Interstate 70 in Maryland

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Interstate 70
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Baltimore National Pike
Maintained by MDSHA, Baltimore DOT
Length: 93.62 mi[1] (150.67 km)
Formed: 1956 (completed 1992)
West end: I-70 near Hancock
Major
junctions:		 I-68 near Hancock
US 40 near Hancock
US 522 near Hancock
I-81 near Hagerstown
US 40 near Hagerstown

US 40 Alt near Frederick
US 15/US 340 in Frederick
I-270 in Frederick
US 40 near West Friendship
US 29 near Ellicott City
I-695 near Baltimore
East end: MD 122 at Baltimore City line near Woodlawn
Highways in Maryland
< MD 69 MD 70 >
State highways - Minor - Former - Turnpikes

Interstate 70 in Maryland is a major east-west highway that runs from the Pennsylvania state line near Hancock east across the central portion of the state towards Baltimore, following the route of the National Road (now known as U.S. 40). It is the major east-west highway in the state and serves (along with Interstate 68) as a major route into the Midwest.

Contents

[edit] Counties traversed

[edit] Cities and towns

I-70 directly serves the following cities and towns (bolded entries are control cities):

[edit] Route description

[edit] Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway

I-70 enters Maryland near the town of Hancock concurrent with U.S. 522. The route immediately encounters Interstate 68 and U.S. 40 at a directional stack interchange; I-68 reaches its eastern terminus at this interchange, while U.S. 40 merges with I-70 and U.S. 522 diverges. From Hancock east to Frederick, the route is known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, a name it gained by an act of Congress in 1973.[1]

Bypassing Hancock to the north, U.S. 40 soon departs from I-70 and continues parallel to the former, which follows the National Road. I-70 continues east and soon reaches Hagerstown, interchanging with Interstate 81 and U.S. 40. Beyond Hagerstown, the route continues east past Greenbrier State Park, crossing South Mountain (elevation 1,220 feet) and Catoctin Mountain (signed as Braddock Mountain), at an elevation of 985 feet above sea level. Between the two ridges, I-70 runs east through a wide corridor bordered on the north by U.S. 40 and on the south by Alt U.S. 40. Near the midpoint between the two mountains, I-70 passes to the south of Myersville, interchanging with MD 17 just beyond the town's southern boundary.

During the highway's descent from the mountains it encounters U.S. 40 for the third time as it enters the city of Frederick. Continuing east the route enters the Frederick Triangle, a triplet of closely spaced interchanges in the shape of a triangle. In the space of a few miles, I-70 interchanges with U.S. 15, U.S. 340, Interstate 270 (which terminates at I-70 and directly connects to U.S. 15 at the third interchange of the Triangle) and U.S. 40, which merges with I-70 again within the interchange complex. The site of the I-270 split (originally a partial interchange, later upgraded by MDOT SHA) was originally the site of I-70's division into I-70N (now I-70) and I-70S (now I-270). Beyond I-270, I-70 now follows the Frederick Bypass, a 1950s-era freeway bypass built for U.S. 15/U.S. 40 through traffic that was and is being reconstructed to increase its capacity.

[edit] Korean War Veterans Highway

The entire 40 miles of Interstate 70 in Frederick County was recently designated the Korean War Veterans Highway.[2] The designation was sought by a local resident named Charles R. "Buck" Wisner, who wished to create a lasting memorial of the 26 local citizens who died during the Korean War. Initially he sought to designate all 93.62 miles of I-70 as the Korean War Veterans Highway, but in 2002 the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill applying the designation to the Frederick County section only. Nine other highways in Maryland are also dedicated to Korean War veterans.

The two monuments, which display the new name and a granite geographical representation of Korea, are placed at the county borders near Myersville and Mount Airy; the eastern monument lies within the MD 27 interchange.

[edit] Baltimore National Pike

Beyond Frederick at Exit 56, I-70 soon reaches the newest portion of the Interstate, built in the 1980s to bypass an old expressway portion of U.S. 40 (now part of MD 144). At Exit 59, I-70 returns to this alignment, built in the 1950s for U.S. 40 as a four-lane divided expressway and fully upgraded by the mid-1970s east of Exit 59. This segment of the Interstate is known as the Baltimore National Pike. Following this alignment, I-70 passes close to the towns of New Market, Mount Airy, Lisbon, Cooksville, and West Friendship. This segment is closely paralleled by one of the incarnations of MD 144, known locally as Frederick Road.

One notable landmark along this segment is the Howard County Fairground. The fairground lies right on the southern border of the highway and is readily visible [3] to drivers in both directions.

[edit] The route into Baltimore

Near West Friendship, U.S. 40 diverges from I-70 for the final time, with I-70 turning onto a new alignment constructed in the mid-1960s, and U.S. 40 continuing as the Baltimore National Pike (it later becomes Edmondson Avenue in southwest Baltimore). Continuing east past the Turf Valley Country Club, the Interstate bypasses the built-up portions of U.S. 40 within Ellicott City, interchanging with U.S. 29 north of the city. Despite this segment's proximity to many suburban neighborhoods, it remains at its original width of four lanes (six lanes east of US-29).

After crossing the Patapsco River within the Patapsco Valley State Park, the route eventually reaches Interstate 695, the Baltimore Beltway.

I-70 enjoys a (mostly) symmetrical four-level stack interchange with the Beltway; this interchange has the dubious distinction of being underwhelmed with traffic, except for the ramp connecting east bound I-70 to the northbound Beltway. This ramp was a serious bottleneck for inbound traffic, particularly in the evening rush hour, causing backups that sometimes reached as far back as the Patapsco River crossing. In 2006 this ramp was widened to two lanes.

After the Beltway interchange I-70 only runs for another three miles before coming to an ignominious end at MD 122 Security Boulevard, on top of the Baltimore city line at the western border of Leakin Park. At the border, the mainline lanes are used as a Park and Ride, and a reversing loop, built originally for buses serving the Park and Ride, allows travelers to reverse direction and return to I-695, or exit at Cooks Lane to head directly into Baltimore City via Edmondson Avenue (U.S. 40). Signage on I-70 west of Exit 91 proclaims that the Interstate ends at I-695.[4]

[edit] Service areas

I-70 has two service areas on South Mountain, one per direction, near the summit.[5] The service area is located at milepost 39 and offers restrooms, phones, picnic tables, vending machines, an RV dumping station at the eastbound service area, and facilities for the handicapped.[6] Both are maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration and can be reached by telephone.[7]

[edit] Points of interest

[edit] Auxiliary routes

I-70 has two auxiliary routes in Maryland:

[edit] Exit list

Exits are numbered from west to east, in accordance with AASHTO guidelines.

County Location Mile[8] # Destinations Notes
and continue from Pennsylvania
Washington Hancock 0.63 1A
Interstate 68/U.S. 40 west / National Freeway - Cumberland		 terminates at ; joins
1.16 1B
U.S. 522 south / Warfordsburg Rd. - Burnt Factory WV		 diverges from
3.51 3
Maryland Route 144 west / Main St. - Downtown Hancock		 westbound exit only; eastbound entrance/exit available
4.41 5 Maryland Route 615 / Milstone Rd. eastbound exit and westbound entrance
5.86 5
Maryland Route 615 west / Milstone Rd.		 westbound exit and eastbound entrance
9.18 9
U.S. 40 east / National Pike - Big Pool		 eastbound exit and westbound entrance; diverges from
11.97 12 Maryland Route 56 / Big Pool Rd. - Big Pool
17.62 18 Maryland Route 68 / Clear Spring Rd. - Clear Spring, Lappans is not the same as
24.11 24 Maryland Route 63 / Greencastle Pike - Williamsport
Hagerstown 25.72 26 Interstate 81 / Maryland Veterans Memorial Highway - Harrisburg PA, Roanoke VA
27.75 28 Maryland Route 632 / Downsville Pike - Downsville
29.11 29A-B Maryland Route 65 / Sharpsburg Pike - Sharpsburg
31.68 32A-B U.S. 40 / National Pike - Beaver Creek Country Club
34.27 35 Maryland Route 66 / Mapleville Rd. - Boonsboro, Smithsburg
crosses South Mountain, elevation 1,000 ft.
Frederick 41.92 42 Maryland Route 17 / Myersville Rd. - Myersville, Middletown former route of
crosses Braddock Mountain, elevation 985 ft.
48.38 48
U.S. 40 east / National Pike - Frederick (to U.S. 40 Alt)		 eastbound exit and westbound entrance
49.07 49

U.S. 40 Alt / Old National Pike - Boonsboro		 eastbound entrance and westbound exit
Frederick 52.1 52A-B U.S. 15/U.S. 340 / Jefferson National Pike - Harpers Ferry WV westbound exit only (52); full eastbound access available (52A-B)
52.98 53B
U.S. 40 west / Frederick Freeway - Thurmont		 westbound exit only; joins at
52.98 53A
Interstate 270 south / Eisenhower Memorial Highway - Gaithersburg, Rockville, Washington D.C.		 eastbound exit only (53); terminates at
53.81 54 Maryland Route 355 / Urbana Pike - Urbana westbound access only via Stadium Drive; former route of
54.13 Maryland Route 85/Maryland Route 475 / Buckeystown Pike eastbound access only; interchange under construction as of 2007
54.69 55 E. South St./Monocacy Blvd. - to MD 144
55.22 56 Maryland Route 144 / Patrick St. - to Bartonsville western end of old segment
58.58 59
Maryland Route 144 west / Baltimore National Pike - Frederick, New Market (via Old National Pike)		 eastern end of old segment
New Market 62.29 62 Maryland Route 75 / Green Valley Rd. - Libertytown, Green Valley
Carroll Mount Airy 67.73 68 Maryland Route 27 / Ridge Rd. - Damscus, Westminster
Howard Lisbon 73.12 73 Maryland Route 94 / Woodbine Rd. - Woodbine, Great Seneca Park
Cooksville 76.29 76 Maryland Route 97 / Hoods Mill Rd. - Westminster, Olney
West Friendship 79.96 80 Maryland Route 32 / Sykesville Rd. - Sykesville, Clarksville use south for
82.08 82
U.S. 40 east / Baltimore National Pike - Ellicott City		 eastbound exit and westbound entrance
82.9 83 Marriottsville Rd. - Marriottsville (to U.S. 40 and MD 99) westbound exit and eastbound entrance
86.99 87A-B U.S. 29 / Columbia Pike - Columbia, Washington D.C. north terminates at
Baltimore Woodlawn 91.67 91B
Interstate 695 north / Baltimore Beltway - Towson (to I-83/I-95 north)		 theoretical terminus of [2]
91.67 91A
Interstate 695 south / Baltimore Beltway - Glen Burnie (to I-95 south/I-97 south)
93.44 94
Maryland Route 122 west / Security Boulevard-Cooks Lane - Security Square Mall, Leakin Park (to U.S. 40)		 westbound entrance from Ingleside Ave.; last exit from
Baltimore City 93.62 Park and Ride roadway loops around Park and Ride
terminates at Leakin Park in Baltimore City

[edit] History

The first sections of I-70 to appear in Maryland were a segment near Hancock and the original Frederick Bypass, both completed in 1961. By the mid-1960s, I-70 had been completed between Frederick and Hagerstown.

[edit] I-70N

I-70 east of Frederick was originally designated I-70N. At Frederick, Maryland, I-70 split into two branches: I-70N, which led into Baltimore, and I-70S (now I-270), which took a path into the Washington, D.C. area. I-70N never existed as a complete Frederick-Baltimore route; the eastern two miles of the old Frederick Bypass and the ten miles between the U.S. 40 wye near West Friendship (Exit 82) and Interstate 695 (Exit 91), completed in 1968 (and extended to MD 122 in 1970) were the only portions of I-70N that ever existed. I-70N was changed to I-70 in 1975, during the upgrade of the 1950s era Baltimore National Pike between Exit 59 and Exit 82.[9]

Scott Kozel, the noted highway historian, believes that the state of Maryland chose to change I-70N to I-70 because the former was an east-west through route that served central Maryland and Baltimore, while I-70S was more of a northwest-southeast route better suited as a commuter route for travelers headed for the Capital Beltway and Washington D.C.[9]

There are signs along U.S. 40 in Baltimore that still depict the I-70 freeway as I-70N. Trucks are directed onto it via I-695.

[edit] I-70 in Baltimore

Main article: Interstate 70 in Baltimore, Maryland

I-70 was originally supposed to continue to downtown Baltimore. Due to opposition from communities, the plan was modified for the highway to run through Leakin Park and Gwynns Falls Park to reach Interstate 95 near Caton Ave. Further opposition led to the cancellation of the route in 1982, truncating the Interstate at the Baltimore City line, just beyond MD 122. Today, only 0.14 miles of I-70 exists within the city.

[edit] Miscellanea

 This article contains information about a planned or expected future road.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.
  • The interchange between I-70 and MD 32 is due to be improved within the next five years, as part of a major widening of the latter between the Interstate and MD 108. MD 32 already serves as a major connector between central Maryland, I-95, and Annapolis, acting as an outer bypass of both Baltimore and Washington; the improvement of the interchange will provide free-flowing access between I-70 and MD 32.
  • Interstate 370, a short spur route off of I-270 in Gaithersburg, never intersects with I-70, its parent route.
  • Out of the five counties it travels though, I-70 has the shortest mileage through Carroll County: 1.6 miles.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Federal Highway Administration. Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway URL accessed 12:56, 21 January 2007.
  2. ^ Dishneau, David. The Washington Times: I-70 tribute to Korean War vets URL accessed 15:15, 20 January 2007.
  3. ^ http://www.aaroadtrips.com/maryland050/i-070_wb_exit_078_04a.jpg
  4. ^ http://www.aaroadtrips.com/maryland050/i-070_eb_exit_091_01.jpg
  5. ^ Google Maps
  6. ^ RoadNotes - Rest Areas and Welcome Centers in Maryland URL accessed 07:40, 26 January 2007
  7. ^ MDSHA: Maryland Welcome Centers and Rest Areas URL accessed 07:45, 26 January 2007
  8. ^ Maryland State Highway Administration Highway Location Reference
  9. ^ a b Kozel, Scott M. I-270 and I-370 in Maryland URL accessed 13:35, 17 January 2007.

[edit] External links

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Interstate 70
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