Maryland Route 5
Maryland Route 5 is a long state highway that runs north-south in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Point Lookout in St. Mary's County north to the Washington, D.C. border in Suitland, Prince George's County. MD 5 begins as two-lane undivided Point Lookout Road which runs from Point Lookout to an intersection with MD 235 in the northern part of St. Mary's County. Point Lookout Road passes through rural areas as well as the county seat of Leonardtown. After the MD 235 intersection, the route becomes four-lane divided Three Notch Road and continues into Charles County, where it becomes Leonardtown Road. Here, the route bypasses Hughesville and continues north toward the Waldorf area, which it bypasses to the east on Mattawoman Beantown Road. The route merges onto U.S. Route 301 and enters Prince George's County, splitting from US 301 at an interchange in Brandywine. From here, MD 5 continues north on Branch Avenue, running through suburban areas, before becoming a freeway as it passes Andrews Air Force Base and has an interchange with Interstate 95 /I-495. Past the Capital Beltway, the route runs through suburban areas of Hillcrest Heights and Suitland before reaching the Washington, D.C. border, where Branch Avenue SE continues, crossing Pennsylvania Avenue SE and eventually terminating at Randle Circle.
MD 5 was designated in 1927 to run from Point Lookout to the Washington, D.C. border in Suitland. The route was realigned to follow Naylor Road to the Washington, D.C. line in 1939, while MD 637 was designated along the portion of Branch Avenue leading to the border. Between 1939 and 1949, the route continued into Washington, D.C. as District of Columbia Route 5, which followed Naylor Road SE, Good Hope Road SE, 11th Street SE, and DC 4 to US 1 and US 240 near the White House. MD 5 was realigned to head to the Washington, D.C. border along Branch Avenue in 1950. During the course of the 1950s and 1960s, most of MD 5 between the MD 235 intersection and the Washington, D.C. border was widened into a divided highway. In 1993, the route bypassed Leonardtown; the original alignment was designated MD 5 Business before it was decommissioned in 2012. In 1997, MD 5 was realigned to bypass Waldorf to the east along what had been designated as MD 205 in 1989. The former alignment through Waldorf followed what is now MD 5 Bus. and US 301. In Prince George's County, multiple interchanges were built along MD 5 between MD 223 and the Capital Beltway in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2007, a four-lane, divided bypass of Hughesville was completed, alleviating the traffic bottleneck within that town at the intersection of MD 231. The former alignment through Hughesville became MD 5 Bus. The portion of MD 5 between US 301 and the Capital Beltway is slated to be upgraded to a full freeway, with an interchange at MD 373 /Brandywine Road completed and the remainder of the freeway upgrade still in the planning stages.
Route description
St. Mary's County
MD 5 begins within Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary's County by heading west on Point Lookout Road, a two-lane undivided road which continues south from the route’s southern terminus along the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay to the confluence with the Potomac River. The route turns north, passing a fee booth for the park at the entrance before continuing into wooded areas. A short distance later, the road makes a left turn and heads northwest through a mix of woodland and farmland. MD 5 passes through Scotland and continues north through more agricultural areas with intermittent residences. It reaches Ridge, where MD 5 intersects the southern terminus of MD 235. From here, the road heads into more wooded areas. MD 5 passes through agricultural and residential areas before turning northwest and entering St. Mary's City. Here, the route makes a turn to the north, with MD 584 looping to the west of the route through the center of St. Mary's City. The road runs along the shore of the St. Marys River and passes near St. Mary's College of Maryland before leaving St. Mary's City had heading into forested areas. It reaches Park Hall, where MD 5 intersects MD 489.Past MD 489, the route turns to the west and heads through a mix of woods, farms, and homes. It heads to Great Mills, where it briefly becomes a divided highway at the intersection with MD 246. From here, MD 5 continues west to an intersection with MD 471. Past this intersection, MD 5 continues to Callaway. Here, the route intersects MD 249. It passes some businesses before heading into wooded areas with residences. The route turns north, passing through Redgate, before heading toward Leonardtown.
Upon reaching Leonardtown, MD 5 passes between Leonardtown High School and the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center to the west and the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds to the east before it intersects MD 244. Following this, the road reaches a junction with MD 4. Past this intersection, the route becomes a divided highway again, entering Leonardtown, where it heads northeast of St. Mary's Ryken High School and Fenwick Street heads west toward the downtown area. MD 5 heads northwest through woodland before passing by the Leonardtown campus of the College of Southern Maryland. Past the college, the road intersects MD 245 and Washington Street. The road widens to four lanes and heads through a mix of residences and businesses, passing near MedStar St. Mary's Hospital. It leaves Leonardtown and becomes a divided highway at the intersection with MD 243. MD 5 passes commercial areas before heading into farmland at the intersection with MD 234.
From here, the route becomes a two-lane undivided road again. It heads north through a mix of farm fields and residences, eventually coming to an intersection with MD 247 in Loveville. The Loveville area is home to several farms belonging to an Old Order Mennonite community. MD 5 turns northwest, heading through woodland and reaching Morganza, where the route intersects MD 242. The road heads west through a mix of woods and farms to Helen, where MD 5 reaches an intersection with MD 238. Here, the route turns north, with residential neighborhoods increasing along the road as it continues through rural areas. The route passes east of a park and ride lot before it comes to another intersection with MD 235 in Oraville, where MD 5 makes a left turn onto Three Notch Road, a four-lane divided highway. The route heads northwest through a mix of rural residences and businesses, with the median widening briefly to include some businesses when the route reaches Mechanicsville. The road continues through rural commercial areas before reaching Charlotte Hall. Here, the median widens again and MD 5 intersects MD 236 and MD 6. From here, the median narrows again as the route turns to the north and continues through a mix of farms and woods with some businesses, passing to the east of the St. Mary's County Welcome Center. Farther north, MD 863 loops off to the east of MD 5 and serves a farmers market. The area around Mechanicsville and Charlotte Hall is home to several Amish farms and businesses.
Charles County
MD 5 crosses into Charles County, where it continues north on Leonardtown Road through areas of rural residences. The route reaches Hughesville, where MD 5 bypasses the community to the east on a limited-access highway and MD 5 Bus. continues to the north through Hughesville on Old Leonardtown Road. The bypass heads through wooded areas before coming to a dumbbell interchange with MD 231 that features roundabouts where the ramps meet MD 231. Past MD 231, the bypass continues through woodland before intersecting MD 5 Business again. From here, MD 5 heads northwest through a mix of woods and farms with some residences and businesses. The route turns to the west and passes through Bryantown, where it intersects Olivers Shop Road/Bryantown Road intersection.The road turns to the northwest past Bryantown and heads through wooded areas, passing through Zekiah Swamp. MD 5 comes to an intersection with MD 488 and turns north again, heading through a mix of woods, farms, and residences. The route heads through wooded residential neighborhoods before it heads back into farmland. The route reaches the eastern edge of the planned community of St. Charles, where it comes to an intersection where St. Charles Parkway heads south into St. Charles, MD 5 Business heads to the west on Leonardtown Road, and MD 5 turns north onto Mattawoman Beantown Road.
MD 5 follows Mattawoman Beantown Road, a four-lane divided highway that bypasses the center of Waldorf to the east. The route intersects Poplar Hill Road, which leads to the house of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd. Mattawoman Beantown Road carries MD 5 north through farm fields before heading into woodland, passing west of a park and ride lot serving MTA Maryland commuter buses. It continues into suburban residential areas of Waldorf, passing by the entrance to the Pinefield neighborhood, which used to be intertwined with several Nike Missile installations. The route crosses CSX's Popes Creek Subdivision railroad line at-grade before coming to an intersection with US 301. This intersection has no direct access from northbound MD 5 to southbound US 301, with access provided by Mattawoman Drive. Here, MD 5 forms a concurrency with US 301 and continues north as a six-lane divided highway.
Prince George's County
The Crain Highway crosses the Mattawoman Creek into Prince George's County, where it heads north through wooded areas with some businesses along the road. US 301 splits from MD 5 at an interchange near Brandywine with MD 5 continuing to the north on four-lane divided Branch Avenue. A short distance past US 301, the route comes to an interchange that connects to Brandywine Road and MD 373, where it briefly widens to six lanes. It continues north as a four-lane divided highway through woodland with some businesses and adjacent residential areas before passing by the MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center at the Surratts Road intersection. Past Surratts Road, the route heads through suburban residential areas of Clinton as a six-lane road before turning into a freeway that comes to a single-point urban interchange with MD 223.The route heads northwest through commercial areas, with interchanges located at Malcolm Road /Schultz Road and Coventry Way, the latter being a single-point urban interchange. The route has a southbound exit to Old Branch Avenue and a northbound entrance from Old Alexandria Ferry Road before it turns north and heads through wooded surroundings, forming the western boundary of Andrews Air Force Base. MD 5 comes to another SPUI with MD 337 in Camp Springs. A short distance later, the road interchanges with Manchester Drive /Linda Lane before heading north as a freeway to an interchange with I-95/I-495.
Past the Capital Beltway, MD 5 meets MD 535A at a northbound right-in/right-out intersection; MD 535A provides access to northbound MD 5 from southbound I-95/I-495 as well as from northbound MD 5 to the Branch Avenue station at the terminus of Washington Metro's Green Line. The route continues northwest into commercial areas, coming to a southbound left exit and left entrance with Woods Way that serves Branch Avenue station before it becomes a surface road again and intersects MD 967C /Auth Way and MD 967A. The route narrows to four lanes and turns west, coming to an interchange with MD 414 in Marlow Heights. MD 5 turns to the northwest past this interchange, passing by the Marlow Heights Shopping Center and continuing to Hillcrest Heights, where the route intersects MD 458 adjacent to The Shops at Iverson.
The route passes more businesses and heads toward Suitland, where it intersects MD 414 again. The road continues north to an intersection with MD 637. North of Naylor Road, the route passes under the Green Line of the Washington Metro east of the Naylor Road station, has an interchange with the Suitland Parkway, and narrows to a 2-lane undivided road in quick succession. MD 5 passes through wooded areas before coming to an intersection with Southern Avenue SE at the Washington, D.C. border, where the route ends and Branch Avenue SE continues into the District of Columbia toward Pennsylvania Avenue SE.