Now south of the Interstate 70 interchange, the next exit along southbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop is Exits 15B-A, Junction U.S. 40 west to Ellicott City east to Baltimore. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Heading west, U.S. 40 passes through Ellicott City, then meets U.S. 29 north of Columbia. After that interchange, U.S. 40 merges onto Interstate 70 westbound en route to Frederick. The two routes split at Frederick, but rejoin west of Hagerstown. At Hancock, Interstate 70 enters Pennsylvania, while U.S. 40 continues west through the panhandle of Maryland alongside Interstate 68. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Southbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 15B, Junction U.S. 40 west to Ellicott City. The next ramp in this cloverleaf interchange is Exit 15A, Junction U.S. 40 east to Baltimore. Following that ramp, the subsequent exits are Exit 14, Edmondson Avenue and Exit 13, Junction Maryland 144/Old Frederick Road. Photo taken 05/01/04.
The second ramp in this interchange connects the outer loop of Interstate 695 with U.S. 40/Baltimore National Pike east into Baltimore. From Baltimore, U.S. 40 heads northeast alongside Interstate 95 through Aberdeen, Havre de Grace, and Elkton before entering Delaware and ultimately crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge (Interstate 295) into New Jersey. U.S. 40 heads southeast to its eastern end in Atlantic City. Photo taken 05/01/04.
The next exit along the outer loop is Exit 14, Edmundson Avenue. Edmundson Avenue heads east into Baltimore, becoming part of U.S. 40 once in the city limits. The following two exits are Exit 13, Junction Maryland 144/Old Frederick Road and Exits 12C-B, Junction Maryland 372/Wilkens Avenue. Photo taken 05/01/04.
The next exit along the outer loop is Exit 13, Junction Maryland 144/Old Frederick Road, one mile. Maryland 144 is former U.S. 40, and it extends west toward Catonsville and east into Baltimore. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Southbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 13, Junction Maryland 144/Old Frederick Road. Photo taken 05/01/04.
This mileage sign provides the distance to the next three exits along the outer loop: Exits 12C-B, Junction Maryland 372/Wilkens Avenue; Exit 12A, Junction U.S. 1/Southwestern Boulevard; and Exits 11A-B, Junction Interstate 95. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Due to a construction project between Exits 13 and 11, some of the signage was temporary, including this sign advising motorists to keep right for the eventual exit to southbound Interstate 95. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Maryland 372 follows Wilkens Avenue northeast into Baltimore, where it meets U.S. 1. Maryland 372 comes to an end at that intersection, and U.S. 1 follows Wilkens Avenue toward downtown. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Southbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 12C-B, Junction Maryland 372/Wilkens Avenue. Due to construction, this single exit ramp provides access to Exits 12C and 12B. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Temporary roadside signs remind motorists that the interchange with Interstate 95 is just ahead, at Exit 11. The next exit is for U.S. 1/Southwestern Boulevard. Photo taken 05/01/04.
U.S. 1, which follows Southwestern Boulevard in the vicinity of Interstate 695, parallels Interstate 95 between Baltimore and Washington. The next exit is Exit 12A, U.S. 1/Southwestern Boulevard, followed by Exit 11, Junction Interstate 95. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Use Interstate 95 north to Interstate 395 north to reach downtown Baltimore, Camden Yards, and John Hopkins facilities. Continue straight ahead on Interstate 95 to reach Fort McHenry, Fort McHenry Tunnel, and Port of Baltimore terminals. Use Interstate 95 south to Interstate 195 east to reach the Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport. Photo taken 05/01/04.
At the time this photo was taken, these overhead signs for Exits 12A (U.S. 1) and 11A-B (Junction Interstate 95) were covered as a result of ongoing construction. Photo taken 05/01/04.
This temporary roadside sign was in place at the time this photo was taken to advise of the U.S. 1 exit with a minimal deceleration lane. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Southbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop at Exit 12A, Junction U.S. 1 north to Baltimore and south to Laurel and Washington via Southwestern Boulevard. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Southbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop next approaches the southern junction with Interstate 95 at Exit 11. For traffic using the outer loop as a bypass of Baltimore (avoiding Interstate 95), this is the exit to continue south toward Washington and Richmond. This appears to be a temporary sign based on the unused sections of the sign bridge and the odd location of the arrows. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Interstate 695/Outer Loop continues southeast along the three left lanes, while the two right lanes exit onto Interstate 95 north/south (Exit 11). Unlike the north interchange with Interstate 95, no left exits are incorporated into the design of this interchange. Photo taken 05/01/04.
Now on the transition ramp from the outer loop of Interstate 695 to Interstate 95, the left lane exits only onto Interstate 95 north to downtown Baltimore, while the right lane exits only onto Interstate 95 south to the airport and Washington, D.C. Photo taken 05/01/04.
The ramp from Interstate 695 outer loop to Interstate 95 south divides again before the ramp merges onto southbound Interstate 95. This exit is a connector ramp to Sulphur Spring Road (Alternate U.S. 1). Photo taken 05/01/04.
Several variable message signs, including this one, have been placed around the beltway to allow for real time traffic reports and travel times to various locations given construction, accident, and traffic volume concerns. Photo taken 04/30/04.
The next exit along the Outer Loop is Exit 9, Hollins Ferry Road to Lansdowne. Following Exit 9 is Exit 8A, Junction Interstate 895/Harbor Tunnel Thruway north (not mentioned on this sign); Exit 8B, Junction Maryland 168/Nursery Road and Exits 7A-B, Junction Maryland 295/Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Both tunnels that pass under Baltimore Harbor are subject to restrictions, including hazardous materials carriers and vehicles carrying explosive materials (such as propane tanks). Interstate 895 is restricted in this manner as indicated by this sign. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop at Exit 9, Hollins Ferry Road to Lansdowne. The next exit is Exit 8A, Junction Interstate 895/Harbor Tunnel Thruway north. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop at Exit 8A, Junction Interstate 895/Harbor Tunnel Thruway north. There are no exits between Interstate 695 and north of the toll plaza and Harbor Tunnel. Interstate 895 merges with Interstate 95 northeast of downtown, just prior to the northern interchange of Interstate 95 and Interstate 695. The next exits are Exit 8B, Maryland 168/Nursery Road and Exits 7A-B, Junction Maryland 295/Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Photo taken 04/30/04.
The first crossing of the Patapsco River on the Outer Loop of Interstate 695 is miniscule compared to the next crossing of the river at the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop meets Maryland 168/Nursery Road and Hammonds Ferry Road at Exit 8B (which is signed as Exit 8 for some reason). The next three exits are: Exits 7A-B, Junction Maryland 295/Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Exits 6B-A for Maryland 170/Camp Meade Road, and Exit 5 for Maryland 648/Old Baltimore-Annapolis Road. Photo taken 04/30/04.
The next exit along eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop is Exit 7A, Junction Maryland 295/Baltimore-Washington Parkway south to Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Washington, D.C. The following exits (Exit 7B, Maryland 295 north, Exits 6B-A for Maryland 170 and Exit 5 for Maryland 648) are not mentioned here, but the sign announcing the junction with Interstate 97 (Exit 4) is mentioned here. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 7A, Junction Maryland 295/Baltimore-Washington Parkway south to BWI and Washington, D.C. This is a tight exit ramp with a sharp curve. The next exit is Exit 7B, Junction Maryland 295 north to Baltimore. Note that the first exit here is Exit 7A followed by Exit 7B. The order of exit number suffixes changes for the next interchange (Exits 6B-A). Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop at Exit 7B, Junction Maryland 295/Baltimore-Washington Parkway north to downtown Baltimore (via Russell Street north of Interstate 95). Photo taken 04/30/04.
The heavy traffic along Interstate 695 eastbound/outer loop will remain as such until reaching the Interstate 97 split. The next exit along eastbound is Exit 6B, Junction Maryland 170/Camp Meade Road south, followed by Exit 6A to northbound Maryland 170. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 6B, Junction Maryland 170/Camp Meade Road south to Linthicum. The next exit is Exit 6A, Junction Maryland 170/Camp Meade Road north to North Linthicum. Maryland 170 is perhaps most famous to visitors as the main road to reach the rental car facility at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, which is located south of this interchange. If you are late for a plane and are on the outer loop near Exits 6A-B, turn around and use Maryland 295 south or keep going until Exit 4, Interstate 97 south to BWI rather than Maryland 170 south. Photo taken 04/30/04.
At various times, both U.S. 301 and Maryland 3 served the Baltimore metropolitan area, but both routes have either been rerouted (in the case of U.S. 301) or truncated (in the case of Maryland 3). U.S. 301 used to extend along what is now Maryland 3 into the city of Baltimore, reaching its northern terminus somewhere in downtown, possibly at U.S. 1 or U.S. 40; U.S. 301 was rerouted at Bowie northeast to Maryland's Eastern Shore around 1959, and it now ends just south of Newark, Delaware. As for Maryland 3, that highway was part of one of two primary routes from Annapolis to Baltimore; it was truncated to its current section between Bowie (Junction U.S. 50-301) and its current interchange with Interstate 97. A Business Maryland 3 remains through Glen Burnie, but it should logically be renumbered as a business loop of Interstate 97. To reach Maryland 3 and U.S. 301 south, use Interstate 97 south (Exit 4). Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 6A, Junction Maryland 170/Camp Meade Road north to North Linthicum. The next two exits are Exit 5, Junction Maryland 648/Baltimore-Annapolis Road and Exit 4, Junction Interstate 97 south (left exit). An overhead sign is in place for guidance to Interstate 97. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches both Exit 5, Junction Maryland 648/Baltimore-Annapolis Road (former Maryland 2) and Exit 4, Junction Interstate 97 South to Annapolis at nearly the same time. The left two lanes exit onto southbound Interstate 97 and the two right lanes remain on Interstate 695 east, with an offramp to Maryland 648. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Interstate 97 and Interstate 695 split, with the two left lanes exiting onto Interstate 97 south and the right lanes remaining on Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop eastbound. In an unusual signing for Maryland, the shields for the respective routes were posted on this overpass to ensure motorists are in the correct lane for each freeway. It appears as if a shield or arrow was removed from the Interstate 97 sign to the left of the shield. Photo taken 04/30/04.
The gore point is signed with both the exit number and route shield, which is common practice. However, due to the limited sight distance as a result of the aforementioned overpass, the fact that this is a left exit, and the lengthy solid white lines that separate the traffic headed to the two Interstates, the gore point is not as effective as it would normally be. Photo taken 04/30/04.
After the Interstate 97 split, Interstate 695/Outer Loop heads east along a two-lane viaduct that connects the freeway with Maryland 2 and Maryland 10. Eastbound Interstate 695/Outer Loop will briefly expand to three lanes between Maryland 2 south (Exit 3B) and Maryland 10 south (Exit 2), but it will generally retain only two through lanes until north of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Maryland 2 is a major north-south route that begins at Solomons Island, far to the south of Baltimore and Annapolis. From Solomons Island, Maryland 2 merges with Maryland 4 to dissect Calvert County, then split from Maryland 4 to head northeast to Annapolis, where it merges with U.S. 50-301 briefly before heading north again. North of Annapolis, Maryland 2 follows the Governor Ritchie Highway all the way into Baltimore City, where it follows a variety of city streets before culminating at its junction with U.S. 40 near downtown. A portion of Maryland 2 was bypassed by the Maryland 10 freeway, but today's Interstate 97 is a much better alternate route for an expeditious trip between the two cities. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop at Exit 3B, Junction Maryland 2/Governor Ritchie Highway south to Annapolis. Interstate 97 is a much faster route to Annapolis; there is a wide variety of development along the Maryland 2 corridor south. The next exit is Exit 3A, Junction Maryland 2 north to the community of Brooklyn within the city of Baltimore. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 3A, Junction Maryland 2/Governor Ritchie Highway north to Brooklyn; it then continues north into downtown Baltimore via Hanover Street. The next exit is the Maryland 10 freeway, Exit 2. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Eastbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop at Exit 2, Junction Maryland 10 Freeway south to Severna Park. The right lane (third lane) exits only to Maryland 10, which leaves Interstate 695 as a four-lane freeway (two lanes in each direction). The freeway was originally planned to extend south to Annapolis, but that extension was killed due to environmental and community concerns. As a result, the Maryland 3 corridor became the new route for a freeway, and that is today's Interstate 97 between Annapolis and Baltimore via Glen Burnie. Photo taken 04/30/04.
After Exit 2, directional banners are omitted on Interstate 695/Outer Loop as the freeway prepares to cross two bridges: a drawbridge over Curtis Creek and the toll Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River/Baltimore Harbor. Photo taken 04/30/04.
The drawbridge on Interstate 695 over Curtis Creek is one of several drawbridges located on the Interstate Highway System. Another famous drawbridge on an Interstate highway is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River along the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95/Interstate 495) between Alexandria, Virginia, and Oxon Hill, Maryland. The drawbridge on Interstate 280 in Toledo, Ohio, is currently being replaced with a high rise structure. Photo taken 04/30/04.
This view of the drawbridge along northbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop shows the concrete bridge with the lift portion at the center of the bridge. The drawbridge provides clearance of 60 feet, and it opens relatively infrequently. At the time this photo was taken, the bridge was not raised. Photo taken 04/30/04.
This traffic signal regulates motorists from crossing the drawbridge when the bridge is being raised for tall ship passage. The control tower for the bridge is located to the left, alongside the inner loop lanes. This drawbridge was originally built as a two-lane facility and was widened to four lanes in the early 1980s. After the beltway was constructed, the sub-standard sections were designated as Maryland 695. Maryland 695 used to cover the eastern half of the beltway on the approaches to the Francis Scott Key Bridge, including the Curtis Creek Drawbridge and the former Sparrows Point Viaduct, were originally two lanes and were not promoted into Interstate 695 until the replacement of the two-lane Sparrows Point Viaduct with a four-lane at-grade freeway in early 2000. Photo taken 04/30/04.
After crossing the portion of the bridge that lifts for taller ships, another gate and traffic signal is posted in the opposite direction. More than likely, this signal and the gate were placed so that traffic controls exist when the other lanes of traffic are closed and only two-way traffic is permitted. A more remote possibility is that the lights and gate were placed when the bridge was initially constructed as a two-lane facility, and the lights were left in place after former Maryland 695 was widened from a two-lane highway into a four-lane freeway in the early 1980s. Photo taken 04/30/04.
After passing the Curtis Creek Drawbridge, the next exit along the Outer Loop of Interstate 695 is Exit 1, Junction Maryland 173/Hawkins Point Road, one-half mile. This is the last exit before Interstate 695 becomes a toll bridge. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Another Interstate 695/Outer Loop shield is posted after the advance sign for Maryland 173. Use Maryland 173/Hawkins Point Road to reach Pennington Avenue and Fort Smallwood Road. Photo taken 04/30/04.
Northbound Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 1, Junction Maryland 173/Hawkins Point Road. All through traffic is defaulted onto the approach to the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which cross the Baltimore Harbor. Note that the pull-through sign not only identifies Interstate 695 eastbound, but is also features an Interstate 95 trailblazer and a Key Bridge toll trailblazer shield. A $2 toll is assessed to each car that crosses the bridge. Photo taken 04/30/04.
