Maryland Route 242 (MD 242) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by 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 ...
. Known as Colton Point Road, the state highway runs from
Coltons Point north to
MD 5 in
Morganza. MD 242 connects the communities of Morganza,
Clements Clement may refer to:
People
* Clements (surname)
Places
* Clements, California, U.S.
* Clements, Kansas, U.S.
* Clements, Maryland, U.S.
* Clements, Minnesota, U.S.
* Clements, West Virginia, U.S.
* Port Clements, British Columbia, Canada
Zoo ...
,
Bushwood,
Avenue
Avenue or Avenues may refer to:
Roads
* Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees)
* Avenue Road, Bangalore
* Avenue Road, ...
, and Coltons Point in western
St. Mary's County St. Mary's County may refer to:
* St. Mary's County, Maryland
*St. Mary's County, Utah Territory
There are 29 counties in the U.S. state of Utah. There were originally seven counties established under the provisional State of Deseret in 1849: ...
. The state highway also leads to
St. Clement's Island State Park, the site of
Maryland's First Landing. MD 242 was constructed in the early 1920s.
Route description
MD 242 begins at the intersection of Beach Road and Point Breeze Road in a residential neighborhood at Coltons Point on the shore of 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 ...
. Point Breeze Road heads east toward the St. Clements Island–Potomac River Museum, which is the embarkation point for seasonal boat tours to St. Clement's Island State Park, the site of Maryland's First Landing that includes the
Blakistone Island Light
The Blackistone Island Light was a lighthouse located on what is now St. Clement's Island on the Potomac River in Maryland. It is best known as the target of a Confederate raid in the Civil War. Completed in 1851, the structure was destroyed by ...
. MD 242 heads northwest as a two-lane undivided road through a mix of farmland and forest and scattered residences along the parallel St. Patrick's Creek. The state highway veers north through the community of Avenue, where the highway intersects the southern end of
MD 470 (Oakley Road) and the western end of Abell Road. MD 242 continues northwest through a forested area and turns north again at
MD 239 (Bushwood Wharf Road) near the community of Bushwood. The state highway veers northeast and intersects
MD 238 (Maddox Road) in the hamlet of
Milestown before crossing Tomakokin Creek. MD 242 meets the northern end of MD 470 (Oakley Road) just south of the hamlet of
Dynard. The state highway crosses Dynard Run and parallels St. Clements Creek before arriving in the community of Clements, where the highway comes to 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 ...
with
MD 234 (Budds Creek Road), which connects
Leonardtown
Leonardtown is a town in and the county seat of St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,563 at the 2020 census. Leonardtown is perhaps most famous for the national oyster-shucking championship that is held annually at the ...
to the east with
U.S. Route 301 and the
Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge to the west. 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 is located at the northwest corner of this roundabout. MD 242 leaves Clements heading north then curves to the east and crosses St. Clements Creek. The state highway heads northeast through farmland, crossing Locust Run before passing west of
Chopticon High School
Chopticon High School is a public high school located in Morganza, Maryland, United States. The school serves students in grades 9–12. It offers college preparatory programs and programs that prepare students for business and technical ...
. MD 242 reaches its northern terminus at MD 5 (Point Lookout Road) in the community of Morganza. The highway continues north as county-maintained Morganza–Turner Road.
History
MD 242 was constructed as a gravel road from Morganza to Avenue by 1921 and completed to Coltons Point in 1923.
The state highway was reconstructed with curve modifications and a bituminous-stabilized gravel surface in the 1950s, beginning with the Morganza–Clements section in 1949 and 1950.
MD 242 was rebuilt from Clements to Bushwood by 1959.
Junction list
See also
*
References
External links
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MDRoads: MD 242
242
Maryland Route 242