Maryland Route 544

Maryland Route 544
McGinnes Road
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length:	9.48 mi[1] (15.26 km) 2 sections
Major junctions
West end:	MD 213 in Kingstown
	MD 290 in Crumpton US 301 in Unicorn
East end:	MD 313 in Unicorn
Location
Counties:	Queen Anne's
Highway system
Maryland highway system Interstate • US • State • Minor • Former • Turnpikes ← MD 543 MD 545 →

Maryland Route 544 (MD 544) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as McGinnes Road, the state highway runs 9.48 mi (15.26 km) from MD 213 in Kingstown east to MD 313 in Unicorn. MD 544, which spans the northern tier of Queen Anne's County, is officially separated into two sections, MD 544 and MD 544A, separated by a superstreet intersection with U.S. Route 301 (US 301). MD 544 was constructed in four sections. A short segment east of MD 290 was paved by 1921. The segment east of there to Unicorn was paved in the early 1930s. A segment west of MD 290 to McGinnes Corner was constructed in the late 1930s. The remainder of the highway west to US 213 (now MD 213) was completed in the late 1940s.

Route description

MD 544 begins at an intersection with MD 213 (Church Hill Road) in Kingstown. The state highway heads east-northeast in a nearly straight alignment through farmland.^[2] MD 544 crosses Foreman Branch and Pearl Creek, passing through the hamlet of McGinnes Corner between the streams, before intersecting MD 290 (Dudley Corner Road) just south of Crumpton.^[1][2] The state highway continues east in a straight line until it reaches the western edge of the hamlet of Unicorn, where the old alignment, Chester River Heights Road, continues straight while MD 544 veers to the southeast.^[2] MD 544 officially ends at US 301 (Blue Star Memorial Highway), where the two highways meet at a superstreet intersection.^[1][2] Traffic on MD 544 is required to turn right onto US 301, make a U-turn, and turn right again to continue on MD 544.^[2] The roadway, now officially MD 544A, continues 0.19 mi (0.31 km) to the highway's eastern terminus at MD 313 (Millington Road).^[1][3]

History

The first section of present day MD 544 paved was as a state aid road from present day MD 290 east to Perry Lynch Road by 1921.^[4] The first section of highway designated MD 544 was paved from MD 313 to Perry Lynch Road in 1933.^[5][6][7] Another section of MD 544 was built from MD 290 west to McGinnes Corner in two sections completed in 1936 and 1938.^[8][9][6] A road west to US 213 (now MD 213) was paved by 1946, but the MD 545 designation was not applied to that road, as well as the original state aid section, until 1948.^[10] The state highway once continued its straight alignment to its eastern terminus, but in 1967 the highway's terminus at MD 313 was relocated to allow a perpendicular intersection with US 301, which was being expanded to a divided highway at that time.^[11] The old alignment of MD 544 comprises Chester River Heights Road west of US 301 and Legion Road to the east. The MD 544–US 301 junction was transformed into a superstreet intersection in 2006, resulting in the designation of MD 544A east of the junction.^[12]

Junction list

The entire route is in Queen Anne's County.

Location	Mile [1]	Destinations	Notes
Kingstown	0.00	MD 213 (Church Hill Road) – Church Hill, Chestertown	Western terminus of MD 544
Crumpton	6.99	MD 290 (Dudley Corner Road) – Galena, Sudlersville
Unicorn	9.08	Chester River Heights Road east / Red Lion Branch Road south	Chester River Heights Road is old alignment of MD 544
	9.29	US 301 (Blue Star Memorial Highway) – Bay Bridge, Wilmington	Superstreet intersection; eastern terminus of MD 544; western terminus of MD 544A
	9.48	MD 313 (Millington Road) – Millington, Sudlersville	Eastern terminus of MD 544
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Highway Location Reference: Queen Anne's County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2009. http://www.marylandroads.com/Location/2009_QUEENANNES.pdf. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 544 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=MD-544+E%2FMcGinnes+Rd&daddr=MD-544+E%2FMcGinnis+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FdQUVgId7tB3-w%3BFfTGVgIdvj96-w&mra=ls&sll=39.2195,-75.95409&sspn=0.121554,0.308647&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
3. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 544A (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=MD-544+E%2FMcGinnis+Rd&daddr=MD-544+E%2FMcGinnis+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FXLGVgIdckB6-w%3BFS6_VgIdQEp6-w&mra=ls&sll=39.241627,-75.871625&sspn=0.007595,0.01929&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=18. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
4. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (Map) (1921 ed.). 
5. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map) (1933 ed.). 
6. ^ ^{a b} Maryland State Roads Commission. Map of Maryland Showing Highways and Points of Interest (Map) (1940 ed.). 
7. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1931-1934. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1934-12-28. p. 351. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1931mary. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
8. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1935-1936. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1936-12-04. p. 67. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1935mary. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
9. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1937-1938. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1939-03-04. p. 105. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1937mary. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
10. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1948 ed.). 
11. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1967 ed.). 
12. ^ "Highway Location Reference: Queen Anne's County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2006. http://www.marylandroads.com/Location/2006_QUEENANNES.pdf. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 

External links

• MD 544 @ MDRoads.com