U.S. Route 50 in Maryland
George Washington Highway, John Hanson Highway, Blue Star Memorial Highway, Ocean Gateway | ||||
![]() | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by MDSHA | ||||
Length | 150.06 mi[1] (241.50 km) route is two separate segments within Maryland | |||
Existed | 1926–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
![]()
![]() | ||||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Maryland | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
There are two sections of U.S. Route 50 that run through the state of Maryland. The longer of these two sections serves as a major route connecting Washington, D.C. with Ocean City. The other section runs through Garrett County for less than 10 miles as part of the Northwestern Turnpike, and enters West Virginia at both ends. Some major towns and cities in Maryland served by the route include Bowie, Annapolis, Easton, Cambridge, Salisbury, and Ocean City.
Counties Traversed
US 50 passes through the following Maryland counties:
- Garrett - 9.71 miles (15.63 km)
- (the route leaves Maryland, and passes through West Virginia, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, before reentering Maryland)
- Prince George's - 14.39 miles (23.16 km)
- Anne Arundel - 19.88 miles (31.99 km)
- Queen Anne's - 18.78 miles (30.22 km)
- Talbot - 25.45 miles (40.96 km)
- Dorchester - 16.90 miles (27.20 km)
- Wicomico - 30.69 miles (49.39 km)
- Worcester - 14.40 miles (23.17 km)
Cities and towns
See also: List of cities and towns along U.S. Route 50
- Redhouse
- Cheverly
- Landover Hills
- New Carrollton
- Bowie
- Annapolis
- Stevensville
- Chester
- Grasonville
- Queenstown
- Wye Mills
- Easton
- Trappe
- Cambridge
- Vienna
- Mardela Springs
- Salisbury
- Berlin
- Ocean City
Route description
George Washington Highway
- See also: U.S. Route 50 in West Virginia
A portion of US 50 runs through Garrett County along the old Northwestern Turnpike for less than 10 miles in Maryland. Today this section of the highway is named George Washington Highway after George Washington. US 50 intersects only two numbered highways along this stretch: US 219 in Redhouse, and MD 560 east of there. In sharp contrast to the longer of US 50's two Maryland segments, this section is a quiet two-lane rural highway with little traffic.
John Hanson Highway
- See also: Interstate 595 (Maryland)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/I-595.svg/100px-I-595.svg.png)
The John Hanson Highway, named for John Hanson, was the first section of US 50 to be upgraded to a freeway in Maryland. It runs from Washington D.C.'s New York Avenue to Maryland Route 2 outside of Annapolis. Between the Capital Beltway and Annapolis' Rowe Boulevard, the John Hanson Highway is part of the Interstate Highway System and is secretly designated as Interstate 595. Part of the John Hanson Highway in Prince George's County has HOV lanes, as is common with many freeways near Washington, DC. US 301 merges with the highway in Bowie and overlaps US 50 and I-595 through Annapolis (where I-595 ends) and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge until reaching Queenstown on the Eastern Shore.
Blue Star Memorial Highway
In Annapolis, US 50 becomes a blue star memorial highway, and past the end of the John Hanson Highway, it takes on the name "Blue Star Memorial Highway". This designation continues east across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the split with US 301 where US 301 picks up the designation and keeps it until passing the Delaware state line. The US 50/301 portion of the Blue Star Memorial Highway was upgraded to a freeway mostly during the late 1980s and early 1990s; prior to this it was only a divided highway with several local roads intersecting it. After being upgraded, many of these intersections became sharp right-in/right-out ramps.
Ocean Gateway
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/MD_Ocean_Gateway.svg/150px-MD_Ocean_Gateway.svg.png)
US 50 becomes known as Ocean Gateway in Queenstown after the split with 301 and keeps this name up to its terminus in Ocean City. Continuing east from the US 50/US 301 split south of Queenstown, the highway intersects Maryland Route 213 and Maryland Route 404, two major rural highways on the Delmarva Peninsula. After intersecting MD 213, US 50 begins following a north/south path, although it continues to be signed as east/west. After reaching Cambridge, it resumes an east/west path after crossing the Choptank River. The route bypasses the town of Vienna and crosses the Nanticoke River north of the town.
Approaching Salisbury, the route diverges onto the Salisbury Bypass, a partial 3/4 beltway around the city; the four-mile segment connecting US 50 to the eastern portion of the bypass was completed in September 2002. Business US 50, the former routing of US 50, goes directly through Salisbury, following US 50's pre-2002 routing.
On the final stretch toward Ocean City, Maryland Route 90 branches off toward the northern part of the city, bypassing the town of Berlin, while US 50 passes through Berlin, interchanging with US 113 near the town. The route continues to Downtown Ocean City. Although the route's ceremonial eastern terminus is at Maryland Route 528, Philadelphia Avenue, eastbound US 50 actually continues past MD 528 and ends at Maryland Route 378, Baltimore Avenue, a short distance from the Ocean City Boardwalk.
Points of interest
- Severn River Bridge in Annapolis (rededicated as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in December, 2006)
- US Naval Academy (has its own exit off of US 50)
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge
- Kent Island (site of the oldest English settlement in Maryland)
- Kent Narrows Bridge between Kent Island and Grasonville
- Frederick C. Malkus Bridge in Cambridge
- Nanticoke River Memorial Bridge in Vienna
- Harry W. Kelly Memorial Bridge in Ocean City
- Ocean City Boardwalk, near the eastern terminus
Junction list
Exits are numbered from west to east, in accordance with AASHTO guidelines.
County | Location | Mile | # | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | |||||
Garrett | Redhouse | 2.1 | ![]() |
former route of ![]() | |
9.1 | ![]() |
||||
![]() | |||||
Prince George's | Cheverly | 0.2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
eastbound exit and westbound entrance; B-W Parkway joins westbound and splits eastbound | |
0.5 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||
0.5 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||
1.6 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
Landover | 2.8 | ![]() |
|||
Landover Hills | 4.1 | 5 | ![]() |
||
New Carrollton | 4.5 | ![]() |
no eastbound exit; road is unsigned spur of ![]() | ||
5.0 | 7 | ![]() ![]() |
split into 7A (south) and 7B (north) | ||
![]() ![]() | |||||
6.1 | 8 | ![]() |
|||
Bowie | 11.7 | 11 | ![]() |
||
13.1 | 13 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
split into 13A (![]() ![]() | ||
![]() ![]() ![]() | |||||
Anne Arundel | 16.5 | 16 | ![]() |
||
Annapolis | 21.2 | 21 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() | |
23.0 | 22 | ![]() ![]() |
|||
23.5 | 23 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() | ||
24.8 | 24A-B | ![]() ![]() |
split into 24A (![]() | ||
![]() ![]() | |||||
Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge / Severn River Bridge - Severn River | |||||
Arnold | 26.7 | 27 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
split into 27A (![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
direct turnoff from westbound carriageway | ||||
27.6 | 28 | Bay Dale Drive - Bay Hills Golf Club | |||
29.2 | 29 | ![]() |
split into 29A (![]() | ||
Sandy Point | 30.6 | 31 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
direct turnoff from eastbound carriageway | |
31.4 | 32 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||
Chesapeake Bay Bridge (toll: $2.50 cars - eastbound only) - Chesapeake Bay | |||||
Queen Anne's | Stevensville | 37.2 | 37 | ![]() ![]() |
|
37.9 | 38A | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Thomspon Creek Rd: eastbound exit and entrance; Duke Street: westbound entrance and exit (right-in/right-out) | ||
38.9 | 38B | Shopping Center Rd. - to Main St. | westbound entrance and exit | ||
39.0 | 39A | ![]() |
Castle Marina Rd: westbound entrance and exit; Cox Neck Rd: eastbound exit and entrance | ||
Chester | 39.5 | 39B | ![]() ![]() |
![]() | |
40.1 | 40A | Piney Creek Road | right-in/right-out entrance/exit from both carriageways | ||
40.5 | 40B | Dundee Avenue | eastbound exit and entrance | ||
Kent Narrows | 40.8 | 41 | ![]() |
![]() | |
Kent Narrows Bridge - Kent Narrows | |||||
41.9 | 42 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() | ||
Grasonville | 42.8 | 43A | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() | |
43.4 | 43B | Chester River Beach Road - to ![]() ![]() |
westbound entrance only; full eastbound access available | ||
43.8 | 44A | Station Ln. / VFW Ave. - to ![]() |
Station Ln: eastbound exit and entrance; VFW Ave: westbound entrance and exit | ||
44.2 | 44B | ![]() ![]() |
![]() | ||
44.5 | 45A | Homeport Dr.-Hess Rd. - to ![]() ![]() |
Homeport Dr: westbound entrance and exit; Hess Rd: eastbound exit and entrance | ||
44.9 | 45B | Nesbit Road - to ![]() ![]() |
|||
Queenstown | 46.1 | 46 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
eastbound exit and westbound entrance; freeway ends | |
![]() ![]() | |||||
Queenstown | 46.3 | ![]() |
first at-grade intersection after the end of the freeway | ||
47.7 | ![]() ![]() |
||||
49.1 | Carmichael Rd. | ||||
50.7 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
northern terminus of former route of ![]() ![]() | |||
Wye Mills | 51.6 | ![]() |
former route of ![]() | ||
53.1 | ![]() |
intersection lies on top of county line | |||
Talbot | 55.4 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
southern terminus of former route of ![]() ![]() | ||
55.8 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
former route of ![]() ![]() | |||
57.7 | ![]() |
former route of ![]() ![]() | |||
Easton | 61.8 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||
62.7 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||
64.2 | ![]() |
||||
64.5 | ![]() |
former route of ![]() | |||
65.4 | Dutchmans Lane - to ![]() |
||||
66.9 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
67,7 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() | |||
Trappe | 73.02 | Main St.-Barber Road (to ![]() |
|||
Frederick C. Malkus Bridge - Choptank River | |||||
Dorchester | Cambridge | 79.3 | Maryland Avenue | ||
80.1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||
80.8 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() | |||
81.2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
frontage road | |||
82.0 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
frontage road | |||
83.5 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() | |||
93.5 | To Marsh Rd. - Vienna | former route of ![]() ![]() | |||
Vienna | 94.5 | ![]() |
grade-separated interchange between routes | ||
Nanticoke Memorial Bridge - Nanticoke River | |||||
Wicomico | 97.1 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
frontage road | ||
97.5 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
former route of ![]() | |||
Mardela Springs | 99.9 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||
104.8 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||
105.9 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
Salisbury | 107.8 | ![]() ![]() |
grade-separated interchange between routes; ![]() ![]() | ||
![]() ![]() | |||||
111.37 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
grade-separated interchange between routes; ![]() ![]() | |||
114.46 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
grade-separated interchange between routes | |||
![]() ![]() | |||||
118.96 | ![]() |
frontage road | |||
124.6 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() | |||
Worcester | 126.93 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||
129.23 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
grade-separated interchange between routes | |||
131.05 | ![]() |
former route of ![]() | |||
131.79 | ![]() ![]() |
frontage road | |||
Berlin | 132.8 | ![]() ![]() |
former route of ![]() | ||
133.13 | ![]() |
grade-separated interchange between routes | |||
133.96 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
former route of ![]() | |||
134.47 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||
135.73 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||
136.55 | ![]() |
frontage road | |||
138.2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
frontage road | |||
Ocean City | 139.02 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||
Harry W. Kelly Memorial Bridge - Isle of Wight Bay (Sinepuxent Bay) | |||||
140.42 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
one-way southbound street | |||
140.49 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
one-way northbound street | |||
![]() ![]() |
Related routes
See also
External links