U.S. Route 222
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U.S. Highway 222 is a spur of U.S. Highway 22. It runs for 100 miles (161 km) from Dorneyville, Pennsylvania to Conowingo, Maryland at U.S. Route 1. It passes through the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland. It goes through the cities of Reading, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and in between the two cities for the last several years there has been a high level of construction to renovate the highway.
The speed limits on US-222 range from 35 through towns to 65 on expressway portions. However, the road has a notorious reputation for speeding and tailgating. Insufficient shoulders throughout much of the length and the presence of horse and buggies in Lancaster and Berks County can make road dangerous to travel on.
When US-222 was first designated in the 1920s it only reached as far north as Reading, but at the time US 22 dipped down from Allentown to Reading, then west to Harrisburg. US-22 was rerouted to become a straight shot from Allentown to Harrisburg, so the roadway between Reading and Allentown became part of US-222. This explains why the highway, designated as north/south, actually runs mostly east/west between the two cities.
US-222 serves as the principal artery between the Lehigh Valley and the Reading and Lancaster areas. With increased develoupment in the late 20th century the two-lane road became increasingly congested. To alleviate these problems a number of construction projects took place, most notibly a four-lane Reading bypass, a four-lane expressway to connect Reading to Lancaster (which is still under construction), and a four-lane expressway bypass around the town of Kutztown, which is situated between Allentown and Reading.
Recently, there has been work in Lehigh County to build a bypass around Trexlertown, since the area surrounding the intersection of Pennsylvania State Route 100 and US-222 was one of the most problematic areas of the road. In 2005 the west half of the bypass was opened and the east half of the bypass is expected to be completed in late 2006.