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U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the older 1920s era
United States Numbered Highway System The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...
, running from
Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
to
Fort Kent, Maine Fort Kent is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States, situated at the confluence of the Fish River and the Saint John River, on the border with New Brunswick, Canada. The population was 4,067 in the 2020 census. Fort Kent is home to a ...
. In the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, it runs 81 miles (130 km) from the
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
line to the
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
state line near the town of Rising Sun. US 1 is paralleled by several major highways as it passes through Maryland, including
Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
(I-95), the
Baltimore–Washington Parkway The Baltimore–Washington Parkway (also referred to as the B–W Parkway) is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 (US 50 ...
,
US 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Was ...
, and
US 301 U.S. Route 301 (US 301) is a spur of U.S. Route 1 running through the South Atlantic States. It runs from Biddles Corner, Delaware at Delaware Route 1 to Sarasota, Florida at U.S. Route 41. It passes through the states of Delaware, Mar ...
. Thus, US 1 has lost its significance as a long distance route through the state. It is often congested, however, because it remains a major route in the individual towns it traverses.


Route description


Prince George's County

US 1 leaves the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
as Rhode Island Avenue NE and just simply becomes Rhode Island Avenue, a four-lane
divided Division is one of the four basic operations of arithmetic, the ways that numbers are combined to make new numbers. The other operations are addition, subtraction, and multiplication. At an elementary level the division of two natural numb ...
street with parking through a downtown-like commercial area, right after crossing the intersection of Eastern Avenue NE (the MD/DC Line) and entering the city of
Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...
in
Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...
. US 1 then meets the intersections of 34th Street and Perry Street at a
roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
(which was finished being constructed during August 2001, and replaced the traffic lights originally at this intersection), then continues northeast through a densely populated residential area. The highway leaves Mount Rainier and enters Brentwood, where the highway meets MD 208 (38th Street). US 1 passes through North Brentwood as a four-lane divided highway without parking through a mix of residences and commercial establishments. The median widens as the highway crosses the
Northwest Branch Anacostia River Northwest Branch Anacostia River is a free-flowing stream in Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland. It is a tributary of the Anacostia River, which flows to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Course The headwaters of th ...
and enters the City of
Hyattsville Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and also a close, urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 21,187 at the 2020 United States Census. History Before Europeans reached the area, the upper A ...
. The highway begins to closely parallel
CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
's
Capital Subdivision The Capital Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. The line runs from near Baltimore, Maryland, southwest to Washington, D.C., along the former Baltimore ...
railroad line and
MARC Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...
's
Camden Line The Camden Line is a MARC commuter rail line that runs for between Union Station, Washington, D.C., and Camden Station, Baltimore, Maryland, over the CSX Capital Subdivision, and Baltimore Terminal Subdivision. It is one of the oldest commuter ...
as it reduces to a four-lane undivided highway, passing the District Court of Maryland for Prince George's County building. US 1 curves to the north and the highway's name changes to Baltimore Avenue at Farragut Street, shortly before intersecting US 1 Alternate. US 1 continues north through downtown Hyattsville, gaining a
center turn lane A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...
before entering the town of Riverdale Park, where the highway intersects MD 410 (East–West Highway). The highway enters a densely populated residential area, passing between Riverdale Park to the east and the town of University Park to the west. Shortly after the highway enters the city of College Park on the east, US 1 intersects Queens Chapel Road at a five-way intersection with the Town of University Park still on the west side. Only buses may enter Queens Chapel Road from US 1. The highway fully enters College Park and enters the commercial area that makes up the downtown of the college town, expanding to a four-lane divided highway. After the intersection with College Avenue and Regents Drive, US 1 passes through the campus of the
University of Maryland at College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...
, including the historic Rossborough Inn and Fraternity Row. The highway leaves the campus after intersecting Campus Drive, which is unsigned MD 431, and crossing
Paint Branch Paint Branch is a tributaryU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 stream of the Anacostia River that flows Southeastwards through Montgomery County and Prince ...
. US 1 continues through the northern part of College Park as a five-lane road with center turn lane, passing through a suburban commercial area. The highway intersects Greenbelt Road, which is unsigned MD 430, before meeting MD 193 (University Boulevard) at a partial interchange. All movements not provided in the interchange require using Greenbelt Road to connect between US 1 and MD 193. After intersecting Cherry Hill Road, US 1 becomes a divided highway and meets
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
/
I-495 Interstate 495 (I-495) is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 95, listed from south to north: * The Capital Beltway, a beltway around Washington, D.C., running through Virgin ...
(Capital Beltway) at a
partial cloverleaf interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...
. North of the interchange, the highway expands to a six-lane divided highway, leaving the town of College Park and passing by businesses and through a swath of the
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center The Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), also known as the National Agricultural Research Center, is a unit of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It is located in unincorporate ...
, including the U.S. National Agricultural Library. At Sunnyside Avenue, the highway reduces to a five-lane road with center turn lane and passes through a suburban commercial area in the unincorporated town of Beltsville. The highway meets Rhode Island Avenue at an oblique intersection and MD 212 (officially MD 212A, Powder Mill Road) at a more orthogonal intersection, where US 1 begins a
concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with MD 212. Past this the road curves north and parallels CSX's Capital Subdivision. The highway passes between a commercial strip on the southbound side of the highway and an industrial area on the east side of the railroad tracks. US 1 leaves Beltsville after crossing Indian Creek. The highway temporarily expands to a four-lane divided highway before returning to a five-lane road, passing between an industrial area to the east and office parks to the west. The road comes to an intersection with the official eastern terminus of MD 212 (Ritz Way), where the signed MD 212 concurrency ends. After Muirkirk Meadows Drive, which leads to Muirkirk Road, US 1 reduces to a four-lane undivided highway, passes under the latter highway, and intersects the eastern terminus of MD 200 (Intercounty Connector) and the
ICC Trail Maryland Route 200 (MD 200), also known as the Intercounty Connector or ICC, is an , six-lane toll road in the U.S. state of Maryland. A controlled-access highway, it connects Gaithersburg in Montgomery County and Laurel in Prince George's Co ...
before it enters a forested area. US 1 gradually veers away from the railroad tracks as it approaches
Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...
, passing Maryland National Memorial Park before entering a suburban commercial area ahead of Contee Road, where the center turn lane returns. At Cypress Street, the southbound direction gains a third lane through the intersection with Cherry Lane, where the northbound direction gains a third lane. After passing
Towne Centre at Laurel Towne Centre at Laurel is a shopping center in Laurel, Maryland. It was built on the former site of Laurel Mall. History On August 14, 2012, the city of Laurel hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to begin destruction of the former Laurel Mall. As ...
and
Laurel Shopping Center Laurel Shopping Center is an open-air shopping complex located in Laurel, Maryland, on U.S. Route 1 just south of Maryland Route 198, and is positioned next to the Towne Centre at Laurel. The shopping center is widely known as the site of the 1 ...
, US 1 splits into a
one-way pair A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descriptio ...
. The three to four northbound lanes veer northeast as Second Street, while the three to four southbound lanes take the name Washington Boulevard. The one-way pair intersects Bowie Road, the old alignment of MD 197, before intersecting MD 198, which takes the form of a one-way pair, eastbound Gorman Avenue and westbound Talbott Avenue. US 1 continues through the city of Laurel, intersecting Main Street just west of the Laurel MARC Station before leaving Laurel by crossing the
Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast ...
into Howard County.


Howard County

Immediately after crossing the Patuxent River, both directions of US 1 pass entrances to Laurel Park Race Course. The highway continues through
North Laurel North Laurel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The published population was 4,474 at the 2010 census. This population was substantially less than the CDP's population in 2000, and was the result of an er ...
, with the one-way pair coming together shortly before the intersection with Whiskey Bottom Road. US 1 continues north as a five-lane road with center turn lane, crossing Hammond Branch. As the highway passes through a commercial area in
Savage Savage may refer to: Places Antarctica * Savage Glacier, Ellsworth Land * Savage Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Savage Ridge, Victoria Land United States * Savage, Maryland, an unincorporated community * Savage, Minnesota, a city * Savage, Mi ...
, the road becomes a divided highway. After Gorman Road, the roadways temporarily diverge to cross the
Little Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast ...
, then come together again at the full
cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...
with MD 32 (Patuxent Freeway). US 1 becomes undivided and intersects Guilford Road and crosses over the Columbia Branch from the CSX Capital Subdivision to the east. The highway passes several industrial parks, crossing Dorsey Run twice before intersecting MD 175 (Waterloo Road) in Jessup. North of Jessup, US 1 crosses Deep Run and passes more industrial parks. The highway intersects MD 103 (Meadowridge Road) and passes Meadow Ridge Memorial Park before a partial cloverleaf interchange with MD 100 near Dorsey. Continuing northeast past Bealmear Branch, Old Washington Road splits to the northeast to pass through the center of Elkridge shortly before US 1 intersects the old alignment of MD 103, Montgomery Road. The highway passes through a shallow S-curve before receiving the other end of Old Washington Road and passes under the Capital Subdivision. US 1's two directions become divided by a
Jersey barrier A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...
as the highway passes through the commercial strip in Elkridge, passing ramps to and from I-895 (Harbor Tunnel Thruway) immediately before crossing the upper
Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...
into
Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...
.


Baltimore City and County

After passing under I-895, US 1 intersects South Street, which provides access to St. Denis and
Relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switch ...
, and passes through its interchange with
I-195 Interstate 195 (I-195) is the designation for the following Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 195 (District of Columbia), a future designation for the north–south portion of I-395 from the Sout ...
(Metropolitan Boulevard). The undivided highway crosses over CSX's
Baltimore Terminal Subdivision The Baltimore Terminal Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Maryland. The line runs from Baltimore to Halethorpe along the original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) line, one of the old ...
railroad line before reaching the partial interchange with US 1 Alternate. Washington Boulevard continues straight northeast as US 1 Alternate through Halethorpe, while US 1 exits onto Southwestern Boulevard to head north through
Arbutus ''Arbutus'' is a genus of 12 accepted speciesAct. Bot. Mex no.99 Pátzcuaro abr. 2012.''Arbutus bicolor''/ref> of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, the Canary Islan ...
. The three-lane road with center turn lane and extra-wide shoulders parallels
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
railroad line and MARC's
Penn Line The Penn Line is a MARC commuter rail service running from Union Station in Washington, D.C., to Perryville, Maryland, along the far southern leg of the Northeast Corridor. However, the great majority of trains terminate at Baltimore's Penn ...
. After crossing Herbert Run, US 1 parallels the long, linear parking lot of the Halethorpe MARC station. The highway leaves the station after passing under Francis Avenue. US 1 expands to a five-lane road with center turn lane as it crosses under I-95. US 1 passes under Sulphur Spring Road and I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) as the highway heads out of Arbutus. The only connection with I-695 is a single ramp, Exit 12A, from I-695 east to US 1 south. Inside the Beltway, US 1 is paralleled by Leeds Avenue, which intersects the federal highway just before entering the city of
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. US 1 continues north as a four-lane divided street through a densely populated urban residential area. A short distance north of the city line, US 1 curves to the east onto Wilkens Avenue, which continues west as MD 372. The highway crosses Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and reduces to an undivided highway, intersecting US 1 Alternate (Caton Avenue) as it passes through a curve. US 1 crosses
Gwynns Falls Gwynns Falls is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011. stream located in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County and Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland. It ...
and CSX's
Hanover Subdivision The Hanover Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The line runs from Baltimore, Maryland, west to Hagerstown, Maryland, along several former Western Maryland Rail ...
railroad line, expanding to a divided highway before passing the Deck of Cards rowhouses between Brunswick Street and Millington Avenue. A short distance to the east, US 1 turns north onto a one-way pair, Monroe Street southbound and Fulton Avenue northbound, to pass through a densely populated urban residential area on the west side of central Baltimore. US 1 meets the eastern terminus of MD 144 at another one-way pair,
Pratt Street Pratt Street is a major street in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It forms a one-way pair of streets with Lombard Street that run west–east through downtown Baltimore. For most of their route, Pratt Street is one-way in an eastbound direc ...
and Lombard Street. The highway passes over the
US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...
freeway, which is accessed by the one-way pair adjacent to the freeway, Mulberry Street and Franklin Street. At Edmondson Avenue, Fulton Avenue becomes two-way; however, southbound US 1 remains on Monroe Street. Shortly after passing over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, US 1 reaches North Avenue. The Fulton Avenue/Monroe Street one-way pair continues north as MD 140, while both directions of US 1 turn east onto North Avenue. North Avenue heads east as a four-lane undivided highway through the junction with MD 129, which follows southbound Druid Hill Avenue and northbound McCulloh Street. US 1 continues east as a four-lane divided highway with parking lanes. The highway meets
I-83 Interstate 83 (I-83) is an Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its southern terminus is at a signalized intersection with Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland; its northern terminus is at I-81 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Most ...
(Jones Falls Expressway) and Mount Royal Avenue next to the North Avenue station of
MTA Maryland The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Baltimore-Washingt ...
's
Baltimore Light RailLink Baltimore Light RailLink (formerly Baltimore Light Rail, and also known simply as the "Light Rail") is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, as well as its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Maryland Transit Ad ...
. US 1 expands to six lanes and crosses over the light rail tracks,
Jones Falls The Jones Falls is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 stream in Maryland. It is impounded to create Lake Roland before running through the city of Baltim ...
, MD 25 (Falls Road), and CSX's Baltimore Terminal Subdivision. Due north of
downtown Baltimore Downtown Baltimore is the central business district of the city of Baltimore traditionally bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, Franklin Street to the north, President Street to the east and the Inner Harbor area to the s ...
, North Avenue intersects Charles Street ( MD 139 to the north), St. Paul and Calvert Streets ( MD 2 to the south), and Greenmount Avenue ( MD 45 to the north), after which North Avenue passes along the north side of
Greenmount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as man ...
. North Avenue reduces to a four-lane undivided street east of MD 45. Shortly after intersecting MD 147 (Harford Road) and Broadway, US 1 turns northeast onto Bel Air Road. Now a four-lane undivided road, US 1 crosses the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision again and passes Clifton Park before reaching Erdman Avenue, which heads southeast as MD 151. The highway crosses
Herring Run The Herring Run is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Back River located in Baltimore, Maryland. Geography The watershed has its head ...
before intersecting Moravia Road, where Bel Air Road transitions from passing through densely populated residential neighborhoods to being the center of a commercial strip. US 1 intersects Frankford Avenue and Hamilton Avenue before leaving the city of Baltimore at Fleetwood Avenue, which forms the eastbound component of a one-way pair with Northern Parkway at the latter street's eastern terminus. US 1 passes through the inner suburb of Overlea, crossing Stemmers Run before meeting I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) at a cloverleaf interchange. US 1 continues northeast from the Beltway as a six-lane divided highway. The highway intersects Rossville Boulevard and Putty Hill Road, then crosses MD 43 (White Marsh Boulevard). US 1 accesses MD 43 via two quadrant ramps with a
right-in/right-out Right-in/right-out (RIRO) and left-in/left-out (LILO) refer to a type of three-way road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. "Right-in" and "left-in" r ...
interchange southbound and an intersection with Dunfield Road northbound. North of MD 43, US 1 reduces to a four-lane undivided highway as it passes through Perry Hall, intersecting Silver Spring Road,
Joppa Road Joppa Road is a county highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway extends from Maryland Route 25 (MD 25) in Brooklandville east to MD 7 near White Marsh. Joppa Road has three main segments separated by very short breaks on its course ...
, and Ebenezer Road in the midst of a commercial strip. After the intersection with Honeygo Boulevard, US 1 descends into a steep valley to cross
Gunpowder Falls The Gunpowder River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tidal inlet on the western side of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, United States. It is formed by the jo ...
, passing southeast of a
park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuting, commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail t ...
lot before the bridge. The highway continues north through a mix of farmland and residential subdivisions, heading through Kingsville before passing through
Gunpowder Falls State Park Gunpowder Falls State Park is a public recreation area comprising six non-contiguous areas covering in northeastern Baltimore County and western Harford County, Maryland. The state park is primarily made up of the stream valleys of the Big and ...
and leaving Baltimore County by crossing
Little Gunpowder Falls The Gunpowder River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tidal inlet on the western side of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, United States. It is formed by the jo ...
.


Harford and Cecil counties

US 1 heads northeast into
Harford County Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...
, passing through a forested area and then the residential subdivisions of Pleasant Hills before reaching MD 152 (Mountain Road). The highway continues east through a commercial strip toward the hamlet of
Benson Benson may refer to: Animals *Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain Places Geography Canada *Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality *Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet United Kingdom * Benson, Oxfordshire ...
, where US 1 converges with MD 147 (Harford Road) at an acute angle. US 1 Business heads east from the intersection toward Bel Air, while US 1 continues northeast on the Bel Air Bypass. The bypass begins as a four-lane divided highway, but drops to a two-lane road before crossing
Winters Run Winters Run is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in Harford County, Maryland. The river begins north of the community of Fallston at the confluence of t ...
. US 1 intersects Tollgate Road, gaining a lane northbound, before meeting MD 24 (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway) at a T-intersection with sweeping right-turn ramps. MD 24 joins US 1 in a concurrency north on a four-lane undivided highway that passes under Vale Road. MD 24 leaves US 1 at a partial cloverleaf interchange with Rock Spring Road, which heads south as MD 924 toward downtown Bel Air. The bypass continues northeast with two lanes, its name changed to the Hickory Bypass before expanding to a four-lane divided highway and intersecting US 1 Business (Conowingo Road) south of
Hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...
. US 1 intersects the eastern end of MD 23 (East–West Highway) and MD 543 (Ady Road) before reducing to a two-lane road and receiving the northern end of US 1 Business. US 1 continues northeast as Conowingo Road through farmland. The old alignment of US 1, Forge Hill Road, splits to the east in
Kalmia ''Kalmia'' is a genus of about ten species of evergreen shrubs from 0.2–5 m tall, in the family Ericaceae. They are native to North America (mainly in the eastern half of the continent) and Cuba. They grow in acidic soils, with different spec ...
and rejoins the present highway later after separate crossings of Deer Creek. The highway passes through a commercial strip around the intersection with MD 136 (Whiteford Road/Priestford Road) as US 1 passes to the south of
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. US 1 curves east at the intersection with MD 440 (Dublin Road). Smith Road, another old alignment of US 1, splits to the northeast as US 1 heads toward
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
, where it meets MD 161 (Main Street) and MD 623 (Castleton Road). The highway passes a
weigh station A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights and safety compliance criteria. Usually, trucks and commercial vehicles are subject to the inspection. Weigh stations are equipped with truck scales, some of which are ...
on the southbound side that serves both directions immediately after the MD 623 intersection and heads straight over a series of hills, gaining climbing lanes in either direction. At Shuresville Road, US 1 curves to the northeast and crosses the
Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
on top of
Conowingo Dam The Conowingo Dam (also Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, Conowingo Hydroelectric Station) is a large hydroelectric dam in the lower Susquehanna River near the town of Conowingo, Maryland. The medium-height, masonry gravity dam is one of the larges ...
, a hydroelectric dam owned by
Exelon Exelon Corporation is an American Fortune 100 energy company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and incorporated in Pennsylvania. It generates revenues of approximately $33.5 billion and employs approximately 33,400 people. Exelon is the larges ...
, into
Cecil County Cecil County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The county was ...
. Immediately on the east side of the river, US 1 intersects the northern terminus of MD 222 (Susquehanna River Road) and passes over
Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
's
Port Road Branch The Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad (C&PD) was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It operated a main line between Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Port Deposit, Maryland, generally along the ...
. The highway gains a climbing lane northbound as it ascends a hill to Conowingo, where the highway meets the southern terminus of US 222 (Rock Springs Road). US 1 turns east and meets a pair of old alignments: Connelly Road heading northwest and MD 591 (Colora Road) heading southeast toward a removed bridge over
Octoraro Creek Octoraro Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, joining it above the Susquehanna's mouth at Chesapeake Bay. The Octoraro rises as an East and West Branch in Pennsylvania. The East Branch and Octoraro Creek form the southern half of th ...
. After US 1 crosses the creek, the old alignment reconnects with the mainline as another segment of MD 591, Porters Bridge Road. West of Rising Sun, MD 273 (Rising Sun Road) continues straight toward the town while US 1 curves northeast as the Rising Sun Bypass. US 1 intersects the northern terminus of MD 276 (Jacob Tome Memorial Highway) and crosses Stone Run twice before turning north to the
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
state line. The highway continues across the state line toward
Oxford, Pennsylvania Oxford is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Oxford is the closest town to Lincoln University. The population was 5,733 at the 2020 census. History The borough was once called Oxford Crossing and Oxford Village during the ...
, becoming a four-lane divided highway just across the state line.


History


Colonial and turnpike eras

The original predecessors of US 1 were a collection of dirt roads cut through the forests and farmland of central and northern Maryland in the 18th century. Construction of these roads was governed by a 1704 Act of the
Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Maryland ...
requiring counties to oversee construction and build wide roads to benefit transport of carts between population centers. The first segment of the road between Baltimore and Washington was built in 1741 between Baltimore and Elkridge (then known as Elkridge Landing) as a southward extension of a road between Baltimore and
Hanover, Pennsylvania Hanover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, southwest of York and north-northwest of Baltimore, Maryland and is north of the Mason-Dixon line. The town is situated in a productive agricultural region. The population was 16,429 at the ...
. Passage across the then wider and deeper upper
Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...
at Elkridge Landing was provided by Norwood's Ferry. In 1749, the road was blazed to Georgetown on the
Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...
via Waterloo, Laurel, and Bladensburg. The highway north of Baltimore was a road constructed in the second half of the 18th century to connect the port of Baltimore with farms in Baltimore and Harford counties in Maryland and in Lancaster and
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
counties in Pennsylvania. From the docks in Baltimore, the road passed through Harry Dorsey Gough's plantation at Perry Hall (whence it was called "Gough's Road" or "Perry Hall Road" during this stretch) and Kingsville on its way to Bel Air. The highway headed east from Bel Air to Churchville, then north to a crossing of the Susquehanna River at Conowingo. The road continued east to Rising Sun, then turned north toward Oxford, Pennsylvania, where the highway connected with roads to
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. In the early 19th century, many of these dirt roads were reconstructed as turnpikes. The Washington Turnpike was chartered in 1796, but no road building ever occurred. It was not until the Washington and Baltimore Turnpike was chartered in 1812 that construction began along a right of way between the corner of Pratt and Eutaw Streets, then at the western city limits of Baltimore, southwest along the old dirt road to the District of Columbia boundary southwest of Bladensburg. In 1817, a timber toll bridge replaced Norwood's Ferry in Elkridge Landing. The Washington and Baltimore Turnpike had its chartered revoked in 1865 and the highway was turned over to the supervision of the counties. The toll bridge at Elkridge was sold to the counties in 1869. By 1825, a turnpike existed from Baltimore northeast toward Bel Air. The Bel Air Turnpike was constructed from the Baltimore city line of 1818 at the corner of North Avenue and North Gay Street through Perry Hall and Kingsville to a junction with the Harford Turnpike at Benson in Harford County. From Benson, the Bel Air Turnpike of Harford County continued east to Main Street in Bel Air. North of Bel Air, what is now US 1 followed county highways to the Conowingo Bridge, which was first constructed around 1820.


Construction and reconstruction of State Road No. 1

By the beginning of the 20th century, county maintenance of the corridor that would become US 1 was becoming inadequate for the increasing amount of traffic using the roads and becoming unacceptable to advocates of better roads. As a result, the
General Assembly of Maryland The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber ...
passed the first state-aid road construction law in 1904, providing matching funds from the state to the counties to surface their major highways. As the most important corridor in the state, much of the state-aid money in the relevant counties went to the road from Baltimore to Washington. Feeling the work done by the counties with state funds was inadequate, in 1906, the General Assembly further appropriated a total of $90,000—$30,000 each in 1906, 1907, and 1908—toward reconstruction of the Baltimore–Washington Boulevard. The road between the city limits of Washington and Baltimore was officially designated State Route No. 1. Another $174,000 was appropriated by the state legislature in 1908. The 1908 act contained stipulations requiring a realignment of the road between Beltsville and Contee to eliminate two grade crossings of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
as well as grade separations with the railroad at Elkridge and Mount Winans. By 1910, the Baltimore–Washington Boulevard was paved from the District of Columbia boundary southwest of Bladensburg north to Beltsville, with small gaps at Northeast Branch south of Hyattsville and at Paint Branch in College Park; from Contee to Elkridge; and from Hammonds Ferry Road in Halethorpe to the Baltimore city line at Gwynns Falls. The General Assembly appropriated another $120,000 in 1910 for the newly formed two year old Maryland State Roads Commission to complete the Baltimore–Washington Boulevard. By 1915, State Route No. 1 was completely paved with the addition of the highway on a new alignment between Beltsville and Contee, the filling of the gaps in College Park and Hyattsville, and construction between Elkridge and Halethorpe. The road was constructed a minimum of in width with macadam, gravel, and concrete, with curves straightened and grades reduced. Concrete sections in Laurel, College Park, and Bladensburg were among the first concrete roads in Maryland when they were poured in 1912. Concrete girder bridges were built at Northeast Branch and the Anacostia River in Bladensburg. A concrete bridge was built over the Patapsco River at Elkridge to replace an earlier iron bridge. Due to heavy traffic and inadequate initial construction, many of the sections constructed in the first few years of state aid had to be later rebuilt. The barrage of heavy military vehicles that travelled the Baltimore–Washington Boulevard during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, as well as the severe winter of 1917-18, devastated the highway. As a result, in 1918 and 1919 the highway was reconstructed from end to end. Some sections of the highway were completely rebuilt with concrete, while along of the road concrete shoulders, among the first applied in Maryland, were added to both widen and strengthen the road. By 1919, the entire length of the Baltimore–Washington Boulevard was a minimum width of . The only significant realignment during this reconstruction was the straightening out of Dead Man's Curve south of Elkridge.


Construction north of Baltimore

All of present-day US 1 north of Baltimore, with the exception of the road from east of Rising Sun to the Pennsylvania state line, was designated one of the original state roads by the Maryland State Roads Commission in 1909. By 1910, the highway was paved from Bel Air to Kalmia. In 1910, the State Roads Commission purchased the Bel Air Turnpike, the Bel Air Turnpike of Harford County, and Conowingo Bridge from their private operators. SRC also paved its first section of the road from Oakwood to the crossing of Octoraro Creek that year. The road from Rising Sun to Sylmar Road was completed in 1911, along with Bel Air Road from the Baltimore city limits to Franklin Avenue. The paved section along Bel Air Road was extended northeast to Hamilton Avenue in 1912. That year also saw the first paving in Harford County from Kalmia to Deer Creek. The remainder of the highway in Harford County—from Little Gunpowder Falls to Bel Air and from Deer Creek to the Conowingo Bridge—was completed in 1913. Bel Air Road was finished in Baltimore County in 1914, and was paved from North Avenue to the Baltimore city limits, then just north of Erdman Avenue, in 1915. The highway was paved between the Conowingo Bridge and Oakwood in 1914. The state road was constructed along the alignment of the turnpikes without digression except for a relocation at Gunpowder Falls to reduce the grades on the hills. The final sections of what was to become US 1 were paved in Cecil County between 1917 and 1921, when the gap between Octoraro Creek and Rising Sun was filled and the Sylmar Road link from east of Rising Sun to the Pennsylvania state line was paved.


US Highway Designation

When US 1 was designated in 1927, its route through Baltimore was the same as it is today except the federal highway entered the city from the southwest along Washington Boulevard. The highway turned north onto Monroe Street, which it followed to its present course north of Wilkens Avenue. This effectively replaced several auto trails that had been signed along the route. North of Baltimore, the road had been signed as the
Baltimore PIke The Baltimore Pike was an auto trail connecting Baltimore, Maryland, with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Today, parts of the road are signed as U.S. Route 1 (US 1), US 13, and a small portion of Pennsylvania Route 41 (PA 41). A section of the road ...
; south of there, it was part of a feeder route for the Lincoln Highway. South of Bel Air, the road was part of the Capitol Highway, connecting Washington to
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
and
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.


Reconstruction north of Baltimore

US 1's first major relocation north of Baltimore occurred at the Susquehanna River. The Conowingo Bridge was removed before it could be inundated by the Conowingo Reservoir set to fill upon the completion of Conowingo Dam in 1928. The old approaches, which consisted of Smith Road from near Darlington to Glen Cove on the west side of the river and Connelly Road, Ragan Road, and Old Conowingo Road to the mouth of Conowingo Creek on the east side of the river, were replaced with the present highway between Smith Road and Connelly Road. Smith Road was redesignated MD 162, while the eastern approach became a western extension of MD 273. US 1 saw three realignments north of Baltimore in 1934. A relocation near Kalmia included a new bridge over Deer Creek. The old highway, which featured 26 curves, was designated MD 590. Another relocation occurred between Conowingo and Rising Sun, featuring a new bridge over Octoraro Creek. The old highway was designated MD 591. East of Rising Sun, a 90-degree turn was bypassed at the intersection of Telegraph Road (now MD 273) and Sylmar Road by the construction of a sweeping curve to the northwest of the intersection. The bypassed portion of Sylmar Road was designated MD 592. Bel Air Road was expanded started in 1933. US 1 was widened to from the Baltimore city line northeast to Joppa Road. The highway was widened to from Joppa Road to Bel Air. The road was the first construction in Maryland of a three-lane road with center turn lane.


Baltimore–Washington Boulevard receives relief

Massive increases in traffic during the 1920s made the reconstruction of the late 1910s obsolete within the decade. Construction to expand the entire length of the Baltimore–Washington Boulevard with two shoulders to in width, allowing for four lanes, began in 1928. The final sections of the expanded highway, between the District of Columbia line and Bladensburg and a bypass to the west of Elkridge and over the upper Patapsco River, including the present underpass of the B. & O. Railroad, were completed in 1931. The old colonial era Main Street through Elkridge was designated as Maryland Route 477 (MD 477). Despite the widening of US 1 between Baltimore and Washington in the late 1920s, the highway continued to be a major problem for both local and through traffic. The very high traffic levels made the highway a very attractive location for businesses serving travelers, leading to the sobriquet of "hot dog highway." The captive audience also led to the construction of over 1000 billboards between the two cities, spurring another nickname: "billboard boulevard." US 1 was also nicknamed "bloody Mary" due to the very high accident rate on the highway. After 1930, businesses were packed up to the edge of the four-lane, shoulder-less road that was largely built on an alignment poorly suited for the increasing speeds of vehicles. Thus, further expansion of the highway or safety improvements were impossible without expensive condemnation proceedings or relocating the highway. Businesses were adamantly against the latter solution. In 1939, US 1's departure north from Washington Boulevard in Baltimore was moved south from Monroe Street to Caton Avenue just north of the city line. From Caton Avenue, US 1 followed Wilkens Avenue to Monroe Street. Caton Avenue and Wilkens Avenue were expanded between 1936 and 1938, including removal of streetcar tracks and expansion to a divided boulevard on Wilkens Avenue, to handle the increased traffic as a "through-street." By 1946, a Bypass US 1 was signed following Caton Avenue north from Wilkens Avenue, continuing on Hilton Street to North Avenue, then taking North Avenue east to rejoin US 1 at Monroe Street. Southwestern Boulevard was completed in 1950 as a dual highway through Arbutus, with grade separations with Sulphur Spring Road and Francis Avenue. US 1 was moved to its present alignment along that boulevard and Wilkens Avenue and old US 1 through Halethorpe was designated US 1 Alternate. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, US 1 was relocated from Baltimore Avenue and Bladensburg Road between Washington and Hyattsville to Rhode Island Avenue, which was widened to in 1940. Rhode Island Avenue between Mount Rainier and Hyattsville had originally been MD 411. The old US 1 south of Hyattsville became US 1 Alternate. Despite these relocations and upgrades, true relief did not come until the first limited-access highway between Baltimore and Washington, the Baltimore–Washington Parkway, was completed in 1954 to remove long distance traffic from US 1. With the completion of that highway and later the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway (I-895) in 1957 and later Interstate 95 (I-95), US 1 between the two cities became a highway mainly for local traffic.


Recent improvements

Dead Man's Curve was bypassed south of Elkridge in 1946. A bypass of Laurel was constructed around 1950. In 1952, northbound US 1 was placed on Fulton Avenue in West Baltimore opposite southbound US 1 on Monroe Street. North Avenue was widened to a divided highway for much of its US 1-designated length by 1957. By 1960, this bypass had become the northbound lanes of the present one-way pair. US 1 north of Baltimore was reconstructed to modify curves and widen the road in the 1950s. The highway was reconstructed in Cecil County from Conowingo Dam to Rising Sun in 1952 and 1953 and from Rising Sun to Sylmar in 1954. US 1 in Harford County was reconstructed from Little Gunpowder Falls to north of Deer Creek in 1952 and 1953 and to Conowingo Dam between 1954 and 1956. In Howard County, the highway was resurfaced from Elkridge to Waterloo in 1954 and from Waterloo to the Patuxent River in 1956. By 1958, US 1 was being widened from Laurel to Beltsville. The highway's bypass of Rising Sun was completed in 1957. MD 273 was extended west from Sylmar through Rising Sun along the old alignment to the southern end of the bypass. The Bel Air bypass was placed under construction in 1964 and completed in 1965, resulting in the designation of US 1 Business along the old road through Bel Air. The Bel Air bypass was extended north around Hickory in 2000, with US 1 Business extended to meet the northern end of the bypass.


Junction list


See also

*


References


External links


US 1 at MDRoads.comUS 1 at AARoads.comMaryland Roads - US 1United States Numbered Highways, 1989 Edition
by the AASHTO {{state detail page browse, type=US, route=1, state=Maryland, statebefore=District of Columbia, stateafter=Pennsylvania 01 1 Maryland Roads in Prince George's County, Maryland Roads in Howard County, Maryland Roads in Baltimore County, Maryland Roads in Baltimore Roads in Harford County, Maryland Roads in Cecil County, Maryland