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Interstate 270 (Maryland)

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Interstate 270 marker

Interstate 270
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Highway
Washington National Pike
I-270 highlighted in red; I-270 Spur in blue
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-70
Maintained by MDSHA
Length 34.70 mi[2] (55.84 km)
32.90 mi (52.95 km) mainline[1]
2.10 mi (3.38 km) spur[1]
Existed 1975 – present
Major junctions
South end I-495 / MD 355 north of Bethesda
 
I-270 Spur north of Bethesda
I-370 in Rockville
North end I-70 / US 40 near Frederick
Location
Counties Montgomery, Frederick
Highway system
← MD 268MD 270 →

Interstate 270 (abbreviated I-270) is a 34.70-mile (55.84 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Maryland that travels between I-495 (the Capital Beltway) just north of Bethesda, Montgomery County and I-70 in the city of Frederick in Frederick County. It consists of the 32.60-mile (52.46 km) mainline as well as a 2.10-mile (3.38 km) spur that provides access to and from southbound I-495. I-270 is known as the Washington National Pike, and makes up the easternmost stretch of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Highway.[3] Most of the southern part of the route in Montgomery County passes through suburban areas around Rockville and Gaithersburg that are home to many biotech firms. This portion of I-270 is up to twelve lanes wide and consists of a local-express lane configuration as well as high-occupancy vehicle lanes that are in operation during peak travel times. North of the Gaithersburg area, the road continues through the northern part of Montgomery County, passing Germantown and Clarksburg as a six- to eight-lane highway with a HOV lane in the northbound direction only. North of here, I-270 continues through rural areas into Frederick County and toward the city of Frederick as a four-lane freeway.

The freeway was built between 1953 and 1960 as the Washington National Pike between Bethesda and Frederick and carried U.S. Route 240 (US 240), which was rerouted off what is now Maryland Route 355 (MD 355) between these two points. With the creation of the Interstate Highway System a few years later, the road was designated as I-70S along with US 240. There were plans to extend I-70S to I-95 in Washington, D.C. on the North Central Freeway from the Capital Beltway; however, they were cancelled in the 1970s due to opposition from residents in the freeway’s path. The concurrent US 240 designation was removed in 1972 and I-70S became I-270 in 1975. Increasing traffic levels led to a $200 million widening of the road in Montgomery County to its current configuration. Many improvements are slated for I-270, including the construction of three new interchanges and the widening of the route between Shady Grove Road and Frederick that would add high-occupancy vehicles lanes and high-occupancy toll lanes.

Route description[edit]

Montgomery County[edit]

I-270 near the exit for Montrose Road in North Bethesda

I-270 heads northwest from an interchange with I-495 (Capital Beltway) and MD 355 (Rockville Pike) in suburban Bethesda, Montgomery County as a six-lane freeway.[1][4] The left lane on each side is used as a high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV lane) in the northbound direction between 3:30 and 6:30 PM weekdays and in the southbound direction between 6:00 and 9:00 AM weekdays.[1] At the southern terminus, I-270 only has access to and from the eastbound direction of I-495.[4] The road turns west and comes to an interchange with MD 187 (Old Georgetown Road). From there, I-270 continues west as a ten-lane freeway and merges with I-270 Spur, which provides access to and from southbound I-495. Past this interchange, I-270 continues north as a twelve-lane freeway with an HOV lane and five travel lanes in each direction. The route passes through wooded suburban areas, where prior to the cloverleaf interchange with Montrose Road (MD 927), I-270 takes on a local-express lane configuration with the outer two lanes serving as local lanes and the inner three lanes and the HOV lane serving as express lanes.[1][4] Past Montrose Road, I-270 continues north into the Rockville area, turning northwest before it comes to a single-point urban interchange with MD 189 (Falls Road), where the highway sees 253,620 vehicles daily.[1][4] The road continues to a modified cloverleaf interchange with MD 28 (Montgomery Avenue).[4] Past MD 28, the freeway passes numerous business parks and some wooded areas before coming to an interchange with Shady Grove Road.[1][4]

I-270 northbound in Germantown

Past this interchange, I-270 leaves Rockville and heads into Gaithersburg, where it intersects I-370, a road that provides access to a park and ride lot at the Shady Grove Metro station and MD 200 (the Intercounty Connector), which heads east to I-95 in Laurel.[1][4] Past I-370, the local lane configuration ends in the southbound direction, which now has an HOV lane and four travel lanes while the northbound direction still has an HOV lane, three express lanes, and two local lanes.[4] I-270 continues past more suburban development before coming to a northbound exit and southbound entrance with MD 117 (West Diamond Avenue).[1][4] Past this interchange, the southbound HOV restrictions end and I-270 continues north with four travel lanes in the southbound direction and an HOV lane, three express lanes and two local lanes in the northbound direction before reaching MD 124 (Quince Orchard Road).[1][4] Past MD 124, the local lanes in the northbound direction ends, and I-270 head northwest as an eight-lane freeway with four southbound lanes and an HOV lane and three travel lanes northbound. It passes through wooded areas, leaving Gaithersburg, and comes to an interchange with Middlebrook Road.[4] The freeway narrows to six lanes again past at this interchange, with three lanes in each direction including a northbound HOV lane. I-270 continues into the Germantown area and interchanges with MD 118 (Germantown Road). A short distance later, after passing by some business parks, I-270 comes to an interchange with MD 27 (Ridge Road) and Father Hurley Boulevard.[1][4] Past MD 27, I-270 heads into more rural areas of woods with some farm fields, paralleled by a set of power lines.[4] The road has an interchange with MD 121 (Clarksburg Road) in Clarksburg near the Clarksburg Premium Outlets and the northbound HOV restriction ends past this interchange, with I-270 continuing north as a four-lane freeway.[1] The power lines stop paralleling the route and it continues through more rural areas of woods and farms, running closely parallel to MD 355. The median widens, with trees in the middle, and I-270 has weigh stations on both sides.[4] The highway reaches Hyattstown, where it has an interchange with MD 109 (Old Hundred Road).[1][4]

Frederick County[edit]

I-270 northbound approaching Frederick

A short distance past the MD 109 interchange, I-270 crosses into Frederick County, continuing northwest through rural woodland and farmland. It reaches the Urbana area, where the route has an interchange with MD 80 (Fingerboard Road).[1][4] The highway briefly runs along the east side of MD 80 past this interchange before continuing through agricultural areas. It features a scenic overlook in the northbound direction as the road passes through Monocacy National Battlefield, which was the site of the Battle of Monocacy Junction. I-270 eventually leaves the battlefield area and continues into the commercial outskirts of Frederick.[4] Here, the road reaches an interchange with MD 85 (Buckeystown Pike) near the Francis Scott Key Mall. I-270 continues through commercial areas before coming to its northern terminus at an interchange with I-70 and US 40 (Baltimore National Pike).[1][4] Past this interchange, the freeway continues north as the Frederick Freeway, a part of US 40 that interchanges with US 15 and US 340 a short distance north of I-270’s northern terminus.[4]

History[edit]

Interstate 70S
Location Frederick–Bethesda
Existed 1959–1975
1955 Yellow Book map of Washington, D.C. showing a proposed Interstate Highway running to Frederick.

On November 20, 1944, the National Capital Park and Planning Commission announced plans to build a freeway through Montgomery County.[5] The freeway would bypass Bethesda, Rockville, and Gaithersburg.[5] Under one proposed route, the freeway would end at US 240 (present-day MD 355) north of Gaithersburg, while another proposal had the freeway continuing to Hagerstown.[6][6][7] South of Bethesda, one proposal had the freeway connecting with Macarthur Boulevard in the District of Columbia, while another proposal had the freeway going around Cabin John and connect with Macarthur Boulevard in Maryland.[5][7] Bethesda residents objected to idea of a freeway running through residential areas.[8] The National Capital Park and Planning Commission agreed, and it approved the western route two years later.[8][9] Further details about the routing were released in 1949,[10] and construction began with the northern section in 1950.[11]

In 1953, the US 240 freeway was completed between MD 121 in Clarksburg and US 15 (now Maryland Route 85) in Frederick.[12][13] A year later, the freeway was extended down to MD 118 in Germantown.[14] The US 240 freeway was extended south to MD 28 in Rockville in 1956. Also, the US 240 freeway was completed from US 15 north to US 40.[15] The US 240 freeway was extended south to Montrose Road in 1958.[16] I-70S was designated onto the US 240 freeway in 1959.[17] In 1960, I-70S/US 240 was extended south to the Capital Beltway. With the completion of this freeway, MD 355 was designated onto the original alignment of US 240.[18] The construction of the Washington National Pike resulted in suburban growth along the corridor between Washington, D.C. and Frederick, with several federal agencies including the United States Atomic Energy Commission, the National Bureau of Standards, and the National Institutes of Health moving their headquarters to Montgomery County.[12] A western spur that provided access to southbound I-495 was eventually built and became I-270.[19]

I-70S was projected to continue past the Capital Beltway into Washington, D.C. on the North Central Freeway to connect directly to I-95. Plans for this freeway initially began in 1959 when a freeway was called for along the Georgia Avenue corridor.[20] In the mid-1960s, a study was proposed for the freeway that recommended several different routings between Washington, D.C. and the Capital Beltway.[21] By 1966, a route for the North Central Freeway was planned along a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad line running through the northeastern part of Washington and Takoma Park north to the Capital Beltway.[22] In a 1971 study by DeLeuw, Cather Associates and Harry Wesse & Associates, LTD, I-70S was planned to run from its southern terminus at I-495 and run concurrent with that route before turning south on the North Central Freeway and ending at I-95 in Washington.[19] The routing of the freeway through residential areas of Washington drew opposition from residents of the Takoma Park, Brookland, and Michigan Park neighborhoods who were successful in getting the freeway cancelled through their neighborhoods in 1970.[23] The North Central Freeway within Maryland was cancelled by the MDSHA in 1972 due to opposition from officials in Montgomery County.[24] In 1975, the Federal Highway Administration officially approved withdrawal of plans to construct the road south of the Capital Beltway.[25]

I-270 Spur at split from southbound I-270 in North Bethesda

The concurrent US 240 designation was removed from I-70S in 1972.[26] On May 18, 1975, I-70S was designated I-270.[25] The western spur is now signed and publicly known simply as I-270 Spur. By the 1980s, traffic congestion had grown on I-270 in Montgomery County; as a result, a $200 million project widened the road between I-495 and MD 118 to its current configuration, with some portions being widened to twelve lanes. This widening led to growth of residences and businesses along the I-270 corridor as far north as Germantown and increased traffic counts along the road.[27] Much of I-270 in Montgomery County is now a hub for biotech firms.[28] By 1999, congestion on the road grew to then-projected 2010 levels.[27]

Future[edit]

The MDSHA is studying improvements for the I-270 corridor between Shady Grove Road and Frederick. Options for improvement include widening the highway to include more lanes with HOV and HOT lanes, as well as initiating rapid bus or light rail service along I-270 between Shady Grove and Clarksburg.[29] In September 2017, Governor Larry Hogan announced a plan to widen the entire length of I-270 by four lanes, adding express toll lanes to the median, as part of a $9 billion proposal to widen roads in Maryland. The project would be a public-private partnership with private companies responsible for constructing, operating, and maintaining the lanes.[30]

In addition, two new interchanges are planned for I-270 in Frederick County. The first planned interchange is with MD 75 near the Montgomery County border, which would involve extending MD 75 from MD 355 to the interchange with I-270 at a projected cost of $57,300,000. The other planned interchange is with Park Mills Road in Urbana, which has a projected cost of $48,900,000.[31]

In Montgomery County, an interchange is currently under construction to allow northbound and southbound I-270 access both to and from Watkins Mill Road in Gaithersburg via a diamond interchange. This interchange will also connect the eastern and western portions of Watkins Mill Road by a new overpass. The state of Maryland approved the $99.71 million project in July 2017 and construction began on July 11, 2017, with Governor Larry Hogan and County Executive Ike Leggett in attendance for a groundbreaking ceremony. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2020.[32][33]

Exit list[edit]

CountyLocationmi
[1]		kmExitDestinationsNotes
MontgomeryBethesda0.000.00— I-495 east (Capital Beltway) – Silver Spring, College ParkNo access to I-495 south (counterclockwise)
North Bethesda— MD 355 south – BethesdaSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
1.542.481A MD 187 (Old Georgetown Road)Southbound exit is via exit 1
1.832.951BRockledge Drive (MD 187B)Signed as exit 1 southbound
2.39–
2.68		3.85–
4.31		2
I-270 Spur to I-495 south – Washington, Northern Virginia		Southbound exit and northbound entrance
3.665.89Southern terminus of local-express lanes
4.146.664Montrose Road (MD 927)Signed as exits 4A (east) and 4B (west)
Rockville5.508.855 MD 189 (Falls Road)SPUI
6.4610.406 MD 28 (West Montgomery Avenue) – Rockville, DarnestownSigned as exits 6A (east) and 6B (west)
8.3913.508Shady Grove Road / Redland Road
Gaithersburg9.2814.93Northern terminus of southbound local-express lanes
9.3215.009
I-370 east to MD 200 Toll / Sam Eig Highway		Signed as exits 9A (east, I-370) and 9B (west, Sam Eig Highway); I-370 exits 1A–B
10.8517.4610 MD 117 (Clopper Road / West Diamond Avenue) to MD 124 south (Quince Orchard Road)Northbound exit and southbound entrance
11.4718.4611 MD 124 (Montgomery Village Avenue / Quince Orchard Road)Montgomery Village Avenue not signed northbound
11.9719.26Northern terminus of northbound local-express lanes
12.1319.5212Watkins Mill RoadCurrently under construction; to be completed by summer 2020[32]
Germantown13.9722.4813Middlebrook RoadNorthbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 13A (east) and 13B (west)
14.7423.7215 MD 118 (Germantown Road) to MD 355 (North Frederick Road) – GermantownSigned as exits 15A (north) and 15B (south)
15.7825.4016 MD 27 (Father Hurley Boulevard) – DamascusSigned as exits 16A (east) and 16B (west)
Clarksburg18.4329.6618 MD 121 (Clarksburg Road / Stringtown Road) – Boyds, Clarksburg
Hyattstown22.2935.8722 MD 109 (Old Hundred Road) – Hyattstown, Barnesville
FrederickUrbana26.0341.8926 MD 80 (Fingerboard Road) – Urbana, Buckeystown
Frederick31.1650.1531 MD 85 (Buckeystown Pike) – Frederick, BuckeystownSigned as exits 31A (north) and 31B (south)
32.6052.4632 I-70 west (Eisenhower Memorial Highway) – Hagerstown
I-70 / US 40 east (Baltimore National Pike) – Baltimore		Northern terminus
US 40 west to US 15 north – Frederick, GettysburgContinuation beyond I-70
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Interstate 270 Spur[edit]

Spur plate blue.svg
I-270.svg

Interstate 270 Spur
Location Bethesda, Maryland
Length 2.10 mi[1] (3.38 km)

Interstate 270 Spur (referred to as I-270Y by the MDSHA) is a 2.10-mile (3.38 km) spur off I-270 that connects I-270 and the Capital Beltway.[1] It carries traffic headed southbound on I-270 to southbound I-495 and from northbound I-495 to northbound I-270, filling in the missing movements not available at the interchange between I-270 and I-495.[34] The road heads north from I-495 as a six-lane freeway with a 55 mph (89 km/h) speed limit. The left lane in each direction serves as a HOV lane in operation between 3:30 and 6:30 PM weekdays in the northbound direction and between 6:00 and 9:00 AM weekdays in the southbound direction.[1][34] I-270 Spur continues north through wooded suburban areas to an interchange with Democracy Boulevard adjacent to the Westfield Montgomery shopping mall.[34] A short distance later, the road has a southbound exit and northbound entrance for the HOV lanes onto Fernwood Road. Past here, I-270 Spur merges into northbound I-270 with separate ramps for the travel lanes and the HOV lanes.[1][34] Before 1975, when I-270 was called I-70S, this road was called I-270, without the word "Spur".

Exit list[edit]

The entire route is in Bethesda, Montgomery County.

mi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
0.000.00— I-495 south (Capital Beltway) – Washington, Northern VirginiaSouthern terminus; no access to I-495 east (clockwise)
1.001.611Democracy Boulevard
1.352.17—Westlake Terrace / Fernwood RoadSouthbound exit and northbound entrance from HOV lanes
2.103.38— I-270 north – Rockville, FrederickNorthern terminus; no access to I-270 south
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2013). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2012-03-02. 
  2. ^ "Route Log — Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways — Table 2". Federal Highway Administration. October 31, 2002. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  3. ^ "Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway". Retrieved 2015-04-05. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Google (2009-05-11). "overview of Interstate 270" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2009-05-11. 
  5. ^ a b c McDevitt, Betty. "Express Highway System Plans Revealed for Md.-Capital Area". The Washington Post. November 21, 1944. p. 1.
  6. ^ a b "Bethesda Chamber Approves Proposed Road". The Washington Post. December 20, 1944. p. 14.
  7. ^ a b "Freeway Route Study Urged Before Action". The Washington Post. May 17, 1946. p. 4.
  8. ^ a b "West Route Selected for New 'Freeway'". The Washington Post. August 27, 1946. p. 4.
  9. ^ "Major transportation milestones in the Baltimore region since 1940" (PDF). Baltimore Metropolitan Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2009. 
  10. ^ "NCPPC Plan For Freeway From North Is Revealed: Details Announced For Highway From Montgomery Into District, Virginia". The Washington Post. December 8, 1949. p. B1.
  11. ^ Roberts, Chalmers M. "30-Year Plan For District Revives Old Road Feuds: Through Highway Linking Downtown To Montgomery Seen Biggest Need". The Washington Post. November 22, 1950. p. B1.
  12. ^ a b "Rodgers Consulting – 50 years of success" (PDF). Rodgers Consulting. Retrieved 2009-05-06. 
  13. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1954). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 
  14. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1955). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 
  15. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1956). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 
  16. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1958). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 
  17. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1959). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 
  18. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1960). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 
  19. ^ a b "1971 map of Washington, D.C." DeLeuw, Cather Associates and Harry Wesse & Associates, LTD. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  20. ^ "1959 Mass Transportation Plan". Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  21. ^ "1963-1964 North Central Freeway Study". Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  22. ^ "1966 North Central Freeway Supplementary Study". Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  23. ^ "Takoma Park Historic District". Takoma, DC. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  24. ^ Goldstein, Wayne (April 26, 2007). "Will ICC Right-of-Way Become Future Parkland?". Montgomery County Civic Federation. 
  25. ^ a b "Why Does I-70 End in Cove Fort, Utah?". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  26. ^ U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee (June 20, 1972). "U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway Officials. p. 424. Retrieved January 14, 2015 – via Wikimedia Commons. 
  27. ^ a b Sipress, Alan (January 4, 1999). "Md.'s Lesson: Widen the Roads, Drivers Will Come". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  28. ^ Lenhart, Jennifer (August 28, 2006). "In Biotech Hubs, Labs Play A Vital Role in the Culture". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  29. ^ "WTOP answer desk: Widening I-270". Washington, DC: WTOP-FM. April 1, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2009. 
  30. ^ "Hogan proposes $9B plan to add new lanes to Beltway, 270 and BW Parkway". Washington, DC: WTOP-FM. September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017. 
  31. ^ "Frederick County Division of Planning Staff Report" (PDF). Frederick County. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2009. 
  32. ^ a b "Interchange Construction Begins This August" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved February 17, 2018. 
  33. ^ Metcalf, Andrew (July 11, 2017). "Governor, County Executive Break Ground for New Watkins Mill Interchange". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved February 17, 2018. 
  34. ^ a b c d Google (2009-05-11). "overview of Interstate 270 Spur" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2009-05-11. 

External links[edit]

Route map: Google

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