Interstate 97
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2011) |
 Interstate 97 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Interstate 97 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MDSHA | ||||
| Length | 17.62 mi[1] (28.36 km) | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   US 50 / US 301 near Annapolis | |||
 MD 3 near Millersville
 I-695 near Baltimore | ||||
| North end |  I-895 near Baltimore | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Maryland | |||
| Counties | Anne Arundel County | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
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 U.S. Route 50 (US 50), US 301, and the unsigned I-595 to Baltimore at Interstate 695 (Baltimore Beltway). Originally seen as a spur route, to be designated Interstate 297, it was planned to be built along the Maryland Route 3 (MD 3) corridor, but the proposed route was canceled because of local opposition.[2] Completed in 1993, I-97 is the shortest two-digit Interstate highway in the 48 contiguous states (and nationally barring only the island state of Hawaii's Interstate H-2 at 8 miles (13 km) and Interstate H-3 at 15 miles (24 km)), the only two-digit Interstate on the U.S. mainland entirely within one county (again, also nationally except for Hawaii's entire Interstate system, contained within Honolulu 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
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 through the interchange with Maryland Route 648 a little while later, which also contains the tracks for the Baltimore Light Rail, located nearby 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.
.svg)
Exit list
The entire route is in Anne Arundel County.
| Location | mi [1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parole | 0.00 | 0.00 | US 50 / US 301 (John Hanson Highway) – Annapolis, Bay Bridge, Washington, Richmond | Southern terminus; US 50 and US 301 run concurrently with unsigned I-595 | |
| Crownsville | 5.19 | 8.35 | 5 |  MD 178 (Generals Highway) – Crownsville | Southbound exit, northbound entrance |
| Millersville | 6.71 | 10.80 | 7 |    MD 3 south (Robert Crain Highway) / MD 32 west (Patuxent Freeway) – Bowie, Odenton, Columbia | |
| Severna Park | 9.67 | 15.56 | 10 | Benfield Boulevard / Veterans Highway – Severna Park | Split into exits 10A (east) and 10B (west) southbound; Benfield Boulevard is MD 3C |
| South Gate | 12.10 | 19.47 | 12 |   MD 3 Bus. north (Robert Crain Highway) – Glen Burnie | |
| 13.29 | 21.39 | 13 |  MD 174 (Quarterfield Road) | ||
| 13.84 | 22.27 | 14 |  MD 100 (Paul T. Pitcher Highway) – Gibson Island, Ellicott City | Split into exits 14A (east) and 14B (west) | |
| Ferndale | 14.80 | 23.82 | 15 |   MD 176 (Dorsey Road) / MD 162 (Aviation Boulevard) – Glen Burnie, BWI Airport | Split into exits 15A (MD 176 east) and 15B (MD 176 west) northbound; southbound exit is with MD 162A (Cromwell Park Drive) |
| 15.58 | 25.07 | 16 |  MD 648 (Baltimore–Annapolis Boulevard) – Ferndale, Glen Burnie | ||
| 17.46 | 28.10 | 17 | I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) – Baltimore, Towson, Key Bridge, Dundalk | Split into exits 17A (west) and 17B (east) northbound; no exits southbound | |
| Brooklyn Park | 17.62 | 28.36 |   To I-895 (Harbor Tunnel Thruway) / MD 648 (Baltimore–Annapolis Boulevard) – Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, Ferndale | Northern terminus; highway continues north as I-895A; I-895A has a ramp to westbound I-695 to access MD 648 | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
See also
References
- ^ a b Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2011). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
- Anne Arundel County (PDF).
- ^ Interstate 97 in 1983
External links
 Primary Interstate Highways | |
|---|---|
| Signed | |
| Unsigned | |
| Lists | |
| Other | |
Routes in italics are no longer a part of the system. Major Interstates are highlighted. | |