U.S. Route 522 in Maryland
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 522 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Powhatan, Virginia
to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
. In Maryland
, it runs 2.35 miles (3.8 km) from the West Virginia
state line at the Potomac River
north to the Pennsylvania
state line within Hancock
in western Washington County
. US 522 crosses Maryland at its narrowest north–south point, meeting Maryland Route 144
(MD 144), Interstate 70
(I-70), US 40
, and I-68
before entering Pennsylvania concurrent
with I-70. It is part of the National Highway System
for its entire length in Maryland.
Warfordsburg Road from US 40 (now MD 144) north to Pennsylvania was paved around 1920 and designated US 522 in the late 1920s. US 522 was extended south into West Virginia shortly after a new bridge was completed over the Potomac River in the late 1930s. It was moved onto I-70 north of Hancock when the Interstate highway was completed in the area in the mid 1960s.
's Cumberland Subdivision
and intersects a road to Potomac Airpark. The bridge crosses the state line on the south bank of the Potomac River, then continues above the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
, Berm Road, the Western Maryland Rail Trail
, and South Street before the bridge ends. Southbound US 522 receives a two-way ramp (unsigned US 522B) from MD 144 (Main Street) before bridging MD 144, Little Tonoloway Creek, and Limestone Road, which is unsigned MD 894. It becomes a divided highway immediately before northbound US 522 has a right-in/right-out
interchange with High Street (unsigned US 522C), which leads to MD 144 via Virginia Avenue. Southbound US 522 has an exit ramp to Limestone Road used to access MD 144. US 522 meets I-70 and US 40 (Eisenhower Memorial Highway) at a three-level directional interchange where US 522 becomes concurrent with the two other highways. Immediately to the north, I-70 and US 522 meet the eastern terminus of I-68 and US 40 (National Freeway) at another three-level directional interchange. Southbound US 522 exits I-70 via a left exit (unsigned US 522A) prior to US 40 joining eastbound I-70, so southbound US 522 does not have a concurrency with US 40. I-70 and US 522 continue north as a four-lane freeway to the Pennsylvania state line.
. Another proposed number for the highway may have been US 11W, which appears marked on Warfordsburg Road on official Maryland maps in 1927 and 1928. By 1930, the highway was marked as US 522. The March 1936 flooding of the Potomac River destroyed the pre-existing bridge over the river at Church Street. A temporary timber trestle was constructed while a new bridge was planned at the western edge of the town of Hancock. The new bridge and approach roads were completed in 1939. US 522 was extended south of Hancock by 1946. US 522 was moved from Warfordsburg Road to a concurrency with I-70 when the Interstate highway and the associated directional interchanges were completed in 1965.
in Washington County
.
{| class=wikitable
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus of US 522 in Maryland; West Virginia
state line at Potomac River
|-
|0.39
|To
|Southbound right-in/right-out interchange; two-way ramp is unsigned US 522B
|-
|0.57
|High Street to
|Northbound right-in/right-out interchange; High Street is unsigned US 522C
|-
|0.65
|Limestone Road to
|Southbound exit ramp; Limestone Road is unsigned MD 894
|-
|1.19
|
|Southern end of concurrency with I-70 and US 40; ramp from eastbound I-70 to southbound US 522 is unsigned US 522A
|-
|1.72
|
|Northern end of concurrency with US 40
|-
|2.35
|
|Northern terminus of US 522 in Maryland; Pennsylvania
state line
Powhatan, Virginia
Powhatan is an unincorporated community in and the county seat of Powhatan County, Virginia, United States. Powhatan was initially known as Scottville for a brief time, and historically has also been known as Powhatan Court House and Powhatan Courthouse...
to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
Selinsgrove is a borough in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1787 by Captain Anthony Selin, who fought with Washington in the Revolutionary War....
. In Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, it runs 2.35 miles (3.8 km) from the West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
state line at the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
north to the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state line within Hancock
Hancock, Maryland
Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state...
in western Washington County
Washington County, Maryland
Washington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering southern Pennsylvania to the north, northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. As of the 2010 Census, its population is 147,430...
. US 522 crosses Maryland at its narrowest north–south point, meeting Maryland Route 144
Maryland Route 144
Maryland Route 144 is a collection of state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. These highways are sections of old alignment of U.S. Route 40 between Cumberland and Baltimore...
(MD 144), Interstate 70
Interstate 70 in Maryland
Interstate 70 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Cove Fort, Utah to Baltimore, Maryland. In Maryland, the Interstate Highway runs from the Pennsylvania state line in Hancock east to the Interstate's eastern terminus near its junction with I-695 at a park and ride in...
(I-70), US 40
U.S. Route 40 in Maryland
U.S. Route 40 in the U.S. state of Maryland runs from western Maryland to Cecil County in the state's northeastern corner. With a total length of over , it is the longest numbered highway in Maryland. Almost half of the road overlaps with Interstate 68 or Interstate 70, while the old alignment...
, and I-68
Interstate 68
Interstate 68 is a Interstate highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting in Morgantown to in Hancock. is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway System. From 1965 until the freeway's construction was completed in 1991, it was designated as...
before entering Pennsylvania concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with I-70. It is part of the National Highway System
National Highway System (United States)
The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...
for its entire length in Maryland.
Warfordsburg Road from US 40 (now MD 144) north to Pennsylvania was paved around 1920 and designated US 522 in the late 1920s. US 522 was extended south into West Virginia shortly after a new bridge was completed over the Potomac River in the late 1930s. It was moved onto I-70 north of Hancock when the Interstate highway was completed in the area in the mid 1960s.
Route description
US 522 enters Maryland by crossing the Potomac River on a long bridge at Hancock in western Washington County. The two-lane undivided bridge begins in West Virginia immediately after an intersection with River Road, then crosses CSXCSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
's Cumberland Subdivision
Cumberland Subdivision
The Cumberland Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Maryland and West Virginia. The line runs from Weverton, Maryland west to near Cumberland, Maryland along the old Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road main line...
and intersects a road to Potomac Airpark. The bridge crosses the state line on the south bank of the Potomac River, then continues above the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the District of Columbia and the states of Maryland and West Virginia. The park was established as a National Monument in 1961 by President Dwight D...
, Berm Road, the Western Maryland Rail Trail
Western Maryland Rail Trail
The Western Maryland Rail Trail is a long shared-use asphalt-paved rail trail from Fort Frederick to Pearre Station, Maryland, United States, that is suitable for walkers, joggers, bikers, rollerbladers and, weather permitting, cross country skiing....
, and South Street before the bridge ends. Southbound US 522 receives a two-way ramp (unsigned US 522B) from MD 144 (Main Street) before bridging MD 144, Little Tonoloway Creek, and Limestone Road, which is unsigned MD 894. It becomes a divided highway immediately before northbound US 522 has a right-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out and left-in/left-out refer to a type of road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. RIRO is usual where vehicles drive on the right, and LILO is usual where vehicles drive on the left...
interchange with High Street (unsigned US 522C), which leads to MD 144 via Virginia Avenue. Southbound US 522 has an exit ramp to Limestone Road used to access MD 144. US 522 meets I-70 and US 40 (Eisenhower Memorial Highway) at a three-level directional interchange where US 522 becomes concurrent with the two other highways. Immediately to the north, I-70 and US 522 meet the eastern terminus of I-68 and US 40 (National Freeway) at another three-level directional interchange. Southbound US 522 exits I-70 via a left exit (unsigned US 522A) prior to US 40 joining eastbound I-70, so southbound US 522 does not have a concurrency with US 40. I-70 and US 522 continue north as a four-lane freeway to the Pennsylvania state line.
History
Warfordsburg Road from Main Street at the west end of Hancock north to the Pennsylvania state line was paved in 1920. When the first number designations in the U.S. Highway System were released in 1926, US 622 was proposed for the highway between Hancock and Mount Union, PennsylvaniaMount Union, Pennsylvania
Mount Union is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, 45 miles southeast of Altoona, on the Juniata River. In the vicinity are found bituminous coal, ganister rock, fire clay, and some timber. A major Easter grass factory is located in the northern quadrant of the borough limits; until May...
. Another proposed number for the highway may have been US 11W, which appears marked on Warfordsburg Road on official Maryland maps in 1927 and 1928. By 1930, the highway was marked as US 522. The March 1936 flooding of the Potomac River destroyed the pre-existing bridge over the river at Church Street. A temporary timber trestle was constructed while a new bridge was planned at the western edge of the town of Hancock. The new bridge and approach roads were completed in 1939. US 522 was extended south of Hancock by 1946. US 522 was moved from Warfordsburg Road to a concurrency with I-70 when the Interstate highway and the associated directional interchanges were completed in 1965.
Junction list
The entire route is in HancockHancock, Maryland
Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state...
in Washington County
Washington County, Maryland
Washington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering southern Pennsylvania to the north, northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. As of the 2010 Census, its population is 147,430...
.
{| class=wikitable
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus of US 522 in Maryland; West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
state line at Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
|-
|0.39
|To
|Southbound right-in/right-out interchange; two-way ramp is unsigned US 522B
|-
|0.57
|High Street to
|Northbound right-in/right-out interchange; High Street is unsigned US 522C
|-
|0.65
|Limestone Road to
|Southbound exit ramp; Limestone Road is unsigned MD 894
|-
|1.19
|
|Southern end of concurrency with I-70 and US 40; ramp from eastbound I-70 to southbound US 522 is unsigned US 522A
|-
|1.72
|
|Northern end of concurrency with US 40
|-
|2.35
|
|Northern terminus of US 522 in Maryland; Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state line
Auxiliary routes
- US 522A is the designation for the unnamed 0.4 mile (0.643736 km) left exit ramp from eastbound I-70 to southbound US 522 within I-70 Exit 1. The ramp is marked as Exit 1B.
- US 522B is the designation for the unnamed 0.14 mile (0.2253076 km) two-way ramp between MD 144 and US 522 at the north end of the bridge over the Potomac River. All movements are allowed at the intersection with MD 144. Left turns are prohibited at the ramp's intersection with US 522, so the ramp functions more like a right-in/right-out interchange for southbound US 522. The ramp also provides access to a hotel.
- US 522C is the designation for a 0.2 mile (0.321868 km) section of north–south Virginia Avenue and east–west High Street between MD 144 and a right-in/right-out interchange with northbound US 522.