End of US highway 224

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Photo credits: Dave Brunot; H.B. Elkins; Andy Field; Joe Gerard; Steven Nelson; Alex Nitzman; Greg Rider; me
Additional research: Jeff Kitsko

Approx. time period East terminus West terminus
1933-1936 New Castle, PA (Old Youngstown Rd) Huntington, IN (downtown)
1936-1947 New Castle, PA (Grant @ Jefferson) Huntington, IN (downtown)
1947-1974 New Castle, PA (Grant @ Sampson) Huntington, IN (downtown)
1974-1977 New Castle, PA (US 422 east) Huntington, IN (north)
1977-2007 New Castle, PA (US 422 west) Huntington, IN (north)
2007-present New Castle, PA (Falls @ Jefferson) Huntington, IN (north)

US 224 was commissioned in 1934, and its west end has always been at its junction with US 24 in Huntington IN. But US 24 was originally routed on Tipton Street and Park Drive through town, and US 224 / IN hwy. 5 traffic used Jefferson Street through downtown (instead of being diverted around Jefferson via Cherry and Warren Streets, as it is today). In the photo below, we're looking west on Park:

Rider, Apr. 2007

Westbound US 224 traffic has just turned this direction from Warren (a block behind the camera), and here it's directed north again via Jefferson (today's endpoint of US 224 is about a mile in that direction, as we'll see below). But historically, this was westbound US 24, and to the left on Jefferson was the west beginning of US 224. The shot below was taken looking that direction (south on Jefferson):

Rider, Apr. 2007

US 24 was both ways on the cross street (Park), and straight ahead was the westernmost segment of US 224. Below we're looking the opposite direction (north on Jefferson):

Rider, Apr. 2007

That was where US 224 originally ended, at Park. Greg points out that US 224 may have been directed away from the downtown block of Jefferson a few years before the US 24 bypass was built... in which case there would have been a brief period during which US 224 had other begin/endpoints downtown. But even if so, it wasn't long before the US 24 bypass was completed (sometime around 1970), and when that happened, US 224 was extended straight ahead on Jefferson to meet it, ending at its junction with the bypass. Here's a shot from there:

me, Oct. 2002

That's north on Jefferson at modern US 24: no "End" signage, unfortunately. The photo below is from easbound US 24; the west beginning of US 224 is to the right:

me, Oct. 2002

Kind of interesting how they used a separate post for each assembly. One more shot:

me, Oct. 2002

That's looking south on IN hwy. 5, which continues ahead on Jefferson. Eastbound US 224 begins straight ahead, and in about a mile reaches its historic terminus downtown.

The east end of US 224 has always been in New Castle PA, although there too the terminus has changed... as a matter of fact, it's had six different endpoints there. Originally, US 422 cut down to State Street further west from where it does now. It used Old Youngstown Road past the airport, then continued east on State. So US 224 ended at that junction for about three years. The photo below is looking south on Old Youngstown:

Nelson, May 2008

That was eastbound US 422, which continued to the left on State. To the right on State was the original west beginning of US 224. Below we're looking west on State:

Nelson, May 2008

That was westbound US 422, which continued to the right on Old Youngstown. Straight ahead was the beginning of US 224. In 1936, the US 224 designation was duplexed east with US 422. However, traffic used Grant Street at the time (instead of Falls Street, as it does today). US 224 ended at its junction with PA hwy. 18 (Jefferson Street). The photo below is looking west on Grant from Jefferson:

Nelson, May 2008

That's looking along the former west beginning of US 224 (there was a bridge ahead, but today it's no longer open to traffic). In 1947, US 422 was rerouted, such that it came into town via Sampson Street. At that time, US 224 was cut back to end on Grant at Sampson. The shot below is looking north on Sampson:

Nelson, May 2008

Westbound US 422 was straight ahead, while eastbound was to the right on Grant. To the left on Grant was the beginning of US 224. Then in 1974, the US 422 bypass around New Castle was opened to traffic. At that time, the US 224 designation was extended eastward through town, along what had been the original US 422, ending at the 422 bypass on the east side of New Castle. The shot below was taken looking north on the eastbound bypass:

Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2001

US 422 continues east to the right. In 1974, to the left was the east beginning of US 224. However, that lasted for only about three years, because it was then decided to sign the old route as Business 422. US 224 signs were removed from town, and its terminus was cut back to State St's interchange with the US 422 bypass. The photo below is looking south on PA 60 (which is also eastbound US 422 at this point):

Google Maps Street View, 2008

Note that US 224 was signed for Poland OH (which is south of Youngstown), but not for New Castle - that may change soon (more below). Just east of that interchange, heading east on State, an "End" sign was posted in 2006 (after being absent since 1995):

Gerard, July 2006

Below we're looking the opposite direction (west on State), approaching the US 422 interchange (as Dave notes, the "TO" banner should say "JCT" instead):

Brunot, 2001

A bit further ahead, we see the view in the photo below:

Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2001

This is still looking west; just visible at lower right is the first US 224 trailblazer. Wonder why they didn't use a shield on the 224 sign? Good question, but it seems to be a fairly common practice in Pennsylvania...

In 2007, AASHTO approved PennDoT's request to extend the US 224 designation eastward on State once again, back into downtown New Castle. Now the route comes in on Falls Street, ending at its junction with PA 18 at Jefferson:

Elkins, Aug. 2007

Unfortunately no "End" sign yet (I wonder what they did with the old assembly?) However, other approaches to this junction have been signed with references to US 224. Below we're looking north on Jefferson:

Nelson, May 2008

That sign may have been there before US 224 was extended to the junction ahead (hence the "TO" tab). This is still westbound Business 422, which continues to the left on Falls...

Nelson, May 2008

...but when you make that turn, you see that it is also the west beginning of US 224:

Nelson, May 2008