Approx. time period |
East Terminus |
West Terminus |
1926-1930s |
Lancaster, PA (downtown) |
Harrisburg, PA (Mulberry) |
1930s-1954 | Lancaster, PA (downtown) | Harrisburg, PA (Front) |
1954-1961 | Lancaster, PA (east) | Harrisburg, PA (Front) |
1961-1966 | Lancaster, PA (east) | Harrisburg, PA (Maclay) |
Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info below is based on the research of Robert Droz; Alan Gilbert; Jeff Kitsko. Photo credits: Alex Nitzman; me
US 230 was an original 1926 route, and it ran between Lancaster and Harrisburg for 40 years. The old road is still driveable, and most of it is now designated PA hwy. 230 between the cities.
Originally the east end of US 230 was in downtown Lancaster. I believe US 30 was routed along King Street through downtown, and US 222 was on Prince Street. US 230 came into town on Harrisburg Avenue, and then I'm told it was co-signed with 222 down Prince to King. The shot below is looking south on Prince at what I believe was the original east end of US 230 (King is now PA 462):
me, Nov. 2000
Later, King became one-way eastbound, and Walnut Street became US 30 westbound. Prince became one-way southbound, while northbound US 222 traffic was routed onto a combination of Queen Street, Church Street, and Lime Street. That probably would've meant a new east beginning of US 230. But it's just as possible that US 230 had already bypassed downtown by then, on what is now the US 30 bypass through the north side of the city (US 230 was using that by 1954). The shot below shows what would've been the east beginning of US 230 at that time:
me, Nov. 2000
US 30 still went straight through downtown on what is now PA 462, while US 230 followed modern US 30 and PA 283 to Harrisburg.
The west end of US 230 was always in Harrisburg. PennDoT's 1930 official state highway map makes it look like US 230 ended on Cameron Street at Mulberry Street (which carried US 22 at the time). The old postcard below probably does a pretty good job of showing what that junction looked like at the time:
c. 1913
That's looking west (you can see the Capitol in the distance at far right). US 230 came north on Cameron (from the lower left corner), and had to use the ramp at far left to connect with US 22 on the Mulberry Street Bridge. Below is a modern view, facing the opposite direction:
That's looking east on Mulberry (historic US 22). Traffic wanting US 230 would've taken the ramp down to Cameron, and then turned south (right). But already by later in the 1930s, US 230 traffic had been extended north (left) on Cameron, forming something of a bypass around downtown. The map below shows the route that US 230 used for the next 30 years or so:
Gousha, c. 1959
(Note that map also shows US 22's original route along 4th/Mulberry/Derry, as well as the ramp connecting Mulberry and Cameron.) Today PA 230 ends at modern US 22, at the intersection shown in the photo below:
Nitzman, 2000
This is looking north on Cameron. The light is Maclay Street to the left, Arsenal Boulevard to the right. US 230 ended here from 1961 until its decommissioning in 1966. But prior to 1961, US 230 turned left on Maclay, and continued west to its end at southbound Front Street, which at the time served as eastbound US 22. The photo below is at Maclay and 2nd:
me, Nov. 2000
This is where US 230 met westbound US 22. It ended at the intersection in the distance, which is Front (historic eastbound US 22). The photo below shows another perspective:
me, Nov. 2000
This is looking south on Front. US 230 began to the right, on Maclay.
Page created 21 August 2000; last updated 27 February 2008. |