Maryland Route 2

Maryland Route 2 is the longest state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The 79.24-mile (127.52 km) route runs from Solomons Island in Calvert County north to an intersection with U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 40 Truck (North Avenue) in Baltimore. The route runs concurrent with Maryland Route 4 through much of Calvert County along a four-lane divided highway known as Solomons Island Road, passing through rural areas as well as the communities of Lusby, Port Republic, Prince Frederick, and Huntingtown. In Sunderland, MD 2 splits from MD 4 and continues north as two-lane undivided Solomons Island Road into Anne Arundel County, still passing through rural areas. Upon reaching Annapolis, the route runs concurrent with U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 301 around the city. Between Annapolis and Baltimore, MD 2 runs along the Governor Ritchie Highway (also known as the Ritchie Highway), a multilane divided highway that heads through suburban areas of businesses and residences, passing through Arnold, Severna Park, Pasadena, Glen Burnie, and Brooklyn Park. In Baltimore, the route heads north on city streets and passes through the downtown area of the city.

The designation MD 2 was in use by 1927 for the road running between Solomons Island and Baltimore. The Ritchie Highway between Annapolis and Baltimore opened in 1939 with the original alignment of MD 2 along Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard becoming Maryland Route 648. By 1960, the route was designated to bypass Annapolis along with US 50 and US 301, resulting in the former route through the city becoming part of Maryland Route 450. MD 4 was routed to follow much of MD 2 in Calvert County by 1975, and in subsequent years this portion of the route was upgraded to become a divided highway. The Ritchie Highway portion of the route was originally the main route between Annapolis and Baltimore until Interstate 97 was completed in the 1990s.