Existed: 1927 – present MD 301 MD 302 → Constructed 1927 | North end: MD 299 at Sassafras Length 27.7 km | |
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South end: MD 300 at Dudley Corners Counties Queen Anne's County, Maryland, Kent County, Maryland | ||
Maryland Route 290 (MD 290) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 17.20 miles (27.68 km) from MD 300 at Dudley Corners north to MD 299 in Sassafras. MD 290 roughly parallels U.S. Route 301 (US 301), which it intersects twice, as it connects the communities of Crumpton in northern Queen Anne's County and Chesterville and Galena in eastern Kent County. MD 290 in Queen Anne's County was constructed as Maryland Route 301 in the early to mid-1920s. In Kent County, a portion south of Galena was built in the late 1910s; MD 290 was extended south to Crumpton in the late 1920s. MD 290 assumed the course of MD 301 in 1940 to avoid a number conflict with US 301. MD 290 was extended east from Galena to Sassafras in the late 1940s.
Contents
Map of MD-290, Maryland, USA
Route description
MD 290 begins at an intersection with MD 300 (Sudlersville Road) in the hamlet of Dudley Corners. Benton Corners Road heads south from the intersection as a county highway. MD 290 heads north as Dudley Corner Road, a two-lane road that heads north through farmland. After crossing Red Lion Branch, the state highway passes through an interchange with US 301 (Blue Star Memorial Highway). MD 290 passes through the hamlet of Pondtown before reaching an intersection with MD 544 (McGinnes Road). The state highway passes through the town of Crumpton before crossing the Chester River into Kent County.
MD 290 heads north as Crumpton Road until the state highway turns east for a short concurrency with MD 291 (River Road). MD 290 turns north and intersects MD 444 (Locust Grove Road) and Chesterville Bridge Road within Chesterville, where the name of the highway changes to Chesterville Road. The state highway crosses the Chestertown Branch of the Northern Line of the Maryland and Delaware Railroad at the hamlet of Lambson. MD 290 intersects Irelands Corner Road, the old alignment of MD 313, before joining MD 313 (Massey Galena Road) in a concurrency into the town of Galena, where the highway becomes Main Street. North–south Main Street intersects east–west Cross Street in the center of town next to the town hall. MD 213 heads west toward Chestertown and north toward Cecilton, MD 313 has its northern terminus, and MD 290 turns east toward Sassafras. MD 290 becomes Galena Sassafras Road and crosses Mill Creek, Swantown Creek, and Jacobs Creek before meeting US 301 for the second time at a diamond interchange. A short distance east of US 301, MD 290 reaches its northern terminus at MD 299 near the village of Sassafras. MD 299 heads south as Massey Road and northeast as a continuation of Galena Sassafras Road.
History
The highway between Dudley Corners and Crumpton was marked as one of the original state roads destined for improvement by the Maryland State Roads Commission in 1909. However, work on the highway was postponed indefinitely because it was not considered an essential part of the state road system. The short segment between MD 544 and Crumpton was paved as a state-aid road by 1921. The Crumpton–Dudley Corners highway was finally constructed in 1924 and 1925. This highway was designated MD 301.
The first section of MD 290 in Kent County was paved as a state-aid road between Galena and the railroad crossing at Lambson between 1915 and 1919. The highway was extended south from Lambson to the Chester River in 1929 and 1930. MD 290 was extended south over MD 301's course to Dudley Corners in 1940 to remove a number conflict with US 301, which was extended north from Virginia to Baltimore the same year.
The portion of MD 290 between Galena and Sassafras was constructed between 1946 and 1948. MD 290 was extended north through Galena and east along the new road to its present northern terminus at MD 299 in 1949. A modern bridge was constructed at Crumpton in 1951. When the Blue Star Memorial Highway was completed in Queen Anne's and Kent counties in 1956, interchanges were constructed at both junctions with MD 290. MD 290 was widened between Dudley Corners and Crumpton and between Galena and Sassafras in 1956. At the same time, MD 290 was realigned south of Galena in conjunction with the relocation of MD 313 to bypass Irelands Corner.