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Joppa Road

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Joppa Road
Map
Joppa Road highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained byBaltimore County
Length14.3 mi[1](23.0 km)
Major junctions
West endMD 25inBrooklandville
Major intersections
East endMD 7nearWhite Marsh
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CountiesBaltimore
Highway system
  • County Roads in Baltimore County

Joppa Road(/ˈɒpə/JOP) is acounty highwayin the U.S. state ofMaryland.The highway extends 14.3 miles (23.0 km) fromMaryland Route 25(MD 25) inBrooklandvilleeast toMD 7nearWhite Marsh.Joppa Road has three main segments separated by very short breaks on its course through central and easternBaltimore County.The central segment is a multi-lane highway fromMD 45andMD 146in thecounty seatofTowsontoU.S. Route 1(US 1) inPerry Hall.This highway is mostly a commercial strip and parallelsInterstate 695(I-695) through Towson,Parkville,andCarney.The western and eastern segments of Joppa Road are two-lane roads through mainly residential areas. The western segment connects Brooklandville and Towson viaRiderwood.The eastern segment serves parts of Perry Hall and White Marsh.

Joppa Road and its western complement,Old Court Road,have been a cross-county highway since the 17th century. This highway connected the western part of the county to its original county seat ofJoppa,which was sited on theGunpowder Rivernear the modern community ofJoppatowne.Like Old Court Road, Joppa Road was improved on its state and county segments in the mid-1920s to form a circumferential paved highway aroundBaltimore.The state-maintained segment of the highway between Towson and Perry Hall was designatedMaryland Route 148.MD 148 was widened in the mid-1930s and again in the late 1930s and 1940s. The highway's role as the primary east–west highway of Baltimore's northern suburbs was superseded by the construction of I-695 in the late 1950s and early 1960s. MD 148 was removed from the state highway system and all of Joppa Road became a county highway in the early 1960s.

Route description

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Joppa Road begins at a four-way intersection with MD 25 (Falls Road) and the northern end of the Jones Falls Expressway in Brooklandville. The intersection is a short distance north of the expressway's interchange with the Baltimore Beltway that forms one junction betweenI-83and I-695. Joppa Road's western terminus is also a short distance south of MD 25's intersection withMD 130(Greenspring Valley Road) and the Green Spring Station medical complex. Joppa Road heads southeast as a two-lane road that crosses over the Beltway just east of the aforementioned junction of I-83 and I-695. The highway veers east at its intersection with Old Court Road and passes through Riderwood. Joppa Road crosses over Roland Run andMTA Maryland'sBaltimore Light RailLinkand intersects Bellona Avenue, which leads toMD 139(Charles Street) in both directions.[1]

Joppa Road continues east along a ridge toward Towson. The two-lane highway crosses over MD 139 and meets the northern end of Charles Street Avenue. Joppa Road enters the downtown area of Towson at its intersection withMD 45 Bypass(Bosley Avenue). Two blocks to the east, Joppa Road becomes one-way westbound; to continue east, traffic must turn south onto Washington Street and east on Allegheny Avenue, an east–west street between Charles Street Avenue and downtown Towson. Allegheny Avenue and Joppa Road converge just west of the Towson Roundabout, a racetrack-shaped, five-leggedroundaboutat the junction of MD 45 (York Road), MD 146 (Dulaney Valley Road), Allegheny Avenue, and Joppa Road. Joppa Road heads east from the circle as a four-lane undivided highway on the south side of theTowson Town Centershopping mall and on a bridge directly above part of the retail building on the south side of the road.[1]

Joppa Road leaves downtown Towson as a four-lane road with center turn lane. The highway has an oblique intersections with Providence Road and Goucher Boulevard and expands to a divided highway on the north side of theTowson Placeshopping center. Joppa Road becomes undivided again as it approaches its intersection withMD 542(Loch Raven Boulevard) on the northwestern edge of Parkville. The highway passes under I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) and expands to a divided highway again just west of its intersection withMD 41(Perring Parkway), which has an interchange with the Beltway immediately to the south. Joppa Road becomes undivided again west ofOld Harford Roadand meetsMD 147(Harford Road) in Parkville.[1]

Joppa Road continues as a four-lane road with center turn lane toward Perry Hall. There, the main segment of the highway ends at an intersection with US 1 (Belair Road); the east leg of the intersection is Ebenezer Road. Joppa Road continues when it splits off from US 1 one block north of Ebenezer Road. The two-lane road passes along the southern edge of Perry Hall and the northern edge of White Marsh. Joppa Road crosses Honeygo Run and has consecutive intersections with Honeygo Boulevard and Cowenton Avenue, meeting the latter at a roundabout. The highway continues southeast and crossesI-95(John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway) before reaching its eastern terminus at MD 7 (Philadelphia Road). That state highway heads southwest throughRosedaleto Baltimore and northeast toward Joppatowne, which lies near the site of the abandoned town of Joppa.[1]

Joppa Road is a part of theNational Highway Systemas a principal arterial from Goucher Boulevard in Towson east to US 1 in Perry Hall.[2]

History

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Maryland Route 148 marker
Maryland Route 148
LocationTowsonPerry Hall
Existed1927–1963

Joppa Road originated as anIndian trailthat was repurposed in the late 17th century as a patrol road and defensive perimeter across Baltimore County for rangers based atFort Garrisonto defend English settlements from hostile Indians.[3][4]In conjunction with the Old Court Road, in the 18th century the path became the cross-county highway to Joppa, the original county seat of Baltimore County, which was located on the Gunpowder near what is now Joppatowne.[3][5]Joppa Road west of Towson was never part of the state highway system, but Allegheny Avenue was constructed as a concrete road from York Road (laterUS 111) west to Charles Street Avenue (later MD 139) by Baltimore County with state aid by 1921.[6]Allegheny Avenue later became MD 141 and was removed from the state highway system in 1961.[7][8]

Joppa Road between US 1 and MD 147 was constructed by the state as a concrete road in 1925 and 1926.[9][10]That road, which became MD 148, was the final link in the state and county construction of a hard-surface circumferential highway from Eastern Avenue (MD 150) to Liberty Road (MD 26).[10][11]Between 1930 and 1933, Joppa Road was widened, resurfaced as a concrete road, and brought into the state highway system from MD 147 west to US 111.[12][13]In 1934, the portion of MD 148 between MD 147 and US 1 was proposed to be widened from 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 m).[13]MD 148 was widened with a pair of 5-foot-wide (1.5 m)macadamshoulders from US 1 to MD 147 in 1938 and from there to MD 542 in 1940.[14][15]The highway was widened to 24 feet (7.3 m) and resurfaced from MD 542 to Providence Road in 1948.[16]Between 1950 and 1952, the block of MD 148 immediately to the east of US 111 was shifted, widened, and reconstructed as a bridge over the ground floor of the first suburban location of theHutzler'sdepartment store.[17]

Construction on the Baltimore Beltway, which functionally replaced Joppa Road as the main east–west highway between Towson and Carney, began from Joppa Road near Brooklandville to the Baltimore–Harrisburg Expressway (now I-83) in 1954.[18]Joppa Road served as the western terminus of the northern arc of the Beltway from 1955 until the Jones Falls Expressway and the northwest portion of the Beltway from I-83 toUS 40inCatonsvilleboth opened in 1963.[19][20]Baltimore Beltway construction from MD 146 to MD 542 began in 1956; that section opened in 1958.[21][22]MD 148's western end was moved to MD 542 in 1959.[23]The remainder of the highway was transferred from the state to county maintenance in 1963, the same year the Beltway opened from MD 542 to US 1.[20]Joppa Road was expanded to a divided highway from Goucher Boulevard to Drumwood Road and for 0.5 miles (0.80 km) on both sides of the MD 41 intersection in 1978.[24]

Junction list

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The entire route is inBaltimore County.

Locationmi
[1]
kmDestinationsNotes
Brooklandville0.00.0

MD 25(Falls Road) toI-83(Jones Falls Expressway) /I-695(Baltimore Beltway) –Baltimore,Butler
Western terminus
Riderwood1.11.8Old Court Roadwest –Pikesville
1.62.6
Bellona Avenue toMD 139(Charles Street)
Towson3.04.8
Charles Street Avenue south toMD 139(Charles Street)
3.76.0
MD 45 Byp.(Bosley Avenue)
3.86.1Washington Avenue northJoppa Road becomes one way westbound; route east joins Washington Avenue
3.96.3Allegheny Avenue west / Washington Avenue southRoute turns from Washington Avenue onto Allegheny Avenue
4.16.6
MD 45(York Road) /MD 146north (Dulaney Valley Road) / Joppa Road west –Baltimore,Timonium
Towson Roundabout;route rejoins Joppa Road
4.97.9Goucher Boulevard
Parkville6.210.0MD 542(Loch Raven Boulevard) –Baltimore
7.211.6
MD 41(Perring Parkway) toI-695Parkville
7.712.4Old Harford Road
8.513.7MD 147(Harford Road) –Parkville,Bel Air
Perry Hall10.917.5
US 1south (Belair Road) / Ebenezer Road east –Overlea,Chase
Eastern end of main segment of Joppa Road; route joins US 1
11.017.7
US 1north (Belair Road) –Bel Air
Western end of eastern segment of Joppa Road; route leaves US 1
White Marsh12.920.8Honeygo Boulevard
13.121.1Cowenton Avenue south / Scott Moore Way north –Perry HallRoundabout
14.323.0MD 7(Philadelphia Road) –White Marsh,JoppatowneEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdef"Joppa Road"(Map).Google Maps.Google. 2014-02-06.Retrieved2014-02-06.
  2. ^National Highway System: Baltimore, MD(PDF)(Map). Federal Highway Administration. October 1, 2012.Retrieved2014-02-07.
  3. ^abPfingsten, Bill (2007-09-03)."The Old Court Road Marker".The Historical Marker Database.Springfield, VA: J.J. Prats.Retrieved2012-02-14.
  4. ^Pfingsten, Bill (2007-09-03)."The Garrison Fort Marker".The Historical Marker Database.Springfield, VA: J.J. Prats.Retrieved2012-02-14.
  5. ^Pfingsten, Bill (2007-09-04)."The Joppa Road Marker".The Historical Marker Database.Springfield, VA: J.J. Prats.Retrieved2012-02-14.
  6. ^Maryland Geological Survey (1921).Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  7. ^Maryland State Roads Commission (1946).Maryland: Official Highway Map(PDF)(Map) (1946–1947 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  8. ^Maryland State Roads Commission (1961).Maryland: Official Highway Map(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  9. ^Mackall, John N.; Darnall, R. Bennett; Brown, W.W. (January 1927).Annual Reports of the State Roads Commission of Maryland(1924–1926 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 43, 69.Retrieved2014-02-06.
  10. ^abMaryland Geological Survey (1927).Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  11. ^Maryland State Roads Commission (1939).General Highway Map: State of Maryland(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  12. ^Maryland Geological Survey (1933).Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  13. ^abByron, William D.; Lacy, Robert (December 28, 1934).Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland(1931–1934 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 21, 32.Retrieved2014-02-06.
  14. ^Beall, J. Glenn; Jarboe, Elmer R.; Obrecht, George F., Sr. (March 4, 1939).Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland(1937–1938 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 3.Retrieved2014-02-06.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^Whitman, Ezra B.; Webb, P. Watson; Thomas, W. Frank (March 15, 1941).Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland(1939–1940 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 65.Retrieved2014-02-06.
  16. ^Reindollar, Robert M.; George, Joseph M.; McCain, Russell H. (February 15, 1949).Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland(1947–1948 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 119.Retrieved2014-02-06.
  17. ^McGrain, John W. (2007-09-04)."Hutzler Brothers Store, Towson".Annapolis, MD: Maryland Historical Trust. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-01-11.Retrieved2014-02-06.
  18. ^McCain, Russell H.; Bennett, Edgar T.; Kelly, Bramwell (November 12, 1954).Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland(1953–1954 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 173.Retrieved2014-02-06.
  19. ^Maryland State Roads Commission (1955).Maryland: Official Highway Map(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  20. ^abMaryland State Roads Commission (1963).Maryland: Official Highway Map(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  21. ^Bonnell, Robert O.; Bennett, Edgar T.; McMullen, John J. (December 15, 1958).Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland(1957–1958 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 62.Retrieved2014-02-06.
  22. ^Maryland State Roads Commission (1958).Maryland: Official Highway Map(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  23. ^Maryland State Roads Commission (1959).Maryland: Official Highway Map(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  24. ^Maryland State Highway Administration (1978).Maryland: Official Highway Map(PDF)(Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.
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