U.S. Highways in Maryland

U.S. Highways in Maryland
Title	U.S. Highways in Maryland
Established	1926
Total length mi	270.00
Caption	U.S. Highway network in Maryland

Contents

U.S. Highways in Maryland

U.S. Highways in Maryland form a network of federally numbered corridors serving Baltimore, Annapolis, Hagerstown, Cumberland, and coastal communities on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. These routes connect Maryland with neighboring states including Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. while interfacing with state highways such as Maryland Route 2, Maryland Route 100, and federal limited-access systems like Interstate 95 in Maryland and Interstate 70 in Maryland.

Overview

Maryland's U.S. Highways include primary routes like U.S. Route 1 in Maryland, U.S. Route 40 in Maryland, and U.S. Route 50 in Maryland and shorter segments of transcontinental corridors such as U.S. Route 11 in Maryland and U.S. Route 301 in Maryland. They traverse urban centers such as Baltimore County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and rural counties including Garrett County, Maryland and Wicomico County, Maryland. The network supports access to national landmarks like the United States Naval Academy, cultural institutions like the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and transportation nodes such as Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Major U.S. Highways in Maryland: - U.S. Route 1 in Maryland: runs through Laurel, Maryland, College Park, Maryland, and Baltimore. - U.S. Route 11 in Maryland: short corridor near Cumberland, Maryland connecting to Interstate 81 and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. - U.S. Route 13 in Maryland: serves the Eastern Shore including Salisbury, Maryland and access to Ocean City, Maryland via connecting state routes. - U.S. Route 15 in Maryland: links Frederick, Maryland and Point of Rocks, Maryland toward Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. - U.S. Route 40 in Maryland: historic alignment through Ellicott City, Maryland, Baltimore, and the Fort McHenry Tunnel. - U.S. Route 50 in Maryland: primary east–west artery to Annapolis and Ocean City with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge crossing. - U.S. Route 113 in Maryland: Eastern Shore corridor between Pocomoke City, Maryland and Snow Hill, Maryland. - U.S. Route 219 in Maryland: serves western counties including Oakland, Maryland. - U.S. Route 301 in Maryland: tolled and free segments linking Bowie, Maryland to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge approaches and the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge.

The adoption of the United States Numbered Highway System in 1926 placed key corridors through Maryland, aligning with historic roads such as the National Road and routes used during the Civil War and the War of 1812. Early improvements were influenced by interstate commerce and military logistics centered on Fort McHenry and federal installations in Annapolis. Mid-20th-century projects involved coordination with agencies including the Maryland State Roads Commission and federal programs under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, prompting bypasses around Ellicott City, grade separations near Baltimore, and construction of limited-access connectors to Interstate 95. Later preservation efforts intersected with historic districts like Fells Point and heritage organizations such as the Maryland Historical Trust.

Several U.S. Highways in Maryland feature special routings: business routes through downtowns (e.g., business alignments in Elkton, Maryland and Salisbury, Maryland), alternate routes that bypass congestion in areas near Laurel and Bel Air, Maryland, and truck routes serving freight facilities at Port of Baltimore. Designations have changed over time with transfers to local control involving municipalities like Baltimore City and counties such as Anne Arundel County, Maryland and Caroline County, Maryland.

Maintenance responsibilities are divided among Maryland State Highway Administration, county highway departments in Prince George's County, Maryland and Harford County, Maryland, and municipal public works in cities like Baltimore and Ocean City. Funding mixes state appropriations, federal highway formula funds administered by the Federal Highway Administration, and toll revenue from crossings administered by authorities such as the Maryland Transportation Authority. Standards reference national guides like the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and state design manuals issued by the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Key interchanges occur where U.S. Highways meet interstates and parkways: U.S. Route 40 in Maryland at Interstate 95 in Maryland and the Fort McHenry Tunnel; U.S. Route 50 in Maryland at Interstate 97 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge approaches; U.S. Route 301 in Maryland concurrent segments with Maryland Route 3 and intersecting Interstate 95 near Bowie. Concurrency patterns include multiplexes with state routes such as Maryland Route 2 and Maryland Route 3, and historic alignments that remain signed for continuity through corridors connecting to Washington, D.C. and Delaware.

Planned and proposed projects involve capacity upgrades near growth centers like Prince George's County, Maryland and safety improvements on Eastern Shore corridors near Worcester County, Maryland. Initiatives include interchange reconstructions coordinated with Baltimore Regional Transportation Board planning, bridge rehabilitations overseen by the Maryland Transportation Authority on structures like the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge, and multimodal integration efforts linking U.S. Highways to rail hubs such as Baltimore Penn Station and airports including Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.