Maryland Route 254

Maryland Route 254 (MD 254) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Cobb Island Road, the state highway runs 1.25 miles (2.01 km) 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 southern end of Charles County. The state highway was constructed as Maryland Route 533 in the early 1930s. The state highway was rebuilt and renumbered as MD 254 in the 1950s.

This article is about the current Maryland Route 254. For the former highway, see Maryland Route 214.

Maryland Route 254
Cobb Island Road
Map of Southern Maryland with MD 254 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length1.25 mi[1] (2.01 km)
Existed1958–present
Tourist
routes		 Religious Freedom Byway
Major junctions
South endCobb Island
North end MD 257 near Rock Point
Location
CountiesCharles
Highway system
← MD 253→ MD 255

Route description
View north along MD 254 just north of Neale Sound

MD 254 begins 0.03 miles (0.048 km) south of the intersection of Cobb Island Road and Neale Sound Drive on Cobb Island. Cobb Island Road continues south as a county-maintained two-lane divided avenue to Potomac River Drive on the Potomac River side of the island. North of Neale Sound Drive, MD 254 is a two-lane undivided road and leaves the island by crossing over Neale Sound on the Cobb Island Bridge. The state highway passes between marinas and curves northwest to parallel the coast. At Pine Grove Road, MD 254 veers north to its terminus at Rock Point Road. Rock Point Road heads southeast as a county highway toward Rock Point and northwest as MD 257 up Cobb Neck to U.S. Route 301 in Newburg.[1][2]

History

Maryland Route 533
LocationCobb Island
Existed1932–1958

The original bridge from the mainland to Cobb Island, a "noisy one-way wooden bridge that was prone to summer traffic jams," was constructed in 1923 shortly after the establishment of the island as a summer resort by Robert Crain.[3] In 1932, the Maryland State Roads Commission rebuilt Cobb Island Road as a modern gravel road and replaced the "hazardous" 1923 bridge with a creosoted timber bridge.[4][5] This bridge was still one-lane, being 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, but had a passing area near the middle.[5] Cobb Island Road was originally designated MD 533.[6] MD 533 was widened to 24 feet (7.3 m) and resurfaced with bituminous stabilized gravel in 1951.[7] MD 533 was renumbered MD 254 in 1958.[8] MD 254 had originally been assigned to Davidsonville Road between Davidsonville and Edgewater in central Anne Arundel County; that highway was renumbered as an eastward extension of MD 214 (Central Avenue) by 1939.[6][5] A two-lane steel girder Cobb Island Bridge was built in 1963.[9] In 2015, plans were made to construct a new Cobb Island Bridge to replace the existing structure that was structurally deficient. The new Cobb Island Bridge, which includes wider travel lanes, a sidewalk, and lighting, cost $18 million to build and opened to traffic on April 28, 2020.[10]

Junction list

The entire route is in Charles County.

Locationmi
[1]		kmDestinationsNotes
Cobb Island0.000.00Cobb Island Road southSouthern terminus
Neale Sound0.09–
0.20		0.14–
0.32		Cobb Island Bridge
Rock Point1.252.01 MD 257 north (Rock Point Road) / Rock Point Road south – NewburgNorthern terminus; southern terminus of MD 257
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also
  •  Maryland Roads portal

References
  1. Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2013). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  2. Google (2011-01-11). "Maryland Route 254" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  3. Cronin, William B. (2005). The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 150. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  4. Maryland Geological Survey (1933). Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  5. Byron, William D.; Lacy, Robert (December 28, 1934). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1931–1934 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. pp. 22, 44, 330. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  6. Maryland State Roads Commission (1939). General Highway Map: State of Maryland (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  7. McCain, Russell H.; Hall, Avery W.; Nichols, David M. (December 15, 1952). Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland (1951–1952 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. p. 170. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  8. Maryland State Roads Commission (1958). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  9. Federal Highway Administration (2012). "NBI Structure Number: 100000080038010". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration.
  10. "MDOT SHA Opens New MD 254 (Cobb Island Rd) Bridge Over Neale Sound In Charles County" (Press release). Maryland State Highway Administration. April 28, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.

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