U.S. Route 522 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Powhatan, Virginia

Powhatan, Virginia

Powhatan is an unincorporated community in and the county seat of Powhatan County, Virginia, United States. Powhatan was initially known as Scottville for a brief time, and historically has also been known as Powhatan Court House and Powhatan Courthouse...

 to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

Selinsgrove is a borough in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1787 by Captain Anthony Selin, who fought with Washington in the Revolutionary War....

. In West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

, the U.S. highway runs 19 miles (30.6 km) from the Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 state line near Ridge

Ridge, West Virginia

Ridge is an unincorporated hamlet in Morgan County, West Virginia. It is located along Valley Road at its intersection with Fish Hatchery Road near the Frederick County, Virginia line...

 north to the Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 state line at the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

 in Hancock

Hancock, West Virginia

Hancock is an unincorporated hamlet in Morgan County in the U.S. state of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. It is located off of Hancock Road on River Road along the Potomac River north of Berkeley Springs...

 just south of Hancock, Maryland

Hancock, Maryland

Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state...

. US 522 passes through Ridge and Valley Province

Ridge-and-valley Appalachians

The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...

 of the Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

 in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia

Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia

The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is a narrow stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia, United States. The Eastern Panhandle Board of Realtors and other local civic organizations consider only the three Easternmost counties, Jefferson, Berkeley and...

. The portion of the U.S. highway in West Virginia serves to connect Winchester

Winchester, Virginia

Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...

 with Hancock via Berkeley Springs, the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Morgan County

Morgan County, West Virginia

Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, it's population was 17,541. Its county seat is Berkeley Springs. The county is one of three in Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. US 522 is part of the National Highway System

National Highway System (United States)

The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...

 for its entire length in West Virginia.

Route description

US 522 begins at the Virginia state line near Ridge. The U.S. highway heads south as a four-lane divided highway toward Winchester. US 522 heads north as a two-lane highway through a narrow valley immediately to the east of the parallel Warm Spring Ridge and a short distance to the east of Capapon Mountain. The highway passes through the hamlets of Ridge, the site of a fish hatchery

Fish hatchery

A fish hatchery is a "place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing through the early life stages of animals, finfish and shellfish in particular". Hatcheries produce larval and juvenile fish primarily to support the aquaculture industry where they are transferred to on-growing systems...

, Omps

Omps, West Virginia

Omps is an unincorporated community that lies along U.S. Route 522 in Morgan County, West Virginia, USA. Omps previously had a post office that operated between 1887 to 1973.-Attractions:...

, and Rock Gap

Rock Gap, West Virginia

Rock Gap is an unincorporated community along Valley Road in Morgan County, West Virginia, USA. It is located between Omps to its south and Berkeley Springs to its north...

 and by the entrance to Cacapon Resort State Park

Cacapon Resort State Park

Opened in 1933, the Cacapon Resort State Park is located on the eastern slopes of Cacapon Mountain in Morgan County, West Virginia. Panorama Overlook, at the southern end of the park and above sea level, is the highest point in the park and in Morgan County.- Features :* 48-room Lodge* 12-room...

. The U.S. highway begins to parallel Warm Spring Run

Warm Spring Run

Warm Spring Run is an non-navigable tributary stream of the Potomac River in Morgan County of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. It rises on the eastern side of Warm Springs Ridge and parallels U.S. Route 522 for most of its course. Warm Spring Run enters the Potomac River at Hancock...

 as it approaches Berkeley Springs, where the highway is named Washington Street and passes by Berkeley Springs State Park

Berkeley Springs State Park

Berkeley Springs State Park is a state park located in the center of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. The centerpieces of this park are the spa facilities. These waters are currently and historically billed as having medicinal or restorative powers, generally taken internally for digestive...

. Within the town, US 522 has two intersections with WV 9 surrounding a short concurrency

Concurrency (road)

A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

. From the south end of town, WV 9 heads east as Dawson Street toward Martinsburg

Martinsburg, West Virginia

Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...

; at the north end of downtown Berkeley Springs, WV 9 heads west as Union Street, ascending Cacapon Mountain on its way toward Great Cacapon

Great Cacapon, West Virginia

Great Cacapon, pronounced , is an unincorporated census-designated place in Morgan County in the U.S. state of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. As of the 2010 census, its population was 386....

. US 522 passes through Burnt Factory

Burnt Factory, West Virginia

Burnt Factory is an unincorporated community in Morgan County, West Virginia north of Berkeley Springs. It is located along Sand Mine Road off of Hancock Road and is the site of the U.S. Silica Company's Berkeley Springs plant. U.S. Silica is a leading producer of high quality ground and unground...

, the site of a sand extraction and processing facility, on its way toward its northern terminus at Hancock, a hamlet that sits across the Potomac River from Hancock, Maryland and contains Potomac Airpark. The airpark is accessed from US 522's last intersection in West Virginia before crossing over the river and CSX

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...

's Cumberland Subdivision

Cumberland Subdivision

The Cumberland Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Maryland and West Virginia. The line runs from Weverton, Maryland west to near Cumberland, Maryland along the old Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road main line...

 into Maryland.

Future

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) has now selected a Preferred Alternative for the US 522 project. In general terms, the route runs parallel to—and east of—the existing Route 522 for approximately 22 miles (35.4 km) from the Maryland state line to the Virginia state line. It will be, for most of its length, within 50 feet (15.2 m) of the current 522. In the vicinity of the proposed Ridge Historic District, however, the alignment extends farther away to avoid impacting either that site or the adjacent fish hatchery. Also, immediately south of Berkeley Springs, the projected route would veer further east to avoid the downtown area.

Junction list

The entire route is in Morgan County

Morgan County, West Virginia

Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, it's population was 17,541. Its county seat is Berkeley Springs. The county is one of three in Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area...

.

{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile

!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Ridge

Ridge, West Virginia

Ridge is an unincorporated hamlet in Morgan County, West Virginia. It is located along Valley Road at its intersection with Fish Hatchery Road near the Frederick County, Virginia line...

|0.0
|
|Southern terminus of US 522 in West Virginia; Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 state line
|-
|rowspan=2|Berkeley Springs
|13.6
|
|South end of concurrency with WV 9
|-
|14.0
|
|South end of concurrency with WV 9
|-
|Hancock

Hancock, West Virginia

Hancock is an unincorporated hamlet in Morgan County in the U.S. state of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. It is located off of Hancock Road on River Road along the Potomac River north of Berkeley Springs...

|19.0
|
|Northern terminus of US 522 in West Virginia; Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 state line at Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...