Interstate 395 (Maryland)

Interstate 395 (abbreviated I-395) is a 2-mile-long spur from Interstate 95 that travels from Interstate 95 to downtown Baltimore. It ends near Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and is by some definitions the shortest three-digit Interstate in the country. It is notable for a 3-Y (3-way stack) interchange with I-95 that is entirely elevated above the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River; in fact, the entire road is a skyway into downtown.

Route description

The route begins at a high-speed directional interchange with I-95 over the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. It continues due north for a short distance and then divides into two separate branches. The eastern branch continues straight ahead and descends to ground level to terminate at Howard St. and Conway St. This segment is signed as the mainline I-395. The western branch passes over the eastern branch and runs northwest, interchanging with Russell St. before descending to ground level and meeting the at-grade portion of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. at Washington Blvd.

History

In 1969, the Design Concept Team, a multi-discipline group assembled in 1966 by the city government to help design freeway routings that would not disrupt the city's fabric, published the Baltimore 3-A Interstate and Boulevard System. In the 3-A system, I-395 was planned as a freeway spur from I-95 to the south edge of the central business district, connecting to a new route named City Boulevard (now known as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard). As routed in the 3-A System, I-95 would act as a bypass of the central business district, with I-395 providing direct access.

Miscellanea

• Originally, the Federal Highway Administration recorded I-395's length at 0.72 miles, from I-95 Exit 53 to the I-395 split. Later, the FHWA lengthened I-395 to 1.33 miles, to include the eastern branch to Conway St. and Howard St. in downtown Baltimore. However, the length of I-395 has been extended again to 1.98 miles and now includes the limited-access portion of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., as far as Washington Blvd.
• While the highway was originally constructed and maintained by the city of Baltimore, it has been turned over to the Maryland Transportation Authority and is now maintained using revenue from the state's seven toll facilities, as well as payments from the city government.

Exit list

Eastern branch

Location	Mile	Destinations	Notes
begins at
Baltimore City	0.0	Interstate 95 - Washington, D.C., New York NY (via the Fort McHenry Tunnel, Interstate 295 in Delaware and the New Jersey Turnpike)	interchange is entirely elevated over Patapsco River
	0.72	I-395A north / Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard - to	northbound exit and southbound entrance; freeway branch of
	1.24	Conway St. - to Light St. (Inner Harbor)	at-grade intersection; road becomes Howard St.
	1.33	Camden St. - Oriole Park at Camden Yards	northern terminus of mainline ; road continues as Howard St.
ends at Camden St.

Western branch

Location	Mile	Destinations	Notes
(I-395A) continues from mainline
Baltimore City	0.0	I-395 south - to I-95	southbound entrance and northbound exit
	0.32	Hamburg St. - M&T Bank Stadium
	0.65	Maryland Route 295 / Russell St. - Oriole Park at Camden Yards (to )	south leads to
(I-395A) ends at ; road continues as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

External links

• I-395 @ MDRoads.com
• Kurumi - I-395 Maryland
• Roads to the Future: Baltimore Harbor Interstate System Map