End of US highway 224 |
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Summa
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US 224 was commissioned in 1933, and its west end has always been at its junction with US 24 in Huntington. 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 this photo, we are looking west on Park:
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Rider, Apr. 2007
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Westbound US 224 traffic has just turned this direction from Warren (a block behind the camera), and here it is directed north again via Jefferson (today's endpoint of US 224 is about a mile in that direction). But historically, this was westbound US 24, and to the left on Jefferson was the west beginning of US 224. This shot was taken looking that direction (south on Jefferson):
Rider, Apr. 2007
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US 24 was both ways on the cross street (Park), and straight ahead was the westernmost segment of US 224. Here, we are looking the opposite direction (north on Jefferson):
Rider, Apr. 2007
That was where US 224 originally ended, at Park. 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 a different terminus downtown...
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...but even if so, it was not long before the US 24 bypass was completed (1968), and when that happened, US 224 was extended straight ahead on Jefferson to meet it, ending at its junction with the bypass. Here are a couple shots from there:
Sanderson, Oct. 2002
That was north on Jefferson at modern US 24. By 2013 all of those signs had been replaced, but unfortunately still no "End" assembly. However, in 2018 a new "End" sign was posted, shown in this next photo:
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Sweeney, Dec. 2018
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This photo was from easbound US 24; the west beginning of US 224 is to the right:
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Sanderson, Oct. 2002
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Interesting how a separate post was used for each assembly; as of 2013 that grouping had been replaced by a connected grouping, supported by three uprights. One more shot: this was 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:
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Sanderson, Oct. 2002
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The east end of US 224 has always been in New Castle, although there too the terminus has changed, and the routing has been shifted a bit over the years. 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 could have ended at that junction west of the city, but I do not believe that was the case. Rather, I am reasonably certain that the two routes were dual-signed into downtown New Castle. That idea is based on 1.) a photo that was brought to my attention, and 2.) typical signage practices back in the early years of the US highway system. The earliest map I have seen that could have been detailed enough to prove or disprove this notion does neither:
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c. 1940, PennDoT
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From the aforementioned junction at Old Youngstown Rd, US 224-422 traffic was directed east on State, then Grant Street (instead of Falls Street, which is the modern routing), then south on Jefferson Street to "The Diamond" (now aka "Kennedy Square", a city park situated in the median of Washington Street). There, US 422 continued east on Washington, but the US 224 designation ended. This photo was looking northeast from the corner of Jefferson and Washington, with part of the Diamond visible:
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Bales, Mar. 2013
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To the right (east) on Washington was eastbound US 422. Westbound US 422 was to the left (north on Jefferson), and that direction was also the east beginning of US 224.
In 1947, US 422 was rerouted, such that it came into town via Sampson Street. At that time, US 224 could have been cut back to end on Grant at Sampson, but I believe the route continued to be dual-signed with US 422 to the Diamond: |
c. 1950, PennDoT
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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 the city. This shot was taken looking north on the eastbound bypass:
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Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2001
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Eastbound US 422 continues to the right. In 1974, to the left became 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's interchange with the US 422 bypass. This photo was looking south on PA 60 (now I-376, which is also eastbound US 422 at this point):
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Google Maps Street View, 2008
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Note that US 224 was signed for Poland OH, but not for New Castle. By 2012 that had been changed: "State St" was added to the sign, indicating that US 224 went not only west from here, but also east into New Castle (more below).
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Just east of that interchange, heading east on State, an "End" sign was posted in 2006 (after being absent since 1995):
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Gerard, July 2006
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Here, we were looking the opposite direction (west on State), approaching the US 422 interchange (the "TO" banner should have read "JCT" instead):
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Brunot, 2001
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A bit further ahead was the view shown in this next photo. This was still looking west; just visible at lower right was the first US 224 trailblazer:
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Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2001
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Curious why text (instead of a shield) was used for US 224? Good question, but it seems to be a fairly common practice in Pennsylvania.
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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:
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Pine, 2010
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Elkins, Aug. 2007
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Here, we are looking north on Jefferson. This sign may have been there before US 224 was extended to the junction ahead (hence the "TO" tab):
Nelson, May 2008
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This is still westbound Business 422, which continues to the left on Falls...
Nelson, May 2008
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...but when a driver makes that turn, they see that it is also the west beginning of US 224:
Nelson, May 2008
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Research and/or photo credits: Jeff Bales; Dave Brunot; H.B. Elkins; Andy Field; Joe Gerard; Jeff Kitsko; Jeff Morrison; Steven Nelson; Alex Nitzman; Denny Pine; Greg Rider; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Collin Sweeney
Page originally created 2002;
last updated Nov. 26, 2021.
last updated Nov. 26, 2021.
