After departing the interchange with District of Columbia 295 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Route 295), U.S. 50 emerges from New York Avenue in the District as a freeway in Maryland. The first exit along the eastbound route is Exit 3, Junction Maryland 202/Landover Road south to Upper Marlboro. Photo taken 06/02/03.
The next exit along eastbound U.S. 50 is Exit 5, Junction Maryland 410/East-West Highway to Ardwick-Ardmore Road, one mile. Photo taken 06/02/03.
Maryland 410 follows the East-West Highway southeast to Ardwick-Ardmore Road and northwest across the northern Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., en route to its western terminus at Maryland 355 (former U.S. 240) in Bethesda. The section of divided highway located between the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Route 295) and U.S. 50 actually heads northwest to southeast despite its name. In this photo, eastbound U.S. 50 reaches Exit 5/Junction Maryland 410/East-West Highway. The next exit along eastbound is Exit 7, Junction Interstate 95-495/Capital Beltway and Hidden Interstate 595, one mile. Photo taken 06/02/03.
The Capital Beltway, which encircles the nation's capital and the District of Columbia, is designated as Interstate 495. Passing through a variety of suburban locations in Maryland and Virginia, the beltway is also part of Interstate 95 along the eastern half. The control cities for Interstate 95 are listed on this freeway overhead sign, as Interstate 95 heads north to Baltimore and south to Richmond, Virginia. The two left lanes of the five available lanes exit only to the Beltway. Photo taken 06/02/03.
In addition to intersecting the Beltway, U.S. 50 also becomes part of the Interstate Highway System at this interchange. Between Interstate 95 and Maryland 70, U.S. 50 is secretly designated as Interstate 595. Originally planned as Interstate 68 (before the existing Interstate 68 was commissioned in the Appalachian Mountains), U.S. 50 was designated as Interstate 595 in 1991. Plans called for Interstate 595 shields to be placed along the route in the space to the left of the U.S. 50 shield in the pull-through overhead signs, including the one featured on this sign bridge. However, the Maryland State Highway Administration determined that having an extra route designation on this route might cause motorist confusion, so the decision was made to keep U.S. 50 as the primary signed route, but also include U.S. 50 in the Interstate Highway System inventory as Interstate 595. Interstate 595 is the longest stretch of unsigned Interstate highway in the country. Also note that both right lanes exit only here to the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95-495). Photo taken 06/02/03.
The off-ramp from U.S. 50 to Interstate 95-495 splits into two transition ramps: one headed north toward Baltimore (outer loop) and the other headed south toward Alexandria and Richmond (inner loop). After passing the sizeable interchange, the next exit along eastbound U.S. 50 (Hidden Interstate 595) is Exit 8, Junction Maryland 704/Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway to Glenarden, one mile. Photo take 06/02/03.
