Maryland Route 908 - History

History

The corridor today used by US 50, US 301, and MD 908 was originally constructed as an eastward extension of MD 179 from St. Margarets to Skidmore in 1928. Between 1942 and 1944, a ferry terminal was constructed at Sandy Point as the new western end of the Annapolis–Matapeake ferry. A 6-mile (9.7 km) highway was constructed from MD 2 east to the new terminal along the alignment of the modern US 50 freeway. This highway, which was designated a westward extension of MD 404 by 1946, replaced the portion of MD 179 east of what is now MD 908B's western terminus. MD 404 was expanded to a four-lane divided highway in 1948 and 1949. US 50 replaced MD 404 when the U.S. Highway was extended east from Annapolis to Ocean City in 1949 in anticipation of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which opened in 1952.

Between 1952 and 1954, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) of service roads were constructed parallel to US 50. These service roads included MD 908A from its western terminus to where the highway veers away from US 50 and US 301 at the west end of the MD 179 interchange; MD 908C from where that highway veers away from the U.S. Highways at the east end of the MD 179 interchange to Holly Beach Farm Road; MD 908B between Log Inn Road and Bay Head Road; and MD 908B from the right-angle turn at MD 931R east to Stacey Lane. It is not clear when these frontage roads received the MD 908 designation. MD 908D was constructed when the U.S. Highways' interchange with Oceanic Drive was built in 1974. The gap in MD 908B was filled by 1978. US 50 and US 301 were reconstructed as a freeway from MD 2 to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1991, including a new interchange with MD 179. The four segments of MD 908 assumed their present courses as part of that project. MD 908E was assigned near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge toll plaza in 2009.