Maryland Route 254
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 254 is a state highway
in the U.S. state
of Maryland
. Known as Cobb Island Road, the state highway runs 1.25 miles (2 km) from Cobb Island north to MD 257
near Rock Point
. MD 254 connects the mainland to Cobb Island, which was originally established as a summer resort in the early 1920s, at the southern end of Charles County
. The state highway was constructed as Maryland Route 533 in the early 1930s. The state highway was rebuilt and renumbered as MD 254 in the 1950s.
side of the island. North of Neale Sound Drive, MD 254 leaves the island by crossing over Neale Sound on the Cobb Island Bridge. The state highway passes between marinas and curves northwest to parallel the coast. At Pine Grove road, MD 254 veers north to its terminus at Rock Point Road, which heads southeast as a county highway toward Rock Point and northwest as MD 257 up Cobb Neck to U.S. Route 301
in Newburg
.
timber bridge. This bridge was still one-lane, being 10 feet (3 m) wide, but had a passing area near the middle. Cobb Island Road was originally designated MD 533. MD 533 was widened to 24 feet (7.3 m) and resurfaced with bituminous stabilized gravel in 1951. MD 533 was renumbered MD 254 in 1958. MD 254 had originally been assigned to Davidsonville Road between Davidsonville
and Edgewater in central Anne Arundel County
; that highway was renumbered as an eastward extension of MD 214
(Central Avenue) by 1939. The modern two-lane steel girder Cobb Island Bridge was built in 1963.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Cobb Island
|0.00
|Cobb Island Road south
|Southern terminus
|-
|
|0.16
|colspan=2 align=center|Cobb Island Bridge over Neale Sound
|-
|Rock Point
|1.25
|
|Northern terminus
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Known as Cobb Island Road, the state highway runs 1.25 miles (2 km) from Cobb Island north to MD 257
Maryland Route 257
Maryland Route 257 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Rock Point Road, the state highway runs from MD 254 near Rock Point north to U.S. Route 301 in Newburg...
near Rock Point
Rock Point, Maryland
Rock Point is an unincorporated community located near Cobb Island at the mouth of the Wicomico River in Charles County, Maryland, United States.Rock Point was named for the rockfish, or striped bass...
. MD 254 connects the mainland to Cobb Island, which was originally established as a summer resort in the early 1920s, at the southern end of Charles County
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
. The state highway was constructed as Maryland Route 533 in the early 1930s. The state highway was rebuilt and renumbered as MD 254 in the 1950s.
Route description
MD 254 begins 0.03 mile (0.0482802 km) south of the intersection of Cobb Island Road and Neale Sound Drive on Cobb Island. Cobb Island Road continues south as a county-maintained two-lane divided avenue to Potomac River Drive on the Potomac RiverPotomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
side of the island. North of Neale Sound Drive, MD 254 leaves the island by crossing over Neale Sound on the Cobb Island Bridge. The state highway passes between marinas and curves northwest to parallel the coast. At Pine Grove road, MD 254 veers north to its terminus at Rock Point Road, which heads southeast as a county highway toward Rock Point and northwest as MD 257 up Cobb Neck to U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland is a major highway that runs from Delaware to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge into Virginia. It passes through three of Maryland's four main regions: the Eastern Shore, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and Southern Maryland...
in Newburg
Newburg, Maryland
Newburg is an unincorporated community in Charles County, Maryland, United States. Newburg has two stores, a lodge hall, a fire department, as well as the Piccowaxen Middle School and Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary, both serving the entire Cobb Neck peninsula ....
.
History
The original bridge from the mainland to Cobb Island, a "noisy one-way wooden bridge that was prone to summer traffic jams," was constructed in 1923 shortly after the establishment of the island as a summer resort by Robert Crain. In 1932, the Maryland State Roads Commission rebuilt Cobb Island Road as a modern gravel road and replaced the "hazardous" 1923 bridge with a creosotedCreosote
Creosote is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties...
timber bridge. This bridge was still one-lane, being 10 feet (3 m) wide, but had a passing area near the middle. Cobb Island Road was originally designated MD 533. MD 533 was widened to 24 feet (7.3 m) and resurfaced with bituminous stabilized gravel in 1951. MD 533 was renumbered MD 254 in 1958. MD 254 had originally been assigned to Davidsonville Road between Davidsonville
Davidsonville, Maryland
Davidsonville is an unincorporated community in central Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA. It is a semi-rural community composed mostly of farms and suburban-like developments and is a good example of an "exurb." Davidsonville has relatively little commercial development and no high-density housing...
and Edgewater in central Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
; that highway was renumbered as an eastward extension of MD 214
Maryland Route 214
Maryland Route 214 is an east–west state highway that runs through Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County within the U.S. state of Maryland. Central Avenue runs along the center of Prince George's County and divides it into north and south...
(Central Avenue) by 1939. The modern two-lane steel girder Cobb Island Bridge was built in 1963.
Junction list
The entire route is in Charles CountyCharles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Cobb Island
|0.00
|Cobb Island Road south
|Southern terminus
|-
|
|0.16
|colspan=2 align=center|Cobb Island Bridge over Neale Sound
|-
|Rock Point
Rock Point, Maryland
Rock Point is an unincorporated community located near Cobb Island at the mouth of the Wicomico River in Charles County, Maryland, United States.Rock Point was named for the rockfish, or striped bass...
|1.25
|
|Northern terminus