Interstate 97 (Maryland)

Interstate 97 (Maryland)
State	MD
Route	97
Length mi	17.62
Established	1989
Direction a	South
Terminus a	U.S. Route 50/U.S. Route 301 at Annapolis, Maryland
Junction	MD 32 in Crofton, Maryland; MD 3 in Millersville, Maryland
Direction b	North
Terminus b	U.S. Route 1 in Crownsville, Maryland
Counties	Anne Arundel County
Previous type	MD
Previous route	96
Next type	MD
Next route	99

Interstate 97 (Maryland) Interstate 97 is an intrastate Interstate Highway entirely within Anne Arundel County, Maryland, connecting Annapolis, Maryland with the Baltimore–Washington corridor and providing a limited-access link to Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. It is the primary north–south high-speed route on the western side of the county, intersecting major routes such as U.S. Route 50/U.S. Route 301, MD 32 and MD 3. Because it lies entirely within a single county, it is among the shortest signed two-digit Interstates, serving commuter, freight, and military traffic bound for Naval Academy and regional installation areas.

Route description

I‑97 begins at the junction with U.S. Route 50/U.S. Route 301 near Parole, Maryland, adjacent to landmarks such as Annapolis, Maryland and the United States Naval Academy. The freeway proceeds northward as a six- to eight-lane limited-access highway through suburban corridors including Arbutus, Maryland, passing interchanges with MD 450 and MD 70 that serve Ego Alley and waterfront districts. As I‑97 advances it intersects MD 32 near Crofton, Maryland, connecting to Fort Meade and BWI Airport via arterial routes and parkways used by commuters to Baltimore, Maryland and Columbia, Maryland.

North of MD 32 the highway narrows modestly while traversing the Severn River watershed and suburban nodes such as Severn, Maryland and Millersville, Maryland. The route meets MD 3 at a major interchange that facilitates movements toward Glen Burnie, Maryland and Baltimore County, then continues to its terminus at U.S. Route 1 in Crownsville, Maryland, providing access to Fort George G. Meade and biomedical campuses near Laurel, Maryland. Throughout its length I‑97 features standard Interstate design elements, including high-speed ramps, grade separations, and serviceable shoulders to accommodate mixed commuter and truck traffic between the Chesapeake Bay region and the I‑95/I‑695 corridors.

History

Planning for a high-capacity corridor linking Annapolis, Maryland and the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area dates to mid-20th-century regional transportation studies involving agencies such as the Maryland State Highway Administration and the predecessor Bureau of Public Roads. Early alignments and proposals competed with corridors for Maryland Route 3, U.S. Route 50, and the Baltimore–Washington Parkway, while federal Interstate planning during the 1950s and 1960s influenced route numbering and funding priorities. Environmental reviews in the 1970s and 1980s addressed concerns about the Severn River, wetlands near the South River, and suburban growth patterns tied to Fort Meade expansion.

Construction proceeded in stages through the 1980s, with segments opening to traffic as right-of-way and funding were secured. The highway received the I‑97 designation following completion of contiguous freeway sections and coordination with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration. Key interchanges, including the MD 32 and MD 3 junctions, were finished in the late 1980s and early 1990s, after which the corridor saw rapid commuter use, spurring auxiliary projects and interchange improvements tied to regional development in Crofton and Crownsville. Subsequent decades featured incremental upgrades, safety projects, and pavement rehabilitation overseen by the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Exit list

The I‑97 exit list organizes interchanges from south to north within Anne Arundel County, Maryland: - Exit 1: Junction with U.S. Route 50/U.S. Route 301 — access to Annapolis, Maryland, Severn River - Exit 2A–B: MD 450 / MD 70 — access to downtown Annapolis, Maryland and Ego Alley - Exit 3: MD 424 — access to Sharps Corner and local subdivisions - Exit 4: MD 32 — connection toward Fort Meade and Columbia, Maryland - Exit 5: MD 3 — link to Glen Burnie, Maryland and Baltimore, Maryland - Exit 6: MD 178 / local roadways — access to Millersville, Maryland - Exit 7: Terminus at U.S. Route 1 — access to Crownsville, Maryland and local business parks

Ramp configurations include collector–distributor lanes at major junctions and standard diamond and cloverleaf variants chosen to balance traffic flow and environmental constraints. Several exits incorporate park-and-ride facilities serving commuter buses to Baltimore and Washington, D.C..

Future and planned improvements

Planned improvements on I‑97 center on interchange modernization, congestion mitigation, and resiliency projects coordinated by the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration and regional planning groups such as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Proposed work includes auxiliary lane additions between heavily traveled interchanges to reduce weaving, ramp reconfigurations at MD 3 to improve safety, and bridge rehabilitations over tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. Projects align with federal funding programs administered by the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation budgets, and environmental compliance involves the Maryland Department of the Environment and local preservation organizations.

Longer-term concepts consider multimodal connections to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, expanded park-and-ride capacity to support MTA Maryland commuter bus services, and coordination with Prince George's County, Maryland and Anne Arundel County growth plans to limit sprawl adjacent to protected waterways. Implementation timelines depend on permitting, funding rounds, and prioritization within statewide capital plans.

Auxiliary routes and other designations

I‑97 has no signed three-digit Interstate auxiliaries branching directly from it, reflecting its short intrastate character and single-county alignment. State and federal route designations that interface with I‑97 include U.S. Route 50, U.S. Route 301, MD 3, MD 32, and MD 450, which serve as primary feeders. Several service roads and frontage lanes carry local route numbers maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration and municipal authorities in Annapolis and Crownsville. I‑97’s corridor is occasionally referenced in planning documents as part of the broader Baltimore–Washington Interstate network and regional freight routing strategies.

Category:Interstate Highways in Maryland Category:Transportation in Anne Arundel County, Maryland