Md 925

Maryland Route 5

Maryland Route 5 is a long highway that runs north to south in Maryland. The highway begins in Suitland - Hillcrest Heights, Maryland at the state line with Washington, D.C. passes Andrews Air Force Base, and runs to Point Lookout in St. Mary's County. Route 5 is an extension of Branch Avenue in Washington, D.C., and bears the same name in Prince George's County. In the 1990s, several major grade intersections in Prince George's County were upgraded to freeway interchanges, to speed traffic. In Charles County, Route 5 is called Leonardtown Road; in St. Mary's County it is known as Point Lookout Road.

Route 5 is a major link between Washington and Southern Maryland. The route services Waldorf, an important and vital community in Southern Maryland, and Leonardtown, the seat of St. Mary's County.

Route 5 is nearly 75 miles in length. Branch Avenue/Route 5 is part of the National Highway System from Pennsylvania Avenue in the District to Point Lookout.

Counties traversed

Route description

Mattawoman Beantown Road

MD 5 follows Mattawoman Beantown Road in northern Charles County. It is often used as a bypass by traffic seeking to avoid US 301 through the center of Waldorf and by traffic seeking to head south into St. Mary's County. The speed limit had been set at 45mph for the entire length of the road, but now fluctuates between 45, 50, and 55 mph at various points. However, due to the length of the road and frequenting drivers' commutes, it is still a favorite thoroughfare for camping law enforcement looking for speeders.

Of notable interest, the house of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd is located off of a side road, Poplar Hill Road, and as a result, most of the road is included as part of the Maryland Scenic Byways system as byway #14, Booth's Escape.

Mattawoman Beantown Road also serves as an entrance to the Pinefield neighborhood in Waldorf, which used to be intertwined with several Nike Missile installations.

MD 5 Business

While Route 5 itself heads north towards a merge with US Route 301 via Mattawoman Beantown Road, a business spur route signed as MD 5 BUS continues into Waldorf providing traffic access to a number of local businesses. It intersects with MD 925 (Old Washington Road) before ending at US Route 301 directly across from MD 228 (Berry Road). Points of interest along this route include:

Thomas Stone High School
Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department, Station 3 (via Route 925)

Hughesville Bypass

In February 2007, a bypass around the town of Hughesville was completed, redirecting Route 5 to the east of the town. The bypass is an approximately 3 mile long stretch of limited access highway, with an overpass and two roundabouts located at the intersection of Maryland Route 231. The bypass was built due to the heavy amount of congestion at the old intersection of Route 5 and Route 231 in Hughesville's central business district, where traffic from all three Southern Maryland counties converged. The old portion of Route 5 that went through Hughesville has been re-designated MD 625. The bypass was formally dedicated in August 2007.

Junction list

County	Location	Mile	Intersection	Notes
Saint Mary's County	Point Lookout	0.00	Point Lookout Road	Southern terminus of MD Route 5
		5.01	MD 235 - Three Notch Road
	Saint Mary's City	10.92	MD 584	Unmarked/Not Signed
		13.33	MD 489 - Park Hall Road
		17.20	MD 246 - Great Mills Road
		17.46	MD 471 - Indian Bridge Road
		18.65	MD 249 - Piney Point Road
	Leonardtown	24.71	MD 244 - Medleys Neck Road
	Leonardtown	25.53	MD 4 - St. Andrews Church Road
		26.70	MD 245 - Hollywood Road
		28.09	MD 243 - Newtowne Neck Road
		28.83	MD 234 - Budds Creek Road
		32.61	MD 247 - Loveville Road
		33.67	MD 242 - Colton Point Road
		35.14	MD 238 - Chaptico Road
		38.32	MD 235 - Three Notch Road
		42.55	MD 236 - Thompsons Corner Road
		42.76	MD 6 - New Market Turner Road
Charles County	Hughesville	47.08	MD 231 - Prince Frederick Road
		52.17	MD 488 - La Plata Road
		52.83	Billingsley Road
	St. Charles	55.89	St. Charles Parkway
	Waldorf	55.89	Spur to MD 5 Business
	Waldorf	59.10	US 301 - Crain Highway	MD 5 joins US 301
Prince George's County		61.75	US 301 - Crain Highway	MD 5 leaves US 301
	Brandywine	62.26	MD 373 - Accokeek Road
	Clinton	67.05	MD 223 - Woodyard Road
	Clinton	69.88	MD 337 - Allentown Road
	Camp Springs	71.15	I-95/I-495 - Capital Beltway
	Marlow Heights	72.67	MD 414 - St. Barnabas Road
	Suitland	73.23	MD 458 - Silver Hill Road
		73.95	MD 637 - Naylor Road
		74.27	Suitland Parkway
		74.34	District of Columbia line	Northern terminus of MD 5