This route description features US 122 as it existed in 1950, with references to today's highways to provide context.
Oxford to Reading US 122 began at an intersection with
US 1 and
PA 472 at Third and Market streets in
Oxford,
Chester County, where US 1 headed south on Third Street and headed north on Market Street
concurrent with southbound PA 472. From here, US 122 headed north concurrent with PA 472 on two-lane undivided Third Street for a block before PA 472 split to the northwest. US 122 continued north along present-day PA 10 and left Oxford. The route became Limestone Road and continued northeast to a junction with
PA 896 in
Russellville. A short distance later, the road intersected the western terminus of
PA 926. US 122 continued north and reached
Cochranville, where it crossed
PA 41. The route headed north as Limestone Road before it came to
Parkesburg, where it became Church Street and intersected
PA 372. After leaving Parkesburg, US 122 continued northwest along Octorara Trail before it split from the present-day alignment of PA 10 by following current Hershey Lane north to an intersection with
US 30; this intersection is now cut off by the interchange between US 30 and the western terminus of
US 30 Bus. At this point, US 122 turned west for a concurrency with US 30 along multilane
Lincoln Highway. US 122 split from US 30 by turning north onto two-lane Octorara Trail, once again following the present-day alignment of PA 10. The route continued north and reached
Compass, where it turned northwest for a short concurrency with
PA 340 along Kings Highway. Following this, US 122 followed Compass Road and headed northeast and then north. The route reached
Honey Brook, where it became Pequea Avenue before it crossed
US 322, where the name changed to Conestoga Avenue. The road left Honey Brook as Twin County Road. US 122 entered
Lancaster County and continued north along Twin County Road, crossing the
Conestoga Creek before it reached a junction with
PA 23. At this point, the route turned northeast to form a concurrency with PA 23 on Main Street, crossing into
Berks County. In
Morgantown, US 122 split from PA 23 by turning north onto Morgantown Road. The route continued north and passed through the communities of
Plowville and
Beckersville. Farther north, the road entered the city of
Reading. US 122 continued into Reading along Morgantown Road and headed northwest to an intersection with
US 222/
PA 73 (present-day
US 222 Bus.) at Lancaster Avenue. At this point, US 122 turned northeast to join US 222/PA 73 along Lancaster Avenue, crossing the
Schuylkill River. After crossing the river, the road name changed to Bingaman Street. US 122/US 222 turned north onto Fifth Street while PA 73 continued northeast along Bingaman Street. The road headed into the downtown area of Reading, where it crossed
US 422/
PA 83 at Penn Street. Following this, US 122/US 222 continued north along Fifth Street.
Reading to Northumberland US 122 split from US 222 by turning northwest onto Centre Avenue, which is present-day PA 61. The route left the city of Reading and became multilane Pottsville Pike. The road passed through
Tuckerton and continued north to
Leesport. In Leesport, US 122 turned to the northwest as Centre Avenue and intersected
PA 383, which headed southwest along Wall Street. At this point, US 122 became concurrent with PA 383, with PA 383 splitting by turning northeast onto Shackamaxon Street. The route left Leesport and continued north along Pottsville Pike a short distance to the east of the Schuylkill River. In
Shoemakersville, the road intersected the northern terminus of
PA 662. US 122 continued north to
Hamburg, where it split from the present-day alignment of PA 61 by heading north along two-lane Fourth Street into Hamburg. In the center of Hamburg, the route intersected
US 22 at State Street. US 122 turned northwest onto Port Clinton Avenue and left Hamburg, heading parallel to the Schuylkill River. US 122 entered
Schuylkill County and followed Blue Mountain Road to
Port Clinton, where it turned north onto multilane Center Street, once again following the present-day alignment of PA 61. The road left Port Clinton and became
Centre Turnpike, crossing the
Little Schuylkill River before it reached a junction with
PA 895 in
Molino. At this point, PA 895 became concurrent with US 122 and the two routes headed to the northwest. In
Deer Lake, PA 895 split from US 122 by turning to the southwest. From here, the route continued northwest and became a two-lane road as it bypassed
Orwigsburg to the southwest. US 122 came to an intersection with
PA 443, at which point that route joined US 122 in a concurrency. The two routes headed west as a multilane road called Center Avenue to
Schuylkill Haven, where PA 443 split from US 122 by heading south. Past Schuylkill Haven, US 122 reached a junction with the northern terminus of PA 83 (present-day
PA 183) and turned north as an unnamed road, running to the east of the Schuylkill River. Farther north, US 122 split from present-day PA 61 by turning northwest onto Center Street, crossing the Schuylkill River. The route headed north along Center Street through
Mount Carbon. US 122 entered the city of
Pottsville and followed Center Street north to a junction with
US 209 at Mauch Chunk Street. At this point, Center Street continued north as US 209 southbound while US 122 turned east for a concurrency with US 209 on Mauch Chunk Street. US 122 split from US 209 by turning north onto multilane Pottsville Boulevard (now Claude A. Lord Boulevard), picking up the current alignment of PA 61 again. The road turned east and north as it headed out of the city of Pottsville. US 122 continued north along multilane Pottsville-St. Clair Highway before it deviated from present-day PA 61 by heading north through
St. Clair along two-lane Second Street. After leaving St. Clair, the route continued north along current PA 61 again, following an unnamed multilane road north-northwest to
Frackville. In Frackville, US 122 followed Lehigh Avenue north to an intersection with the southern terminus of
PA 924, where PA 924 continued north along Lehigh Avenue and US 122 turned west onto Oak Street. After leaving Frackville, the route continues west and the name changes to Fountain Street before it passes through
Fountain Springs, where it turns northwest onto Broad Street. The road curves north and enters
Ashland, where it becomes Hoffman Boulevard. In Ashland, US 122 came to an intersection with the western terminus of the eastern section of
PA 45 (present-day
PA 54) at Centre Street, where US 122 turned west onto Centre Street. US 122 came to an intersection with the eastern terminus of PA 54, where PA 54 continued west along Centre Street and US 122 turned north onto Memorial Boulevard. The route left Ashland and curved northeast. US 122 entered
Columbia County and became an unnamed road. The route deviated again from present-day PA 61 as it headed onto an alignment that is now closed because of the
Centralia mine fire. After picking up the current alignment of PA 61 again, US 122 continued north into
Centralia along Locust Avenue. The route intersected the southern terminus of
PA 42, where PA 42 continued north along Locust Avenue and US 122 turned west onto Centre Street. The road left Centralia and became unnamed. US 122 crossed into
Northumberland County and continued west along a multilane road to
Mount Carmel. In Mount Carmel, the route followed Fifth Street before it intersected PA 54 at Chestnut Street. At this point, PA 54 became concurrent with US 122 and the two routes turned north on Market Street and west on East Avenue. US 122/PA 54 turned north onto Poplar Street and headed out of Mount Carmel, where the multilane road became unnamed and headed west through
Atlas. PA 54 split from US 122 by turning to the north while US 122 continued west and passed through
Kulpmont on Chestnut Street. The route continued west as an unnamed multilane road and entered
Shamokin, where it headed northwest on Mt. Carmel Street before turning west onto Sunbury Street. US 122 came to an intersection with the northern terminus of
PA 125 and turned northwest onto Sixth Street, leaving Shamokin. The route became an unnamed multilane road and reached a junction with the northern terminus of
PA 225. A short distance past this intersection, the road narrowed to two lanes and came to the community of
Weigh Scales, where it turned north and became a multilane road again. US 122 came to an intersection with the western terminus of
PA 742 (present-day
PA 487) in
Paxinos, where it turned west and soon narrowed to two lanes. The route passed through
Stonington and briefly became a multilane road before narrowing back to two lanes. Farther west, the road name became State Street and it intersected the northern terminus of
PA 890. The route entered
Sunbury and headed west through the city along Market Street. US 122 came to an intersection with
PA 14 (present-day
PA 405) along the east bank of the
Susquehanna River, at which point it turned north to form a concurrency with PA 14 along Front Street. The road crossed the Susquehanna River, Packer Island, and more of the river into
Northumberland. In Northumberland, the road became King Street and US 122 reached its northern terminus at an intersection with
US 11, where PA 14 turned southwest to follow US 11 and continue along the present-day alignment of PA 405. ==History==