Maryland Route 5 (MD 5) is a long state highway that runs north–south in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Point Lookout in St. Mary's County north to the Washington, D.C. border in Suitland, Prince George's County. MD 5 begins as two-lane undivided Point Lookout Road which runs from Point Lookout to an intersection with MD 235 in the northern part of St. Mary's County. Point Lookout Road passes through rural areas as well as the county seat of Leonardtown. After the MD 235 intersection, the route becomes four-lane divided Three Notch Road and continues into Charles County, where it becomes Leonardtown Road. Here, the route bypasses Hughesville and continues north toward the Waldorf area, which it bypasses to the east on Mattawoman Beantown Road. The route merges onto U.S. Route 301 (US 301, Crain Highway) and enters Prince George's County, splitting from US 301 at an interchange in Brandywine. From here, MD 5 continues north on Branch Avenue, running through suburban areas, before becoming a freeway as it passes Andrews Air Force Base and has an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95)/I-495 (Capital Beltway). Past the Capital Beltway, the route runs through suburban areas of Hillcrest Heights and Suitland before reaching the Washington, D.C. border, where Branch Avenue SE continues, crossing Pennsylvania Avenue SE and eventually terminating at Randle Circle.
MD 5 was designated in 1927 to run from Point Lookout to the Washington, D.C. border in Suitland. The route was realigned to follow Naylor Road to the Washington, D.C. line in 1939, while MD 637 was designated along the portion of Branch Avenue leading to the border. Between 1939 and 1949, the route continued into Washington, D.C. as District of Columbia Route 5 (DC 5), which followed Naylor Road SE, Good Hope Road SE, 11th Street SE, and DC 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) to US 1 and US 240 near the White House. MD 5 was realigned to head to the Washington, D.C. border along Branch Avenue in 1950. During the course of the 1950s and 1960s, most of MD 5 between the MD 235 intersection and the Washington, D.C. border was widened into a divided highway. In 1993, the route bypassed Leonardtown; the original alignment was designated MD 5 Business (MD 5 Bus.) before it was decommissioned in 2012. In 1997, MD 5 was realigned to bypass Waldorf to the east along what had been designated as MD 205 in 1989. The former alignment through Waldorf followed what is now MD 5 Bus. and US 301. In Prince George's County, multiple interchanges were built along MD 5 between MD 223 and the Capital Beltway in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2007, a four-lane, divided bypass of Hughesville was completed, alleviating the traffic bottleneck within that town at the intersection of MD 231. The former alignment through Hughesville became MD 5 Bus. The portion of MD 5 between US 301 and the Capital Beltway is slated to be upgraded to a full freeway, with an interchange at MD 373 (Accokeek Road)/Brandywine Road completed and the remainder of the freeway upgrade still in the planning stages.
Route description
St. Mary's County
MD 5 begins within Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary's County by heading west on Point Lookout Road, a two-lane undivided road which continues south from the route’s southern terminus along the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay to the confluence with the Potomac River. The route turns north, passing a fee booth for the park at the entrance before continuing into wooded areas. A short distance later, the road makes a left turn and heads northwest through a mix of woodland and farmland. MD 5 passes through Scotland and continues north through more agricultural areas with intermittent residences. It reaches Ridge, where MD 5 intersects the southern terminus of MD 235 (Three Notch Road). From here, the road heads into more wooded areas. MD 5 passes through agricultural and residential areas before turning northwest and entering St. Mary's City. Here, the route makes a turn to the north, with MD 584 looping to the west of the route through the center of St. Mary's City. The road runs along the shore of the St. Marys River and passes near St. Mary's College of Maryland before leaving St. Mary's City had heading into forested areas. It reaches Park Hall, where MD 5 intersects MD 489 (Park Hall Road).