Maryland Route 543
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 543 is a state highway
in the U.S. state
of Maryland
. The state highway runs 19.08 miles (30.7 km) from U.S. Route 40
(US 40) in Riverside north to MD 165
in Pylesville
. MD 543 is a north–south highway through central Harford County
that connects the communities of Creswell
, Fountain Green, Hickory and Ady with the county's four main east–west highways: U.S. Route 40
, Interstate 95
(I-95), MD 22
, and US 1
.
MD 543 was originally constructed in the early 1930s from Hickory to north of Ady, where the highway followed part of what is now MD 646
. The state highway swapped routes with MD 646 to end in Pylesville by 1946. MD 543 was extended south in three steps to MD 7
in the 1950s. The state highway was rerouted at its southern end when I-95 was constructed in the early 1960s and again when the highway's interchange with the Interstate was built in the early 1990s. MD 543 was extended south through Riverside to US 40 in the mid 1990s.
's Philadelphia Subdivision. MD 543 heads northwest as Riverside Parkway, a partially-controlled access two-lane highway between residential subdivisions. The state highway expands to a four-lane divided highway immediately before Church Creek Road and enters a commercial area. After intersecting MD 7 (Philadelphia Road), MD 543's name changes to Creswell Road and the highway meets I-95 (John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway) at a diamond interchange
. The state highway reduces to a two-lane road at its intersection with county-maintained Creswell Road.
MD 543 continues northwest and traverses James Run within the Harford Furnace Historic District
. The state highway passes the historic homes Fair Meadows
and Best Endeavor
in the rural community of Creswell. After intersecting MD 136
(Calvary Road), MD 543 continues northwest as Fountain Green Road, which crosses over a branch of Bynum Run and passes the historic homes Mount Adams
and Broom's Bloom
. The state highway expands to a three-lane road with center turn lane as the highway becomes lined with residential subdivisions in the suburban community of Fountain Green. MD 543 reduces to two lanes after intersecting MD 22 (Churchville Road) in the center of the community. The state highway continues northwest through a mix of residential subdivisions, farmland, and forest on the way to Hickory, where MD 543 intersects US 1 (Hickory Bypass) and US 1 Business
(Conowingo Road) in rapid succession.
MD 543 continues north as Ady Road into rural areas. Just before crossing Deer Creek
, the state highway intersects Walters Mill Road, which provides access to the historic D. H. Springhouse
. MD 543 continues north and intersects MD 440
(Dublin Road) and MD 646 (Prospect Road) in the hamlets of Ady and Emory Church, respectively. MD 543 parallels Broad Creek
and intersects Highland Road, which heads west from the state highway to serve the village of Street
, as the highway continues northwest to Pylesville. In Pylesville, the state highway intersects Old Pylesville Road and crosses a tributary of Broad Creek before reaching its northern terminus at MD 165 (Pylesville Road).
By 1946, MD 543 and MD 646 had swapped to their present routes north from Emory Church toward Pylesville and Mill Green, respectively. Fountain Green Road was reconstructed from Fountain Green to Hickory between 1950 and 1952, at which time MD 543 was extended south to Fountain Green. By 1954, MD 543 assumed the course of MD 634 from Fountain Green to Creswell. Creswell Road was constructed as a modern highway in 1950; MD 543 was extended southeast from Creswell to MD 7 a short distance east of the present MD 7–MD 543 intersection in 1956, the same year MD 158 was removed from the state highway system.
When I-95 was constructed in 1963, Creswell Road was cut in two near MD 543's southern terminus. MD 543 was rerouted onto Belcamp Road, which did cross over I-95, south to its intersection with MD 7. MD 543 was moved to its present alignment from its intersection with the county-maintained portion of Creswell Road south to MD 7 in Riverside when the highway's interchange with I-95 was completed in 1991. Riverside Parkway's bridge over CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision and US 40 was completed in 1995. MD 543 was extended south over Riverside Parkway from MD 7 to its present terminus at US 40 around 1997.
.
{|class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|Riverside
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus
|-
|1.47
|
|
|-
|1.70
|
|I-95 Exit 80
|-
|Creswell
|3.63
|
|
|-
|Fountain Green
|7.37
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Hickory
|10.17
|
|
|-
|10.43
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Ady
|14.99
|
|
|-
|15.92
|
|
|-
|Pylesville
|19.08
|
|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...
. The state highway runs 19.08 miles (30.7 km) from U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 in Maryland
U.S. Route 40 in the U.S. state of Maryland runs from western Maryland to Cecil County in the state's northeastern corner. With a total length of over , it is the longest numbered highway in Maryland. Almost half of the road overlaps with Interstate 68 or Interstate 70, while the old alignment...
(US 40) in Riverside north to MD 165
Maryland Route 165
Maryland Route 165 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from Baldwin north to the Pennsylvania state line in Cardiff, where the highway continues as Pennsylvania Route 74 . MD 165 passes through western and northern Harford County, where it connects the...
in Pylesville
Pylesville, Maryland
Pylesville is an unincorporated community in Harford County, in the Baltimore metro area of the state of Maryland in the United States. Governed at the county level, the area has a population of around 2000. Until 1958, this community was served by the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad at milepost...
. MD 543 is a north–south highway through central Harford County
Harford County, Maryland
Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...
that connects the communities of Creswell
Creswell, Maryland
Creswell is an unincorporated community in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Fair Meadows was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.-References:...
, Fountain Green, Hickory and Ady with the county's four main east–west highways: U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 in Maryland
U.S. Route 40 in the U.S. state of Maryland runs from western Maryland to Cecil County in the state's northeastern corner. With a total length of over , it is the longest numbered highway in Maryland. Almost half of the road overlaps with Interstate 68 or Interstate 70, while the old alignment...
, Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
(I-95), MD 22
Maryland Route 22
Maryland Route 22 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 Business and MD 924 in Bel Air east to an entrance to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen. MD 22 is the main connection between the county seat of Bel Air and Aberdeen, which is the...
, and US 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...
.
MD 543 was originally constructed in the early 1930s from Hickory to north of Ady, where the highway followed part of what is now MD 646
Maryland Route 646
Maryland Route 646 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Prospect Road, the state highway runs from MD 543 near Ady north to MD 136 in Prospect. MD 646 was constructed as a section of MD 543 in the early 1930s...
. The state highway swapped routes with MD 646 to end in Pylesville by 1946. MD 543 was extended south in three steps to MD 7
Maryland Route 7
Maryland Route 7 is a collection of state highways in the U.S. state of Maryland. These highways are sections of old alignment of U.S. Route 40 between Baltimore and Elkton that were bypassed when US 40 was moved to Pulaski Highway, a four-lane divided highway, in the late 1930s and early 1940s...
in the 1950s. The state highway was rerouted at its southern end when I-95 was constructed in the early 1960s and again when the highway's interchange with the Interstate was built in the early 1990s. MD 543 was extended south through Riverside to US 40 in the mid 1990s.
Route description
MD 543 begins at an intersection with US 40 (Pulaski Highway) in an industrial area of Riverside. The state highway initially heads southeast from US 40, then curves clockwise 180 degrees toward the northwest to cross over US 40 and CSXCSX 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 Philadelphia Subdivision. MD 543 heads northwest as Riverside Parkway, a partially-controlled access two-lane highway between residential subdivisions. The state highway expands to a four-lane divided highway immediately before Church Creek Road and enters a commercial area. After intersecting MD 7 (Philadelphia Road), MD 543's name changes to Creswell Road and the highway meets I-95 (John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway) at a diamond interchange
Diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
. The state highway reduces to a two-lane road at its intersection with county-maintained Creswell Road.
MD 543 continues northwest and traverses James Run within the Harford Furnace Historic District
Harford Furnace Historic District
Harford Furnace Historic District is a national historic district at Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, United States. It consists of five standing structures and several archeological sites associated with the operation of the iron furnace which began about 1830 and continued to function until...
. The state highway passes the historic homes Fair Meadows
Fair Meadows (Creswell, Maryland)
Fair Meadows is a historic home located at Creswell, Harford County, Maryland. It is a -story Second Empire–style house constructed in 1868 for the last owner of Harford Furnace, Clement Dietrich. The house is constructed of irregularly laid ashlar and features a mansard roof, cupola, dormers with...
and Best Endeavor
Best Endeavor
Best Endeavor, also known as Buena Vista Farm, is a historic home and farm complex located at Churchville, Harford County, Maryland. It is a large, multi-sectioned, mid to late 18th century, partially stuccoed stone telescope house...
in the rural community of Creswell. After intersecting MD 136
Maryland Route 136
Maryland Route 136 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from MD 7 near Abingdon north to MD 23 in Norrisville. MD 136 is an L-shaped route that connects the communities of Creswell, Churchville, Dublin, and Whiteford in eastern Harford County with each other...
(Calvary Road), MD 543 continues northwest as Fountain Green Road, which crosses over a branch of Bynum Run and passes the historic homes Mount Adams
Mount Adams (Bel Air, Maryland)
Mount Adams, also known as The Mount, is a historic home and farm complex located at Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, United States. The complex consists of a working farm, originally part of Broom's Bloom, centered around a large, multi-sectioned, -story frame house built in 1817 in the Federal...
and Broom's Bloom
Broom's Bloom
Broom's Bloom is a historic home located at Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, United States. It is a two-story, frame and rubblestone, gable-roofed house, partially stuccoed and partially shingled. It took its present form from four distinct and discernable periods of growth, from about 1747 to...
. The state highway expands to a three-lane road with center turn lane as the highway becomes lined with residential subdivisions in the suburban community of Fountain Green. MD 543 reduces to two lanes after intersecting MD 22 (Churchville Road) in the center of the community. The state highway continues northwest through a mix of residential subdivisions, farmland, and forest on the way to Hickory, where MD 543 intersects US 1 (Hickory Bypass) and US 1 Business
U.S. Route 1 Business (Bel Air, Maryland)
U.S. Route 1 Business is a business route of U.S. Route 1 in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from US 1 and Maryland Route 147 in Benson north to US 1 near Hickory. US 1 Business is the old alignment of US 1 through Bel Air, the county seat of Harford County. US 1 was originally...
(Conowingo Road) in rapid succession.
MD 543 continues north as Ady Road into rural areas. Just before crossing Deer Creek
Deer Creek (Maryland)
Deer Creek is a river in Maryland that flows through the scenic areas of Harford County and empties into the Susquehanna River, roughly halfway between the Interstate 95 bridge and Conowingo Dam...
, the state highway intersects Walters Mill Road, which provides access to the historic D. H. Springhouse
D. H. Springhouse
D. H. Springhouse is a historic springhouse located at Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland. It is a little gray stone building set into the base of a steep hill. This is a stone springhouse with a schoolroom above, 16.5 feet by 23 feet, with one narrow wall set into the bank over several fresh springs...
. MD 543 continues north and intersects MD 440
Maryland Route 440
Maryland Route 440 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Dublin Road, the state highway runs from MD 543 in Ady east to U.S. Route 1 near Dublin. MD 440 was built between Ady and MD 136 in Dublin in the early 1930s and extended to US 1 in 1956.-Route description:MD 440...
(Dublin Road) and MD 646 (Prospect Road) in the hamlets of Ady and Emory Church, respectively. MD 543 parallels Broad Creek
Broad Creek (Susquehanna River)
Broad Creek is a tributary of the lower Susquehanna River located in Harford County, Maryland.Broad Creek originates on the west side of Constitution Road, just south of the Pennsylvania state line. It runs generally south-southeast for to the Conowingo Reservoir along the Susquehanna...
and intersects Highland Road, which heads west from the state highway to serve the village of Street
Street, Maryland
Street, Maryland is a rural unincorporated area in Northern Harford County, Maryland. Street was first settled by Dutch immigrants in the early 18th century.One of the central villages in Street is Highland...
, as the highway continues northwest to Pylesville. In Pylesville, the state highway intersects Old Pylesville Road and crosses a tributary of Broad Creek before reaching its northern terminus at MD 165 (Pylesville Road).
History
MD 543 follows or has followed the courses of MD 158, MD 634, and MD 646 in addition to its own number. The earliest predecessor highway of MD 543 was MD 158 (Belcamp Road), which ran from the community of Belcamp on the Bush River a short distance west of MD 543's present southern terminus north to Creswell Road just north of I-95. Belcamp Road was constructed under state aid as a 12 feet (3.7 m) wide macadam road by 1915. MD 543 itself was constructed in four sections between 1930 and 1933: US 1 in Hickory to Deer Creek, Deer Creek to MD 440 in Ady, MD 440 to the MD 646 intersection at Emory Church, and along modern MD 646 from Emory Church to just north of Mill Green. MD 646 was originally assigned to the highway from Emory Church to Pylesville that was constructed around 1938. Another predecessor highway, MD 634, was under construction by 1936 and completed by 1938 from Creswell to Fountain Green.By 1946, MD 543 and MD 646 had swapped to their present routes north from Emory Church toward Pylesville and Mill Green, respectively. Fountain Green Road was reconstructed from Fountain Green to Hickory between 1950 and 1952, at which time MD 543 was extended south to Fountain Green. By 1954, MD 543 assumed the course of MD 634 from Fountain Green to Creswell. Creswell Road was constructed as a modern highway in 1950; MD 543 was extended southeast from Creswell to MD 7 a short distance east of the present MD 7–MD 543 intersection in 1956, the same year MD 158 was removed from the state highway system.
When I-95 was constructed in 1963, Creswell Road was cut in two near MD 543's southern terminus. MD 543 was rerouted onto Belcamp Road, which did cross over I-95, south to its intersection with MD 7. MD 543 was moved to its present alignment from its intersection with the county-maintained portion of Creswell Road south to MD 7 in Riverside when the highway's interchange with I-95 was completed in 1991. Riverside Parkway's bridge over CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision and US 40 was completed in 1995. MD 543 was extended south over Riverside Parkway from MD 7 to its present terminus at US 40 around 1997.
Junction list
The entire route is in Harford CountyHarford County, Maryland
Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...
.
{|class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|Riverside
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus
|-
|1.47
|
|
|-
|1.70
|
|I-95 Exit 80
|-
|Creswell
Creswell, Maryland
Creswell is an unincorporated community in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Fair Meadows was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.-References:...
|3.63
|
|
|-
|Fountain Green
|7.37
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Hickory
|10.17
|
|
|-
|10.43
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Ady
|14.99
|
|
|-
|15.92
|
|
|-
|Pylesville
Pylesville, Maryland
Pylesville is an unincorporated community in Harford County, in the Baltimore metro area of the state of Maryland in the United States. Governed at the county level, the area has a population of around 2000. Until 1958, this community was served by the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad at milepost...
|19.08
|
|Northern terminus