Maryland Route 26

Maryland Route 26
Liberty Road, Liberty Heights Avenue
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA, Baltimore DOT
Length:	44.10 mi[1][2][3][4] (70.97 km)
Major junctions
West end:	US 15 in Frederick
	MD 194 near Walkersville MD 550 in Libertytown MD 75 in Libertytown MD 31 in Libertytown MD 27 in Franklinville MD 97 in Dorsey Crossroads MD 32 in Eldersburg I-695 in Randallstown
East end:	MD 140 in Baltimore
Highway system
Maryland highway system Interstate • US • State • Minor • Former • Turnpikes ← MD 25 MD 27 →

Maryland Route 26 (MD 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.

The route is the only east–west thoroughfare in Eldersburg; as a result, it is often congested during peak hours.

Route description

From the east, MD 26 begins as Liberty Heights Avenue at MD 129, which at that point is known as Swann Drive and runs along the perimeter of Druid Hill Park. A block later, at Mondawmin Mall and Metro Station, the road curves a little to the right, and then continues 3.6 miles (5.8 km) to Kelox Road, where it changes name to Liberty Road. Traffic is heaviest between Washington Avenue and Rolling Road during the day.

From here, in the Lochearn area, the route becomes suburban in character, and continues 6.7 miles (10.8 km) through the Milford Mill and Randallstown areas before narrowing down to two lanes.

After crossing the Liberty Reservoir (about 11 miles (18 km) from the Baltimore City/County line), the road enters Carroll County, widening again into a four-lane road through the Eldersburg area, particularly as it passes the area's commercial development and the major intersection at Maryland Route 32.

The road continues west until its end at an interchange with US 15 in Frederick. The route is a major thoroughfare in Carroll and Frederick and counties, serving many small towns between Baltimore and Frederick.

Major bridges

Route 26 has a long crossing of the Liberty Reservoir between Baltimore and Carroll Counties. The bridge is divided into two sections.

There is also a crossing of the Monocacy River, which in a westbound direction, has an arch-bridge structure.

Public transportation

In Baltimore City and County, there are two main bus lines operated by the Maryland Transit Administration along MD 26.

• Route 52 operates from the beginning of Liberty Heights Avenue at the Mondawmin Metro Subway Station in Baltimore City to the intersection of Liberty and Rolling Roads, then loops via Rolling, Church Lane, and Milford Mill Road. Service operates every 8–22 minutes, depending on the time of day.
• Route 54 provides service from Milford Mill Road to a loop near Chapman Road (across from Liberty Ford) in Randallstown, and connects to the Metro Subway along Milford Mill Road. Service is provided every 20–30 minutes at most times, depending on the time of day.
• Route 77 also overlaps with Route 54 line between Milford Mill and Old Court Roads. In addition, several other bus lines operate on various streets intersecting with Liberty Road inside of Baltimore City line. These include routes 51 on Hilton Street, 91 on Garrison Boulevard, 57 on Gwynn Oak Avenue, and 44 on Rogers Avenue.
• TransIT (Frederick County's transit service) provides service on Route 85 to the Wal-Mart at the end of MD-26 in Frederick.

There is no public transportation anywhere on Liberty Road west of the Chapman Road loop. Efforts to initiate such service in the past have failed, mostly due to community opposition.

History

Maryland Route 26 served as a primary route connecting Baltimore to Frederick prior to the arrival of US 40 and I-70. At one time, MD 31 ran to Frederick and MD 26 began when MD 31 turned north to New Windsor and Westminster.

Junction list

County	Location	Mile [1][2][3][4]	Road	Notes
Frederick	Frederick	0.00	US 15 (Catoctin Mountain Highway)	Western terminus, interchange
		0.54	Wormans Mill Road	Former MD 355
		2.20	MD 194 north (Woodsboro Pike)	Southern terminus of MD 194
	Libertytown	9.35	MD 550 north (Woodsboro Road)	Southern terminus of MD 550
		9.69	MD 75 (Green Valley Road)
		10.11	MD 31 east (New Windsor Road)
Carroll	Taylorsville	18.32	MD 27 (Ridge Road)
	Freedom	23.04	MD 97 (Old Washington Road)	Interchange
	Eldersburg	26.62	MD 32 (Sykesville Road)
Baltimore	Randallstown	36.67	Old Court Road
	Milford	38.64	I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) – Towson, Glen Burnie	Interchange
Baltimore City		44.10	MD 140 (Reisterstown Road)	Eastern terminus

Related routes

• U.S. Route 15
• Maryland Route 140
• Maryland Route 31

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Highway Location Reference: Frederick County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2008. http://apps.roads.maryland.gov/KeepingCurrent/performTrafficStudies/dataAndStats/hwyLocationRef/2008_hlr_all/co10.pdf. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Highway Location Reference: Carroll County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2008. http://apps.roads.maryland.gov/KeepingCurrent/performTrafficStudies/dataAndStats/hwyLocationRef/2008_hlr_all/co06.pdf. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Highway Location Reference: Baltimore County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2008. http://apps.roads.maryland.gov/KeepingCurrent/performTrafficStudies/dataAndStats/hwyLocationRef/2008_hlr_all/co03.pdf. Retrieved 2010-02-27. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Highway Location Reference: Baltimore City" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2005. http://apps.roads.maryland.gov/KeepingCurrent/performTrafficStudies/dataAndStats/hwyLocationRef/2005_hlr_all/co24.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-15. 

External links

• MD 26 @ MDRoads.com
• Key points on MD-26 on Google Street View
  • Beginning of route in Baltimore City
  • Baltimore City/County line
  • Interchange with I-695
  • Crossing over Liberty Reservoir (Baltimore/Carroll County Line)