is labeled the main route, and the main route from 1940 is labeled as Alt US 422.  Germantown Ave down to Broad St is labeled as Truck US 309, and By-Pass was taken off of US 1/13.

On the 1960 map, the main US 422 is back on Ridge Ave down to Lincoln Drive, and Alt US 422 is "back" to Germantown Ave, but to Washington Lane then Wayne Ave, ending at Hunting Park Ave (US 1/13).  The Roosevelt Expwy is shown under construction.

On the 1970 and 1980 maps, the main US 422 is back on Germantown Ave and follows the 1960 Alt routing.  Alt US 422 is not listed on the map.  Up in Norristown, US 422 is completely on Germantown Pike, and does not go through Norristown borough.

[usends]

On the same PennDOT site with the 1930 map, there should be a link to the back of the map...that has the intra-city routings. 
On the 1930 back, US 422 Ridge Pike to Norristown, then Airy St to Germantown Pike/Germantown Ave to Broad St/US 611.

Thanks for your research.  These Philly insets are the ones I was referring to when I said they don't help with intra-city routes, particularly the 1930 inset.  I overstated that a bit, because it's true that both 422 and 309 are labeled and shown as thicker lines... but only to the Chestnut Hill area.  Beyond there, the lines get thinner, and they're not labeled, so I see at least three possibilities:
- One or both routes could follow Stenton Av to Broad (and we know from later insets that 309 did that eventually).
- One or both routes could follow Germantown Av to Broad.
- One or both routes could follow Allens Lane - Lincoln Drive - Ridge Av to Broad (and we know from later insets that both routes made it at least as far as Lincoln and Ridge).

Have you seen another map that confirms 422 used the Germantown to Broad alignment?

[usends]

I believe - sorry, no proof, mind you - that once 422 hit 611, it technically continued south to end at Penn Square. At least in its original Ridge Road alignment. The later Germantown Road alignment may and may not have ended at 611.

But are you pretty certain that 422 originally followed Ridge Av to Broad?  Looking at the 1930 Philly inset, that is a possibility, but there are other possibilities too (see my adjacent post).

[VTGoose]

Trying to verify where US 422 ended in Philadelphia from 1927-1935... anyone have access to a map that sheds light? 
(I am aware of the 1930 official that is available on PennDOT's website, but it is not helpful with respect to intra-city highway routings.)

Try the Automobile Blue Book collection here: https://archive.org/details/newberry?sort=-publicdate&and%5B0%5D=blue+automobile  It may or may not have the info you are looking for.

[jemacedo9]

On the same PennDOT site with the 1930 map, there should be a link to the back of the map...that has the intra-city routings. 
On the 1930 back, US 422 Ridge Pike to Norristown, then Airy St to Germantown Pike/Germantown Ave to Broad St/US 611.

Thanks for your research.  These Philly insets are the ones I was referring to when I said they don't help with intra-city routes, particularly the 1930 inset.  I overstated that a bit, because it's true that both 422 and 309 are labeled and shown as thicker lines... but only to the Chestnut Hill area.  Beyond there, the lines get thinner, and they're not labeled, so I see at least three possibilities:
- One or both routes could follow Stenton Av to Broad (and we know from later insets that 309 did that eventually).
- One or both routes could follow Germantown Av to Broad.
- One or both routes could follow Allens Lane - Lincoln Drive - Ridge Av to Broad (and we know from later insets that both routes made it at least as far as Lincoln and Ridge).

Have you seen another map that confirms 422 used the Germantown to Broad alignment?

No...you caught me in an assumption based off of inaccurate memory.  I thought US 422 stayed on Germantown to Broad in the 80s...but I forgot about the jog over to Wayne Ave.  So...I think your three possibilities are legit possibilities, but I don't know how to verify one over the others.

[NE2]

Keep in mind that the state did not maintain any Philadelphia streets until 1937, so anything before then was probably city-posted (if at all) and easily rerouted.

Try the Automobile Blue Book collection

The latest they have is 1921, thanks to Disney.

The 1927 Blue Book and 1929 Rand McNally are pretty much useless. But compare to the 1930 Rand McNally - the US 422 shield at the edge was removed, meaning maybe this is when it was moved from Ridge to Germantown (if Rand McNally can be trusted - a 1928 map already shows it on Germantown); the 1930 vicinity map appears to show it on Stenton to Broad.

Note that by 1923 the state highway east out of Norristown was on Germantown. So if US 422 used Ridge, it was county (not township!) maintained east of Norristown.

[usends]

Keep in mind that the state did not maintain any Philadelphia streets until 1937, so anything before then was probably city-posted (if at all) and easily rerouted.

Hmm, was Philly the only PA city in which routes were not state-maintained?  If so, I wonder if that would explain why, on that PennDOT 1930 Philly inset, the thicker lines indicating highway routes are not carried through the city limits.  All of the other insets on that page more clearly emphasized the routes through the cities.

For those who wish to follow along, I'm referring to the 1930 "Back" map on this page: http://www.penndot.gov/ProjectAndPrograms/Planning/Maps/Pages/Historic-Transportation-Maps.aspx

[NE2]

Hmm, was Philly the only PA city in which routes were not state-maintained?

No; all other (legally defined) cities maintained their own streets until 1931.

[Alex]

The oldest map I have covering Philadelphia is from 1929. The US routes are hardly labeled, but maybe it will help:

[Avalanchez71]

The current map doesn't look much different save the interstate system.

[ixnay]

The oldest map I have covering Philadelphia is from 1929. The US routes are hardly labeled, but maybe it will help:

Wow, Cottman Ave. was Cottman *Street* back in 1929.  And Castor Ave. was Castor *Road*.  And City Line Ave. (now City Ave., though I've always thought of it as City Line) already existed in '29.  I've always wondered when City Line was built;  Wiki hasn't been helpful there.

ixnay