Maryland Route 36

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MD Route 36
Georges Creek Road, Mount Savage Road Maintained by MDSHA
Length:	29.43 mi[1] (47.36 km)
South end:	WV 46 at Westernport
Major junctions:	MD 135 at Westernport MD 657 at Lonaconing MD 936 at Midland MD 55 near Frostburg I-68/US 40 near Frostburg US 40 Alt at Frostburg MD 936 at Frostburg MD 638 near Mount Savage MD 47 at Barrelville MD 35 at Corriganville
North end:	US 40 Alt at Cumberland
Highways in Maryland < MD 35 MD 37 > State highways - Minor - Former - Turnpikes

Maryland Route 36 (sometimes referred to as MD 36 or Route 36) is a state highway located in Allegany County, Maryland. It is marked north/south, and runs from the West Virginia Route 46 bridge at Westernport to U.S. Route 40 Alternate near Cumberland. Between Westernport and Frostburg, it is known as Georges Creek Road, and from Frostburg to Cumberland it is known as Mount Savage Road.

Route 36 serves as the main road through the Georges Creek Valley, a region which is historically known for coal mining, and has been designated by the Maryland State Highway Administration as part of the Coal Heritage Scenic Byway.^[1] Route 36 is the main road connecting the towns of Westernport, Lonaconing, and Midland in southwestern Allegany County, as well as Frostburg, Mount Savage, and Corriganville in northwestern Allegany County.

[edit] Cities and Towns

[edit] Route Description

[edit] Georges Creek Road

Maryland Route 36 approaching Interstate 68 south of Frostburg. As of spring 2008, two lanes of the four-lane section of Route 36 are closed while the overpass over Interstate 68 is repaired

Maryland Route 36 begins near the West Virginia Route 46 bridge in Westernport and runs northeast across western Allegany County as a two-lane road named Georges Creek Road. The speed limit for most of the length between Westernport and Lonaconing is 50 miles per hour (mph).^[2] As the road enters Lonaconing, it narrows and the speed limit drops to 25 mph, increasing to 35 mph after it travels through Lonaconing. Route 36 passes through Lonaconing as Main Street, and it intersects Maryland Route 657 near the center of Lonaconing.^[2] Along Main Street in Lonaconing is the Lonaconing Iron Furnace, a historic blast furnace which operated in the early 1800s.

Route 36 then continues toward Midland. At Midland, there is a sharp curve in the road, and the speed limit drops to 25 mph.^[2] Along this curve, Route 36 intersects Church Street, which connects to Maryland Route 936, the old alignment of Route 36 between Midland and Frostburg, Maryland. The new alignment of Route 36 proceeds northeast, passing near Vale Summit, where it intersects Maryland Route 55.^[2]

North of the Route 55 intersection, Route 36 meets Interstate 68 at a diamond interchange at exit 34.^[2] Near this interchange is God's Ark of Safety, a church famous for its attempt to build a replica of Noah's Ark. Between Midland and Frostburg, the speed limit is again 50 mph, and there is a short section near the Interstate 68 interchange where Route 36 expands to four lanes. Upon entering Frostburg, Route 36 joins U.S. Route 40 Alternate as Main Street. Route 36 follows Main Street westward through Frostburg, meeting the northern terminus of Route 936 at Grant Street. At Depot Street, near the center of Frostburg, Route 36 connects to the western depot of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. At the intersection with Water Street, Route 36 leaves U.S. Route 40 Alternate, and upon leaving Frostburg city limits its name changes to Mount Savage Road.

[edit] Mount Savage Road

Route 36 approaching Mount Savage, with part of the Mount Savage Castle visible in the background

After leaving Frostburg, Route 36 is known as Mount Savage Road, as it travels eastward (though the route remains marked north/south) toward Mount Savage. North of Eckhart Mines, Route 36 meets Maryland Route 638, which connects Route 36 to U.S. Route 40 Alternate in Eckhart Mines.^[2] The road between Frostburg and Mount Savage is particularly curvy, and includes several hairpin turns near Frostburg. The speed limit on this section of the road is 35 mph.^[2]

As the road enters Mount Savage, is passes by the Mount Savage Castle, a Scottish-style castle built in 1840, which currently operates as a bed-and-breakfast. In Mount Savage, the route narrows as it follows Main Street,^[2] and the road is frequently obstructed by parked cars, making it difficult for two cars to pass by each other. East of Mount Savage, the route widens and its speed limit gradually increases to 50 mph.^[2]

In Barrelville, Route 36 intersects Maryland Route 47, which connects it to Pennsylvania Route 160 in Somerset County.^[2] From its intersection with Route 47 to its terminus at Cumberland, Route 36 follows newer alignments, with the old alignments being designated Maryland Route 831. At Corriganville, Route 36 intersects Maryland Route 35, which connects it to Pennsylvania Route 96 in Bedford County.^[2] Route 36 ends at U.S. Route 40 Alternate at the Narrows near Cumberland.

[edit] History

Maryland Route 36 is among the earliest of the Maryland state highways to be assigned a route number,^[3] having been assigned a route number at least as early as 1927.^[4] The original alignment of Route 36 in southern Allegany County closely paralleled the Georges Creek Railroad. Later realignments has shifted Route 36 away from the railroad in several locations, but three crossings remain: one north of Lonaconing, one south of Lonaconing near the Maryland Route 935 intersection,^[5], and a third crossing near Westernport.^[6]

Over the years, multiple new alignments of Route 36 have been built for various reasons, such as to smooth out curves in the road. Several of the old alignments have been assigned route numbers of their own. The southernmost of these is Maryland Route 937, which consists of the old alignment through Westernport. Prior to the construction of the bridge connecting Route 36 to West Virginia Route 46, Route 937 was the alignment of Route 36 through Westernport, ending at Maryland Route 135. In Barton, Maryland Route 935 carries the old alignment of Route 36. The longest of the old alignment sections is Maryland Route 936, which runs from Midland to Frostburg, and was bypassed in the 1970s with a new alignment of Route 36 following part of Maryland Route 55 and connecting to Interstate 68. Prior to this change, Route 55 ended in Midland,^[7] and when this change was made, Route 55 was truncated to its current terminus at Vale Summit.^[8]

North of Frostburg, several old alignments are designated as Maryland Route 831, but Route 831 is not signed. These sections include Kriegbaum Road in Corriganville, and Old Mount Savage Road near the Cumberland Narrows.^[2]

[edit] Junction list

Location	Mile[2]	Intersection	Notes
Westernport	0.00	WV 46 - Piedmont	Potomac River bridge Southern terminus of Maryland Route 36
	0.06	MD 135 - Keyser, WV, Bloomington
	1.44	MD 937 / Creek Side Drive - Franklin	Former alignment of MD 36
Barton	4.07	MD 935 / Legislative Road	Former alignment of MD 36
Lonaconing	6.85	MD 935 / Legislative Road
	8.03	MD 657 / Douglas Avenue
Midland	11.06	Church Street, to MD 936	Former alignment of MD 36
Vale Summit	14.04	MD 55 / Vale Summit Road - Clarysville
Frostburg	15.05	I-68 / US 40 / National Freeway - Cumberland, Morgantown, WV	Exit 34
	16.44	MD 743 / Old National Pike - Eckhart Mines
	16.53	Alt US 40 / National Pike	MD 36 joins Alt US 40
	17.07	MD 936 / Grant Street
	17.60	Alt US 40 / National Pike	MD 36 leaves Alt US 40
Zihlman	20.36	MD 638 / Parkersburg Road - Eckhart Mines
Barrelville	24.34	MD 47 / Barrelville Road - Barrelville	Connects MD 36 to PA 160
Corriganville	26.64	MD 831C / Kreigbaum Road	Former alignment of Route 36
	27.34	MD 35 / Ellerslie Road - Ellerslie	Connects MD 36 to PA 96
	27.51	MD 831C / Kreigbaum Road
Cumberland	29.05	MD 831A / Old Mount Savage Road	Former alignment of Route 36
	29.43	Alt US 40 / National Pike	Northern terminus of Maryland Route 36

[edit] See also

Georges Creek Valley

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Maryland Route 36

• Photographs of the section of Route 36 which overlaps with Route 40
• MDRoads.com article on Maryland Route 36