Maryland Route 45

Maryland Route 45 (MD 45) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as York Road, the state highway runs 30.06 mi from U.S. Route 1 (US 1)/US 40 Truck in Baltimore north to the Pennsylvania state line in Maryland Line, where the highway continues as State Route 3001 (SR 3001). MD 45 is the primary highway between Downtown Baltimore and Towson, the county seat of Baltimore County. North of Interstate 695 (I-695), the state highway parallels I-83 and serves the suburban communities of Lutherville, Timonium, Cockeysville, and Hunt Valley. MD 45 also connects the northern Baltimore County communities of Hereford and Parkton. The state highway is maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration in Baltimore County and by the Baltimore City Department of Transportation in the city, where the highway also follows Greenmount Avenue.

York Road, which follows the path of an 18th-century wagon road and 19th century turnpike, was one of the original state roads marked for improvement by the Maryland State Roads Commission in 1909. The state highway was constructed as an all-weather road in the mid-1910s from Baltimore to Hereford. The remainder of York Road to Maryland Line was built in the late 1910s and early 1920s. York Road was designated as part of US 111 in 1927 and widened to handle the increasing traffic load in the late 1920s. York Road became a secondary route when a freeway was constructed from Baltimore to York and Harrisburg in the 1950s. US 111 was moved to this freeway as sections opened; the old road became MD 45. MD 45 fully replaced US 111 on York Road when the U.S. Highway was replaced by I-83 in the early 1960s.

Route description
MD 45 begins at an intersection with US 1/US 40 Truck (North Avenue) at the northwest corner of Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore. Greenmount Avenue continues south as a city street to Forrest Street and Monument Street east of Downtown Baltimore. MD 45 heads north as a four-lane undivided street between the Barclay and East Baltimore Midway neighborhoods and crosses over CSX's Baltimore Terminal Subdivision railroad line. The state highway continues north through Waverly, where the street passes St. John's Episcopal Church and intersects 33rd Street. MD 45 is paralleled to the east by Old York Road through Waverly and Pen Lucy. At 43rd Street, MD 45's name changes to York Road. The name change occurs where the highway exited the city limits of Baltimore between 1888 and 1917. MD 45 continues north as a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane. Between Cold Spring Lane and Northern Parkway, the state highway passes through Mid-Govans, which is home to the Senator Theater and loses the center left-turn lane.

MD 45 leaves the city limits and passes through the Baltimore County community of Rodgers Forge. The state highway passes along the eastern margin of Towson University before reaching the southern edge of downtown Towson, where MD 45 Bypass splits to the northwest along Burke Avenue. In the center of the county seat adjacent to the Towson Town Center shopping mall, MD 45 passes through the racetrack-shaped Towson Roundabout, where the state highway meets the southern end of MD 146 (Dulaney Valley Road) and east–west Joppa Road. On either side of the roundabout, the state highway narrows to two lanes for on-street parking. MD 45 heads northwest from the roundabout, becoming four lanes again, and meets the northern end of MD 45 Bypass (Bosley Avenue) before it gains a center left-turn lane and passes east of the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. The route has a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-695 (Baltimore Beltway), at which point it is a four-lane divided highway. The state highway continues north through the densely populated suburban area of Lutherville as a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane, where the highway intersects Seminary Road, which heads west as MD 131. The west side of MD 45 is lined with commercial and industrial parks as it passes through Timonium. Between Timonium Road and Padonia Road, both of which head west to interchanges with I-83, the state highway passes along the eastern edge of the Timonium Fairgrounds, home of the Maryland State Fair and the Baltimore County 4-H Fair. The industrial parks continue past Warren Road in Cockeysville, where the highway crosses Beaver Dam Run. MD 45 meets the western end of MD 145 (Ashland Road) before arriving in Hunt Valley, where the highway intersects Shawan Road at Hunt Valley Town Center, a residential and retail center.

North of Shawan Road, MD 45 becomes a two-lane undivided road that crosses Western Run and curves northeast before resuming its northward course through the community of Sparks, where the highway has an intersection with Belfast Road and passes several industrial parks. The state highway continues through the village of Hereford, which contains the western terminus of MD 138 (Monkton Road) and the eastern terminus of MD 137 (Mount Carmel Road) one block apart. North of Hereford, MD 45 passes west of Hereford High School and descends into the valley of Gunpowder Falls, where the highway closely parallels I-83. The two highways separate, with the state highway passing by the Half-Way House, a preserved toll house from the 19th-century turnpike that is halfway between Baltimore and York. In Parkton, MD 45 intersects Middletown Road and passes over the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail and Little Gunpowder Falls. North of the village, the state highway crosses to the west side of I-83 at a diamond interchange with the Interstate. The state highway intersects MD 439 (Old York Road) and Freeland Road in the community of Maryland Line before reaching its northern terminus at the Pennsylvania state line. The roadway continues north as SR 3001 (Susquehanna Trail), an unsigned quadrant route, toward the borough of Shrewsbury.

MD 45 is a part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from US 1 in Baltimore to Shawan Road in Hunt Valley except for the short stretch between MD 146 and the northern junction with MD 45 Bypass in Towson.

History
York Road was first constructed as a wagon road in the early 1740s to connect the new settlement of York with the port of Baltimore. In the 19th century, this road became part of the Baltimore and Yorktown Turnpike. When the Maryland State Roads Commission put together a state road system in 1909, York Road from North Avenue in Baltimore to Parkton was designated one of the original state roads to be improved. The first section of the old turnpike to be resurfaced with a 14 ft wide macadam surface was from Washington Avenue just north of the center of Towson and the hamlet of Texas south of Cockeysville in 1913. The highway from the contemporary northern city limit of Baltimore near 42nd Street to Washington Avenue just north of the center of Towson was surfaced with bituminous concrete in 1914. York Road from Texas to Glencoe was resurfaced in 1914 and from there to the hamlet of Verona south of Hereford in 1915. The improved macadam road was extended to Parkton by 1919. York Road from Parkton to the Pennsylvania state line was paved in concrete in two sections completed in 1921 and 1923. Greenmount Avenue was reconstructed from 42nd Street to its southern end by 1924. In 1927, York Road and Greenmount Avenue north of North Avenue became part of US 111.

Early improvements to York Road included the construction of new bridges over Western Run and Gunpowder Falls in 1918 and 1924; these bridges remain in use. Other bridges included grade separations at the crossings of the Northern Central Railway at Cockeysville and Parkton built around 1930. US 111 was widened with concrete shoulders in much of Baltimore County in the mid- to late 1920s. York Road and Greenmount Avenue were widened and reconstructed in Baltimore in 1929 and 1930. By 1930, US 111 had a width of 40 ft from inside Baltimore to Towson, 20 ft from Towson to Parkton, and 18 ft from Parkton to the Pennsylvania state line. By 1934, the Maryland State Roads Commission recommended widening the U.S. Highway to 40 ft from Towson to Cockeysville and to 20 ft from Parkton to the Pennsylvania state line. The latter stretch was widened to 24 ft in 1946 and 1947.

Further widening of US 111 was not planned because York Road was to be bypassed by a freeway between Baltimore and Harrisburg. Construction on the Baltimore– Harrisburg Expressway got underway in 1948 between Timonium and Hunt Valley. The first portion of the freeway opened from Towson to Belfast Road north of Hunt Valley in December 1955, concurrent with the opening of the portion of the Baltimore Beltway between Falls Road and York Road. US 111 was moved to the freeway when the Baltimore– Harrisburg Expressway was completed to the north of Hereford in 1957; MD 45 was assigned to York Road between the Beltway and the northern end of the freeway. A second, disjoint portion of MD 45 was assigned from north of Parkton to the Pennsylvania state line when the Baltimore– Harrisburg Expressway was completed between Parkton and the York area in 1959. When the final section of the US 111 freeway was completed between Hereford and Parkton in 1960, MD 45 was assigned to the stretch of York Road between those communities. US 111 and I-83 were co-signed on the freeway between Towson and Harrisburg until US 111 was decommissioned in 1963; the MD 45 designation was extended south into Baltimore to US 1 at that time.

<!-- History Notes Maps: 1911: original state road from North Avenue to Parkton; city line is near 42nd St 1915: paved from north city limit to Glencoe; proposed from Glencoe to PA line 1921: paved in concrete from pre-1918 city line north to Towson; macadam from Towson to Parkton; concrete from Parkton N 2 1/2 mi; proposed from there to PA line; proposed from pre-1918 city line to North Avenue 1923: concrete extended south from 42nd St to bottom of Greenmount; concrete extended north from north of Parkton to PA line 1927: marked as US 111 1939: US 111's southern terminus is US 1 North Avenue 1950: dual highway from the dead-end in Timonium to Glencoe 1951: dual highway from Timonium to Shawan Road; proposed to Hereford 1955: Baltimore Beltway built from York Road to Falls Road; B-H Expwy built dual from Beltway to Shawan Road and the single road from Shawan Road to Belfast Road; under construction to Gunpowder Falls 1956: Single-lane complete north to Hereford; under construction from there to PA line and toward York; no MD 45 yet, US 111 still marked north of Beltway in Lutherville 1957: US 111 moved to the freeway from Towson to the north of Hereford; old road is MD 45; still single lane from Shawan Road to N of Hereford 1959: dual highway from north of Parkton to PA line marked as I-83; marked as US 111 in PA and on single-lane section; marked as I-83 on the dual section through Timonium; another section of MD 45 from north of Parkton to PA line 1960: US 111 dualized from Shawan Road to the north of Hereford; highway complete and dual marked as I-83 and US 111; only solo section of US 111 is south of Beltway 1963: US 113 is gone; replaced by MD 45 south of Beltway

Milestones: p. 6: 1960: the opening of I-83 / US 111 / Harrisburg Expressway from Beltway to PA line. Opened Dec 1955 from Beltway to Belfast Road; this section was completed in 1950 but did not open until 1955 because connecting section of Beltway was not done. Extended to Mt. Carmel Road in 1956, to the north of Hereford in 1957, from north of Parkton to PA line in 1959, from north of Hereford to north of Parkton in 1960. The roadway in PA opened to York in 1959. Not marked as I-83 until 1963.

History of Road Building in Maryland: p. 9: First wagon road between Baltimore and York built by both communities in the early 1740s. Followed nearly same course as US 111 p. 36: By 1825, a turnpike ran from Baltimore to York

Report on the Highways of Maryland: p. 218 (map on p. 220) Baltimore and Yorktown Turnpike: Baltimore to PA line

Original state road: US 111 to Parkton

SRC Reports: 1915: p. 54: Uncompleted Spurs or Gaps Laid Out in 1909 but not forming the necessary part of the main arterial system: York Road from Verona to PA line (12.00) not part of the original system p. 56: Bridges needing replacement: Western Run on York Road (A), Gunpowder River on York Road (C) p. 116: Completed State Roads 1908-1915 Baltimore County: York Road: city limits to Lyman Ave (1.33, 1914, bitC) Lyman Ave to Towson (2.61, 1914, 18' bits) Lindes Ave to Washington Ave (0.49, 1914, bitC) Washington Ave-Texas Lane (4.56, 1913, 14' M) Texas to Glencoe (5.83, 1914, 14' M resurfacing) Glencoe Road-Verona (1.04, 1915, 14' resurfacing)

1919: p. 38: Nine sections of road on all main thoroughfares out of Baltimore constructed; all completed between 1916 and 1919 except York Road from Parkton to Maryland Line and the road through Reisterstown, which will not be completed until next year. A new bridge was built over Western Run on York Road. p. 70: State Road Bridges Constructed 1916-1919 BA: York Road over Western Run (1918) p. 72: Contracts Awarded by SRC from Bond Issue Authorized by Legislature of 1916 (not including bridges): BA: York Road (3.07, resurface) York Road (3.56, resurface) p. 75: Contracts awarded by SRC from Bond Issue Authorized by Legislature of 1918, as of January 1, 1920 BA: Parkton, north (2.03, 15' C)

1926: p. 44: Concrete shoulders added for a total of 26.47 mi along Liberty Road, York Road, Reisterstown Road, Falls Road, and Eastern Avenue p. 56: Baltimore City: 9.11 mi of sheet asphalt resurfacing and 1.48 mi construction of new concrete road p. 61: Bridges: York Road over Gunpowder River rebuilt as a reinforced concrete arch in 1924 p. 114: Baltimore City Fund: York Road (1924)

1930: p. 68: Grade Crossing Elims: Parkton overhead PRR under construction Cockeysville undergrad PRR under construction p. 71: photo of York Road (improved in 1929 by SRC)... in Baltimore City p. 72: photo of York Road south of Towson constructed in 1929 p. 82 fold-out: roads constructed 40 feet: US 111 from north part of Baltimore City to Towson roads widened to 20 feet: US 111 from Towson to Parkton roads widened to 18 feet: US 111 from Parkton to Maryland Line p. 236: Baltimore City Condition of Funds (1929): Contracted: York Road from Northway to McCabe Ave York Road from McCabe Ave to Church Lane York Road from Church Lane to city limit p. 237: Baltimore City Condition of Funds (1930): Completed: All except Gwynn Oak Ave and Detour York Road

1934: p. 19: Baltimore County Roads Recommended for Widening: US 111 from Towson to Cockeysville (5.87) from 20 to 40 ft US 111 from Parkton to PA line (5.36) from 18 to 20 ft

1940: p. 61: Contemplated bridges York Road bridge over Piney Run p. 106: Suggested improvements: correction of grade and alignment on ... US 111 from Towson to PA line

1948: p. 119: York Road between Parkton and PA line widened to 24 feet for 5.36 mi in fall 1946 and resurfaced in summer 1947. p. 120: Each statement starts with completion date: 10-16-47: US 111 resurfaced from Parkton to PA line 10-31-47: US 11 resurfaced through Towson

1950: p. 136: Photo of relocated US 111 (Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway) p. 140 (141): US 111 from Timonium to Marble Hill Road (4.122 G&D) (st. 1948, f. 1950) US 111 Zink underpass (st. 1949, 88) US 111 Padonia Road underpass (st. 1949, 61) US 111 bridge over York Road relocation at Beaver Dam Road (st. 1949, 73) US 111 from Timonium Road to Marble Hill Road (reinforced concrete surfacing) (st. 1950, 46) p. 142: Work completed: US 111 from Timonium to Marble Hill Road G&D (st. 1948, f. 1950)

1952: p. 4: Extension of the Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway northward as a limited-access highway from Shawan Road toward Belfast and provision of access from Timonium Road and Shawan Road so traffic may use the completed part of the highway between those two points. Connections will be provided at Belfast Road as soon as the new highway arrives there. p. 152: photo of Beaver Dam Road overpass of Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway p. 156 (157): US 111 Relocated from 0.14 S of Shawan Road to 0.373 mi N of Thornton Mill Road (2.330) one lane reinforced concrete of ultimate dual highway (st. 1952) Ramps at US 111 Timonium Road interchange (st. 1952, 1.8) US 111 from Lutherville to Padonia (1.984) widened, relocated, and resurfaced (st. 1951, 42) US 111 from Padonia to Cockeysville (2.098) widened, relocated, and resurfaced (st. 1952, 44) p. 160: Work completed: US 111 Zink underpass (st. 1949, f. 1950) US 111 Padonia Road underpass (st. 1949, f. 1951) US 111 Br. over York Road Relocation at Beaver Dam Road (st. 1949, f. 1951) US 111 from Timonium Road to Marble Hill Road (4.069) reinforced concrete surface (st. 1949, f. 1951) US 111 from Joppa Road Towson toward Cockeysville (1.955) widened, relocated, and resurfaced (st. 1950, f. 1952)

1954: p. 5: Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway extended north from Shawan 2.33 mi with overpass structures at Thornton Mill Road and Quaker Bottom Road No. 1. p. 6: Under construction is an extension of expressway beyond Belfast Road toward Mt. Carmel Road. p. 172: Photo of Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway showing one lane of concrete and other lane graded p. 173: Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway has 8.68 miles open with interchanges at Timonium Road, Shawan Road, and Belfast Road. Section to the south (1.149) now under construction to connect with Beltway. p. 174: Bids taken for section north (2.522) toward Mt. Carmel Road. p. 176: US 111 Relocated from Thornton Mill Road to Belfast Road (1.525) one lane reinforced concrete, other G&D (st. 1952) US 111 Relocated over Quaker Bottom Road No. 1, Belfast Road, and Ensor Mill Road (st. 1952) The overpass of Shawan Road (st. 1952) B-H Expwy Connector to Beltway (1.385) and associated bridges (st. 1953) US 111 Relocated from Belfast Road toward Mt. Carmel Road (2.522) one lane reinforced concrete with 0.708 mi approach roads (st. 1954) p. 179: Contracts completed: US 111 from 0.140 S of Shawan Road to 0.373 mi N of Thornton Road (2.330) one lane reinforced concrete of ultimate dual (st. 1952, f. 1954) US 111 relocated at Timonium Road with connections (0.265) dual concrete (st. 1952, f. 1953) US 111 relocated at Thornton Mill Road (0.170) one-lane concrete (st. 1952, f. 1953) US 111 relocated over Quaker Bottom Road No. 1 (0.332) 1 lane pen M (st. 1952, f. 1953) US 111 from Lutherville to Padonia (1.984) widen, relocate, resurface (st. 1951, f. 1952) US 111 from Padonia to Cockeysville (2.098) widen, relocate, resurface (st. 1952, f. 1952)

1956: p. 4: Completed were: Extension of B-H Expwy from Belfast Road to a point just south of Bunker Hill Road and completion of the dual highway from the Baltimore Beltway to Timonium Road p. 162: Approximately 10 miles of B-H Expwy now open to traffic from Beltway to Mt. Carmel Road interchange. Now under construction is section north to US 111 1 mi north of Hereford. p. 164: B-H Expwy from S of Mt. Carmel Road to S. of Bunker Hill Road, with an interchange at Mt. Carmel Road (st. 1954) B-H Expwy from S. of Bunker Hill Road toward Middletown Road (0.940) 1 lane dual concrete and US 111 from S. of Bunker Hill Road toward Gunpowder Falls (st. 1956)

1958: p. 60: Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway expected to be completed in 1959 from Beltway to PA line B-H Expwy subsurface explorations at 9 sites from Gunpowder Falls to PA line (st. 1957) B-H Expwy from Middletown Road to the north of Parkton (1.884) dual highway and ramps with US 111 interchange (st. 1957) B-H Expwy from north of Parkton to PA line (3.204) dual highway (st. 1958)

Bridges: Piney Creek: 1975 Western Run: 1917 Beaverdam Run: 1990 NCR Trail: 1930-1990 Little Falls (Gunpowder?): 1930 Gunpowder Falls: 1924 I-695: 2005 I-83: 2002 Fourth Mine Branch: 1930 Branch of Beaverdam Run in Lutherville: 1990

I-83 Bridges: Both directions unless otherwise indicated. Bunker Hill Road (1 mi N 137): 1955 Buffalo Creek (3 mi S 137): 1955 Belfast Road: 1955 Quaker Bottom Road: 1959 Thornton Mill Road NB: 1953 Thornton Mill Road SB: 1959 Western Run: 1953 Shawan Road NB: 1953 Shawan Road SB: 1959 Oregon Branch: 1949 Beaverdam Run: 1949 Padonia Road: 1950 Timonium Road: 1954 Dairy Road (1 mi S 45): 1958 Owl Branch (1 mi S 45): 1958 Gunpowder Falls: 1958 MD 137: 1955 Cold Bottom Road (2 mi S 137): 1955 I-695 over NB 83: 1955 Downes Road (2 mi S 439): 1958 Middletown Road: 1958

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Towson bypass route
Maryland Route 45 Bypass (MD 45 Bypass) is a county-maintained, signed bypass route of MD 45 in Towson. The four- to six-lane divided highway runs 0.9 mi along the west side of downtown Towson. MD 45 Bypass begins south of downtown at MD 45's intersection with Burke Avenue. At Towsontown Boulevard on the north edge of the Towson University campus, the bypass route curves north and its name changes to Bosley Avenue. MD 45 Bypass follows Bosley Avenue north past Joppa Road to MD 45 north of the Towson Roundabout. Bosley Avenue continues northeast beyond MD 45 to Fairmount Avenue. MD 45 Bypass is a part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial for its entire length.

Auxiliary routes
MD 45 has five unsigned auxiliary routes. MD 45A is in Towson; MD 45B through MD 45E are in Cockeysville.
 * MD 45A is the designation for the 0.11 mi section of West Road between MD 45 and a pair of ramps to and from eastbound I-695.
 * MD 45B is the designation for the 0.05 mi segment of Cockeysville Road immediately west of MD 45.
 * MD 45C is the designation for the 0.03 mi section of Railroad Avenue immediately west of MD 45.
 * MD 45D is the designation for the 0.05 mi segment of Sherwood Road between MD 45 and Cedar Knoll Road.
 * MD 45E is the designation for the 0.03 mi section of Beaver Run Lane immediately east of MD 45.