PennDOT internally considers US 422 to be continuous

[NE2]

ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/Bureaus/BOMO/RM/RITS/Annual%20Electronic%20SLDs%20by%20County/District%208/Perry%20Co.%20No%20Pipes.pdf - note "SR 422" listed on page 2, with a blank SLD on page 192 (identical to page 193 for US 322).

[Alps]

Both 422's are SR 0422 I believe, so that makes sense in a way. Now, are both PA 29s SR 0029? That I don't know offhand. If so, maybe that one's continuous as well.

[NE2]

Now, are both PA 29s SR 0029? That I don't know offhand. If so, maybe that one's continuous as well.

Good idea, and no, they don't connect. Neither Carbon, Monroe, nor Skook has SR 29 listed: ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/Bureaus/BOMO/RM/RITS/Annual%20Electronic%20SLDs%20by%20County/District%205/

[silverback1065]

Why isn't us 422 continuous? Is this the only us route that isn't (I know 2 is but that's because of the Canadian border)

[ekt8750]

Something about a super long concurrency with US22 and 322.

And generally AASHTO frowns upon two routes with the same number.

[NE2]

Why isn't us 422 continuous? Is this the only us route that isn't (I know 2 is but that's because of the Canadian border)

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us22.cfm
In short: PA wanted the U.S. Routes to match the auto trails as much as possible. AASHO had assigned 422-22-120 to the Benjamin Franklin Highway. PA got AASHO to change 120 east of Reading (which was on US 22 back then) to 422. AASHO balked at a long overlap between Ebensburg and Reading, but was for unknown reasons perfectly OK with a gap in US 422.

(Note that at this time, 322 ended at Water Street, and was uninvolved.)

[sbeaver44]

Thank you for finding this.  This is something I've always wondered, since I noticed that PennDot puts mile markers towards the eastern end of US 422 (the Valley Forge area) that are something like Mile 191*.  Obviously, that is too far to be Hershey.

So, would the route follow US 322, then US 22, and then perhaps US 219?  Or might it go through Ebensburg?

(*PennDOT is not always known for putting accurate mile markers - see the alternating US 22/US 322 200.0-198.0 mile markers just west of the I-81 interchange)

[silverback1065]

are there end signs posted at either end of the gap?

[Alps]

are there end signs posted at either end of the gap?

I don't believe so. I'm not sure if any of the three ends have END signs.

[dave19]

So, would the route follow US 322, then US 22, and then perhaps US 219?  Or might it go through Ebensburg?

Regarding Ebensburg: US 22 used to go through downtown Ebensburg before the bypass was built in the early 60's. 422 branched off on the west side of town (near Bishop Carroll HS). After the 22 bypass was built, 422 was extended east through town along High Street on the former alignment of 22. It met 22 at the eastern end of the bypass. I remember seeing a big sign there when I was a kid that said US 422 EAST FOLLOW US 22-322 TO HERSHEY. I don't know when that particular sign disappeared; my guess is that it was probably deemed unnecessary after the interstate system highways were built and 422 was no longer a major route from Philadelphia to Cleveland.

Some time after the 219 bypass was completed west of Ebensburg, 422 was truncated at the interchange of the two routes.

[dave19]

are there end signs posted at either end of the gap?

If we're talking about 422 and not PA 29, there's an end sign at the interchange with US 219 west of Ebensburg. It's right at the 219 overpass.

Last time I was out to Hershey, there also was an end sign where it meets 322.

[rickmastfan67]

There is an 'END US-422' shield @ US-219.
http://goo.gl/maps/QSyj0

[briantroutman]

There is an 'END US-422' shield @ US-219.
http://goo.gl/maps/QSyj0

Interesting. I don't recall passing through Ebensburg but always assumed that 422 followed High Street through the center of town (as Google Maps suggests) and terminated at US 22. But PennDOT's Type 10 Map of Cambria County shows the section of the Ben Franklin Highway and High Street east of US 219 to be SRs 1036 and 4031 instead. Street View shows that US 22 to 422 westbound traffic is directed to follow the US 22 bypass of town and then exit north onto US 219.

[PHLBOS]

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us22.cfm
In short: PA wanted the U.S. Routes to match the auto trails as much as possible. AASHO had assigned 422-22-120 to the Benjamin Franklin Highway. PA got AASHO to change 120 east of Reading (which was on US 22 back then) to 422. AASHO balked at a long overlap between Ebensburg and Reading, but was for unknown reasons perfectly OK with a gap in US 422.

(Note that at this time, 322 ended at Water Street, and was uninvolved.)

Fictional territory here, but wouldn't 622 been a better choice for the eastern stretch of 422 (thereby eliminating the long internal overlap)?

[usends]

are there end signs posted at either end of the gap?

If we're talking about 422 and not PA 29, there's an end sign at the interchange with US 219 west of Ebensburg. It's right at the 219 overpass.
Last time I was out to Hershey, there also was an end sign where it meets 322.

That's correct, there are still "End" signs in both Hershey and Ebensburg, so if PennDOT considers the two segments to be connected, they are keeping that info a secret from the general public.
http://usends.com/20-29/422_E/422_E.html
http://usends.com/20-29/422_W/422_W.html

[mrsman]

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us22.cfm
In short: PA wanted the U.S. Routes to match the auto trails as much as possible. AASHO had assigned 422-22-120 to the Benjamin Franklin Highway. PA got AASHO to change 120 east of Reading (which was on US 22 back then) to 422. AASHO balked at a long overlap between Ebensburg and Reading, but was for unknown reasons perfectly OK with a gap in US 422.

(Note that at this time, 322 ended at Water Street, and was uninvolved.)

Fictional territory here, but wouldn't 622 been a better choice for the eastern stretch of 422 (thereby eliminating the long internal overlap)?

No, for two reasons.  First, the US highway numbering system isn't equivalent to the Interstate numbering system.  A 3dus is typically numbered as a spur route off of the main route, but the numbers do not repeat and they get bigger from east to west.  The clearest examples are along US 30, with US 130 in NJ and US 730 and former 830 in Oregon and Washington.

Second, the eastern US 422 is all in one state.  It should be renumbered to a state highway.

[PHLBOS]

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us22.cfm
In short: PA wanted the U.S. Routes to match the auto trails as much as possible. AASHO had assigned 422-22-120 to the Benjamin Franklin Highway. PA got AASHO to change 120 east of Reading (which was on US 22 back then) to 422. AASHO balked at a long overlap between Ebensburg and Reading, but was for unknown reasons perfectly OK with a gap in US 422.

(Note that at this time, 322 ended at Water Street, and was uninvolved.)

Fictional territory here, but wouldn't 622 been a better choice for the eastern stretch of 422 (thereby eliminating the long internal overlap)?

Second, the eastern US 422 is all in one state.  It should be renumbered to a state highway.

Okay, then the eastern stretch of 422 can be redesignated as either a revived US 122 or PA 122 or 622 then. 

BTW, US 130 is also only in one state (NJ).

[Alps]

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us22.cfm
In short: PA wanted the U.S. Routes to match the auto trails as much as possible. AASHO had assigned 422-22-120 to the Benjamin Franklin Highway. PA got AASHO to change 120 east of Reading (which was on US 22 back then) to 422. AASHO balked at a long overlap between Ebensburg and Reading, but was for unknown reasons perfectly OK with a gap in US 422.

(Note that at this time, 322 ended at Water Street, and was uninvolved.)

Fictional territory here, but wouldn't 622 been a better choice for the eastern stretch of 422 (thereby eliminating the long internal overlap)?

Second, the eastern US 422 is all in one state.  It should be renumbered to a state highway.

Okay, then the eastern stretch of 422 can be redesignated as either a revived US 122 or PA 122 or 622 then. 

BTW, US 130 is also only in one state (NJ).

So is US 46. The difference is that those two highways at least have their own numbers, whereas eastern 422 is a duplicate (in theory). I still think 46 should be a state route and 130 should be an extension of 301.