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100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
1934-1955
East: Oxford, PA
West: Northumberland, PA
1955-1962
East: Morgantown, PA
West: Northumberland, PA
At its maximum extent, US 122 was approximately 128 miles in total length.
The original US 122 existed from 1926 to 1934. When that route was subsumed by US 202, its designation was applied to a different route, which had until then been part of US 120. It is unknown why Pennsylvania chose to truncate the westernmost segment of US 120 and replace it with a new designation. But previously US 120 had an approx. 60-mile overlap with other US routes (111 and 220) between Lock Haven and Sunbury. PennDoT's 1930 official state highway map suggests that US 120 signs may not have been posted along that overlap. In other words, US 120 may have had two disconnected segments, separated by a gap in signage (similar to the current situation with the two segments of US 422). PennDoT may have wanted to solve that issue by giving one of the segments a separate designation. At any rate, US 122[ii] came into Sunbury, and was then dual-signed with US 15 to its terminus at US 11 in Northumberland:
c. 1940, PennDoT
Northumberland
US 122 came into Sunbury on Market Street, where it originally had a junction with US 15 at Front Street. That is the location shown in this photo...
...but by the time it was taken (1942 or later), US 15 had been replaced by PA 14 (and today that would be PA 61 to the left and PA 405 to the right). US 122 continued to the north (right) to its endpoint in Northumberland, illustrated on this map:
c. 1960, PennDOT
(Incidentally, that segment of PA 14 was changed to PA 147 in 1963, as a part of the changes that included US 122's decommissioning.) Here is a modern view of US 122's historic endpoint in Northumberland, looking northwest on King Street at Water Street (which still carries US 11):
Oxford
The original south end of US 122 was in Oxford, at its junction with US 1:
c. 1940, PennDoT
This photo was looking west on Market Street, at its intersection with 3rd Street:
Nitzman, 2000
Historically US 1 came into Market from the northeast on Lincoln Avenue (just off the lower right corner of that photo). It was routed ahead on Market to 3rd, and then to the left (same direction as the black car). But if a traveler turned right from there (opposite of the black car), they would be heading north at the south beginning of US 122 (which is now PA hwy. 10 as far as Reading; from Reading, US 122 followed what is now PA 61 to Sunbury). This photo was taken looking south on 3rd:
Karners, Jan. 2017
The sign assembly at far right is for the benefit of drivers on Pine Street, which did not figure into the historic US highway junction. The cars in the center of the photo were at the south end of PA 10, which was historically the south end of US 122. Straight ahead was southbound US 1, while northbound was to the left on Market.
Morgantown
In 1955, the south end of US 122 was truncated at Morgantown. No other US route runs through there, so presumably the thought was that the US 122 designation needed to go only as far as the recently-built Pennsylvania Turnpike, although it is unclear why the segment between Morgantown and Oxford was deemed unworthy of keeping its US route designation:
c. 1960, PennDoT
This photo was looking south on Cherry Street, which was once US 122, but now serves as PA hwy. 10. The intersection ahead is Main Street (and PA 23). The access plaza for the PA Tpke (I-76) is just behind the camera:
Sanderson, Nov. 2000
Presumably the missing interstate shield was for I-176, which begins about a quarter-mile to the right and heads north to Reading. Before 1955, southbound US 122 was directed to the right from there on Main for about a half-mile, and then went south again along modern PA 10 to Oxford. Then, from 1955 to 1962, the south end of US 122 was at its junction with PA 23 at the intersection ahead. The route was completely decommissioned in 1962.
Research and/or image credits: Nathan Edgars; Karin and Martin Karner; Alex Nitzman; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2000;last updated May 14, 2025.
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