Maryland Route 495 (MD 495) 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 ...

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 for most of its length as Bittinger Road, the state highway runs from MD 135 in Altamont north to

U.S. Route 40 Alternate U.S. Route 40 has at least eight extant special routes. Current routes WaKeeney business loop U.S. Route 40 Business (US-40 Bus.) is a business route through WaKeeney, Kansas, that was recommended in 1979 as substitute for the formerly pro ...

(US 40 Alt) in Grantsville. MD 495 passes through rural areas of central

Garrett County Garrett County () is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,806, making it the third-least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Oakland. The county was named for John Work ...

, connecting Bittinger with the northern and southern parts of the county. The state highway also provides an alternate route to

US 219 U.S. Route 219 (US 219) is a spur of US 19. It runs for from West Seneca, New York, at an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90) to Rich Creek, Virginia, intersecting at US 460. US 219 is found (from north to south) in New York, Pennsylvania, Ma ...

between

Interstate 68 Interstate 68 (I-68) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting I-79 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to I-70 in Hancock, Maryland. I-68 is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway Sy ...

(I-68) and resorts around

Deep Creek Lake Deep Creek Lake is the largest inland body of water in the U.S. state of Maryland. It covers approximately and has of shoreline. Like all lakes in Maryland, it is man-made. The lake is home to a wide variety of aquatic life, such as freshwate ...

. MD 495 was constructed from both ends starting in the mid-1930s. By the late 1940s, the state highway was complete except for a gap south of Bittinger; this gap was filled in the mid-1950s. The southern terminus of MD 495 was extended to Altamont in 1956.

Route description

MD 495 begins at an intersection with MD 135 (Maryland Highway) in Altamont. The state highway heads northeast as two-lane undivided Swanton Road through the valley of the North Branch of Crabtree Creek. MD 495 crosses the creek a few times before the highway enters the village of Swanton. At the intersection with Swanton Road, the state highway turns north onto Bittinger Road, crosses the creek for the last time, and leaves Swanton. MD 495 crosses Hickory Ridge and enters the watershed of Deep Creek Lake. The state highway crosses several streams that flow into the lake, including Green Glade Run and North Glade Run, and intersects several roads that serve the east side of the lake, including Glendale Road, which heads west to US 219 at Thayerville. After New Germany Road splits to the northeast toward New Germany State Park, MD 495 crosses Meadow Mountain. The state highway passes Rock Lodge Road before heading through the unincorporated village of Bittinger. Near

Jennings Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...

, MD 495 descends into the valley of the South Branch of the

Casselman River The Casselman River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Youghiogheny River in western Maryland and Pennsylvania in the United States.Ge ...

between the old alignment, Baker Road, and a brick factory. The state highway crosses the North Branch of the river at the community of Casselman and follows the Casselman River north, crossing Spiker Run and Shade Run. MD 495 leaves the river valley, ascending a hill and reaching a

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

with I-68 (National Freeway), which is concurrent with

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 ...

and US 219. The state highway enters the town of Grantsville, where its name is Yoder Street, and meets its northern terminus at US 40 Alternate (Main Street).

History

The first section of MD 495 was constructed for between US 40 in Grantsville and Fire Clay Road in Casselman in 1933. The state highway was extended south to Jennings Road near Jennings in 1938. MD 495 was extended south in two sections— by the

Maryland State Roads Commission The Maryland State Highway Administration (abbreviated MDOT SHA or simply SHA) is the state transportation business unit responsible for maintaining Maryland's numbered highways outside Baltimore City. Formed originally under authority of the Ge ...

and as part of a

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

project—to Rock Lodge Road in Bittinger in 1940. The first segment of highway from the south end was completed between MD 38 (now MD 135) in Altamont east to Painters School Road near Swanton by 1933. This southern segment was extended east to Swanton and north to near Upper Green Glade Road in 1935; the Altamont–Swanton segment became part of MD 135, while the section north from Swanton was designated MD 537. The southern section was extended north to North Glade Road in 1936. MD 537 was redesignated as a second section of MD 495 by 1946. The highway was extended north to Glendale Road in 1948. Three changes occurred around 1956. MD 495 was relocated between Casselman and Jennings. The gap between Glendale Road and Rock Lodge Road was closed with the completion of MD 495 over Meadow Mountain. MD 135 was moved to its present alignment atop Backbone Mountain and MD 495 was extended west from Swanton to its present southern terminus at Altamont.

Junction list

Auxiliary route

MD 495A is the designation for Swantamont Road, a cut-off between MD 135 and MD 495 southeast of the intersection of the two highways in Altamont.

References

External links

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MDRoads: MD 495

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