Maryland Route 500
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 500 is a state highway
in the U.S. state
of Maryland
. Known as Queens Chapel Road, the state highway runs 2.22 mi (3.6 km) from Michigan Avenue at the Washington, D.C.
border in Chillum
east to MD 410
in Hyattsville
. MD 500 is a commuter route between the District of Columbia and Hyattsville. The state highway also provides access to the West Hyattsville
and Prince George's Plaza
stations of the Washington Metro
. MD 500 was constructed in two segments: MD 210 from D.C. to Ager Road in West Hyattsville in the 1920s, and MD 500 from Hamilton Street in West Hyattsville to U.S. Route 1
(US 1) in University Park
in the early 1930s. By the mid 1940s, MD 500 took over the length of MD 210. The state highway was straightened out through West Hyattsville and made a divided highway to the D.C. border in the 1950s. The Hamilton Street to MD 410 segment was made a divided highway in the 1970s. MD 500's eastern terminus was rolled back to MD 410 in 1988 to allow Metro
to be constructed underneath Queens Chapel Road through the city of University Park; the citizens of University Park made the closure permanent in 1993, shortly after the subway was completed through the town.
in Chillum. The highway continues into the District of Columbia as Michigan Avenue. MD 500 heads northeast as a four-lane divided highway with a speed limit of 35 mph (56.3 km/h). The state highway turns north and forms the western boundary of Mount Rainier
as the highway intersects MD 501
(Chillum Road). Chillum Road also heads into Mount Rainier as a county highway. MD 500 crosses Northwest Branch
and enters the city of Hyattsville. The state highway turns to the northeast where Ager Road, which leads to the West Hyattsville Metro Station, splits to the north. There is no direct access between Ager Road south and MD 500 east. The missing connection is provided at the intersection with MD 208
(Hamilton Street) and county-maintained Hamilton Street. MD 500 continues northeast through a residential area of Hyattsville through the intersection with Queensbury Road and Belcrest Road. Belcrest Road provides access to the Prince George's Plaza Metro Station. Shortly thereafter, the state highway reaches its northern terminus at MD 410 (East–West Highway). County-maintained Adelphi Road continues north on the other side of the intersection.
of the Washington Metro. This closure through University Park became permanent after a town referendum in 1993. The western end of Queens Chapel Road in the town is a cul-de-sac
, while the eastern end is exit only from the town street to US 1.
.
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 Queens Chapel Road, the state highway runs 2.22 mi (3.6 km) from Michigan Avenue at the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
border in Chillum
Chillum, Maryland
Chillum is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 34,252 at the 2000 census...
east to MD 410
Maryland Route 410
Maryland Route 410 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as East–West Highway, the highway runs from MD 355 in Bethesda east to Pennsy Drive in Landover Hills...
in Hyattsville
Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845...
. MD 500 is a commuter route between the District of Columbia and Hyattsville. The state highway also provides access to the West Hyattsville
West Hyattsville (Washington Metro)
West Hyattsville is a Washington Metro station in Prince George's County, Maryland on the Green Line. It is the first station in Maryland going northeast on the Green Line....
and Prince George's Plaza
Prince George's Plaza (Washington Metro)
Prince George's Plaza is a Washington Metro station in Prince George's County, Maryland on the Green Line.The station is located in a commercial area of Hyattsville near The Mall at Prince Georges, which, prior to receiving its current name in November 2004, was called Prince George's Plaza, at...
stations of the Washington Metro
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
. MD 500 was constructed in two segments: MD 210 from D.C. to Ager Road in West Hyattsville in the 1920s, and MD 500 from Hamilton Street in West Hyattsville to U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...
(US 1) in University Park
University Park, Maryland
University Park is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,318 at the 2000 census.-Geography:University Park is located at ....
in the early 1930s. By the mid 1940s, MD 500 took over the length of MD 210. The state highway was straightened out through West Hyattsville and made a divided highway to the D.C. border in the 1950s. The Hamilton Street to MD 410 segment was made a divided highway in the 1970s. MD 500's eastern terminus was rolled back to MD 410 in 1988 to allow Metro
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
to be constructed underneath Queens Chapel Road through the city of University Park; the citizens of University Park made the closure permanent in 1993, shortly after the subway was completed through the town.
Route description
MD 500 begins at Eastern AvenueEastern Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
Eastern Avenue is one of three boundary streets between Washington, D.C., and the state of Maryland. It follows a northwest-to-southeast line, beginning at the intersection of 16th Street NW and Colesville Road...
in Chillum. The highway continues into the District of Columbia as Michigan Avenue. MD 500 heads northeast as a four-lane divided highway with a speed limit of 35 mph (56.3 km/h). The state highway turns north and forms the western boundary of Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier, Maryland
Mount Rainier is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,498 at the 2000 census. Bordering Washington, DC, Mount Rainier got its start as a streetcar suburb. According to local tradition, surveyors from the Pacific Northwest named the town, giving the...
as the highway intersects MD 501
Maryland Route 501
Maryland Route 501 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Chillum Road, the state highway runs from MD 212 east to MD 500 within Chillum. MD 501 was constructed in the early 1930s.-Route description:...
(Chillum Road). Chillum Road also heads into Mount Rainier as a county highway. MD 500 crosses Northwest Branch
Northwest Branch Anacostia River
Northwest Branch Anacostia River is a free-flowing stream in Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland. It is a tributary of the Anacostia River, which flows to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.-Course:...
and enters the city of Hyattsville. The state highway turns to the northeast where Ager Road, which leads to the West Hyattsville Metro Station, splits to the north. There is no direct access between Ager Road south and MD 500 east. The missing connection is provided at the intersection with MD 208
Maryland Route 208
Maryland Route 208 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 1 Alt in Cottage City north to Maryland Route 500 in Hyattsville.-Route description:...
(Hamilton Street) and county-maintained Hamilton Street. MD 500 continues northeast through a residential area of Hyattsville through the intersection with Queensbury Road and Belcrest Road. Belcrest Road provides access to the Prince George's Plaza Metro Station. Shortly thereafter, the state highway reaches its northern terminus at MD 410 (East–West Highway). County-maintained Adelphi Road continues north on the other side of the intersection.
History
Queens Chapel Road between the District of Columbia and Ager Road in Hyattsville was paved by 1927. The section between Hamilton Street and US 1 in University Park was completed by 1933. At the time, the first section was marked as MD 210 while the second segment was designated MD 500. North of the crossing of Northwest Branch, MD 210 turned north on Ager Road to meet MD 209, which followed Hamilton Street a short distance east to MD 500. By 1946, MD 500 replaced MD 210 on the western section of Queens Chapel Road and MD 209 had been assumed by MD 410. MD 500 was made a divided highway between the District and West Hyattsville and was placed on a new, straight alignment through West Hyattsville, bypassing Ager Road and Hamilton Street, in 1950. The divided highway was extended east through Hamilton Street in 1956 and to the intersection with MD 410 in the 1970s. MD 500 was expanded to six lanes between D.C. and MD 410 in the late 1980s, but was restriped for four lanes over that stretch in 2005. The state highway between MD 410 and US 1 was temporarily closed to through traffic in 1988 due to construction of the Green LineGreen Line (Washington Metro)
The Green Line is one of five heavy rail subway lines that constitute the Washington Metro rapid transit system in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The Green Line consists of 21 stations, with termini at Branch Avenue and at Greenbelt. The Green Line runs through Prince George's County,...
of the Washington Metro. This closure through University Park became permanent after a town referendum in 1993. The western end of Queens Chapel Road in the town is a cul-de-sac
Cul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
, while the eastern end is exit only from the town street to US 1.
Junction list
The entire route is in Prince George's CountyPrince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
.
| Location | Mile |
Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chillum Chillum, Maryland Chillum is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 34,252 at the 2000 census... |
0.00 | Michigan Avenue west – Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
Western terminus |
| Eastern Avenue Eastern Avenue (Washington, D.C.) Eastern Avenue is one of three boundary streets between Washington, D.C., and the state of Maryland. It follows a northwest-to-southeast line, beginning at the intersection of 16th Street NW and Colesville Road... |
|||
| 0.74 | / Chillum Road east – Mount Rainier Mount Rainier, Maryland Mount Rainier is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,498 at the 2000 census. Bordering Washington, DC, Mount Rainier got its start as a streetcar suburb. According to local tradition, surveyors from the Pacific Northwest named the town, giving the... |
||
| Hyattsville Hyattsville, Maryland Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845... |
0.93 | Ager Road – Chillum Chillum, Maryland Chillum is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 34,252 at the 2000 census... |
Old alignment of MD 500; no access from Ager Road east to MD 500 east |
| 1.16 | / Hamilton Street west – Brentwood Brentwood, Maryland Brentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,844 at the 2000 census. Brentwood is less than away from Washington, DC... |
Old alignment of MD 500 | |
| 2.22 | Eastern terminus | ||
| Adelphi Road – University Park University Park, Maryland University Park is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,318 at the 2000 census.-Geography:University Park is located at .... , University of Maryland, College Park University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C... |