Maryland Route 26
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| MD Route 26 |
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| Liberty Rd, Liberty Heights Ave Maintained by MDSHA, Baltimore DOT |
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| Length: | 43.94 mi[1] (70.71 km) | ||||||||||||
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| West end: |  US 15 in Frederick |
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| Major junctions: |
 MD 355 |
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| East end: |  MD 140 in Baltimore |
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Maryland Route 26 is an east-west road in central Maryland. Outside of the Baltimore city limits, it is known as Liberty Road; inside the city limits it is known as Liberty Heights Avenue.
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[edit] Cities and towns
Route 26 passes through the following areas:
- Baltimore
- Woodlawn
- Lochearn
- Windsor Mill
- Randallstown
- Eldersburg
- Taylorsville
- Libertytown
- Frederick
[edit] Route description
From the west, MD 26 begins at an interchange with U.S. 15 in Frederick. The route is a major thoroughfare in central Frederick and Carroll counties, serving many small towns between Frederick and Baltimore.
After crossing Liberty Reservoir twice, the route becomes suburban in character, eventually widening into a four-lane arterial between Marriottsville Road and the Baltimore Beltway. This section of MD 26 is busy and often congested due to the heavy suburban traffic.
The route terminates at MD 140 in Baltimore City.
[edit] Major junctions
In Baltimore County, the route intersects with the Baltimore Beltway (I-695), at exit 18 of I-695.
In Carroll County, the route crosses two major north-south routes: Maryland Route 27 and Maryland Route 32. In addition, the route has an interstate-like interchange with Maryland Route 97, which runs from the Pennsylvania state line near Gettysburg and ultimately becomes Georgia Avenue in Washington, D.C.
[edit] Major Bridges
Route 26 has a long crossing of the Liberty Reservoir between Baltimore and Carroll Counties. The bridge is divided into two sections.
There is also a crossing of the Monocacy River, which in a westbound direction, has an arch-bridge structure.
[edit] Public Transportation
In Baltimore City and County, there are two main bus lines operated by the Maryland Transit Administration along Route 26.
- Route M-1 operates from the beginning of Liberty Heights Avenue at the Mondawmin Metro Subway Station in Baltimore City to the intersection of Liberty and Rolling Roads, then loops via Rolling, Church Lane, and Milford Mill Road. Service operates every 8-22 minutes, depending on the time of day.
- Route M-8 provides service from Milford Mill Road to a loop near Chapman Road (across from Liberty Ford) in Randallstown, and connects to the Metro Subway along Milford Mill Road. Service is provided every 16-44 minutes, depending on the time of day.
- Route 77 also overlaps with Route M-8 line between Milford Mill and Old Court Roads. In addition, several other bus lines operate on various streets intersecting with Liberty Road inside of Baltimore City line after Kelox Road.
There is no public transportation anywhere on Liberty Road west of the Chapman Road loop. Efforts to initiate such service in the past have failed, mostly due to community opposition.
[edit] History
Maryland Route 26 served as a primary route connecting Baltimore to Frederick prior to the arrival of U.S. 40 and Interstate 70. At one time, MD 31 ran to Frederick and MD 26 began when MD 31 turned north to New Windsor and Westminster.
[edit] Notes
The route is the only east-west thoroughfare in Eldersburg; as a result, it is often congested during peak hours.
