Maryland Route 257
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 257 is a state highway
in the U.S. state
of Maryland
. Known as Rock Point Road, the state highway runs 9.75 miles (15.7 km) from MD 254
near Rock Point
north to U.S. Route 301
in Newburg
. MD 257 serves the Cobb Neck of southern Charles County
between the Potomac River
and Wicomico River
, connecting the communities of Cobb Island, Issue, Tompkinsville, and Wayside with US 301. The state highway was originally the southernmost section of MD 3
, which was constructed on the peninsula in the 1910s. The portion of MD 3 south of US 301 was rebuilt and renumbered as MD 257 in the 1950s.
. The state highway next passes through Tompkinsville, where the highway passes the southern end of Mount Victoria Road, which serves the village of Mount Victoria
. MD 257 next passes through Wayside, where the highway crosses Piccowaxen Creek and intersects Morgantown Road, which leads to the Potomac River community of Morgantown. The state highway continues northwest to Newburg, where the highway meets the north end of Mount Victoria Road. MD 257 curves to the west and crosses over CSX
's Pope's Creek Subdivision, whose southern terminus is at the nearby Morgantown Generating Station
, before reaching a directional crossover intersection with US 301 (Robert Crain Highway) a short distance north of the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge
over the Potomac River.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Rock Point
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus
|-
|Wayside
|7.47
|Morgantown Road west – Morgantown
|Former MD 229
|-
|Newburg
|9.75
|
|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 Rock Point Road, the state highway runs 9.75 miles (15.7 km) from MD 254
Maryland Route 254
Maryland Route 254 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Cobb Island Road, the state highway runs 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...
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...
north 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 ....
. MD 257 serves the Cobb Neck of southern 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....
between the Potomac River
Potomac 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...
and Wicomico River
Wicomico River (Potomac River)
The Wicomico River is a tributary of the lower tidal portion of the Potomac River located in the U.S. state of Maryland south of Washington, DC. The river empties into the Potomac at Cobb Island and St. Margaret's Island. The Wicomico's watershed drains of Charles, St. Mary's, and southern Prince...
, connecting the communities of Cobb Island, Issue, Tompkinsville, and Wayside with US 301. The state highway was originally the southernmost section of MD 3
Maryland Route 3
Maryland Route 3, also part of Robert Crain Highway, is the designation given to the former alignment of U.S. Route 301 from Bowie, Maryland, USA, to Baltimore. It is named for Robert Crain of Baltimore.-Route description:...
, which was constructed on the peninsula in the 1910s. The portion of MD 3 south of US 301 was rebuilt and renumbered as MD 257 in the 1950s.
Route description
MD 257 begins at an intersection with the northern end of MD 254 (Cobb Island Road) near Rock Point. Rock Point Road continues southeast as a county highway to the namesake promontory at the confluence of the Wicomico River and Potomac River. MD 257 heads northwest as a two-lane road, passing through the hamlet of Issue, where Swan Point Road splits to the west toward the golf course-centered community of Swan PointSwan Point, Maryland
Swan Point is an unincorporated community in southern Charles County, Maryland, United States. The Swan Point housing development was constructed in the 1980s around an 18-hole waterfront golf course; there are also a community pool and a church. Although the community is largely unchanged since...
. The state highway next passes through Tompkinsville, where the highway passes the southern end of Mount Victoria Road, which serves the village of Mount Victoria
Mount Victoria, Maryland
Mount Victoria is an unincorporated community in southern Charles County, Maryland, United States, between the Wicomico and Potomac Rivers. It was named for an enormous farm of owned by Robert Crain, an attorney and farmer whose lobbying efforts led to the opening in 1927 of the Maryland portion...
. MD 257 next passes through Wayside, where the highway crosses Piccowaxen Creek and intersects Morgantown Road, which leads to the Potomac River community of Morgantown. The state highway continues northwest to Newburg, where the highway meets the north end of Mount Victoria Road. MD 257 curves to the west and crosses over CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
's Pope's Creek Subdivision, whose southern terminus is at the nearby Morgantown Generating Station
Morgantown Generating Station
The Morgantown Generating Station is a 1,477 MW electric generating plant owned by GenOn , located in the unincorporated town of Newburg, Maryland, near Morgantown, on the Potomac River...
, before reaching a directional crossover intersection with US 301 (Robert Crain Highway) a short distance north of the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge
Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge
The Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge is a , two-lane continuous truss bridge that spans the Potomac River between Newburg in Charles County, Maryland and Dahlgren in King George County, Virginia, USA....
over the Potomac River.
History
Rock Point Road was the southernmost segment of the highway from Rock Point to Waldorf that was marked for improvement by the Maryland State Roads Commission in 1909. That highway was designated MD 3 in 1927. The Cobb Neck portion of the state road was constructed as a 14 feet (4.3 m) gravel road between Wayside and Tompkinsville in 1913 and a 10 feet (3 m) concrete road from Tompkinsville to Rock Point in 1914. The highway was completed when the state road north of Wayside was built as a gravel road by 1919. MD 3 was widened and rebuilt with a bituminous concrete surface from Newburg to Tompkinsville in 1950 and from there to Rock Point in 1951. MD 3 was renumbered as MD 257 in 1959. MD 257 achieved its current length when the highway was rolled back from Rock Point to MD 254 around 1989.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
|-
|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...
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus
|-
|Wayside
|7.47
|Morgantown Road west – Morgantown
Morgantown, Maryland
Morgantown is an unincorporated community in Charles County, Maryland. It lies south of the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge on the Potomac River at Lower Cedar Point. It is known for the Mirant Morgantown Generating Station smokestacks. In 2007, a controversial coal barge loading facility...
|Former MD 229
|-
|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 ....
|9.75
|
|Northern terminus