U.S. Route 301 in Maryland
![]() | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by MDSHA | ||||
Length | 123.30 mi[1] (198.43 km) | |||
Existed | 1940–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | ![]() | |||
![]()
![]() | ||||
North end | ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Maryland | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
- "Blue Star Memorial Highway (Maryland)" redirects here. See also, U.S. Route 50 in Maryland#Blue Star Memorial Highway
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland is a major highway that runs from Delaware to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge into Virginia. It passes through three of Maryland's four main regions: the Eastern Shore, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and Southern Maryland. US 301 serves mainly as a bypass of Baltimore and Washington from Delaware to Virginia.
Route description
Robert Crain Highway
US 301 is a minimum of four lanes throughout the state of Maryland. It enters the state via the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge and joins the original route of Maryland Route 3 near the town of Newburg in Charles County. Between the Potomac River and the city of Bowie, the route is known as the Robert Crain Highway. Running north, the highway serves the towns of La Plata, Waldorf (where it briefly overlaps MD 5), Brandywine, Upper Marlboro (where it interchanges with MD 4 the Stephanie Roper Highway) , and Bowie before joining US 50 in Bowie and meeting the southern terminus of MD 3, which continues along the Crain Highway to I-97 and MD 32.
John Hanson Highway
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/US_50.svg/60px-US_50.svg.png)
Now following US 50 (and secret I-595) east along the John Hanson Highway, the route serves Annapolis and crosses the Severn River via the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge before traversing Sandy Point State Park to the foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The route meets the southern terminus of Interstate 97, which connects to the highway near the western terminus of MD 665, a freeway spur into downtown Annapolis. US 301 connects to other local highways such as MD 450, MD 2 (which joins the route at this interchange), and MD 70. At MD 70, secret I-595 ends, and US 50, US 301 and MD 2 continue across the Severn River. Both highways form an effective freeway bypass of Annapolis, but both highways also experience enormous backups in the eastbound direction during the summer months due to heavy tourist traffic attempting to cross the Chesapeake Bay. Along the Annapolis section, the freeway takes on a blue star memorial highway designation.
Blue Star Memorial Highway
After crossing the Severn River, the Blue Star Memorial Highway designation becomes the road's name, Blue Star Memorial Highway. Upon crossing the Chesapeake Bay, US 301 enters Queen Anne's County at Kent Island. Continuing east, the highway leaves the island and enters the Delmarva Peninsula as it crosses the Kent Narrows via a high-level bridge (with MD 18 making use of the original drawbridge). US 301 and US 50 separate near Queenstown. At the split, US 50 continues as the Ocean Gateway to Ocean City. The segment between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the 50-301 split is noted for the many right-in/right-out interchanges with MD 18 and MD 835, a legacy of the days when the route was a four-lane at-grade expressway.
Downgrading from a six-lane freeway to a four-lane at-grade expressway, the route runs north, serving as one of the backbones of the Delmarva Peninsula. Still known as the Blue Star Memorial Highway, the route connects with several major highways in the northern segment of the Eastern Shore, including MD 213 and MD 313. It narrows abruptly to a two-lane country road as it enters the state of Delaware.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/MD_Route_3.svg/60px-MD_Route_3.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/MD_Route_71.svg/60px-MD_Route_71.svg.png)
In 1940, the completion of the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge heralded the entry of US 301 into Maryland. A short connector between the northern end of the bridge and MD 3 resulted in the majority of the latter route being taken over by US 301, with only a small portion remaining signed as MD 3 (this portion is now MD 257).
Originally, the route went all the way along former MD 3 into Baltimore and ended near present-day Maryland Route 295 Russell Street. As US 301, it was upgraded into a four- and six-lane divided highway throughout in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s, the route was rerouted along US 50 to the Eastern Shore where it split from US 50 and was routed from there up former Maryland Route 71 into Delaware. Today, Route 301 is a multi-lane highway throughout its path through the state with the exception of the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge; the nine miles (14 km) of MD 3 between US 50 and Interstate 97 is also a four- and six-lane divided highway and is part of the same continuous physical route.
The segment of the highway between the eastern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the US 50/US 301 split in Queenstown was originally built as a four-lane at-grade divided expressway. By the late 1980s, traffic levels were so high that the route was upgraded into a six-lane grade-separated limited-access expressway, with most of the intersections converted into right-in/right-out interchanges, and a few others being converted into more standard interchanges. The upgrade of the route was completed by the early 1990s.
Future developments
- As the route enters Delaware, it becomes a two-lane roadway. However, plans exist to replace U.S. Route 301 in Delaware with a tolled freeway that will link the divided US 301 in Maryland with Delaware Route 1, providing a multi-lane alternative to Interstate 95 between Northern Delaware and Washington, D.C.
- A group known as the Eastern Shoreway Alliance is seeking to have US 301 from Queenstown to the Delaware line redesignated as the Eastern Shoreway [1], similar to the Ocean Gateway designation of US 50 to the south.
Junction list
County | Location | mi [2] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
King George | Dahlgren | 0.00 | 0.00 | ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus of US 301 in Maryland; Virginia state line at Potomac River | |
Potomac River | 0.00– 1.90 | 0.00– 3.06 | Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge / Potomac River Bridge | |||
Charles | Newburg | 2.17 | 3.49 | Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge Toll Plaza (southbound) | ||
3.81 | 6.13 | ![]() ![]() | Directional crossover intersection | |||
Allens Fresh | 5.76 | 9.27 | ![]() ![]() | Directional crossover intersection | ||
La Plata | 14.81 | 23.83 | ![]() | |||
15.54 | 25.01 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
White Plains | 19.55 | 31.46 | ![]() ![]() | |||
20.77 | 33.43 | Billingsley Road | Billingsley Road east is MD 925A | |||
Waldorf | 23.31 | 37.51 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
26.04 | 41.91 | Mattawoman Drive | Mattawoman Drive is MD 5K | |||
26.26 | 42.26 | ![]() ![]() | No direct access from northbound MD 5 to southbound US 301; missing connections made via Mattawoman Drive; south end of concurrency with MD 5 | |||
Prince George's | Brandywine | 28.90 | 46.51 | ![]() ![]() | Northbound exit, southbound entrance; north end of concurrency with MD 5 | |
29.20 | 46.99 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
Marlton | 36.62 | 58.93 | ![]() ![]() | |||
Upper Marlboro | 40.37 | 64.97 | ![]() | Cloverleaf interchange | ||
41.08 | 66.11 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
Bowie | 46.22 | 74.38 | Old Central Avenue | Old Central Avenue is MD 978B | ||
46.36 | 74.61 | ![]() | Partial cloverleaf interchange; no access from northbound US 301 to eastbound MD 214 or from eastbound MD 214 to southbound US 301; missing movements made via Old Central Avenue | |||
49.42 | 79.53 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
50.28 | 80.92 | 13 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Split into exits 13A (US 301 south), 13B (MD 3), and 13C (Melford); south end of concurrencies with US 50 and I-595 | ||
Anne Arundel | | 53.70 | 86.42 | 16 | ![]() | |
Parole | 58.48 | 94.11 | 21 | ![]() ![]() | ||
59.54 | 95.82 | 22 | ![]() ![]() | |||
60.20 | 96.88 | 23 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
60.65 | 97.61 | 23A | ![]() ![]() | No exit eastbound; west end of concurrency with MD 2 | ||
61.92 | 99.65 | 24 | ![]() ![]() | Split into exits 24A (MD 70) and 24B (Bestgate Road) westbound; eastern terminus of unsigned I-595 | ||
Severn River | 62.64– 63.19 | 100.81– 101.69 | Severn River Bridge / Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge | |||
Arnold | 63.83 | 102.72 | 27 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Split into exits 27A (MD 450) and 27B (MD 2) westbound; east end of concurrency with MD 2 | |
64.13 | 103.21 | Baltimore–Annapolis Boulevard north | Unmarked right-in/right-out interchange westbound; officially MD 648F | |||
64.78 | 104.25 | 28 | Bay Dale Drive to Old Mill Bottom Road / Ferguson Road | |||
Cape St. Claire | 66.31 | 106.72 | 29 | ![]() ![]() | Split into exits 29A (Busch's Frontage Road) and 29B (Cape St. Claire Road) eastbound; Busch's Frontage Road and East College Parkway are MD 908A and MD 908B, respectively | |
66.82 | 107.54 | 30 | Whitehall Road | Eastbound exit and entrance; Whitehall Road is MD 908C | ||
67.80 | 109.11 | 31 | Whitehall Road | Right-in/right-out interchange eastbound; Whitehall Road is MD 908C | ||
Skidmore | 68.60 | 110.40 | 32 | Oceanic Drive – Sandy Point State Park | Oceanic Drive is MD 908D | |
68.89 | 110.87 | Chesapeake Bay Bridge Toll Plaza (eastbound) | ||||
Chesapeake Bay | 69.26– 73.32 | 111.46– 118.00 | Chesapeake Bay Bridge / William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge | |||
Queen Anne's | Stevensville | 74.38 | 119.70 | 37 | ![]() | |
75.03 | 120.75 | 38A | Duke Street | Right-in/right-out interchange westbound | ||
75.05 | 120.78 | 38A | Thompson Creek Road | Right-in/right-out interchange eastbound | ||
Chester | 76.02 | 122.34 | 38B | Services | Westbound exit and entrance; frontage road is US 50QC | |
76.14 | 122.54 | 39A | Cox Neck Road | Right-in/right-out interchange eastbound | ||
76.15 | 122.55 | 39A | Castle Marina Road to ![]() | Right-in/right-out interchange westbound; Castle Marina Road is MD 18H | ||
76.65 | 123.36 | 39B | Piney Creek Road | Right-in/right-out interchange westbound; Piney Creek Road is MD 18T; connector road is MD 552A (Chester Station Road) | ||
76.67 | 123.39 | 39B | ![]() ![]() | Right-in/right-out interchange eastbound | ||
77.30 | 124.40 | 40A | South Piney Road | Right-in/right-out interchange eastbound | ||
77.33 | 124.45 | 40A | Piney Creek Road | Right-in/right-out interchange westbound | ||
77.68 | 125.01 | 40B | Dundee Avenue | Right-in/right-out interchange eastbound | ||
Kent Narrows | 77.92 | 125.40 | 41 | ![]() | Westbound ramps are with Piney Narrows Road | |
Kent Narrows | 78.20– 78.78 | 125.85– 126.78 | Kent Narrows Bridge | |||
Kent Narrows | 79.08 | 127.27 | 42 | ![]() | Westbound right-in/right-out interchange with MD 835G (Kent Narrows Road); eastbound right-in/right-out interchange with MD 835 (Seward Marina Road) | |
Grasonville | 79.76 | 128.36 | 43A | Jackson Creek Road | Westbound right-in/right-out interchange; Jackson Creek Road is MD 18U | |
79.78 | 128.39 | 43A | ![]() | Eastbound right-in/right-out interchange with unnamed MD 18F | ||
80.53 | 129.60 | 43B | Chester River Beach Road | No westbound exit; Chester River Beach road is MD 18V | ||
80.93 | 130.24 | 44A | VFW Avenue | Westbound right-in/right-out interchange; VFW Avenue is MD 18W | ||
80.94 | 130.26 | 44A | Station Lane | Eastbound right-in/right-out interchange; Station Lane is MD 18I | ||
81.29 | 130.82 | 44B | Winchester Creek Road | Westbound right-in/right-out interchange; Winchester Creek Road is MD 835H | ||
81.30 | 130.84 | 44B | Evans Avenue | Eastbound right-in/right-out interchange; Evans Avenue is MD 18Z | ||
81.63 | 131.37 | 45A | Hissey Road | Westbound right-in/right-out interchange; Hissey Road is MD 835I | ||
81.64 | 131.39 | 45A | Hess Road | Eastbound right-in/right-out interchange; Hess Road is MD 18X | ||
82.06 | 132.06 | 45B | Nesbit Road | Nesbit Road is MD 835K | ||
Queenstown | 83.25 | 133.98 | 46 | ![]() ![]() | Northbound exit, southbound entrance; north end of concurrency with US 50 | |
83.81 | 134.88 | ![]() | Superstreet intersection; Outlet Center Drive is MD 18S and Main Street is MD 18C | |||
84.31 | 135.68 | ![]() | Superstreet intersection | |||
| 89.01 | 143.25 | ![]() | Partial cloverleaf interchange | ||
| 91.91 | 147.91 | ![]() | Superstreet intersection | ||
| 93.60 | 150.63 | ![]() | |||
| 96.37 | 155.09 | Hayden Clark Road – Bay Country Welcome Center | Hayden Clark Road is MD 834 | ||
Price | 98.38 | 158.33 | ![]() | |||
| 100.00 | 160.93 | ![]() | |||
| 101.54 | 163.41 | ![]() ![]() | |||
| 103.83 | 167.10 | ![]() | Superstreet intersection | ||
| 106.00 | 170.59 | ![]() | Interchange | ||
| 109.22 | 175.77 | ![]() | Superstreet intersection | ||
Kent | | 111.21 | 178.98 | ![]() | Right-in/right-out intersections with MD 701 (Howard Johnson Road) northbound and MD 701A (Edge Road) southbound | |
| 115.10 | 185.24 | ![]() | Superstreet intersection | ||
Sassafras | 118.72 | 191.06 | ![]() | Diamond interchange | ||
Cecil | | 120.34 | 193.67 | ![]() ![]() | ||
Warwick | 122.85 | 197.71 | ![]() ![]() | Northern terminus of US 301 in Maryland; Delaware state line | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
References
- ^ MDRoads: US 301 URL accessed 17 June 2008
- ^ Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2011). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
- Charles County (PDF).
- Prince George's County (PDF).
- Anne Arundel County (PDF).
- Queen Anne's County (PDF).
- Kent County (PDF).
- Cecil County (PDF).
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Template:Roads in Charles County, Maryland
Template:Roads in Prince Georges County, Maryland
Template:Roads in Baltimore area