Maryland Route 45 - Route Description

Route Description

MD 45 begins at an intersection with US 1 (North Avenue) at the northwest corner of Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore. Greenmount Avenue continues south as a city street to Forrest Street and Monument Street east of Downtown Baltimore. MD 45 heads north as a four-lane undivided street between the Barclay and East Baltimore Midway neighborhoods and crosses over CSX's Baltimore Terminal Subdivision. The state highway continues north through Waverly, where the street passes St. John's Episcopal Church and intersects 33rd Street. MD 45 is paralleled to the east by Old York Road through Waverly and Pen Lucy. At 43rd Street, MD 45's name changes to York Road. The name change occurs where the highway exited the city limits of Baltimore between 1888 and 1917. MD 45 continues north as a five-lane road with center turn lane. Between Cold Spring Lane and Northern Parkway, the state highway passes through Mid-Govans, which is home to the Senator Theater.

MD 45 leaves the city limits and passes through the Baltimore County community of Rodgers Forge. The state highway passes along the eastern margin of Towson University before reaching the southern edge of downtown Towson, where MD 45 Bypass splits to the northwest along Burke Avenue. In the center of the county seat adjacent to Towson Town Center, MD 45 passes through the racetrack-shaped Towson Roundabout, where the state highway meets the southern end of MD 146 (Dulaney Valley Road) and east–west Joppa Road. On either side of the roundabout, the state highway narrows to two lanes for on-street parking. MD 45 heads northwest from the roundabout and meets the northern end of MD 45 Bypass (Bosley Avenue) and has a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-695 (Baltimore Beltway). The state highway continues north through the densely-populated suburban area of Lutherville where the highway intersects Seminary Road, which heads west as MD 131. The west side of MD 45 is lined with commercial and industrial parks as it passes through Timonium. Between Timonium Road and Padonia Road, both of which head west to interchanges with I-83, the state highway passes along the edge of the Timonium Fairgrounds, home of the Maryland State Fair. The industrial parks continue past Warren Road in Cockeysville, where the highway crosses Beaver Dam Run. MD 45 meets the western end of MD 145 (Ashland Road) before arriving in Hunt Valley, where the highway intersects Shawan Road at Hunt Valley Town Center.

North of Shawan Road, MD 45 becomes a two-lane road that crosses Western Run and curves northeast before resuming its northward course through the community of Sparks, where the highway has an intersection with Belfast Road and passes several industrial parks. The state highway continues through the village of Hereford, which contains the western terminus of MD 138 (Monkton Road) and the eastern terminus of MD 137 (Mount Carmel Road) one block apart. North of Hereford, MD 45 descends into the valley of Gunpowder Falls, where the highway closely parallels I-83. The two highways separate, with the state highway passing by the Half-Way House, a preserved toll house from the 19th century turnpike that is halfway between Baltimore and York. In Parkton, MD 45 intersects Middletown Road and passes over the Northern Central Railroad Trail and Little Gunpowder Falls. North of the village, the state highway crosses to the west side of I-83 at a diamond interchange with the Interstate. The state highway intersects MD 439 (Old York Road) and Freeland Road in the community of Maryland Line before reaching its northern terminus at the Pennsylvania state line. The roadway continues north as SR 3001 (Susquehanna Trail) toward the borough of Shrewsbury.