Interstate 97

Interstate 97
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length:	17.62 mi (28.36 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I-595 / US 50 / US 301 near Annapolis
	MD 3 near Millersville MD 32 near Odenton MD 100 near Severn I-695 near Baltimore
North end:	I-895 near Baltimore
Highway system
Main route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Maryland highway system Interstate • US • State • Scenic Byways • Turnpikes ← MD 96 MD 97 →

Interstate 97 (abbreviated I-97) is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It runs from Annapolis at the overlapped section of US 50, US 301, and the unsigned I-595 to Baltimore at the city's beltway. Originally seen as a spur route, to be designated Interstate 297, it was planned to be built along the Maryland Route 3 corridor, but the proposed route was canceled because of local opposition. Completed in 1993, I-97 is currently the shortest two-digit interstate highway in the country, the only two-digit interstate highway on the U.S. mainland located entirely within one county, and the only two-digit interstate highway on the U.S. mainland that does not connect to any other two-digit interstate highways.

Route description

An older version of the I-97 shield as used in Maryland, still commonly seen along the route

Interstate 97 begins at US 50/US 301/unsigned I-595 with a pair of collector distributor roadways feeding directly into I-97 at a directional-T interchange. To the south, the same C/D roads become Maryland Route 665 as a direct freeway spur into Annapolis. Directly afterward, I-97 passes over Maryland Route 450 with no interchange. The road continues northwest, weaving through a heavily wooded area with very few interactions with other roads. Its first interchange is with Maryland Route 178, though it is only accessible from the southbound carriageway, and traffic only enters into the northbound. There are no northbound off-ramps until exit 7, where the route interchanges with the ends of both Maryland Route 3 and Maryland Route 32. Within this interchange, Interstate 97 turns to the northeast and follows the former Maryland Route 3, shifting from a rural Interstate with few exits to a more urban one.

Along the former MD 3 corridor that Interstate 97 now follows, development begins to grow closer to the highway, and the route's road surface changes from asphalt to concrete for the remainder of the route. In Glen Burnie the route interchanges with Maryland Route 3 Business, a former alignment of MD 3 that now no longer connects directly to its parent route. Beyond this, it interchanges with Maryland Route 100, another important freeway in Anne Arundel County. It passes over the Baltimore Light Rail as it crosses and interchanges with Maryland Route 648 a little while later, near Cromwell Station.

Interstate 97 ends outside of Baltimore at an interchange with the Baltimore Beltway, one of a series of interconnected interchanges which includes Maryland Route 2 and a spur of Interstate 895. The main carriageways become the I-895 spur, while the ramps to the westbound Beltway become the latter route's main travel lanes.

History

• The originally proposed north–south route was to follow the current Maryland Route 10 corridor.
• The second proposed route included a section of US 50/unsigned I-595 between Interstate 95 and the current I-97 designation.
• Two spur routes of I-97 were planned but never built. I-197 would have been 4 miles (6.4 km) long and I-297 would have been 7.7 miles (12.4 km) long.

Exit list

The entire route is in Anne Arundel County.

Location	Mile	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Annapolis	0.00	0	MD 665 (Aris T. Allen Boulevard) / Riva Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	0.12	1	US 50 (I-595) / US 301 - Richmond, Washington, Annapolis, Bay Bridge	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	5.64	5	MD 178 – Crownsville	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	6.71	7	MD 32 west / MD 3 south – Columbia, Bowie, Odenton
	9.67	10	Veterans Highway, Benfield Boulevard (MD 3C) - Severna Park	Signed as exits 10A (east) and 10B (west) southbound
Glen Burnie	12.10	12	MD 3 Bus. north (New Cut Road) – Glen Burnie
	13.29	13	MD 174 (Quarterfield Road)
	13.84	14	MD 100 – Gibson Island, Ellicott City	Signed as exits 14A (east) and 14B (west)
	14.80	15	MD 176 (Dorsey Road) / MD 162 (Aviation Boulevard) – Glen Burnie, BWI Airport	Signed as exits 15A (east) and 15B (west) northbound
Ferndale	15.58	16	MD 648 (Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard) – Glen Burnie, Ferndale
Linthicum	17.46	17	I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) / Key Bridge – Baltimore, Towson, Dundalk	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 17A (west) and 17B (east)
Brooklyn Park	17.62		I-895 north (Harbor Tunnel Throughway) – Baltimore Harbor Tunnel	Northbound exit and southbound entrance

See also

• U.S. Roads portal
• Maryland portal

External links

• Steve Anderson's DCroads.net: Interstate 97 (Maryland)