State Route 522 was designated in 1947. The original routing of the state route followed the majority of today's routing, running from its junction with what was then a two-lane alignment of U.S. Route 52 (now known as Gallia Street) on the southern fringe of Wheelersburg to its present eastern terminus at what was then known as State Route 75 (now State Route 93).
State Route 522's initial route mirrored today's path, starting from where it intersects with the former two-lane U.S. Route 52 (now Gallia Street) on the southern edge of Wheelersburg and ending at its current eastern terminus, which was then State Route 75 (now State Route 93).