Maryland Route 615

Maryland Route 615
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length:	4.35 mi[1] (7.00 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I-70 / US 40 east of Hancock
North end:	SR 2001 at the Pennsylvania state line
Location
Counties:	Washington County
Highway system
Maryland highway system Interstate • US • State • Minor • Former • Turnpikes ← MD 611 MD 617 →

Maryland Route 615 (MD 615) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 4.35 miles (7.00 km) from Interstate 70 (I-70) and U.S. Route 40 (US 40) east of Hancock north to the Pennsylvania state line in western Washington County. MD 615 has two sections, an east–west frontage road that parallels I-70 and a north–south highway that follows Heavenly Acres Ridge. The ridge road was constructed as MD 615 in the mid 1930s. The frontage road became part of an extended MD 615 in the early 1960s when I-70 was constructed east of Hancock, replacing two-lane US 40.

Route description

MD 615 begins at an intersection between Millstone Road, which continues east as a county highway, and the Exit 5 ramp from westbound I-70 and US 40 (Eisenhower Memorial Highway). After passing Hollow Road and a ramp to eastbound I-70 / US 40, the state highway heads west, closely paralleling I-70 and US 40 to the south. MD 615 continues west until it intersects the ramps to and from I-70 and US 40 in the direction of Hancock. The state highway, now known as Heavenly Acres Ridge Road, curves north to climb out of the narrow valley of the Potomac River onto Heavenly Acres Ridge. MD 615 follows the ridge north to an intersection with White Oak Ridge Road at the Pennsylvania state line.^[1][2] Heavenly Acres Ridge Road continues north as State Route 2001 in southeastern Fulton County.^[2][3]

History

The Millstone Road portion of MD 615 follows a narrow corridor on the north side of the Potomac River that has carried multiple modes of transportation between Hancock and Licking Creek, where the river valley opens up. In the early 20th century, this corridor included the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the Western Maryland Railway, and the National Pike, which ran between the canal and the railroad.^[4] The first two modes are preserved as the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and the Western Maryland Rail Trail. When the Maryland State Roads Commission constructed the state road between Hancock and Licking Creek in 1915, the highway was placed on a new alignment north of the railroad tracks to avoid four grade crossings.^[5] This highway was designated US 40 in 1927.^[6]

The Heavenly Acres Ridge portion of MD 615 was paved from US 40 to the Pennsylvania state line in 1936.^[7] By 1939, White Oak Ridge Road was also marked as MD 615.^[8] White Oak Ridge Road retained the state highway designation until 1956.^[9] In 1960, US 40 was expanded to a freeway from Exit 3 in Hancock to what is now the eastern end of MD 615. This upgrade included the modern ramps to and from the freeway to Millstone Road.^[10][11] This freeway was marked as I-70 in addition to US 40 in 1962.^[12] MD 615 was extended south and east from Heavenly Acres Ridge Road along its modern extent. It is not clear if present day MD 615 follows the old two-lane US 40, or if the old US 40 was obliterated by the construction of the freeway and MD 615 is a service road to serve properties along the corridor.

Junction list

The entire route is an unnamed area east of Hancock in Washington County.

Mile [1]	Destinations	Notes
0.00	Millstone Road east	Southern terminus; Exit 5 ramp from westbound I-70 / US 40
0.39	I-70 / US 40 east (Eisenhower Memorial Highway) / Hollow Road north – Hagerstown
1.83	I-70 / US 40 west (Eisenhower Memorial Highway) – Hancock	Exit 5 ramp from eastbound I-70 / US 40
4.35	SR 2001 north (Heavenly Acres Ridge Road) / White Oak Ridge Road south	Northern terminus; Pennsylvania state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Highway Location Reference: Washington County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2009. http://www.marylandroads.com/Location/2009_WASHINGTON.pdf. Retrieved 2010-11-16. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 615 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=MD-615+N%2FMillstone+Rd&daddr=MD-615+N%2FHeavenly+Acres+Ridge&hl=en&geocode=FSiCXQId-ldY-w%3BFcMdXgId1RVY-w&mra=ls&sll=39.726052,-78.109403&sspn=0.007542,0.01929&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13. Retrieved 2010-06-10. 
3. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PDF). General Highway Map: Fulton County, Pennsylvania (Map) (2009 ed.). ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/fulton_GHSN.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-10. 
4. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1916-1919. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. January 1920. p. v. http://www.archive.org/details/annualreportsofs1916mary. Retrieved 2010-11-16. 
5. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1912-1915. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. May 1915. pp. 89–90, 114. http://www.archive.org/details/annualreportsofs1912mary. Retrieved 2010-11-16. 
6. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (Map) (1927 ed.). 
7. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1935-1936. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1936-12-04. p. 254. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1935mary. Retrieved 2010-11-16. 
8. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. General Highway Map: State of Maryland (Map) (1939 ed.). 
9. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1956 ed.). 
10. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1961 ed.). 
11. ^ "NBI Structure Number: 100000210061043". National Bridge Inventory. http://nationalbridges.com/nbi_record.php?StateCode=42&struct=100000210061043. Retrieved 2010-11-16. 
12. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1962 ed.). 

External links

• MD 615 @ MDRoads.com