Maryland Route 222

Maryland Route 222
Maryland Route 222 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length:	11.36 mi[1] (18.28 km)
Existed:	1995 – present
Major junctions
South end:	MD 7 in Perryville
	US 40 in Perryville I-95 in Perryville MD 275 / MD 824 in Perryville MD 276 in Port Deposit
North end:	US 1 near Conowingo
Location
Counties:	Cecil
Highway system
Maryland highway system Interstate • US • State • Minor • Former • Turnpikes ← US 222 MD 223 →

Maryland Route 222 (MD 222) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 11.36 miles (18.28 km) from MD 7 in Perryville north to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) near Conowingo. MD 222 parallels the Susquehanna River in western Cecil County, connecting Perryville and Conowingo with Port Deposit. Due to limitations in the highway in Port Deposit, including a steep hill and a low railroad bridge, the state highway has a truck bypass that uses MD 275, MD 276, and US 1 through Woodlawn and Rising Sun to connect Interstate 95 (I-95) with US 222 in Conowingo.

MD 222 was originally constructed as MD 268, a number presently assigned to North Street in Elkton. The state highway was paved from Perryville to Port Deposit in the late 1910s and early 1920s. MD 268 was extended north to Conowingo in the early 1930s. In 1938, MD 268 was superseded when US 222 was extended south from US 1 in Conowingo to US 40 in Perryville. The only significant change as US 222 occurred when a new alignment was constructed around the interchange with I-95 in the early 1960s. MD 222 was designated in 1995 when US 222 was rolled back to its former and present terminus at US 1 in Conowingo.

Route description

MD 222 begins at an intersection with MD 7 (Broad Street) in downtown Perryville. The state highway heads north as two-lane Aiken Avenue to US 40 (Pulaski Highway) immediately to the east of the toll plaza for the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge. The disconnected old alignment continues straight as Aiken Avenue Extended while MD 222 heads northeast as Perryville Road to cross over CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision. The state highway curves north and receives the other end of the old alignment, Clayton Street, before leaving the town of Perryville and passing Perryville High School. MD 222 intersects the southern end of MD 824 (Blythedale Road) and the entrance to Prime Outlets Perryville before meeting I-95 (John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway) at a folded diamond interchange. The state highway passes the entrance to Hollywood Casino Perryville before reaching an intersection with the northern end of MD 824 and MD 275 (Perrylawn Drive). MD 222 Truck follows MD 275 north toward Rising Sun, while MD 222 turns west onto Bainbridge Road toward Port Deposit.^[1][2]

MD 222 in historic Port Deposit

MD 222 heads through a mix of forest and farmland, crossing Happy Valley Branch before passing the entrance to the former United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, which contains the Edward W. Haviland House and the original campus of the Tome School. The state highway then begins a steep descent from a high bluff to the Susquehanna River, with the southbound direction gaining a climbing lane. Upon entering the town limits of Port Deposit, MD 222's name changes to Main Street and the highway makes a sharp turn to the north to parallel the river and Norfolk Southern Railway's Columbia & Port Deposit line. The state highway intersects MD 276 (Centre Street) in the center of Port Deposit. MD 222 passes the Paw Paw Building and intersects Granite Avenue before crossing Rock Run and passing under a low railroad bridge to the west side of the tracks. The state highway leaves the town of Port Deposit and continues north as Susquehanna River Road, closely paralleling the river and passing through its forested flood plain, much of which is part of Susquehanna State Park. Soon after crossing Octoraro Creek, MD 222 reaches its northern terminus at an intersection with US 1 (Conowingo Road) at the eastern end of Conowingo Dam. Following US 1 northeast to the community of Conowingo leads to the southern terminus of US 222 and the northern terminus of MD 222 Truck.^[1][2]

History

What is now MD 222 was originally designated MD 268.^[3] The first paved section of MD 268 was Aiken Avenue from Broad Street north to around present-day US 40 in Perryville, which was surfaced by 1910.^[4] Aiken Avenue was extended north to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (now CSX) as a state-aid road by 1919.^[5] The highway was extended as a state road north from the B&O crossing to the top of the bluff above Port Deposit by 1921.^[6] Pavement was extended through Port Deposit to Rock Run in 1923.^[7] The final section of MD 268, Susquehanna River Road, was under construction by 1930 and completed by 1933.^[8][9] The highway reused an abandoned railroad bridge to cross Octoraro Creek.^[10]

The first change in alignment in MD 268 occurred around 1934 when a bridge was constructed over the B&O Railroad in Perryville, leaving behind Aiken Avenue Extended and Clayton Street.^[3] US 222 was extended south to US 40 in Perryville, then on Broad Street, in 1938, assuming all of MD 268.^[11] US 222 was reconstructed from US 40 to Port Deposit during World War II to improve access to the naval training center.^[12] In 1963, a new alignment was created for the interchange with I-95, bypassing Blythedale Road, which became MD 824.^[13][14] US 222's southern terminus was rolled back to US 1 in Conowingo in 1995; MD 222 was designated along its present course at the same time.^[15][16] MD 222 became the only signed state-numbered highway in Maryland with a number that matches a U.S. Highway.

Junction list

The entire route is in Cecil County.

Location	Mile [1]	Destinations	Notes
Perryville	0.00	MD 7 (Broad Street)	Southern terminus
	0.67	US 40 (Pulaski Highway) – Havre de Grace, Elkton
	2.02	MD 824 north (Blythedale Road)
	2.40	I-95 (John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway) – Baltimore, New York	I-95 Exit 93
	2.85	MD 275 / MD 222 Truck north (Perrylawn Drive) / MD 824 south (Blythedale Road) – Rising Sun	MD 222 turns west onto Bainbridge Road; southern terminus of MD 222 Truck, which heads north on MD 275
Port Deposit	5.90	MD 276 north (Center Street) – Rising Sun
Conowingo	11.36	US 1 (Conowingo Road) to US 222 – Bel Air, Rising Sun	Northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Truck route

Maryland Route 222 Truck
Location:	Perryville–Conowingo
Length:	12.49 mi[1] (20.10 km)
Existed:	by 2002–present

Maryland Route 222 Truck is a signed 12.49-mile (20.10 km) truck bypass of MD 222 from MD 222 in Perryville to US 1 and US 222 in Conowingo.^[1] The signed route follows MD 275 from MD 222 in Perryville north to MD 276 in Woodlawn. MD 222 Truck continues north on MD 276 from Woodlawn north to US 1 west of Rising Sun. The truck route then heads west on US 1 (in a wrong-way concurrency) to US 222's southern terminus in Conowingo.^[1][17] MD 222 Truck has existed since at least 2002.^[18]

Auxiliary routes

Beginning of MD 222 Truck at the southern terminus of US 222

MD 222 has three auxiliary routes that are maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) and provide access to the authority's facilities around I-95's interchange with MD 222 and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway toll plaza to the east of the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge.^[1]

• MD 222A is the designation for Chesapeake Overlook Parkway, a 0.09-mile (0.14 km) spur west from the intersection of MD 222 and the ramps to and from southbound I-95. This spur intersects MD 222B near its western end and serves as the entrance to Hollywood Casino Perryville.^[1][19]
• MD 222B is the designation for Turnpike Drive, a 0.89-mile (1.43 km) service road that heads south from MD 222A and veers west to parallel the southbound lanes of I-95. The state highway provides access to the MDTA administration building, the Perryville barracks of the Maryland State Police, and the adjacent truck weigh station on southbound I-95.^[1][20]
• MD 222C is the designation for G.R. Dawson Drive, a 0.48-mile (0.77 km) service road that heads west from MD 222 and parallels the northbound lanes of I-95. The state highway provides access to a truck weigh station on northbound I-95.^[1][21]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} "Highway Location Reference: Cecil County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2009. http://www.marylandroads.com/Location/2009_CECIL.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 222 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Aiken+Ave&daddr=MD-222+N%2FSusquehanna+River+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FQikWwId6j53-w%3BFTBIXQId0rx1-w&mra=ls&sll=39.667342,-76.165016&sspn=0.007581,0.01929&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1931–1934. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1934-12-28. pp. 22, 49. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1931mary. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
4. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland (Map) (1910 ed.). 
5. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1916–1919. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. January 1920. p. 43. http://www.archive.org/details/annualreportsofs1916mary. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
6. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (Map) (1921 ed.). 
7. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (Map) (1923 ed.). 
8. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map) (1930 ed.). 
9. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map) (1933 ed.). 
10. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1927–1930. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1930-10-01. p. 64. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1927mary. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
11. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Map of Maryland Showing State Road System (Map) (1938 ed.). 
12. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1943–1944. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1945-03-01. p. 77. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1943mary. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
13. ^ "NBI Structure Number: 300000CEX934010". National Bridge Inventory. http://nationalbridges.com/nbi_record.php?StateCode=24&struct=300000CEX934010. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
14. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1964 ed.). 
15. ^ "Report on the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF). American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. 1995-04-23. http://cms.transportation.org/sites/route/docs/1995-USRN_Cmte.pdf. Retrieved 2011-03-02. 
16. ^ Maryland State Highway Administration. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1995 ed.). 
17. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 222 Truck (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Perrylawn+Dr&daddr=MD-276%2FJacob+Tome+Hwy+to:US-1+S%2FConowingo+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FTI-XAIdYE13-w%3BFX_MXQIdZhN3-w%3BFZBvXQIdhOd1-w&mra=ls&sll=39.6774,-76.155553&sspn=0.00758,0.01929&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
18. ^ Reichard, Timothy (1995-04-23). "US 1/MD 222 Truck Multiplex". Central PA/MD Roads. http://www.m-plex.com/roads/mdmplex/mp_us1_trkmd222.html. Retrieved 2011-03-07. 
19. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 222A (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=MD-275+S%2FPerrylawn+Dr&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&geocode=FVQvXAIdDk13-w%3BFRgvXAIdzUZ3-w&mra=ls&sll=39.59589,-76.069068&sspn=0.000934,0.002411&ie=UTF8&ll=39.596521,-76.068274&spn=0.003737,0.009645&t=h&z=17. Retrieved 2011-03-02. 
20. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 222B (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Turnpike+Dr&daddr=Turnpike+Dr&hl=en&geocode=FaouXAIdZEd3-w%3BFZkKXAIdcCJ3-w&mra=ls&sll=39.586583,-76.078777&sspn=0.001869,0.004823&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15. Retrieved 2011-03-02. 
21. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 222C (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=MD-275+N%2FPerrylawn+Dr&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&geocode=FcIbXAId3FZ3-w%3BFRoPXAIdNEB3-w&mra=ls&sll=39.587809,-76.070202&sspn=0.000934,0.002411&ie=UTF8&ll=39.589832,-76.066396&spn=0.007474,0.01929&t=h&z=16. Retrieved 2011-03-02. 

External links

• MD 222 @ MDRoads.com
• US 222 @ MDRoads.com
• misc.transport.road post discussing southern terminus of US 222 in Perryville
• MD 222 Truck signed along MD 275, MD 276, and US 1