North Carolina US 220 begins at an at-grade interchange with
US 1 (South Hancock Street) southwest of
Rockingham and northeast of US 1's grade-separated interchange with
US 74 (future
I-74). Most of US 220 in North Carolina is a four-lane
divided highway, and it is a
freeway between
I-85 and US 1 and
US 421 in southern
Greensboro. From Rockingham, US 220 travels north through
Richmond County to
Ellerbe, where US 220 begins to follow a newly constructed four-lane bypass. This section of the route is
co-designated as I-74 and
I-73. The old US 220 alignment, signed as US 220 Alternate, passes through the towns of Ellerbe and
Norman while the new highway goes around the communities. The two highways continue in close proximity through
Montgomery and
Randolph counties, serving the towns of
Candor,
Biscoe,
Star, and
Seagrove. US 220 Alternate rejoins its parent near the
North Carolina Zoo, at which point the old path of US 220 continues into
Asheboro and
Randleman as US 220 Business. The US 220 freeway, meanwhile, skirts the west side of both cities and proceeds to
Level Cross, a small community south of the
Guilford County line. The business route merges back into the mainline here, and US 220 travels alone into Guilford County. Outside
Greensboro, US 220 intersects
I-85 and
US 421 (the
Greensboro Urban Loop) before intersecting
I-85 Business and eventually merging with
I-40 in the city. US 220 exits I-40 later, following
US 29 and
US 70 onto O'Henry Boulevard. The three routes separate northeast of the city center, with US 220 continuing west on
Wendover Avenue along the northern edge of downtown Greensboro. It eventually exits onto Battleground Avenue, which takes the route north out of Greensboro and into
Summerfield and
Rockingham County. Another business route splits off US 220 near
Madison to serve both Madison and
Mayodan, which US 220 itself bypasses to the east. It returns to US 220 north of
Stoneville, the last major community along the route before it crosses into
Virginia.
Virginia US 220 enters the state from the south just south of
Martinsville. It uses freeway spurs to bypass Martinsville and
Rocky Mount. US 220 in Virginia is a divided four-lane highway with a speed limit for most of the distance between Martinsville and
Roanoke. US 220 is a winding road in several stretches, and there have been many accidents. There is also a sharp speed decrease in
Boones Mill, giving the town a reputation as a
speed trap. The proposed I-73 would generally parallel US 220 between Greensboro, North Carolina, and
Roanoke, though funds have not been allocated for the project and some local residents prefer efforts to fix US 220. It is co-signed with
I-581 from downtown Roanoke to
I-81 north of the city. The route continues along I-81 northbound until
Daleville, at an interchange with US 220 Alternate. US 220 leaves the freeway and once again becomes a four-lane road through
Fincastle, the county seat of
Botetourt County changing to an upgraded two-lane road at
Eagle Rock (near the western edge of Botetourt County) until just outside
Iron Gate, Virginia, in eastern
Alleghany County, Virginia. Locally, a section in Botetourt County was renamed in 2022 to honor
Norvel Lee (1924-1992), a native of Eagle Rock who became a Tuskegee airman, Virginia's first Black Olympic champion, decorated federal civil servant and successful plaintiff in a desegregation lawsuit. US 220 continues on an old two-lane road until it joins up with
I-64 westbound until
Covington, the Alleghany County seat, and where Lee was jailed for refusing to move from a now-illegal whites-only seat in a railroad car. From there, it continues on a primarily two-lane mountainous route until it reaches the
West Virginia state line.
West Virginia The highway enters West Virginia 2 miles (3 km) south of
Harper in
Pendleton County. From the state line, US 220 parallels the
South Branch Potomac River as it progresses northward. 13 miles (21 km) north of Harper, US 220 passes through
Franklin, where it intersects with
US 33. The route crosses into
Grant County approximately north of Franklin. Within Grant County, US 220 intersects the concurrent routes of
West Virginia Route 28 (WV 28) and
West Virginia Route 55 in
Petersburg. The two state highways join US 220 eastward into
Hardy County. WV 28 and WV 55 remain concurrent to
Moorefield, where WV 55 splits from US 220 and WV 28. North of Moorefield, US 220 and WV 28 intersects
US 48. US 220 and WV 28 remain concurrent into
Hampshire County, where US 220 and WV 28 meet
US 50 in
Junction. WV 28 departs US 220, following US 50 to the east, while US 220 joins US 50 westward into
Mineral County. This stretch of US 220 is known as the
Northwestern Turnpike. At the top of
Knobly Mountain northwest of
Ridgeville, US 220 splits from US 50 and resumes a northerly alignment as it descends into the
New Creek Valley. It is known as Cut Off Road south of
WV 972 and New Creek Drive from there to
Keyser, the county seat of Mineral County, where it becomes known as Mineral Street. In the center of the city, located 7 miles (11 km) north of US 50, US 220 intersects
WV 46. At the northern edge of Keyser, US 220 crosses the
North Branch Potomac River via Memorial Bridge, leaving West Virginia and entering
Maryland.
Maryland US 220 enters Maryland at
McCoole,
Allegany County, and becomes known as McMullen Highway. In McCoole, US 220 intersects the eastern terminus of
Maryland Route 135 (MD 135). Past MD 135, US 220 turns to the northeast, paralleling the North Branch of the
Potomac River to the east. 12 miles (19 km) into Maryland, with West Virginia visible to the right, US 220 intersects the western terminus of
MD 956, a connector to a secondary state highway in West Virginia. Continuing north in the river valley, US 220 enters
Cresaptown, where US 220 intersects with the east end of
MD 53. 4 miles (6 km) north of Cresaptown, US 220 joins with
I-68 and
US 40, known as the National Freeway west of
Cumberland and the Baltimore Pike east of the city. The three routes head across
Wills Creek and through Cumberland to exit 46, US 220 turns north again onto an upgraded roadway opened to traffic on September 18, 2000. The highway heads north for a few miles before crossing the
Mason–Dixon Line into
Pennsylvania. The section of US 220 between I-68 and
I-80 near
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, is designated as
Corridor O by the
Appalachian Development Highway System.
Pennsylvania After crossing the state line from Maryland, US 220 runs north through
Bedford County as Cumberland Road to
Bedford, where it divides into
US 220 Business, which enters the town of Bedford, and the main branch, which joins the southern terminus of
I-99 at an interchange with the
Pennsylvania Turnpike (
I-70 and
I-76). I-99 heads north along US 220, and the resulting
overlap duplex continues northeast along the west side of
Dunning and
Brush mountains. The freeway continues into
Blair County, where it serves the towns of
Altoona and
Tyrone. I-99 and US 220 soon enter
Centre County in the vicinity of
Port Matilda. Here,
US 322 joins the alignment and all three routes continue eastward for to
State College. North of State College, US 322 diverges eastward at the
Mount Nittany Interchange while US 220 and I-99 continue northward toward
Pleasant Gap. The concurrency travels past
Bellefonte to I-80, where I-99 currently ends. All of I-99 is known as the
Bud Shuster Highway, named for the U.S. Representative who championed the I-99 designation. US 220 follows I-80 eastward for to
Clinton County before exiting northward as a recently upgraded, short section of
super-two limited-access highway before once again becoming a limited-access expressway traveling through the east side of
Lock Haven. Past Lock Haven, US 220 runs alongside the west branch of the
Susquehanna River, becoming an at-grade road north of Jersey Shore for 6.2 miles until it reaches W Fourth St south of Williamsport. It finally becomes a freeway once again at
Williamsport as it joins
I-180, here an east–west highway, and
US 15. I-180 and US 220 head through the center of the city, briefly overlapping with
US 15 in the downtown district, before splitting near Halls Station. The Interstate Highway turns to the south, following the Susquehanna River toward
Muncy while US 220 exits the expressway onto a two-lane road that first travels east to
Hughesville, a borough based around US 220's junction with
Pennsylvania Route 405 (PA 405). US 220 heads generally northeastward from Hughesville, passing through
Laporte on its way to
Dushore. It is here that the route changes directions for the final time, assuming a northerly alignment that it largely follows for the remainder of its routing. A short section of super-two limited-access freeway is used to bypass
Towanda, a borough north of Dushore on the banks of the main Susquehanna River. One interchange along this stretch links US 220 to
US 6. Past Towanda, US 220 continues on a northerly path, paralleling the Susquehanna River to the borough of
Athens. Here, US 220 becomes a freeway for the final time at an exit with
PA 199, the main north–south highway through the neighboring boroughs of Athens,
Sayre, and
South Waverly. US 220 bypasses all three to the west, proceeding toward the
New York state line. The route comes to an end at its interchange with the Southern Tier Expressway, which at this point has briefly crossed into Pennsylvania, within sight of the state line. ==History==