Maryland Route 24

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Mason and Dixon Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South endAberdeen Proving Ground near Edgewood
Major intersections
North endSR 2055 near Fawn Grove, PA
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CountiesHarford
Highway system
← MD 23→ MD 25

Maryland Route 24 (MD 24) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 25.17 miles (40.51 km) from an entrance to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Edgewood north to the Pennsylvania state line near Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania, where the road becomes State Route 2055 (SR 2055). MD 24 is the main north–south highway of Harford County. The southern half of the state highway connects U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and the county seat of Bel Air with Aberdeen Proving Ground, US 40, and Interstate 95 (I-95) through a suburban corridor. The northern half of MD 24 is a rural highway that passes through Rocks State Park.

The original section of MD 24, which began at MD 23 in Forest Hill and included MD 165 through Pylesville, was constructed in the late 1910s and early 1920s. MD 24 was moved to the highway to Fawn Grove after that road was built in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The highway between US 1 in Bel Air and US 40 in Edgewood was also constructed in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The state highway from US 40 south to Aberdeen Proving Ground was constructed as MD 408 around 1930. After the road from Bel Air to Forest Hill was completed in the mid-1930s, MD 24 was extended south to Edgewood.

MD 24 received its first relocation in Edgewood in the mid-1950s after assuming all of MD 408. After another relocation due to the construction of I-95 in the early 1960s, the state highway was placed on a new alignment through Edgewood in the late 1960s and early 1970s; the old alignment became

divided highway from I-95 to US 1 in the late 1980s; the old highway through Bel Air became MD 924
. Much of the highway through Edgewood was expanded to a divided highway in the mid-1990s. MD 24's interchange with MD 924 was constructed between 2008 and 2011.

Route description

MD 24 carries five names throughout its length. The highway is named Emmorton Road between Aberdeen Proving Ground and US 40 and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway from US 40 to US 1. After its short concurrency with US 1 on the Bel Air Bypass, MD 24 is known as Rock Springs Avenue from US 1 to Forest Hill, where the highway becomes Rocks Road for the remainder of its length to the Pennsylvania state line.[1] The state highway is a part of the main National Highway System between I-95 and the northern end of its concurrency with US 1 in Bel Air. MD 24 is also classified as an intermodal connector from MD 755 to I-95 and as a National Highway System principal arterial from Aberdeen Proving Ground to MD 755 and from its northern junction with US 1 to MD 23.[1][3]

Edgewood to Bel Air

View south along MD 24 at MD 755 in Edgewood

MD 24 begins at an entrance to the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground; the highway continues south into the military installation as Hoadley Road. This gate is open 24 hours daily and allows entry for persons with a Government ID along with visitors without a Government ID. All visitors to the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground must use this gate to enter.

Penn Line and heads north as Emmorton Road, a two-lane undivided controlled access highway that passes between residential subdivisions in Edgewood, where the highway intersects Trimble Road. MD 24 expands to a four-lane divided highway just south of MD 755 (Edgewood Road). The state highway heads northeast, crossing in quick succession Otter Point Creek, US 40 (Pulaski Highway), and Winters Run. Access to and from US 40 is provided via a two-way ramp between the two highways. MD 24 continues north as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway, which curves back to the north and crosses over CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision railroad line before intersecting MD 7 (Philadelphia Road) in the hamlet of Van Bibber. North of here, the road passes west of a park and ride lot.[1][5]

View north along MD 24 at I-95 and MD 924 in Edgewood
MD 24 northbound south of Bel Air in the winter

After an intersection with Edgewood Road, which is MD 24's old alignment, the state highway meets I-95 (John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway) at a

University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center before meeting US 1 Business (Belair Road) at an intersection surrounded by shopping centers, including the Harford Mall. The state highway crosses over the Ma and Pa Trail, a rail trail that follows the abandoned right-of-way of the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad, and Heavenly Waters, a tributary of Winters Run, before reaching its junction with US 1 (Bel Air Bypass). The three-way junction features long, sweeping ramps to and from the northbound direction of US 1 and an intersection with the U.S. highway to access the southbound direction.[1][5]

Bel Air to Fawn Grove

MD 24 southbound crossing the Deer Creek in Rocks State Park

MD 24 and US 1 head northeast together as a four-lane undivided highway. The two highways pass under Vale Road before reaching the northern end of the concurrency, which is a partial cloverleaf interchange with Rock Spring Road. This road heads south toward downtown Bel Air as MD 924; MD 24 leaves US 1 and heads north on this road. A park and ride lot serving

center left-turn lane. The highway reduces to two lanes and passes through another commercial area before its intersection with MD 23 (East–West Highway) in Forest Hill. At Jarrettsville Road, which is the old alignment of MD 23, MD 24's name changes to Rocks Road and enters a mix of farmland and forest. The state highway crosses Stirrup Run before beginning to closely parallel Deer Creek. MD 24 passes through several sharp curves as the highway enters Rocks State Park, where the state highway passes through the gorge that Deer Creek has cut through Rock Ridge.[6] The state highway crosses Deer Creek and passes the access road to the Gladden Farm before leaving the state park.[1][5]

MD 24 continues north through farmland, crossing several branches of Deer Creek and intersecting Holy Cross Road, which leads west to the

quadrant route, to PA 851 (Main Street) in Fawn Grove.[7]

History

MD 24 northbound at US 1 near Bel Air

MD 24 was originally constructed between 1917 and 1938. While the portion of the state highway north of Bel Air has seen limited improvements since the 1930s, the highway south of Bel Air has been fully relocated, in some places multiple times, and expanded to a divided highway for much of its length.

Original construction and early improvements

MD 24 was one of the original state-numbered highways designated in 1927. The state highway originally began at MD 23 in Forest Hill and followed its current course along Rocks Road north to Bush's Corner, then followed Pylesville Road (which later became MD 165) through Pylesville to the Pennsylvania state line at Cardiff.[2] The portion of Pylesville Road between Graceton Road (now MD 624) and the village of Pylesville was paved with macadam by 1910.[8] MD 24 from just north of Forest Hill to Graceton Road was built with a 15-foot (4.6 m) wide concrete surface in four sections, with construction underway by 1917 and completed by 1921.[9][10] The state highway just north of Forest Hill and the highway from Pylesville northeast to the state line were completed with a macadam surface by 1923.[11]

MD 24 northbound past MD 23 in Forest Hill

MD 24 from Bush's Corner toward Fawn Grove began construction in 1926.[12] The concrete highway was completed to St. Marys Road by 1927 and to Five Forks in 1928.[2][13] The third section, from Five Forks to about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the state line, was started in 1929 and completed in 1930.[14][15] The final section to the state line at Fawn Grove was started in 1930 and completed by 1933.[14][16] Around the time the highway was completed, MD 24 was switched from Pylesville Road to Rocks Road north of Bush's Corner; MD 165 was extended from Bush's Corner to Cardiff in MD 24's stead.[16] MD 24 received a new bridge over Deer Creek within Rocks State Park in 1934.[17] Since the 1930s, the only notable improvement to the original length of MD 24 was the construction of the roundabout at the MD 24 – MD 165 intersection in 2000.[18]

Construction on MD 153 (which was later replaced by MD 24) between Van Bibber and Bel Air got underway with the construction of a 1-mile (1.6 km) section of macadam road from Ring Factory Road south to Plumtree Road near Emmorton between 1925 and 1927.[2][12] Another macadam segment was completed from Emmorton south to Singer Road at Norris Corner in 1928.[13] A concrete highway from Norris Corner toward US 40 at Van Bibber was started in 1929.[14] The first section was completed to approximately the location of I-95 in 1930 and to Van Bibber by 1933.[15][16] Two county highway gaps in MD 153 from Van Bibber to Bel Air were resurfaced with macadam and brought into the state system in 1933.[16][17]

The two remaining portions of the MD 153 corridor to be built were completed through Edgewood and north of Bel Air in the 1930s. In 1930, Edgewood Road was built as a concrete road from US 40 just west of Van Bibber south to its entrance to Aberdeen Proving Ground at its Pennsylvania Railroad crossing (now Amtrak).[15] Edgewood Road, which was originally designated MD 408, was constructed with a width of 16 feet (4.9 m) but was proposed for widening to 20 feet (6.1 m) as early as 1934 since it was the main entrance to the Edgewood Arsenal.[17] MD 408 received an underpass of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (now CSX) and approaches to the grade separation in 1939.[19]

Rock Spring Avenue north of Bel Air was improved as a macadam road starting in 1929.[14] MD 153 extended from the county seat north to the location of the Bel Air Bypass in the community of Frogtown in 1930 and was extended to about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Forest Hill by 1933.[16] The gap south of Forest Hill remained under county control until the highway was resurfaced with macadam around 1938.[20] MD 24 was extended south from Forest Hill through Bel Air to MD 7 at Van Bibber in 1938, replacing MD 153.[21] Through Bel Air, MD 24 followed Main Street, which was widened to 40 feet (12 m) in width around 1940.[19][21]

Relocations and expansions

US 1 and MD 24 northbound on the Bel Air Bypass

The first post-war project on MD 24 was the reconstruction of the highway from Norris Corner to Van Bibber starting in 1950.[22] By the time the project to resurface the highway in bituminous concrete ended in 1952, MD 24 was extended south through Edgewood, replacing MD 408 from MD 7 to Aberdeen Proving Ground.[23][24] MD 24 was widened and resurfaced with bituminous concrete from Norris Corner to Bel Air starting in 1954 and from Bel Air to Forest Hill beginning in 1956.[25] The Norris Corner – Bel Air project included the highway's first relocation at Emmorton, leaving behind Old Emmorton Road.[26]

Another relocation occurred in 1956 to remove MD 24's staggered intersections at MD 7 in Van Bibber. Edgewood Road was extended north to tie into Emmorton Road just south of the interchange with I-95; this project bypassed Van Bibber Road.[26] MD 24 was relocated again near Van Bibber when the highway's interchange with I-95 was constructed in 1963.[27][28] This relocation left behind the roadways now marked as Walton Road and Woodside Road in the southeast and northeast quadrants, respectively, of the original diamond interchange.[29]

The next relocation in the Edgewood area occurred in two sections starting in 1967.

Edgewood MARC station.[32] MD 24 from I-95 to MD 755 was expanded to a divided highway around 1997; this project included the construction of a two-way ramp between MD 24 and US 40 to add the direct access that had not been provided in 1970.[33]

Sign designating MD 24 between US 40 and US 1 as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway at the I-95 interchange

MD 24's interchange with US 1 north of Bel Air was constructed in 1964 along with the rest of the Bel Air Bypass.[34][35] The interchange was originally a diamond interchange; a loop ramp was added from northbound US 1 to northbound MD 24 in 1983.[36][37] Construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway from I-95 to US 1 in Bel Air began in 1986.[38] The four-lane divided highway was completed in 1987.[39] MD 24 was also expanded to a divided highway through the I-95 interchange, which was transformed into its modern partial cloverleaf.[39][40] The original alignment of MD 24 between I-95 and Bel Air was planned to become another section of MD 755 in 1986 but was designated MD 924 in 1987.[38][39] The highway was formally designated the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway in 1995.[41][42]

In December 2008, the

trumpet interchange. The planning phase of the project was completed in 2001, but engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and actual construction are on hold until funding becomes available.[44]

The Maryland State Highway Administration plans to rebuild the portion of MD 24 that passes through Rocks State Park, which has been undermined by the adjacent Deer Creek. The project was originally proposed in late 2009 and initially called for the route to be relocated further from the creek. The project was put on hold due to opposition from area residents and environmentalists. The Maryland State Highway Administration later proposed reconstructing the road along its current alignment while stabilizing the creek. Work on this project, which is projected to cost $13.3 million, is expected to start as soon as May 2014 and will require closing the road.[45]

Junction list

The entire route is in Harford County.

Locationmi
[1]		kmDestinationsNotes
Edgewood0.000.00Entrance to Aberdeen Proving GroundSouthern terminus
1.702.74
 MD 755 (Edgewood Road) to US 40 – Edgewood
2.363.80
 To
Baltimore
Officially MD 24D; two-way ramp between US 40 and MD 24
2.864.60 MD 7 (Philadelphia Road) – Magnolia, Abingdon
3.655.87
Baltimore, New York
I-95 Exit 77
Emmorton4.236.81
 MD 924 north (Emmorton Road) / Tollgate Road north		Diamond interchange; southern terminus of MD 924
Downtown Bel Air
10.0116.11
Baltimore
South end of concurrency with US 1
11.5518.59
Bel Air, Philadelphia
Partial cloverleaf interchange; north end of concurrency with US 1; northern terminus of MD 924
Forest Hill13.3521.48 MD 23 (East–West Highway) – Jarrettsville, Hickory
​21.0433.86 MD 165 (Pylesville Road/Federal Hill Road) – Jarrettsville, PylesvilleRoundabout
​22.9536.93 MD 136 (Harkins Road/Whiteford Road) – Norrisville, Whiteford
​25.1740.51SR 2055 north (Rocks Road) – Fawn GrovePennsylvania state line; northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes

MD 24 has three existing auxiliary routes.

  • MD 24D is the designation for the Otter Creek Ramp, a 0.23-mile (0.37 km) long four-lane divided ramp that connects MD 24 with US 40.[1][46] MD 24D was built in 1997.[33]
  • MD 24E is the designation for the unnamed 0.85-mile (1.37 km) ramp from northbound MD 24 to northbound US 1.[1][47] This ramp was built in 1987 as part of the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway and designated MD 24E in 2001.[48][49]
  • MD 24F is the designation for the unnamed 0.52-mile (0.84 km) ramp from northbound US 1 to southbound MD 24.[1][50] Like MD 24E, MD 24F was built in 1987 and received its designation in 2001.[48][49]

See also

  •  
    Maryland Roads portal

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2013). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  2. ^ a b c d Maryland Geological Survey (1927). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  3. ^ National Highway System: Aberdeen, MD (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. October 1, 2012. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  4. ^ "Visitor Information". Aberdeen Proving Ground. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Google (2011-02-25). "Maryland Route 24" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  6. ^ "Rocks State Park". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 2011-04-19. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
  7. ^ General Highway Map: York County, Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map) (2009 ed.). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2011-02-26.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Maryland Geological Survey (1910). Map of Maryland (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  9. ^ Zouck, Frank H.; Uhl, G. Clinton; Mudd, John F. (January 1920). Annual Reports of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1916–1919 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 39. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  10. ^ Maryland Geological Survey (1921). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  11. ^ Maryland Geological Survey (1923). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  12. ^ a b Mackall, John N.; Darnall, R. Bennett; Brown, W.W. (January 1927). Annual Reports of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1924–1926 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 44–45, 84. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  13. ^ a b Maryland Geological Survey (1928). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  14. ^ a b c d Uhl, G. Clinton; Bruce, Howard; Shaw, John K. (October 1, 1930). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1927–1930 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 214. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  15. ^ a b c Maryland Geological Survey (1930). Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  16. ^ a b c d e 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.
  17. ^ a b c Byron, William D.; Lacy, Robert (December 28, 1934). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1931–1934 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 22, 39, 338. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  18. ^ Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2000). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  19. ^ a b Whitman, Ezra B.; Webb, P. Watson; Thomas, W. Frank (March 15, 1941). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1939–1940 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 104. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  20. ^ Beall, J. Glenn; Jarboe, Elmer R.; Obrecht, George F., Sr. (March 4, 1939). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1937–1938 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 117–118. Retrieved 2011-02-25.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ a b Maryland State Roads Commission (1938). Map of Maryland Showing State Road System (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  22. ^ Reindollar, Robert M.; George, Joseph M.; McCain, Russell H. (December 20, 1950). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1949–1950 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 140. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
  23. ^ 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. 160. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
  24. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1952). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  25. ^ Bonnell, Robert O.; Bennett, Edgar T.; McMullen, John J. (November 2, 1956). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1955–1956 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 163, 165. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
  26. ^ a b Maryland State Roads Commission (1956). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  27. ^ Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 300000H-X765013". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
  28. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1964). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  29. ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1972). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
  30. ^ Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 100000120062012". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
  31. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1970). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  32. ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1974). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
  33. ^ a b Maryland State Highway Administration (1997). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
  34. ^ Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 100000120015010". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
  35. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1965). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  36. ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1978). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
  37. ^ Maryland State Highway Administration (1983). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1983–1984 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
  38. ^ a b "Traffic Volume Map" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 1986. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  39. ^ a b c "Traffic Volume Map" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 1987. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  40. ^ Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 300000H-X765014". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
  41. ^ "§ 8-650. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway and Vietnam Veterans Highway". 2010 Maryland Code. Retrieved May 11, 2023 – via Justia.
  42. Baltimore Sun
    . November 16, 1995. Retrieved May 11, 2023. Harford County honored its Vietnam veterans this year with the renaming of a section of Route 24 from Bel Air to Edgewood as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Parkway. The state's official action followed a joint resolution by the county and the state legislature.
  43. ^ "I-95/MD 24 Interchange Improvement Project News Releases". Maryland Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  44. ^ a b "Project Information: US 0001 BELAIR ROAD MD 152 TO MD 147". Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
  45. ^ Vought, Allan (April 14, 2014). "Route 24 expected to be closed through Rocks State Park this summer". The Aegis. Bel Air, MD. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  46. ^ Google (2011-02-25). "Maryland Route 24D" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  47. ^ Google (2011-02-25). "Maryland Route 24E" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  48. ^ a b Maryland State Highway Administration (1987). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
  49. ^ a b Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2001). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  50. ^ Google (2011-02-25). "Maryland Route 24F" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-02-25.

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