Maryland Route 144


Maryland Route 144 is a collection of state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. These highways are sections of old alignment of U.S. Route 40 between Cumberland and Baltimore. Along with US 40 Scenic, US 40 Alternate, and a few sections of county-maintained highway, MD 144 is assigned to what was once the main highway between the two cities, connecting those endpoints with Hancock, Hagerstown, Frederick, New Market, Mount Airy, Ellicott City, and Catonsville. MD 144 has seven disjoint sections of mainline highway that pass through the Appalachian Mountains in Allegany and Washington counties and the rolling Piedmont of Frederick, Carroll, Howard, and Baltimore counties.

Route description

There are seven mainline sections of MD 144:
  • MD 144 in Allegany County runs from MD 807 in Cumberland east to US 40 Scenic east of Flintstone. The state highway generally parallels I-68 and crosses over the freeway multiple times as both highways pass through mountainous creek valleys and over Martin Mountain and Polish Mountain.
  • MD 144WB runs from I-68 west of Hancock to I-70 east of Hancock. The state highway was assigned in the mid-1960s following the completion of I-70 and the new alignment of US 40 on either side of Hancock.
  • MD 144WA runs from US 40 west of Hagerstown to Western Maryland Parkway just west of the city limits of Hagerstown.
  • MD 144FA runs from the intersection of Patrick Street and Jefferson Street in Frederick east to I-70 near Bartonsville.
  • MD 144FB runs from the west town limit of New Market east to MD 75. This state-maintained segment of old US 40 lies between two county-maintained segments of the road in eastern Frederick County.
  • MD 144A runs from MD 27 in Mount Airy east to US 40 in Ellicott City. The state highway briefly passes through Frederick and Carroll counties before serving as the main east-west surface highway of northern Howard County.
  • MD 144 runs from the Howard-Baltimore county line at the Patapsco River east to US 1 in Baltimore. A county-maintained segment of Frederick Road continues west through Ellicott City to a junction with US 40 a short distance east of MD 144A.
MD 144 is a part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial in two sections. The first section runs from the western terminus of MD 144FA at Jefferson Street east to I-70 and US 40 within Frederick. The second section runs from North Rolling Road in Catonsville to the highway's eastern terminus at US 1 in Baltimore.

Cumberland–Flintstone

MD 144 begins at an intersection with MD 807 a short distance north of the Cumberland city limits. The state highway heads east as two-lane undivided Naves Cross Road, passing through a pair of ridges before meeting a pair of ramps to and from westbound I-68 and heading north of a park and ride lot. Naves Cross Road continues east as MD 807A, while MD 144 turns south onto Christie Road to pass under I-68. Christie Road continues south while MD 144 turns east onto Ali Ghan Road, passing to the south of a park and ride lot. The state highway crosses Evitts Creek before receiving an exit ramp from eastbound I-68 and joins US 220 in a short concurrency. US 220 turns north onto its bypass of Bedford Road while MD 144 continues east, meeting I-68 at Exit 47, a diamond interchange.
Within the interchange, MD 144 becomes National Pike and expands to a four-lane divided highway that follows the valley of Elk Lick Run. The state highway passes under I-68 and reduces to a two-lane undivided highway at Hinkle Road. At Rocky Gap Road, MD 144 begins to closely parallel the eastbound lanes of I-68. The state highway leaves the valley of Elk Lick Run and ascends Martin Mountain. On the climb, MD 144 intersects Pleasant Valley Road, which meets I-68 at Exit 50 and leads to Rocky Gap State Park. At the top of Martin Mountain, the state highway crosses over I-68 and intersects Sunset Orchard Road, which leads to a ramp to westbound I-68. On the descent, MD 144 crosses I-68 again and receives a ramp from the eastbound direction of the freeway and the highways part ways around a quarry.
MD 144 curves around the quarry and rejoins the side of I-68 as the highway passes West Wilson Road and crosses a tributary of Flintstone Creek. The state highway leaves the freeway and passes through the unincorporated village of Flintstone, where the state highway intersects the Exit 56 ramps to and from eastbound I-68 and Black Valley Road, which leads to ramps for westbound I-68. MD 144 joins I-68 and Flintstone Creek in passing through a gap in Warrior Mountain. Gilpin Road, an older alignment of US 40 that is designated MD 144AE, begins to parallel the eastbound side of the state highway at Town Creek Road. The two surface highways cross Town Creek and begin to climb Polish Mountain, with MD 144 following a gentle curve while Gilpin Road follows a winding alignment. MD 144 intersects Gilpin Road as the highway begins the descent from the mountain. MD 144 and I-68 follow Pratt Hollow east between several ridges. The state highway crosses the freeway and over Pine Lick Hollow and closely parallels the westbound direction of I-68 before reaching its eastern terminus at US 40 Scenic just north of I-68 Exit 62, just west of Fifteen Mile Creek, and on the edge of Green Ridge State Forest.

Hancock

MD 144 begins at Exit 77 of I-68 north of Woodmont and west of Hancock. The state highway heads south through the diamond interchange to an intersection with US 40 Scenic, at which MD 144 turns east as two-lane undivided Western Pike. The state highway intersects Woodmont Road and crosses Little Tonoloway Creek before ascending Tonoloway Ridge. East of the ridge, MD 144 passes through multiple curves through a mixture of farms and forest, intersecting Locher Road, which leads south to Fort Tonoloway State Park, before passing north of Hancock Middle-Senior High School at the town limits of Hancock. The state highway passes through a residential area before issuing a ramp to southbound US 522. MD 144 passes under US 522 itself, crosses Little Tonoloway Creek, and intersects Limestone Road, which is the old alignment of US 522 and unsigned MD 894.
MD 144 continues east as Main Street through downtown Hancock. Access to northbound US 522 as well as both I-70 and I-68 is provided by Virginia Avenue. MD 144 parallels both the Western Maryland Rail Trail and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park one block to the north through the downtown area. The state highway leaves the town limits and passes the C&O Canal's Hancock visitor center and a park and ride lot before crossing Tonoloway Creek. MD 144 reaches its eastern terminus at a partial interchange with I-70. There is no direct access from MD 144 to westbound I-70 at Exit 3; that movement can be completed by turning around at Exit 5.

Hagerstown

MD 144 begins at an intersection with US 40 between Huyett and Hagerstown. The state highway heads east as two-lane undivided Washington Street past farmland, residential subdivisions, and a cemetery. After crossing over I-81 with no access, MD 144 enters an industrial area and reaches its eastern terminus at a roundabout with Western Maryland Parkway. Western Maryland Parkway, which is unsigned MD 910C heading north, is used to access US 40 and I-81. Washington Street continues east into the city of Hagerstown, where it meets US 40 again in the downtown area.

Frederick–Bartonsville

The old alignment of US 40 through Frederick begins at a partial cloverleaf interchange with the Frederick Freeway, which heads north from the interchange as US 15 and south as a concurrency of US 15 and US 40. Patrick Street heads east from the interchange as a four-lane undivided highway that splits into a one-way pair just beyond West College Terrace/Catoctin Avenue. The eastbound direction, which is signed as eastbound MD 144 at the split, follows municipally-maintained South Street. MD 144 in Frederick officially begins at the intersection of Patrick Street, which is one-way westbound, and Jefferson Street, which was formerly US 340. Both streets pass through the Frederick Historic District: Patrick Street crosses Carroll Creek into the commercial district, while South Street has a more residential flavor. Both streets intersect Market Street, the main north-south thoroughfare of the downtown area that was formerly MD 355. The eastbound direction of MD 144 turns north onto East Street, passing by the Frederick station serving the Frederick Branch of MARC's Brunswick Line and traversing Carroll Creek before meeting Patrick Street.
MD 144 heads east from downtown Frederick on two-lane undivided Patrick Street. The state highway crosses Carroll Creek and passes between a residential area to the south and the Frederick Fairgrounds to the north. MD 144 expands to a four-lane undivided street and continues east through an industrial area where the highway intersects Monocacy Boulevard, which is used to access westbound I-70 and Frederick Municipal Airport. Just before reaching I-70, the street's alignment continues straight as an unnamed road, unsigned MD 870G, that receives the westbound Exit 56 ramp from I-70 and is used to access Bowmans Farm Road. MD 144 reduces to two lanes and veers to the southeast to cross I-70, then curves back to the original alignment ahead of ramps to and from eastbound I-70 at the intersection with Quinn Orchard Road.
MD 144 continues east as Old National Pike, a two-lane undivided road that is paralleled by an unused carriageway immediately to the north that serves as a park and ride and the original alignment further north, which is lined with scattered residences. The two southern carriageways cross the Monocacy River on bridges while the northernmost road dead ends at the site of the removed Jug Bridge. East of Bartonsville Road, MD 144 expands to a four-lane divided highway, with the westbound direction making use of what to the west was an unused carriageway. The original alignment, Baltimore Road, now parallels the highway to the south, while Long Branch parallels the highway to the north. MD 144 crosses Long Branch before approaching its eastern terminus. Westbound MD 144 receives a loop ramp from Exit 59 of westbound I-70. The old alignment, Old National Pike, heads north from the divided highway, passes under I-70, and turns east toward New Market as a county highway. MD 144 continues east to its terminus at Ijamsville Road, where the divided highway ends, with the eastbound direction becoming an entrance ramp to eastbound I-70.