Maryland Route 243 (MD 243) is a
state highway 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 sove ...
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 Newtowne Neck Road, the state highway runs from
St. Francis Xavier Church near
Compton north to
MD 5 in
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 ...
. MD 243 serves communities on the Newtowne Neck peninsula between St. Clements Bay to the west and Breton Bay to the east in central
St. Mary's County. The state highway was constructed between the early 1920s and early 1930s. MD 243 was relocated at its northern terminus in the 1970s.
Route description
MD 243 begins at a road west of St. Francis Xavier Church within the St. Francis Xavier Church and Newtown Manor House Historic District. The road continues south toward 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 Augu ...
as a narrow county-maintained street. The state highway heads west as a two-lane undivided road through the postage-stamp historic district and curves to the north, meeting Newtowne Neck Road on a tangent. That county-maintained portion of Newtowne Neck Road heads south to the end of the Newtowne Neck peninsula. MD 243 heads north through a mix of farmland and forest to the hamlet of Compton, where the highway intersects Bayside Road, which leads to the waterfront community of St. Clement Shores. The state highway veers northeast and intersects Bull Road, which leads to the Society Hill neighborhood and Breton Bay Country Club. MD 243 continues north, crossing Nelson Run and briefly entering the town of Leonardtown before the highway reaches its northern terminus at MD 5 (Point Lookout Road).
History
MD 243 was constructed as a gravel road in four sections between the early 1920s and early 1930s. The highway was built from MD 5 to Wathen Road around 1923.
MD 243 was extended south to Rosebank Road in Compton in 1924.
The state highway was extended slightly south to Bayside Road in 1930.
Finally, MD 243 was extended south to its present terminus at St. Francis Xavier Church in 1932.
MD 243's original northern terminus was adjacent to McIntosh Run, to the east of its present terminus.
MD 243's intersection with MD 5 was relocated to form a four-way intersection with Maypole Road by 1978; the segment of old alignment between MD 243 and MD 5 was designated MD 943.
This portion of MD 943, a number later assigned to
Warren Road in
Cockeysville
Cockeysville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,776 at the 2010 census.
History
Cockeysville was named after the Cockey family who helped establish the town. Thomas Cockey (1676â ...
in
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 ...
, was removed from the state highway system in 1999.
Junction list
See also
*
References
External links
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MDRoads: MD 243
243
Maryland Route 243