Interstate 95 in Maryland

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Interstate 95
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Capital Beltway
John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway
Length: 110.01 mi[1] (177.04 km)
Formed: 1957
South end: I-95/I-495 in Alexandria, VA
Major
junctions:		 I-295 near Forest Heights

I-595/US 50 near Glenarden
US 1 in College Park
I-495 near College Park
I-895 near Baltimore
I-195 near Baltimore
I-695 near Baltimore
I-395 in Baltimore
North end: I-95 near Newark, DE
Highways in Maryland
< MD 94 MD 95 >
State highways - Minor - Decommissioned

In Maryland, Interstate 95 runs diagonally from the border with Delaware, in the northeastern part of the state, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge before entering Virginia. The route is one of the most heavily traveled Interstate highways in Maryland, especially between Baltimore and Washington, despite alternate routes along the corridor, such as the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, U.S. Route 1, and U.S. Route 29. Portions of the highway are tolled.

Between the Delaware state line and the Baltimore City line, I-95 is known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway.

Contents

[edit] Counties traversed

From south to north, I-95 traverses the following counties in Maryland:

[edit] Cities and towns

I-95 directly serves the following cities and towns (bolded entries are control cities):

[edit] Route description

[edit] Capital Beltway

A Maryland- specific trailblazer for Interstate 95
A Maryland- specific trailblazer for Interstate 95
Main article: Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)

Interstate 95 enters the state of Maryland concurrent with Interstate 495, the Capital Beltway. The two routes, eight lanes wide, travel together over the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge and touch down in Prince George's County west of Forest Heights. I-95/I-495 immediately encounter the southern terminus of Interstate 295, known as the Anacostia Freeway, a route that serves downtown Washington D.C. and connects to the planned alignment of I-95 through D.C., Interstate 395. Just beyond I-295 the two routes interchange with MD 210, a major north-south route into southern D.C.

The two Interstates continue along the Capital Beltway, interchanging with various local highways such as MD 5 and MD 4 on either side of Andrews Air Force Base, which the Beltway travels very close to near its northern edge. Turning north past the MD 4 interchange, the Beltway runs through Glenarden, interchanging with MD 202, US 50/Secret Interstate 595, and MD 450, the latter route offering access to the New Carrollton metro station and the New Carrollton metropolitan area.

Turning northwest the Beltway enters Greenbelt Park, intersecting the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in the northeastern edge of the park. Just after the B-W Parkway the two routes interchange with MD 201, which connects to the southern terminus of the B-W Parkway at US 50 near the D.C. line. Now turned fully west, the Beltway runs through the northern edge of College Park, interchanging with the College Park metro station's access roadway and US 1.

Beyond the US 1 interchange, Interstate 95 encounters its own route at the College Park Interchange, and separates from Interstate 495 within this interchange. I-495 continues west, alone, on the Capital Beltway to Interstate 270, while I-95 turns north onto its own planned alignment. The interchange includes access to a Park and Ride.

[edit] Between the Beltways

Traffic is congested on I-95 north, about 13 miles south of the Fort McHenry Tunnel
Traffic is congested on I-95 north, about 13 miles south of the Fort McHenry Tunnel

Running northeast, I-95, still eight lanes wide, passes through Beltsville, interchanging with MD 212 near the town. The highway, completed in 1971, runs through undeveloped land for a distance before interchanging with MD 198 just west of Laurel. Passing over the Patuxent River just south of the Rocky Gorge Dam the route enters Howard County and promptly interchanges with MD 216. North of the MD 216 interchange, the route encounters its first rest area in the state of Maryland, with each carriageway served by its own facility. Continuing northeast, I-95 intersects MD 32 at a modified directional cloverleaf. Within this interchange, I-95 grade-separates, with the northbound carriageway passing over MD 32 and the southbound carriageway passing under MD 32, allowing left exits from both of the latter's carriageways to merge into the left lanes of I-95 without conflict.

North of this unusual interchange, I-95 encounters MD 175, the main access route into Columbia, at a less radical directional cloverleaf interchange. After the MD 175 interchange comes the MD 100 interchange, providing access to Ellicott City, US 29, and Interstate 70 to the west, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Interstate 97 to the east. Just beyond this interchange, I-95 encounters three more of its child routes within Maryland: Interstate 895, which splits at a directional wye within the Patapsco Valley State Park, just south of the Patapsco River; Interstate 195, a short spur to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and Interstate 695, the Baltimore Beltway, a full-circle beltway around Baltimore that offers a full freeway bypass of the city and connects to Interstate 70, Interstate 83 and Interstate 97. Traffic not authorized to make use of either of the direct routes through Baltimore is encouraged to use the eastern half of I-695, which crosses the Patapsco River via the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

[edit] Within Baltimore

Main article: Interstate 95 in Baltimore, Maryland

After interchanging with I-695, I-95 enters the city of Baltimore, becoming one of its major east-west arteries. The route, completed in 1985 with the opening of the Fort McHenry Tunnel, provides direct access to downtown Baltimore via Interstate 395. West of the southern terminus of I-395, the route intersects the northern end of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the first freeway route to connect Washington D.C. with Baltimore. Skirting the southern edge of Fort McHenry, the route crosses the Patapsco River via the Fort McHenry Tunnel, then turns north to serve East Baltimore, crossing over and paralleling Interstate 895. The two routes eventually merge with one another just after I-95 crosses the city line to the south of Rosedale.

[edit] John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway

Main article: John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway

I-95, once again eight lanes wide, now travels out of Baltimore on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. The route is eight lanes wide from the northern terminus of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway (Interstate 895) as far as MD 24, and six lanes wide from there to the Delaware border. The highway interchanges with Interstate 695, the Baltimore Beltway, at a unique double-crossover interchange.

The route serves various towns to the northeast of Baltimore:

It crosses the Susquehanna River on the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge, named for a long-time political figure in Maryland who died in 1961.

Interstate 95 finally exits the state of Maryland near the town of Elkton.

[edit] Service areas

Just as in Delaware, the northern segment of I-95 in Maryland has service areas in the median that serve both directions of traffic. This dates back to its days as a two-state toll highway. Between the Delaware line and the Baltimore City line, two service areas are available - Maryland House, opened in 1963, at milepost 82 (between exits 80 & 85) in Harford County, and Chesapeake House, opened in 1975, at milepost 97 (between exits 93 & 100) in Cecil County. There is also a rest area between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., located in Howard County. Unlike the above two rest areas, which are located in the median, this rest area is located on the shoulders, with separate facilities for each carriageway.

[edit] Spur routes

Interstate 95 in Maryland has a nearly full quiver of spur routes:

[edit] Exit list

Exits are numbered from south to north, in accordance with AASHTO guidelines. Purple sections indicate once-proposed interchanges that were parts of now-cancelled highway projects. This listing does not include the proposed section through Washington that was cancelled in 1977.

County Mile # Old Destinations Notes
Capital Beltway continue from Virginia
Prince George's 1.7 2B 38
I-295 north - Washington		 Signed as Exit 2 southbound
1.7 2A 38
MD 210 south - Indian Head		 Northbound exit only
2.8 3 37 MD 210 (Indian Head Highway) - Indian Head, Forest Heights Split into 3A (south) and 3B (north)
4.3 4 37A MD 414 (St. Barnabas Road) - Oxon Hill, Marlow Heights Split into 4A (west) and 4B (east)
7.3 7 36 MD 5 (Branch Avenue) - Waldorf, Silver Hill Split into 7A (south) and 7B (north)
9.1 9 35 MD 337 (Allentown Road) - Andrews AFB, Morningside
10.8 11 34 MD 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) - Upper Marlboro, Washington Split into 11A (south/east) and 11B (north/west)
13 Ritchie-Marlboro Road - Upper Marlboro, Capitol Heights
14.8 15 33 MD 214 (Central Avenue) - Largo, Seat Pleasant Split into 15A (east) and 15B (west)
16 Arena Drive Usually open only on event days at FedEx Field.
16.6 17 32 MD 202 (Landover Road) - Upper Marlboro, Bladensburg Split into 17A (east) and 17B (west)
18.5 19 31 US 50 - Annapolis, Washington Unsigned I-595 east; split into 19A (east) and 19B (west)
19.6 20 30 MD 450 (Annapolis Road) - Lanham, Bladensburg Split into 20A (east) and 20B (west)
22.1 22 29 Baltimore/Washington Parkway / ( MD 295) - Baltimore Split into 22A (north) and 22B (south)
23.0 23 28 MD 201 (Kenilworth Avenue) - Bladensburg, Greenbelt
24 Greenbelt Metro station Southbound exit and northbound entrance
25.2 25 27 US 1 (Baltimore Avenue) - Laurel, Beltsville, College Park Split southbound into 25A (north) and 25B (south)
26.1 27 26
Interstate 495 west - Silver Spring, Bethesda		 I-495 leaves northbound and joins southbound
separates from Capital Beltway at the College Park Interchange
28.5 29 MD 212 - Beltsville, Calverton Split into 29A (east) and 29B (west)
31 Future MD 200 / Intercounty Connector - Laurel, Gaithersburg Projected to open in 2011
32.7 33 MD 198 - Laurel, Burtonsville Split into 33A (east) and 33B (east)
Howard 35.3 35 MD 216 - Laurel, Scaggsville Split into 35A (east) and 35B (west)
38.2 38 MD 32 - Fort Meade, Columbia Split into 38A (east) and 38B (west)
41 MD 175 - Columbia, Jessup Split into 41A (east) and 41B (west)
42.3 43 MD 100 - Glen Burnie, Ellicott City Split into 43A (east) and 43B (west)
46
I-895 north - Harbor Tunnel		 Toll road; northbound exit and southbound entrance
Baltimore 46.5 47A
I-195 east - BWI Airport
46.5 47B
MD 166 west - Catonsville
48.5 49A
I-695 east - Glen Burnie, Key Bridge, Annapolis
48.5 49B
I-695 west - to I-70 to I-83, Towson
Baltimore City 49.8 50
US 1 Alternate (Caton Avenue)		 Split into 50A (south) and 50B (north)
50C
I-70 west - Ellicott City, Frederick		 Proposed eastern terminus of and, later,
50.9 51 Washington Boulevard Northbound exit and southbound entrance
51.7 52
MD 295 north (Russell Street North)		 Northbound exit and southbound entrance
51.7 52
MD 295 south (Baltimore-Washington Parkway) - BWI Airport		 Southbound exit and northbound entrance
52.1 53
Interstate 395 to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard - Downtown
52.7 54
MD 2 south (Hanover Street)		 Northbound exit and southbound entrance
53.5 55
MD 2 Truck (Key Highway) - Fort McHenry National Monument
Fort McHenry Tunnel
Toll plaza - $2.00 for 2-axle vehicles, $2.00 per additional axle
56.0 56 Keith Avenue
57.0 57 Boston Street, O'Donnell Street
57C
I-83 north (Jones Falls Expressway) - Downtown Baltimore		 Proposed southern terminus of
57.7 58 Dundalk Avenue Northbound exit and southbound entrance
58.5 59 MD 150 (Eastern Avenue)
59.8 60 Moravia Road Northbound exit and southbound entrance; theoretical Exit 60A
60B
MD 149 east (Windlass Freeway) - Essex, White Marsh		 Proposed western terminus of
60.0 61
US 40 east (Pulaski Highway)		 Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Baltimore 60.8 62 1
I-895 south - Harbor Tunnel, Annapolis		 Southbound exit and northbound entrance
63.7 64 2 Interstate 695 - Essex, Towson Split into 64A (east) and 64B (west); exit numbers signed northbound only
67.0 67 3
MD 43 (White Marsh Boulevard) - to US 40 to US 1		 Split into 67A (east) and 67B (west)
Harford 74.3 74 3A MD 152 - Joppatowne, Fallston
76.6 77 4 MD 24 - Edgewood, Bel Air Split into 77A (south) and 77B (north)
80.5 80 MD 543 - Riverside, Churchville
Maryland House
84.9 85 5 MD 22 - Aberdeen, Churchville
89.2 89 6 MD 155 - Havre de Grace, Churchville
Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge
Toll plaza, northbound only - $5.00 for 2-axle vehicles, $5.00 per additional axle
Cecil 93.4 93 7 MD 222 - Perryville, Port Deposit Former route of
Chesapeake House
100.0 100 8 MD 272 - North East, Rising Sun Split southbound into 100A (south) and 100B (north)
108.9 109 9
MD 279 - to MD 213; Elkton; Newark, DE		 Split into 109A (south) and 109B (north)
continues into Delaware as Delaware Turnpike

[edit] History

[edit] Northeast Freeway

Main article: Northeast Freeway

Under the original plans for Interstate 95 in Maryland, the route would not have followed the eastern half of the Capital Beltway from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the College Park Interchange. Instead, it would have exited the District at New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650), following the Northeast Freeway, and after passing through Northwest Branch Park, junctioned I-495 at the College Park Interchange, integrating seamlessly with the existing segment of I-95 at that interchange. This route was canceled in 1977, and I-95 rerouted, after the District government canceled the North Central Freeway, which would have linked to the Northeast Freeway at its southern end and carried I-95 deeper into the District.

[edit] Ghost interchanges

I-95 is unique in having no less than four ghost interchanges along its route, with three located within the city of Baltimore. Traveling northbound, the first interchange encountered is the College Park Interchange, the site of the northern crossing of I-95 and I-495 and the northern end of the Northeast Freeway. This interchange, while technically incomplete, was modified in late 1986 to bring it fully into service; today, all parts of the interchange are in regular use.

The other three interchanges are located in the city of Baltimore: Exit 50C, the planned eastern terminus of Interstate 70; Exit 57C, the planned southern terminus of Interstate 83, and Exit 60B, the planned southern terminus of the Windlass Freeway. All three ghosts incorporate interchanges with local roads.

[edit] Changes in jurisdiction

Originally, there were five changes in jurisdiction over maintenance of Maryland's segment of I-95. Between the Virginia state line and the Baltimore city line, the route is maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration. Within Baltimore, jurisdiction went from the city to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) and back to the city. Between the city line and Exit 67 (MD 43) the route was again maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration. North of Exit 67 to the Delaware state line, the route is maintained by the MdTA.

Now, between the southern Baltimore city line (near Exit 49, the southern I-695 interchange) and the Delaware state line, the route is maintained entirely by the MdTA.[2] Maryland state highway police force and the authority's own police force share police duties on this segment, and toll revenue from the two toll facilities on this segment finance the maintenance and expansion of the route.

[edit] Major events

  • On January 13, 2004, a tanker truck carrying flammable liquid fell off of the southbound ramp from the Harbor Tunnel Thruway to I-95, landing on the travel lanes and causing a massive explosion, crushing several vehicles and killing four.[3] Despite this, no damage was done to either highway and both were reopened early in the morning on January 14, 2004.[4]
  • On October 16, 2004, a sudden hail storm just north of Baltimore caused a string of 17 accidents, involving 92 vehicles, in an 11-mile stretch of I-95. Both northbound and southbound lanes were closed down. The northbound lanes were reopened seven hours later, and the southbound lanes required a further 12 hours to clean.
  • On January 16, 2007, an exhausted truck driver lost control of his tanker truck, causing it to overturn on the northbound carriageway near Maryland House in Harford County. The route was closed for a time when leaks were discovered in the tank, which was carrying a corrosive alkaline material; the outermost right lane remained closed until 15:00 that day.[5]

[edit] Notes

When traveling northbound on I-95, the northbound control city is New York. This is posted in lieu of Wilmington or Philadelphia because of the absence of a through connection between the two New Jersey segments of I-95; as a result, the state of Maryland has chosen to post New York as the northbound control city in order to encourage long-distance traffic to travel via Interstate 295 in Delaware, which connects with the New Jersey Turnpike (which later becomes I-95).

In the Washington metropolitan area, the southbound control city is Richmond. This encourages long-distance traffic to travel via the eastern half of the Capital Beltway, which includes the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and the relocated I-95 split at the Springfield Interchange in Northern Virginia. The changeover between control cities occurs at Exit 22B, the southbound Baltimore-Washington Parkway, as this is the first grade-separated route available to southbound travelers that directly accesses D.C. Traffic for D.C. can also exit at Exit 19B (westbound US 50).

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Route Log- Main Routes of the Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 1
  2. ^ Kozel, Scott. misc.transport.road: Re: Road trip report: New York, NY to Baltimore, MD/Washington, DC and back URL accessed 13:04, 4 February 2007.
  3. ^ Kozel, Scott. Four Killed in Fiery I-95 Crash URL accessed 13:42, 26 January 2007.
  4. ^ Lansford, John. I-95 reopens after fiery crash URL accessed 13:46, 26 January 2007.
  5. ^ Baltimore Sun. I-95 reopens nearly 15 hours after tanker truck overturns URL accessed 13:22, 26 January 2007.

[edit] External links

edit
Maryland Transportation Authority facilities
Bridges Chesapeake Bay | Hatem (Susquehanna) | Key (Outer Harbor) | Nice (Potomac) | Tydings
Tunnels Baltimore Harbor | Fort McHenry
Highways Harbor Tunnel Thruway | JFK Memorial Highway | I-95 in Baltimore | I-395
Preceded by
District of Columbia		 Interstate 95
Maryland		 Succeeded by
Delaware
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