Route Description
The existing US 50 freeway east from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway upgrades silently into I-595 within the Capital Beltway interchange. East of the interchange, I-595 is 10 lanes wide; beyond the MD 704 interchange, it narrows to eight lanes, with the innermost two being HOV lanes.
The frequency of the interchanges decreases as the development backs away from the highway, and US 50 passes over or under several routes before interchanging with Maryland Route 197 near Bowie, using a partial cloverleaf interchange. The highway approaches a residential development as it soon after interchanges with the next major route: US 301 and Maryland Route 3. Within this interchange, US 301 joins the freeway, creating a three-route concurrency, and the highway exits development again, traveling through mostly woodland.
Up to and slightly beyond the US 301/Maryland Route 3 interchange, I-595's road surface is concrete; the roadway beyond there is asphalt. Within the US 301 interchange, the HOV lanes that began at the Capital Beltway come to an end.
It interchanges with Maryland Route 424 in the country after turning northwest once more, approaching Annapolis. Before this, however, US 50 interchanges with the southern end of Interstate 97. Interstate 97 utilizes a directional-T interchange, but then, the two carriageways straddle US 50 as collector and distributor roads, before passing over the highway with another partial interchange and traveling south into Annapolis as a direct freeway spur, now signed as Maryland Route 665.
After the C/D roads leave, the route passes through the Annapolis urban area, and interchanges with Maryland Route 450. MD 450 is an older alignment of US 50, which parallels the John Hanson Highway between Annapolis and Washington. Shortly after this, it interchanges with Medical Parkway and Solomons Island Road. Solomons Island Road adds one more route to the multiplex: Maryland Route 2. The four route concurrency of I-595, US 50, US 301, and MD 2 continue until the next interchange only about a mile later: Maryland Route 70. Here, the John Hanson Highway designation ends, as does Interstate 595. US 50, US 301, and MD 2 continue along the freeway routing, no longer a part of the Interstate system. However, the physical roadbed was fully upgraded to Interstate standards to the western edge of the Severn River Bridge.
Read more about this topic: Interstate 595 (Maryland)
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