Maryland Route 506 (MD 506) 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 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 t ...
. Known as Sixes Road, the state highway runs from
MD 508 in
Bowens east to
MD 2/
MD 4 near
Port Republic. MD 506 provides access to
Battle Creek Cypress Swamp. The state highway was constructed from MD 2 to the swamp in the early 1930s and extended to Bowens in the late 1950s.
Route description
MD 506 begins at a four-way intersection in Bowens. Adelina Road heads north as MD 508 toward
Barstow and south as a county highway toward
Adelina. Sixes Road continues west as a county highway toward 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 ...
. MD 506 heads east as a two-lane undivided road that passes through a forested area with scattered residences. The state highway crosses Battle Creek, which flows through the Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...
maintained by
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Nat ...
that contains the only stands of
bald cypress
''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve;
''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide r ...
on the Western Shore of Maryland. The sanctuary visitor center is located on Grays Road, which intersects MD 506 just east of Battle Creek.
From the swamp, MD 506 veers northeast toward its eastern terminus at MD 2/MD 4, which
run concurrently as Solomons Island Road, near Port Republic.
History
MD 506 was constructed from MD 2 west to Grays Road by 1933.
The state highway was extended to MD 508 in 1957.
Junction list
See also
*
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
MDRoads: MD 506
506
Maryland Route 506
Maryland Route 506 (MD 506) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Sixes Road, the state highway runs from MD 508 in Bowens east to MD 2/ MD 4 near Port Republic. MD 506 provides access to Battle Creek Cypress Swamp. T ...