Maryland Route 117
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by MDSHA | ||||
Length | 12.40 mi[1] (19.96 km) | |||
Existed | 1927–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | MD 28 near Dawsonville | |||
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East end | West Diamond Avenue in Gaithersburg | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Maryland | |||
Counties | Montgomery | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Maryland Route 117 (MD 117) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs 12.40 miles (19.96 km) from MD 28 near Dawsonville east to West Diamond Avenue next to MD 355 in Gaithersburg. MD 117 is an L-shaped highway that connects the rural western Montgomery County communities of Dawsonville and Boyds with Germantown, Gaithersburg, and Interstate 270 (I-270) in the suburban central part of the county. The highway also provides access to Seneca Creek State Park, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and several commuter rail stations along MARC's Brunswick Line, which the highway parallels. MD 117 was the inspiration for the 1971 hit song "Take Me Home, Country Roads".
MD 117 originally consisted of three disjoint segments. The segment from MD 28 to west of Boyds was built in the early 1910s and extended to Boyds in the late 1920s. The two other segments were built west from Germantown and west from
Route description
MD 117 begins at an intersection with MD 28 (Darnestown Road) between Dawsonville and Beallsville. The highway heads north as two-lane undivided Bucklodge Road past the historic home Friends Advice, then curves northeast and crosses Bucklodge Branch. MD 117 passes under CSX's Metropolitan Subdivision railroad line, which carries MARC's Brunswick Line. The highway curves southeast at its tangent junction with Barnesville Road and assumes that name as it approaches the village of Boyds. At the southern end of MD 121 (Clarksburg Road), MD 117 turns south onto Clarksburg Road and passes under the railroad again adjacent to the Boyds station serving MARC. Just south of the railroad, the highway turns east onto Clopper Road, which parallels the railroad then veers away southeast and crosses Little Seneca Creek.[1][2]
East of Little Seneca Creek, MD 117 enters the suburban area of Germantown. The highway expands to a four-lane divided highway south of
East of the federal agency's campus, MD 117 has a partial interchange with I-270 (Eisenhower Memorial Highway). The interchange consists of a straight ramp from the state highway to southbound I-270 and a loop ramp from northbound I-270 to MD 117. Connections with I-270 in the direction of Frederick are made via the freeway's interchange with MD 124 to the north. A park and ride lot is located within the loop ramp from northbound I-270. MD 117 drops to three lanes through the interchange, then expands to a four-lane divided highway again at Perry Parkway. The highway passes south of The Avalon School before it fully re-enters the city of Gaithersburg at its junction with Muddy Branch Road, east of which the highway drops to two lanes and reaches its eastern terminus at MD 117A, an unsigned connector between MD 117 and southbound MD 355 (Frederick Avenue). West Diamond Avenue continues east as a city street that parallels the Metropolitan Subdivision rail line under MD 355. West Diamond Avenue becomes Old Towne Avenue, which intersects Fulks Corner Road—which provides access to northbound MD 355—on its way to downtown Gaithersburg and the Gaithersburg MARC station.[1][2]
MD 117 is a part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial between MD 118 and MD 119 in Germantown.[1][3]
Cultural significance
What is today MD 117 was the inspiration for
History
The first segment of MD 117 constructed was from the modern MD 117–MD 124 intersection east of Gaithersburg.
MD 117 was widened from 12 to 20 feet (3.7 to 6.1 m) from Old Germantown to Little Seneca Creek in 1948.[12] The gap between Old Germantown and Clopper was filled with a modern highway, including the modern bridge across Great Seneca Creek, and was brought into the state highway system in 1951 and 1952.[13][14] MD 117 became a single highway when the county highway between Boyds and Old Germantown was brought into the state highway system in 1956.[15] However, in 1959, MD 117's eastern terminus was rolled back to the railroad crossing at Boyds.[16] The highway between Boyds and MD 124 west of Gaithersburg was brought back into the state highway system in 1974.[17] The following year, MD 124 was rerouted north along Quince Orchard Road through a cloverleaf interchange with I-270 to MD 355, then southeast concurrent with MD 355 to rejoin its old alignment in downtown Gaithersburg.[18] West Diamond Avenue from MD 124 to MD 355 was assigned MD 924.[19] By 1987, the MD 924 designation was removed—to be used on its current course in Harford County—and replaced with an extension of MD 117.[20]
MD 117's partial interchange with I-270 was constructed in 1987; to that point, MD 117's access to I-270 had been indirect via the Interstate's interchange with Quince Orchard Road, which had been built as a county highway concurrent with the freeway in 1956.[15][21] MD 117 was expanded to a divided highway from west of MD 118 to MD 119 in Germantown and on either side of its intersection with MD 124 in Gaithersburg by 1999.[22] Since at least 1950, West Diamond Avenue had passed under MD 355's bridge across the railroad and met that highway at an oblique intersection.[23] In 1987, MD 355's bridge was replaced with the present bridge and the oblique intersection was replaced with a more gentle curve and right-in/right-out interchange with northbound MD 355.[20] In 1991, access to southbound MD 355 was added via what is now MD 117A.[24] In 2003, the right-in/right-out interchange with northbound MD 355 was removed. Old Towne Road was built as an extension of West Diamond Avenue to Summit Avenue in downtown Gaithersburg. Northbound MD 355 connected with this extension via Fulks Corner Avenue. The piece of MD 117 from the removed ramps to Fulks Corner Road became a short, municipally maintained extension of MD 117.[25] In 2012, MD 117 was truncated at the intersection with MD 117A west of the MD 355 overpass.[26]
Junction list
The entire route is in Montgomery County.
Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dawsonville | 0.00 | 0.00 | MD 28 (Darnestown Road) – Darnestown, Beallsville | Western terminus | |
Boyds | 5.23 | 8.42 | MD 121 north (Clarksburg Road) – Clarksburg | Southern terminus of MD 121 | |
Germantown | 7.57 | 12.18 | MD 118 (Germantown Road) | ||
8.06 | 12.97 | MD 119 (Great Seneca Highway) – Gaithersburg | |||
Gaithersburg | 11.26 | 18.12 | MD 124 (Quince Orchard Road) to I-270 north – Darnestown, Montgomery Village, Frederick | ||
11.75 | 18.91 | I-270 south (Eisenhower Memorial Highway) – Washington | I-270 Exit 10; no access from MD 117 to northbound I-270 or from southbound I-270 to MD 117 | ||
12.40 | 19.96 | West Diamond Avenue east to MD 355 (Frederick Avenue) – Rockville, Germantown | Eastern terminus; intersection with unsigned MD 117A, which is a connector to southbound MD 355 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Auxiliary route
MD 117A is the designation for the unnamed 0.27-mile (0.43 km) two-lane undivided connector between West Diamond Avenue at MD 117's eastern terminus and a right-in/right-out interchange with southbound MD 355 in Gaithersburg.[1][27] MD 117A was constructed in 1991.[24]
See also
- Maryland Roads portal
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2013). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
- Montgomery County (PDF).
- ^ a b c Google (2013-08-07). "Maryland Route 117" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
- ^ National Highway System: Washington, DC-MD-VA (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. October 1, 2012. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ^ Danoff, Bill (October 14, 1997). "A Journey Down a Country Road; John Denver's Songs Traveled With a Smile". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Maryland Geological Survey (1911). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads Completed or Under Construction December 31, 1911 (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
- ^ Maryland Geological Survey (1910). Map of Maryland (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
- ^ a b c Maryland Geological Survey (1933). Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
- ^ a b Weller, O.E.; Parran, Thomas; Miller, W.B.; Perry, John M.; Ramsay, Andrew; Smith, J. Frank (May 1916). Annual Reports of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1912–1915 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 112, 124. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
- ^ Maryland Geological Survey (1928). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
- ^ Maryland Geological Survey (1930). Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
- ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1939). General Highway Map: State of Maryland (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
- ^ Reindollar, Robert M.; George, Joseph M.; McCain, Russell H. (February 15, 1949). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1947–1948 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 20. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
- ^ McCain, Russell H.; Hall, Avery W.; Nichols, David M. (December 15, 1952). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1951–1952 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 142. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 100000150093010". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
- ^ a b Maryland State Roads Commission (1956). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
- ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1959). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
- ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1974). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
- ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1975). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1975–1976 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
- ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1981). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1981–1982 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
- ^ a b Maryland State Highway Administration (1987). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
- ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1961). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
- ^ Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 1999). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
- Montgomery County (PDF).
- ^ Gaithersburg, MD quadrangle (Map) (1950 ed.). 1:24,000. 7 1/2 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey.
- ^ a b Maryland State Highway Administration (1991). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
- ^ Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2003). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
- Montgomery County (PDF).
- ^ Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2012). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
- Montgomery County (PDF).
- ^ Google (2013-08-07). "Maryland Route 117A" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2013-08-07.