county highway
A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...
in the U.S. state 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 ...
. The highway is the major component of a mostly four- to six-lane highway spanning southern Montgomery County and northwestern
Prince George's County
)
, 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. Alsobrook ...
that also includes Montrose Road, Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway (née Montrose Parkway), and Cherry Hill Road, and forms an important link between eastern Montgomery County and Rockville. Montrose Road begins at
Maryland Route 189
Maryland Route 189 (MD 189) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Falls Road, the highway runs from MD 190 in Potomac to Great Falls Road and Maryland Avenue in Rockville. MD 189 connects Rockville with Potomac and the G ...
(MD 189) in Potomac. The highway heads east through a junction with Interstate 270 (I-270) before the main course continues as Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway in
North Bethesda
North Bethesda is an unincorporated, census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just north-west of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. It had a population of 50,094 as of the 2020 ...
. Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway continues through a junction with MD 355, east of which the highway becomes Randolph Road. Randolph Road intersects MD 586 and MD 185 in Wheaton, MD 97 in Glenmont, and MD 650 in Colesville. The highway continues southeast toward Fairland, where it meets
U.S. Route 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, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington me ...
(US 29). The highway continues from US 29 as Cherry Hill Road through an intersection with MD 212 in Calverton before reaching its eastern end at
US 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...
in College Park.
A significant portion of Montrose Road, Randolph Road, and Cherry Hill Road existed along or near their present alignments by the early 20th century. The major exceptions were Montrose Road west of I-270 and Randolph Road from North Bethesda to Glenmont. Much of the county highways were improved as modern roads by the mid-1940s. Randolph Road from Glenmont to Colesville was originally known as Glenmont Road and constructed as Maryland Route 183 in the late 1910s. The North Bethesda–Glenmont stretch of Randolph Road was built as a four-lane divided highway in the 1950s and early 1960s. MD 183 was expanded to a divided highway in the mid-1970s then transferred to county control in the early 1980s. Montrose Road was reconstructed as a temporary connecting route associated with the construction of I-270 in the late 1950s; the highway was extended to Potomac in the late 1980s. The first phase of Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway (prior to 2022 named Montrose Parkway) was constructed in the late 2000s; the parkway will be extended east to MD 586 in the future.
Route description
The continuous highway comprising Montrose Road, Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway, Randolph Road, and Cherry Hill Road has a total length of from MD 189 in Potomac to US 1 in College Park. Montrose Road runs from Potomac to Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway in North Bethesda. Montrose Road continues east from there, but is bypassed by Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway, which has a length of to its eastern end beyond MD 355. Randolph Road spans through Wheaton, Glenmont, Colesville, and Fairland to US 29. The highway continues as Cherry Hill Road for through Calverton to College Park. The vast majority of the highway is maintained by the respective counties, but short segments are maintained by the
Maryland State Highway Administration
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 ...
(MDSHA) as
unsigned
Unsigned can refer to:
* An unsigned artist is a musical artist or group not attached or signed to a record label
** Unsigned Music Awards, ceremony noting achievements of unsigned artists
** Unsigned band web, online community
* Similarly, the c ...
MD 927 and MD 927A in North Bethesda and MD 929 in Fairland. The entire length of the Randolph Road portion of the highway and MD 927A, the portion of Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway through the MD 355 interchange, are part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial.
Montrose Road and Parkway
Montrose Road begins at an intersection with MD 189 (Falls Road) in Potomac. The highway heads east as a two-lane
controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
through a forested corridor between two residential subdivisions. Those neighborhoods are accessed via the only intersection through the corridor with Whites Ford Way. The corridor ends at Seven Locks Road, where Montrose Road expands to a four-lane divided highway. The highway has a partial interchange with the access road to a residential subdivision to the north before its
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 I-270 (Eisenhower Memorial Highway). At Tower Oaks Boulevard, Montrose Road expands to six lanes, crosses
Cabin John Creek
Cabin John Creek is a tributary stream of the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Maryland. The watershed covers an area of . The headwaters of the creek originate in the city of Rockville, and the creek flows southward for U.S. Geological Surv ...
, and passes between residential subdivisions between the city of Rockville to the north and North Bethesda to the south. Montrose Road is state-maintained and designated MD 927 for from the ramp from southbound I-270 to westbound Montrose Road east to the intersection with Tower Oaks Boulevard.
Just west of Old Farm Creek, Montrose Road turns off east as a four-lane road with center turn lane while the through highway's name becomes Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway. Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway continues east with four lanes, crossing over Old Farm Creek. The highway intersects Jefferson Street before reaching an interchange with MD 355 (Rockville Pike). Access to southbound MD 355 is provided by following Hoya Street north to the interchange ramps, where the eastern end of Montrose Road can be accessed. Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway passes under MD 355 before intersecting ramps to and from northbound MD 355 adjacent to the
Montrose Schoolhouse
The Montrose School House is a historic school building located in Montgomery County, Maryland, in North Bethesda, Montrose Road is state-maintained and designated MD 927A for its easternmost from Hoya Street to Chapman Avenue.
Randolph Road
Randolph Road begins at Chapman Avenue and heads east as a five-lane road with center turn lane. The highway has an at-grade crossing of
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
Metropolitan Subdivision
The Metropolitan Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the District of Columbia and the U.S. state of Maryland. The 79-mile line runs from Washington, D.C., northwest to Weverton, Maryland, along the forme ...
, which carries
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
Brunswick Line
The Brunswick Line is a MARC commuter rail line between Washington, D.C., and Martinsburg, West Virginia, with a branch to Frederick, Maryland. It primarily serves the northern and western suburbs of Washington. The line, MARC's second longest at ...
, as the highway passes through a commercial area. Randolph Road intersects Parklawn Drive before passing through a dense suburban residential area. The highway expands to three lanes eastbound at Gaynor Road, gains a median, and gains a third lane westbound immediately after crossing Rock Creek. Randolph Road heads northeast as a six-lane divided highway into Wheaton, where the highway intersects MD 586 (Veirs Mill Road) and MD 185 (Connecticut Avenue) a short distance apart. The highway continues east through a densely populated suburban area, passing by
Wheaton High School
Wheaton High School is a U.S. four-year public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located in the unincorporated Wheaton- Glenmont section of Montgomery County, near Silver Spring, about 5 miles north of Washington, D.C.
The high ...
and through Denley Park before meeting MD 97 (Georgia Avenue) in Glenmont.
Randolph Road continues east, passing John F. Kennedy High School and Glenallan Elementary School before reaching Kemp Mill Road. Kemp Mill Road heads south toward
Brookside Gardens
The Brookside Gardens are public gardens located within Wheaton Regional Park, at 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. The gardens themselves are open daily without charge. However, certain annual events there are held that may charge a ...
and
Wheaton Regional Park
Wheaton Regional Park is a public park and county-designated protected area, located in Wheaton, Maryland. It is operated and managed by Montgomery County Parks (Montgomery Parks), a division of a bi-county agency, Maryland-National Capital Park ...
. Randolph Road continues east across Northwest Branch and past the historic home
Milimar
Milimar is a historic home located in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Milimar is a -story brick house that is Georgian in style. The house is believed to have been built by Henry Lazenby II, a descendant of a family ...
. The highway intersects MD 650 (New Hampshire Avenue) in Colesville. After intersecting Fairland Road, Randolph Road curves to the southeast and becomes a five-lane road with center turn lane. The highway becomes four lanes with alternating median and undivided sections as it passes through a series of curves and crosses
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 ...
, then regains a center turn lane. Randolph Road expands to a divided highway just west of its intersection with Old Columbia Pike, then reaches its eastern terminus at a
single-point urban interchange
A single-point urban interchange (SPUI, or ), also called a single-point interchange (SPI) or single-point diamond interchange (SPDI), is a type of highway interchange. The design was created in order to help move large volumes of traffic thro ...
with US 29 (Columbia Pike) in Fairland. The highway is state-maintained and designated MD 929A for from west of Old Columbia Pike—which is itself designated MD 929C for a short distance on either side of the intersection—east to the bridge over US 29.
Cherry Hill Road
Cherry Hill Road begins where Randolph Road ends at the US 29 interchange in Fairland. The highway is state-maintained and designated MD 929B for from the bridge over US 29 to east of Prosperity Drive, which is itself designated MD 929D for a short distance south of Cherry Hill Road. Cherry Hill Road transitions from a four-lane divided highway to a four-lane undivided highway as it curves to the southeast through Calverton, where the highway is lined with commercial properties to the south and apartment complexes to the north. The highway passes along the eastern edge of the White Oak
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
campus, then enters Prince George's County shortly before reaching an intersection with MD 212 (Powder Mill Road). Cherry Hill Road is four lanes with a center turn lane from the county line to just east of its bridge across I-95, then reduces to two lanes. The highway briefly passes through the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...
's
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 ...
before crossing over the Capital Beltway, which carries both I-95 and I-495, just east of the junction of the two Interstates. Cherry Hill Road crosses Little Paint Branch and passes by a shopping center before reaching its eastern terminus at US 1 (Baltimore Avenue) in College Park.
History
Most of the county highways along the Montrose–Randolph–Cherry Hill corridor already existed by the early 20th century. Their courses remained mostly unchanged through the mid-1940s. Montrose Road began at Seven Locks Road and, after a tight curve south and back north to cross Cabin John Creek, followed the present course of Montrose Road to the junction of the old and new Rockville– Georgetown roads at Montrose. In 1910, Montrose Road ended at the
Baltimore & 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 ...
(now CSX) crossing at Randolph. By 1945, the highway was extended along the Randolph Road alignment to just west of Rock Creek, where the road turned north along Gaynor Road to cross Rock Creek and end at MD 586. After a large gap from west of Rock Creek to Glenmont, the highway resumed along the present course of Randolph Road except for a deviation at Northwest Branch. From Colesville, the highway headed east along the Beltsville Road. Near the Montgomery–Prince George's county line, the highway split southeast along Cherry Hill Road to US 1. The only major deviations were near their junction, Beltsville Road and Cherry Hill Road followed what is now Gracefield Road, and Cherry Hill Road met MD 212 at staggered intersections.
Between 1916 and 1919, the highway between Glenmont and Colesville was improved as a
macadam road
Macadam is a type of road construction, pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam around 1820, in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the o ...
by Montgomery County with state aid; this road later became known as Glenmont Road and was designated MD 183. The road east from Colesville and part of the Beltsville road were reconstructed as gravel roads in 1934. Montrose Road was paved from US 240 (now MD 355) west to near Cabin John Creek by 1944. By that time, the road had been extended as a gravel road from the railroad to just west of Rock Creek, where the highway became dirt for its old crossing of Rock Creek on Gaynor Road. The highway was paved from US 29 (now MD 650) at Colesville to east of Fairland Road, then gravel to MD 196 (Old Columbia Pike). The pavement resumed there until the Beltsville–Cherry Hill split, from which Cherry Hill Road continued to US 1 as a gravel road. Cherry Hill Road was moved to its present alignment, replacing Gracefield Road, in 1985. The staggered intersections at MD 212 were unified by 1999.
The first segments of four-lane divided Randolph Road were in place by 1951. These segments formed the main streets of their respective subdivisions from Dewey Road just east of Rock Creek to MD 586 and from Lindell Street to the MD 97–MD 183 intersection. Randolph Road's original two-lane bridge across Rock Creek was built in 1953. By 1956, Randolph Road was built between Rockville and Glenmont except for a gap between Connecticut Avenue and Bushey Drive to the west halfway to MD 586. The gap in Randolph Road was filled by 1965. That same year, the bridge across Rock Creek was expanded to allow four lanes. By 1968, the Randolph Road name was applied from MD 355 to US 29. MD 183 was expanded to a divided highway and Randolph Road was placed on its present course at Northwest Branch in 1976. Randolph Road between Glenmont and Colesville was transferred from state to county maintenance in 1981. Randolph Road and Cherry Hill Road's interchange with US 29 was constructed in 2004 and 2005. MDSHA plans to construction an urban
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 ...
at the intersection of Randolph Road and MD 97. Four lanes of Randolph Road will pass under MD 97 while flanking two-lane roadways intersect the state highway and several streets on either side of the interchange. Construction began in 2014 and concluded in 2019.
Montrose Road was straightened out at Cabin John Creek when its bridge across the new Washington National Pike (now I-270) was built in 1956. The county highway temporarily served as US 240 between 1958 and 1960 while Washington National Pike was under construction from Montrose Road south to Rockville Pike. Montrose Road's interchange with the freeway was originally a six-ramp
partial cloverleaf
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 ...
. Between 1988 and 1991, in conjunction with the expansion of I-270 to 12 lanes, the junction was reconstructed as a full cloverleaf interchange plus ramps with Tower Oaks Boulevard. Montrose Road was extended west from Seven Locks Road to MD 189 in 1989. Montrose Parkway, since renamed Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway, was conceived as an expansion of MDSHA's plans to construct an interchange between MD 355 and Montrose Road and Randolph Road. In the original plans, which were to be implemented by MDSHA, the west side of the interchange would connect directly with Montrose Road at Hoya Street. Randolph Road would head east from the interchange, cross Nebel Street and the railroad north of Randolph Road's existing grade crossing, and merge back into Randolph Road west of Parklawn Drive.
The first phase of the creation of Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway included the reconstruction of Montrose Road from Tower Oaks Boulevard to west of Old Farm Creek and construction of Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway from the creek area to the MD 355 interchange. The Montrose Road reconstruction and Montrose Parkway (since renamed Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway) east to Jefferson Street were started in 2005 and finished in 2008. As the first segment opened, Montgomery County began to work on linking Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway and Randolph Road and MDSHA began constructing the highways' interchange at MD 355. The parkway segment between Jefferson Street and Hoya Street opened in 2009 and the MD 355 interchange opened in 2010. For the next phase of the project, MDSHA will construct Josiah Henson Memorial Parkway's bridge across the railroad and a single-point urban interchange at Parklawn Drive north of Randolph Road. From there, Montgomery County will extend the highway across Rock Creek to MD 586. It has not yet been decided whether the Randolph Road grade crossing will be closed or retained.