Western segment edit

Ohio edit

The western section of US 422 begins at US 6 and US 20 at the center of Cleveland's Public Square in the downtown district. US 422 and SR 14, which shares its western terminus with that of US 422, form a concurrency as the roadway heads south from the square. Less than a mile from the Public Square, US 422 and SR 14 intersect the Cleveland Innerbelt, the confluence of Interstate 90 (I-90) and the northern termini of I-71 and I-77. US 422 and SR 14 split at the interchange as SR 14 turns south to join SR 43. SR 8 begins at the eastern terminus of the US 422/SR 14 overlap, forming a concurrency with US 422 along Woodland Avenue.[1][2]

US 422 runs easterly along Woodland Avenue and Kinsman Road, through the Kinsman neighborhood. As it crosses Cleveland's city limits just west of Lee Road in Shaker Heights, the street name changes to Chagrin Boulevard, named for the Chagrin River and Chagrin Falls (the eastern terminus of the boulevard) in Cleveland's eastern suburbs. Today, US 422 in Shaker Heights and Beachwood, where it now merges with I-271, is almost a linear edge city, with millions of square feet in office space centered on this corridor. It is one of the busiest streets in Cuyahoga County and Greater Cleveland. It serves as the primary commercial district for the wealthiest pocket of communities in Northeast Ohio.[1][2]

 
The US 422 freeway west of the SR 44 interchange in Auburn Township

At Northfield Road, SR 8 turns to the south, leaving US 422 to continue east along Chagrin Boulevard. Two miles east of SR 8 in Beachwood, US 422 intersects SR 87 and SR 175, running concurrent with the former for two blocks to I-271 exit 29. Here, US 422 departs SR 87 and Chagrin Boulevard at the southbound ramp to I-271 and joins the expressway southward for 2.5 miles (4.0 km). At Exit 27, US 422 splits from I-271 and proceeds through the eastern suburbs of Cleveland as a limited-access highway, exiting Cuyahoga County and entering Geauga County.[1][2]

In Auburn Township, US 422 returns to grade-level upon crossing the LaDue Reservoir. The route continues to the southeast, cutting through northeast Portage County and then entering Trumbull County, where US 422 runs through the center of Warren and Girard. The section from downtown Warren to SR 46 is known as "The Strip" and is lined with shopping centers, fast-food restaurants and other retail establishments, including the Eastwood Mall. In the 1960s and 1970s, nightclubs along The Strip attracted top-name entertainers.[1][2]

Farther southeast, US 422 enters Youngstown and Mahoning County before entering Pennsylvania.[1][2]

Pennsylvania edit

 
US 422 eastbound past US 422 Bus. east of New Castle, PA

US 422 enters Pennsylvania eight miles (13 km) northwest of New Castle. Three miles northwest of New Castle the route spurs off to bypass New Castle running along with I-376. I-376 spurs off and becomes a toll road, while US 422 continues onward to where it becomes a two lane road with a center lane three miles southwest of New Castle. The route continues to the east where it meets with US 19 and adjacent I-79. The road becomes an expressway again after its intersection with I-79 through Moraine State Park. The expressway ends just north of Prospect by the Big Butler Fairgrounds. It proceeds further for four miles to where it becomes an expressway bypassing Butler, and ending in East Butler. It continues on for fifteen miles, becoming an expressway again to bypass Kittanning, where it meets with the Allegheny Valley Expressway (PA 28) at the northern terminus of that expressway. At this point, PA 28 joins US 422 in a concurrency. US 422/PA 28 crosses over the Allegheny River and PA 66 joins US 422 and PA 28 on the expressway. At the east end of the expressway, PA 28/PA 66 splits to the north and US 422 becomes a two-lane highway with a center lane. It continues in this way for eighteen miles to where it bypasses Indiana, where it junctions with US 119. The expressway continues for eight miles to where the expressway ends north of Yellow Creek State Park, becoming a two-lane highway. It continues like this for sixteen miles, until just before its terminus at US 219 near Ebensburg.[1][3]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Google (October 22, 2022). "Overview of U.S. Route 422 Western Section" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Ohio Department of Transportation (2019). Official Ohio Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). c. 1:570,240. Columbus: Ohio Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  3. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (2022). Tourism and Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). 1:475,200. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 1, 2022.