Maryland Route 31
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 31 is a state highway
in the U.S. state of Maryland
. Known for most of its length as New Windsor Road, the state highway runs 16.95 miles (27.3 km) from MD 26
in Libertytown
east to MD 140
in Westminster
. MD 31 connects the county seat
s of Frederick
and Westminster via Libertytown in eastern Frederick County
and New Windsor
in western Carroll County
. MD 31 originally extended from Frederick to Manchester
, using the paths of what are now MD 26 and MD 27
. MD 26 assumed MD 31 west of Libertytown in 1933 and MD 27 took over MD 31's route north of Westminster in 1967. The Westminster–Manchester portion of the state highway was constructed as one of the original state roads in the early 1910s. The remainder of the highway was built in the early to mid-1920s. MD 31 was relocated north of Westminster in the late 1950s and south of Westminster in the mid-1960s. The bypassed sections of the state highway became parts of MD 852
.
(Marston Road) near the village of Marston
, MD 31 veers north and crosses Little Pipe Creek into the town of New Windsor. The state highway crosses the east–west line of the Maryland Midland Railway
and heads north through the New Windsor Historic District
as High Street. A short distance north of Main Street, which heads east as unsigned MD 831J
, MD 31 veers east to an intersection with Green Valley Road, which heads north as MD 75
. MD 31 turns south onto Green Valley Road, then turns east onto Main Street one block east of its previous intersection with Main Street.
Prior to leaving the town of New Windsor, MD 31 intersects Springdale Road, passes the historic Avalon
and its old alignment, which is named Old New Windsor Road and is unsigned MD 852. The old alignment parallels the present alignment to the north through the Wakefield Valley. MD 31 crosses Turkeyfoot Run and briefly parallels the railroad before meeting the other end of MD 852 near the Wakefield Valley Golf Course and the historic home Farm Content
. Adjacent to Avondale
and just east of Little Pipe Creek, MD 31 intersects Stone Chapel Road, which is part of MD 852K; MD 852K heads east as another section of old alignment also named New Windsor Road. The old alignment closely parallels the present alignment immediately to the south as the two roads approach the city limit of Westminster, where MD 31 veers north and MD 852K continues northeast to its terminus in the Western Maryland College Historic District
. MD 31 intersects Uniontown Road and Main Street / WMC Drive west of downtown Westminster and passes along the western edge of the McDaniel College
campus before reaching its northern terminus at MD 140 (College View Boulevard). There is no direct access from eastbound MD 31 to northbound MD 140 at the terminal intersection; traffic heading toward Taneytown
must use WMC Drive to access northbound MD 140.
(now Maryland Midland Railway) in 1911. The road was extended to just south of Mexico in 1913; in addition, construction on the state road began from the Manchester end. The gap between Mexico and south of Manchester was filled in 1914.
MD 31 from Westminster to New Windsor was started in 1919; the 15 feet (4.6 m) wide concrete road between the two towns was completed by 1921. Other portions of the state highway completed in 1921 included concrete within the town of Manchester and a macadam highway from north of Frederick to Libertytown. By 1923, concrete roads were constructed from just east of Libertytown to north of Unionville and for 1 miles (1.6 km) south from New Windsor. MD 31 was completed between Libertytown and New Windsor in 1926. In 1933, MD 31 was truncated at Libertytown; the Frederick–Libertytown road became a westward extension of MD 26. The state highway was widened with a pair of 3 foot (0.9144 m) macadam shoulders from Westminster to New Windsor between 1936 and 1939, resulting in a 21 feet (6.4 m) wide roadway between the two towns. A disjoint section of MD 31 was added in 1939 along Water Tank Road east of Manchester. The state highway, which extended from the eastern town limit of Manchester at Millers Station Road to Carrs Road, was removed from the state highway system in 1956.
The first section of MD 31 to be reconstructed was east 3 miles (4.8 km) from Libertytown between 1949 and 1951. The state highway was also widened and resurfaced within Westminster starting in 1952. Construction began on reconstructing and widening MD 31 from Manchester to Westminster in 1957. This project involved several relocations of the highway by the time it was completed in 1960; sections of old road became segments of MD 852, including MD 852G between Westminster and Mexico. MD 31 was relocated from New Windsor to southwest of Westminster between 1963 and 1965; the old highway, Old New Windsor Pike, became another segment of MD 852. The final relocation of MD 31 around Westminster occurred in 1967 when the highway was relocated between Old New Windsor Pike and what is now MD 140. The old roadway that headed toward Western Maryland College and ran parallel to the new roadway for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) became MD 852K. Also in 1967, MD 31 was removed from Manchester Road, which became a northward extension of MD 27. MD 31's most recent relocation occurred in New Windsor in 2007. MD 31 originally entered town from the southwest along High Street, then turned east at Main Street. MD 31 was rerouted to follow High Street north to Green Valley Road at MD 75's present terminus, follow Green Valley Road south to Main Street at MD 75's old terminus, then turn east onto Main Street. The stretch of Main Street between its two intersections with MD 31 was designated MD 831.
!County
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Frederick
|Libertytown
|0.00
|
|Western terminus
|-
|rowspan=8|Carroll
|Marston
|7.82
|
|
|-
|rowspan=4|New Windsor
|9.82
|Main Street
|Main Street east is unsigned MD 831J
|-
|9.98
|
|MD 31 turns south onto Green Valley Road
|-
|10.10
|Main Street west / Union Bridge Road south
|MD 31 turns east onto Main Street; Main Street west is unsigned MD 831J
|-
|10.87
|Old New Windsor Pike east
|rowspan=2|Unsigned MD 852
|-
|rowspan=3|Westminster
|14.11
|Old New Windsor Pike west
|-
|14.45
|Stone Chapel Road east
|Unsigned MD 852K
|-
|16.95
|
|Eastern terminus; no access from eastbound MD 31 to westbound MD 140. Westbound MD 140 is accessed via West Main Street / WMC Drive.
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 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 for most of its length as New Windsor Road, the state highway runs 16.95 miles (27.3 km) from MD 26
Maryland Route 26
Maryland Route 26 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Outside of the Baltimore city limits, it is known as Liberty Road; inside the city limits it is known as Liberty Heights Avenue....
in Libertytown
Libertytown, Maryland
Libertytown is an unincorporated community in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The Abraham Jones House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.-References:...
east to MD 140
Maryland Route 140
Maryland Route 140 is a local long route in northern Maryland, United States.-Route description:MD 140 is known by various names depending on location; south of Reisterstown it is known as Reisterstown Road. Though Reisterstown itself is named after John Reister, the road is named after Jacob...
in Westminster
Westminster, Maryland
Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV...
. MD 31 connects the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
s of Frederick
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
and Westminster via Libertytown in eastern Frederick County
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
and New Windsor
New Windsor, Maryland
New Windsor is a town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. It is a suburb of Westminster, which is about 6 miles east of New Windsor on Maryland Route 31. It contains many neighborhoods, the most known being the 100-acre Atlee Ridge, or "The...
in western Carroll County
Carroll County, Maryland
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 167,134. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Its county seat is Westminster....
. MD 31 originally extended from Frederick to Manchester
Manchester, Maryland
Manchester, Maryland, is a small incorporated town in Northeastern Carroll County, Maryland located on the Eastern coast of the United States of America just South of the Pennsylvania State line and North of Baltimore, Maryland...
, using the paths of what are now MD 26 and MD 27
Maryland Route 27
Maryland Route 27 is a state highway in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland.-Route description:MD 27, also known as Ridge Road and Manchester Road , begins in Germantown at MD 355...
. MD 26 assumed MD 31 west of Libertytown in 1933 and MD 27 took over MD 31's route north of Westminster in 1967. The Westminster–Manchester portion of the state highway was constructed as one of the original state roads in the early 1910s. The remainder of the highway was built in the early to mid-1920s. MD 31 was relocated north of Westminster in the late 1950s and south of Westminster in the mid-1960s. The bypassed sections of the state highway became parts of MD 852
Maryland Route 852
Maryland Route 852 is a collection of state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. These highways are service roads related to and sections of an old alignment of MD 31 between New Windsor and Manchester in Carroll County. Between Westminster and Manchester, the sections of MD 852 follow MD 27,...
.
Route description
MD 31 begins at an intersection with MD 26 (Liberty Road) on the eastern end of Libertytown. The state highway heads east as a two-lane road through farmland that passes through a pair of curves in the hamlet of Oak Orchard before crossing Sams Creek into Carroll County at Englars Mill. After intersecting MD 407Maryland Route 407
Maryland Route 407 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Marston Road, the state highway runs from MD 31 near Marston east to MD 27 near Taylorsville. MD 407 was constructed in the early to mid-1930s.-Route description:...
(Marston Road) near the village of Marston
Marston, Maryland
Marston is a small "ville" in Carroll County, Maryland situated at the three-way crossroads of Maryland Route 407 and Marston Road; it is at this point that Marston Road is divided into North and South. The ville is located south of New Windsor, the nearest major town. Taylorsville is relatively...
, MD 31 veers north and crosses Little Pipe Creek into the town of New Windsor. The state highway crosses the east–west line of the Maryland Midland Railway
Maryland Midland Railway
The Maryland Midland Railway is a Class III short-line railroad operating about 63 miles of track in central Maryland. It was originally headquartered in the former Western Maryland Railway station in Union Bridge, Maryland, however it is now located in a new facility across the street from the...
and heads north through the New Windsor Historic District
New Windsor Historic District
New Windsor Historic District is a national historic district at New Windsor, Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The district contains a wide variety of domestic, commercial, public, educational, and religious resources reflecting the development of the town from its founding in 1796 up to...
as High Street. A short distance north of Main Street, which heads east as unsigned MD 831J
Maryland Route 831
Maryland Route 831 is a collection of unsigned state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. Eight of the nine highways are sections of the old alignment of MD 36 between Frostburg and Cumberland in northwestern Allegany County. The segments of MD 831 range from MD 831A at MD 36's northern...
, MD 31 veers east to an intersection with Green Valley Road, which heads north as MD 75
Maryland Route 75
Maryland Route 75 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Green Valley Road, the state highway runs from MD 355 near Hyattstown north to MD 31 in New Windsor...
. MD 31 turns south onto Green Valley Road, then turns east onto Main Street one block east of its previous intersection with Main Street.
Prior to leaving the town of New Windsor, MD 31 intersects Springdale Road, passes the historic Avalon
Avalon (New Windsor, Maryland)
Avalon is a historic home located near New Windsor, Carroll County, Maryland. It is a -story, early-19th-century brick house constructed c. 1814, and reflecting Neoclassical architecture influence....
and its old alignment, which is named Old New Windsor Road and is unsigned MD 852. The old alignment parallels the present alignment to the north through the Wakefield Valley. MD 31 crosses Turkeyfoot Run and briefly parallels the railroad before meeting the other end of MD 852 near the Wakefield Valley Golf Course and the historic home Farm Content
Farm Content
Farm Content is a historic home located at Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, United States. It is a two story brick structure, five bays wide at the principal façade and built about 1795...
. Adjacent to Avondale
Avondale (Westminster, Maryland)
Avondale is a historic home located at Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland. It is a Georgian style, -story brick house, measuring approximately 45 feet long by feet deep, built about 1796. The house has a two-story wing measuring approximately 49 feet long by 13 feet deep...
and just east of Little Pipe Creek, MD 31 intersects Stone Chapel Road, which is part of MD 852K; MD 852K heads east as another section of old alignment also named New Windsor Road. The old alignment closely parallels the present alignment immediately to the south as the two roads approach the city limit of Westminster, where MD 31 veers north and MD 852K continues northeast to its terminus in the Western Maryland College Historic District
Western Maryland College Historic District
Western Maryland College Historic District is a national historic district at Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, United States. It is situated within the confines of the present 100-plus acre college campus of McDaniel College and comprises an area of about three acres at its southeast corner...
. MD 31 intersects Uniontown Road and Main Street / WMC Drive west of downtown Westminster and passes along the western edge of the McDaniel College
McDaniel College
McDaniel College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Westminster, Maryland, located 30 miles northwest of Baltimore. The college also has a satellite campus located in Budapest, Hungary. Until July 2002, it was known as Western Maryland College...
campus before reaching its northern terminus at MD 140 (College View Boulevard). There is no direct access from eastbound MD 31 to northbound MD 140 at the terminal intersection; traffic heading toward Taneytown
Taneytown, Maryland
Taneytown is a city in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,128 at the 2000 census. was founded in 1754. Of the town George Washington once wrote "Tan-nee town is but a small place with only the Street through wch. the road passes, built on...
must use WMC Drive to access northbound MD 140.
History
MD 31 was one of the original Maryland state-numbered highways in 1927. In addition to connecting Libertytown and Westminster, MD 31 originally connected Frederick with Libertytown along what is now MD 26 and Westminster and Manchester along what is now MD 27. The state highway from Frederick to New Windsor mostly followed the path of a series of turnpikes: the Frederick and Woodsboro Turnpike from the split with the Frederick and Emmitsburg Turnpike north of Frederick to Ceresville; the Liberty and Frederick Turnpike from Ceresville to Libertytown; and the Liberty and New Windsor Turnpike from a point east of Libertytown directly north of Unionville to New Windsor. The highway from Westminster to Manchester was designated one of the original state roads by the Maryland State Roads Commission in 1909. The highway was completed from the Westminster city limit north to Cranberry Station on the Western Maryland RailwayWestern Maryland Railway
The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM became part of the Chessie System in 1973 and ceased operating its lines...
(now Maryland Midland Railway) in 1911. The road was extended to just south of Mexico in 1913; in addition, construction on the state road began from the Manchester end. The gap between Mexico and south of Manchester was filled in 1914.
MD 31 from Westminster to New Windsor was started in 1919; the 15 feet (4.6 m) wide concrete road between the two towns was completed by 1921. Other portions of the state highway completed in 1921 included concrete within the town of Manchester and a macadam highway from north of Frederick to Libertytown. By 1923, concrete roads were constructed from just east of Libertytown to north of Unionville and for 1 miles (1.6 km) south from New Windsor. MD 31 was completed between Libertytown and New Windsor in 1926. In 1933, MD 31 was truncated at Libertytown; the Frederick–Libertytown road became a westward extension of MD 26. The state highway was widened with a pair of 3 foot (0.9144 m) macadam shoulders from Westminster to New Windsor between 1936 and 1939, resulting in a 21 feet (6.4 m) wide roadway between the two towns. A disjoint section of MD 31 was added in 1939 along Water Tank Road east of Manchester. The state highway, which extended from the eastern town limit of Manchester at Millers Station Road to Carrs Road, was removed from the state highway system in 1956.
The first section of MD 31 to be reconstructed was east 3 miles (4.8 km) from Libertytown between 1949 and 1951. The state highway was also widened and resurfaced within Westminster starting in 1952. Construction began on reconstructing and widening MD 31 from Manchester to Westminster in 1957. This project involved several relocations of the highway by the time it was completed in 1960; sections of old road became segments of MD 852, including MD 852G between Westminster and Mexico. MD 31 was relocated from New Windsor to southwest of Westminster between 1963 and 1965; the old highway, Old New Windsor Pike, became another segment of MD 852. The final relocation of MD 31 around Westminster occurred in 1967 when the highway was relocated between Old New Windsor Pike and what is now MD 140. The old roadway that headed toward Western Maryland College and ran parallel to the new roadway for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) became MD 852K. Also in 1967, MD 31 was removed from Manchester Road, which became a northward extension of MD 27. MD 31's most recent relocation occurred in New Windsor in 2007. MD 31 originally entered town from the southwest along High Street, then turned east at Main Street. MD 31 was rerouted to follow High Street north to Green Valley Road at MD 75's present terminus, follow Green Valley Road south to Main Street at MD 75's old terminus, then turn east onto Main Street. The stretch of Main Street between its two intersections with MD 31 was designated MD 831.
Junction list
{|class=wikitable!County
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Frederick
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
|Libertytown
Libertytown, Maryland
Libertytown is an unincorporated community in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The Abraham Jones House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.-References:...
|0.00
|
|Western terminus
|-
|rowspan=8|Carroll
Carroll County, Maryland
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 167,134. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Its county seat is Westminster....
|Marston
Marston, Maryland
Marston is a small "ville" in Carroll County, Maryland situated at the three-way crossroads of Maryland Route 407 and Marston Road; it is at this point that Marston Road is divided into North and South. The ville is located south of New Windsor, the nearest major town. Taylorsville is relatively...
|7.82
|
|
|-
|rowspan=4|New Windsor
New Windsor, Maryland
New Windsor is a town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. It is a suburb of Westminster, which is about 6 miles east of New Windsor on Maryland Route 31. It contains many neighborhoods, the most known being the 100-acre Atlee Ridge, or "The...
|9.82
|Main Street
|Main Street east is unsigned MD 831J
Maryland Route 831
Maryland Route 831 is a collection of unsigned state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. Eight of the nine highways are sections of the old alignment of MD 36 between Frostburg and Cumberland in northwestern Allegany County. The segments of MD 831 range from MD 831A at MD 36's northern...
|-
|9.98
|
|MD 31 turns south onto Green Valley Road
|-
|10.10
|Main Street west / Union Bridge Road south
|MD 31 turns east onto Main Street; Main Street west is unsigned MD 831J
Maryland Route 831
Maryland Route 831 is a collection of unsigned state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. Eight of the nine highways are sections of the old alignment of MD 36 between Frostburg and Cumberland in northwestern Allegany County. The segments of MD 831 range from MD 831A at MD 36's northern...
|-
|10.87
|Old New Windsor Pike east
|rowspan=2|Unsigned MD 852
Maryland Route 852
Maryland Route 852 is a collection of state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. These highways are service roads related to and sections of an old alignment of MD 31 between New Windsor and Manchester in Carroll County. Between Westminster and Manchester, the sections of MD 852 follow MD 27,...
|-
|rowspan=3|Westminster
Westminster, Maryland
Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV...
|14.11
|Old New Windsor Pike west
|-
|14.45
|Stone Chapel Road east
|Unsigned MD 852K
Maryland Route 852
Maryland Route 852 is a collection of state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. These highways are service roads related to and sections of an old alignment of MD 31 between New Windsor and Manchester in Carroll County. Between Westminster and Manchester, the sections of MD 852 follow MD 27,...
|-
|16.95
|
|Eastern terminus; no access from eastbound MD 31 to westbound MD 140. Westbound MD 140 is accessed via West Main Street / WMC Drive.