MD 187 (Old Georgetown Road)

MD 187 (Old Georgetown Road)
State	MD
Route	187
Name	Old Georgetown Road
Length mi	4.50
Established	1930s
Direction a	South
Direction b	North
Terminus a	US 29
Terminus b	MD 191 in North Bethesda
Counties	Montgomery County

MD 187 (Old Georgetown Road) is a state highway in Montgomery County, Maryland connecting suburban corridors in Chevy Chase, Rock Spring, and North Bethesda. The route provides a north–south arterial between US 29 and MD 191, serving commuters, institutional campuses, and transit nodes near Silver Spring and Bethesda. Its alignment parallels railway rights-of-way and intersects major highways, transit facilities, and parkland in the Washington metropolitan area.

Route description

Old Georgetown Road begins at the intersection with US 29 near the University of Maryland research corridor and runs northward through neighborhoods adjacent to Chevy Chase Club and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. The highway immediately approaches the I-495/I-95 corridor and provides connections toward Rockville and Washington, D.C.. Farther north, MD 187 passes institutional edges including Walter Reed-area campuses and commercial nodes near Wisconsin Avenue, intersecting corridors that lead to NIH facilities and Georgetown medical-affiliated clinics.

The roadway configuration varies from four-lane divided sections to two-lane segments as it traverses transitional zones between residential areas such as Strathmore and office districts like those near White Flint. Old Georgetown Road crosses or parallels rail infrastructure historically tied to B&O Railroad alignments and connects to major bus routes serving Metro stations on the Red Line and the Red Line’s service areas. Pedestrian and bicycle accommodations have been incrementally added near institutions including Montgomery College campuses and recreational zones adjacent to Rock Creek Park.

History

The corridor originated as a 19th-century road linking early settlements and estates in Montgomery County to marketplaces in Georgetown and Washington, D.C.. During the early 20th century, the route was improved in response to suburbanization spurred by expansion of trolley lines operated by companies formerly part of the Washington and Great Falls Electric Railway system and automobile growth linked to manufacturers such as Ford Motor Company. State maintenance and designation accelerated in the 1930s as part of broader Maryland highway numbering efforts contemporaneous with projects like United States Numbered Highway System expansions.

Postwar suburban growth during the 1950s and 1960s, influenced by federal developments such as the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 and nearby federal installations like NIH and Naval Medical Center Bethesda, prompted widening projects, intersection reconstructions, and signalization. The vicinity of White Flint saw commercial redevelopment and transit-oriented planning tied to entities including Federal Realty Investment Trust and transit authorities like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. More recent decades brought multimodal improvements coordinated with Montgomery County planning, including streetscape, stormwater management, and traffic-calming measures related to regional initiatives such as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments transportation planning programs.

Major intersections

- Southern terminus: US 29 — connection toward College Park and Silver Spring. - Intersection with Connecticut Avenue near Chevy Chase providing access to Upper Northwest neighborhoods and Woodley Park. - Crossing with Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) — linkage to downtown Bethesda and Rockville. - Junction with arterial routes feeding White Flint and the WMATA Red Line stations serving North Bethesda. - Northern terminus: MD 191 near Tuckerman Lane and access to Grosvenor–Strathmore area and parks.

Related routes and designations

Old Georgetown Road interfaces with multiple numbered and named corridors: US 29 to the south, MD 355 (Wisconsin Avenue), and MD 191 at the northern terminus. It functions as a local-state arterial complementary to regional routes such as I-270 and the I-495. Transit-oriented projects link the road to Washington Metro stations operated by the WMATA and to bus rapid transit planning by the MCDOT. Historical alignments relate to rights-of-way once used by the B&O Railroad and trolley operations connected to early 20th-century lines.

Future developments and improvements

Planned and proposed improvements include corridor safety upgrades coordinated by MCDOT and multimodal investments funded through regional programs overseen by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and state agencies such as the MDOT. Projects under consideration involve intersection modernization near transit hubs serving Grosvenor–Strathmore and White Flint, bicycle and pedestrian facility expansion tied to the Maryland Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, and stormwater retrofits aligned with Chesapeake Bay Program nutrient-reduction goals. Redevelopment pressures near commercial nodes involve stakeholders including Federal Realty Investment Trust and county planning commissions, with coordination anticipated for land-use changes that affect traffic operations, transit connectivity, and curbside management.

Category:Maryland state highways Category:Roads in Montgomery County, Maryland