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Interstate 68 (I-68) is a 112.6-mile (181.2 km) Interstate highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, which connects Interstate 79 in Morgantown to Interstate 70 in Hancock. Interstate 68 is also designated as Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and prior to its completion in 1991, it was designated as U.S. Route 48. In Maryland, the highway is known as the National Freeway, as an homage to the historic National Road, which Interstate 68 parallels between Keyser's Ridge and Hancock, Maryland. Interstate 68 is noted for the road cut constructed for it through Sideling Hill, which exposes geological features of the mountain and has become a tourist attraction.

The construction of Interstate 68 began in 1965 and lasted for about twenty-five years, being completed on August 2, 1991. While the road was being built, it was predicted that the completion of the road would improve the economic situation along the corridor. The highway provides a major transportation route in western Maryland and northern West Virginia, and also provides an alternate to the Pennsylvania Turnpike for westbound traffic from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

History

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View heading east, 18 miles (29 km) from Cumberland, MD

Cumberland Thruway

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In the early 1960s, as the Interstate Highway System was being built throughout the United States, east-west travel through western Maryland was difficult, as U.S. Route 40, the predecessor to Interstate 68, was a two-lane country road with steep grades and hairpin turns. In Cumberland, the situation was particularly bad, as traffic exceeded the capacity of Cumberland's narrow streets. Traffic following U.S. Route 40 through Cumberland entered through the Narrows and followed Henderson Avenue to Baltimore Avenue. After the construction of Interstate 68, this route through Cumberland became U.S. Route 40 Alternate.[1]

Construction began on one of the first sections of what would become Interstate 68, the Cumberland Thruway, on June 10, 1965. [2] This portion of the highway, which consists of a mile-long elevated bridge, was completed and opened to the public December 5, 1966.[3] This portion connected Lee Street in west Cumberland to Maryland Avenue in east Cumberland, providing a quicker path for motorists traveling through Cumberland on U.S. Route 40 and U.S. Route 220. The Cumberland Thruway was extended to U.S. Route 220 and then to Vocke Road (Maryland Route 658) by 1970. Problems quickly emerged with the highway, especially near an area called "Moose Curve," where the road curves sharply at the bottom of Haystack Mountain, a portion of the road where traffic accidents are common.[4]

Corridor E

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In 1965, the Appalachian Development Act was passed, authorizing the establishment of the Appalachian Development Highway System, which was meant to provide access to areas throughout the Appalachians that were not previously served by the Interstate Highway System. A set of corridors were defined, comprising 3,090 miles (4,970 km) of highways from New York to Mississippi. Corridor E in this system was defined to have endpoints at Interstate 79 in Morgantown, West Virginia and Interstate 70 in Hancock, Maryland. At the time, there were no freeways along the corridor, though construction on the Cumberland Thruway began that year. It was this corridor that would eventually become Interstate 68.[5]

The construction of Corridor E, which was also designated as U.S. Route 48, took over twenty years and hundreds of millions of dollars to complete. The cost of completing the freeway in West Virginia has been estimated at $113 million.[6] The cost of building I-68 from Cumberland to the West Virginia state line came to $126 million, the portion between Cumberland and Sideling Hill cost $182 million, and the section at Sideling Hill cost $44 million.[7]

Prior to 1991, Interstate 68 was designated as U.S. Route 48.

Much of the work in building the freeway was completed during the 1970s, with U.S. Route 48 being opened to Maryland Route 36 in Frostburg on October 12, 1973,[8] and to Maryland Route 546 on November 1, 1974.[7] On November 15, 1975, the West Virginia portion and a 14-mile (23 km) portion to Keyser's Ridge in Maryland opened, followed by the remainder of the freeway in Garrett County on August 13, 1976.[7]

In the 1980s, the focus of construction shifted east of Cumberland, where a 19-mile (31 km) section of the road still was not completed. The first corridor for the construction to be approved by MDSHA ran south of U.S. Route 40. This corridor would have bypassed towns in eastern Allegany County such as Flintstone, leaving them without access to the freeway, and would have passed directly through Green Ridge State Forest, the largest state forest in Maryland. This proposed corridor provoked a large opposition, largely due to the environmental damage that would be caused by the road construction in Green Ridge State Forest. Environmental groups took MDSHA to court, but the court ruled in favor of the State Highway Administration. In 1984, however, MDSHA reversed its earlier decision, and chose an alignment that closely paralleled U.S. Route 40, passing through Flintstone and to the north of Green Ridge State Forest. Construction on the final section of Interstate 68 began May 25, 1987, and was completed on August 2, 1991. [7][9]

Designation as Interstate 68

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The Cumberland Thruway bridge, as seen from the Baltimore Street bridge over Will's Creek in Cumberland

Though the National Freeway was designated as U.S. Route 48, as the completion of the freeway neared, the possibility of the freeway being designated as an Interstate highway came up. In the 1980s, the project to improve U.S. Route 50 from Washington, D.C. to Annapolis to Interstate Highway standards had been assigned the designation of Interstate 68. MDSHA, however, later concluded that adding additional route shields to the U.S. Route 50 freeway would not be helpful to drivers. Since about half the freeway already had two route designations and drivers on the freeway were already familiar with the U.S. Route 50 designation, MDSHA decided against adding Interstate shields.[10] This made the designation applied to that freeway more flexible, and so in 1989, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the organization composed of the various state departments of transportation, which decides route numbering in the United States, approved MDSHA's request to renumber the U.S. Route 50 freeway from Interstate 68 to Interstate 595. The same year, AASHTO approved changing U.S. Route 48's designation to Interstate 68.[11] This change took effect upon the completion of the last section of the National Freeway, on August 2, 1991.[7]

Incidents

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Numerous accidents and incidents have occurred on Interstate 68, and some of these incidents have been particularly notable. On June 1, 1991, a gasoline tanker descending into downtown Cumberland from the east attempted to exit the freeway at Exit 43D, Maryland Avenue. The tanker went out of control and overturned as the driver attempted to go around the sharp turn at the exit. Gasoline began to leak from the damaged tanker, forcing the evacuation of a three-block area of Cumberland. Nearly half an hour after the crash, the tanker exploded, setting eight houses on fire. The fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damages, and prompted MDSHA to place signs prohibiting hazardous materials trucks from exiting at the Maryland Avenue exit.[12][13][14]

In the mountain ridges west of Cumberland, fog is occasionally a major problem, and on May 23, 2003, poor visibility due to fog was a major contributing factor to an 85-vehicle pileup on Interstate 68 on Savage Mountain west of Frostburg. Two people were killed and nearly 100 people were injured in the pileup. Because of the extent of the wreckage on the road, Interstate 68 remained blocked for 24 hours while the wreckage was cleared.[15] In the aftermath of the pileup, the question of how to deal with the fog in the future was discussed. Though the expense of a fog warning system can be quite large,[16] MDSHA installed such a system in 2005 at an expense of $230,000. The system alerts drivers when visibility drops below 1,000 feet (300 m).[17]

On July 8, 2007, five people were killed in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 68 in Morgantown, West Virginia, which was caused by a drunk driver who had previously been convicted for the same offense seven times. The drunk driver's truck had rear-ended a Ford Taurus, causing it to cross the median into oncoming traffic, hitting a Chevrolet Trailblazer head-on, killing one adult and one child in the Taurus, and one adult and two children in the Trailblazer. Seven other people were injured.[18][19] The driver who caused the crash, Brian Stone, fled from the scene and was arrested after being found by police.[20] Stone was sentenced to 41 years in prison for causing the incident.[21]

Effect on surrounding region

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The Sideling Hill road cut, photographed from Interstate 70 east of the mountain

One of the arguments in favor of the construction of Interstate 68 was that the freeway would improve the poor economic conditions in western Maryland. In some regards, this has succeeded, especially with regards to Garrett County, where the freeway opened up the county to tourism from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Correspondingly, Garrett County saw a sharp increase in population and employment during and after the construction of the road, with full- and part-time employment increasing from 8,868 in 1976 to 15,334 in 1991.[22] The freeway, however, is still not a miracle cure for economic problems, and difficulties remain, especially in Allegany and Garrett counties.[23] There have also been concerns over loss of customers to businesses that have been cut off from the main highway due to the construction of the new alignment in the 1980s, leading to protests when then-Governor Harry Hughes visited the Sideling Hill road cut when it was opened.[24]

The traffic density on Interstate 68 varies widely between different portions of the road. At the Maryland – West Virginia state line, there is an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 11,581. This density increases to 14,271 at Exit 14, where U.S. Routes 40 and 219 join Interstate 68. The traffic density reaches its highest point in Garrett County at Exit 22, where U.S. Route 219 leaves Interstate 68, which has an AADT of 19,551. At the Allegany County line, the traffic density decreases slightly to an AADT of 18,408.[25] The traffic density increases in Allegany County, to 28,861 in LaVale, and to the freeway's peak AADT of 46,191 at the U.S. Route 220 interchange in Cumberland. East of Cumberland, the traffic density decreases, to an AADT of 16,551 at Martins Mountain, and stays nearly constant to the eastern terminus of Interstate 68 in Hancock.[1][25]

Until 2008, signs at Exit 43A in downtown Cumberland labeled the exit as providing access to West Virginia Route 28 Alternate. Because of this, many truckers used this exit to get to West Virginia Route 28. This created problems on Route 28 Alternate in Ridgeley, West Virginia, as trucks became stuck under a low railroad overpass, blocking traffic through Ridgeley. To reduce this problem, the Maryland State Highway Administration removed references to Route 28 Alternate from guide signs for Exit 43A and placed warning signs in Cumberland and on I-68 approaching Cumberland, advising truckers to instead use Exit 43B to Maryland Route 51, allowing them to connect to West Virginia Route 28 via Virginia Avenue, bypassing the low overpass in Ridgeley.[26]

Route description

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Interstate 68 runs 112.6 miles (181.2 km), from Interstate 79 in Morgantown, West Virginia to Interstate 70 in Hancock, Maryland, across the Appalachian Mountains. Interstate 68 is the main route connecting western Maryland to the rest of Maryland. Interstate 68 also is advertised to drivers on Interstate 70 as an "alternate route to Ohio and points west" by the Maryland State Highway Administration.[27]

West Virginia

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Interstate 68 at the West Virginia – Maryland state line

Interstate 68 begins at interchange 148 on Interstate 79 near Morgantown and runs eastward, interchanging with U.S. Route 119 one mile east of its terminus at I-79. Interstate 68 turns northeastward, curving around Morgantown, with four interchanges in the Morgantown area, with I-79, U.S. Route 119, West Virginia Route 7, and West Virginia Route 705. Leaving the Morgantown area, Interstate 68 again runs eastward, interchanging with County Route 857, which provides access to Cheat Lake. Near this interchange, Interstate 68 passes over Cheat Lake and then climbs a steep ascent out of Cheat Canyon.[28]

Entering Preston County, the route interchanges with County Route 73/12, which provides access to Coopers Rock State Forest. In contrast to the Morgantown area, the portion of Preston County that Interstate 68 crosses is more rural, with the only town along the route being Bruceton Mills. In Bruceton Mills, Interstate 68 meets West Virginia Route 26. Interstate 68 then meets County Route 5 (Hazleton Road) before entering Garrett County, Maryland.[28]

Maryland

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After entering Garrett County, Interstate 68 continues its run through rural areas, crossing the northern part of the county. The terrain through this area consists of ridges which extend from southwest to northeast, and Interstate 68 crosses the ridges through its east/west run. The first exit in Maryland is at Maryland Route 42 in Friendsville. Interstate 68 then ascends Keyser's Ridge, where it meets U.S. Route 40 and U.S. Route 219, both of which join the highway at Keyser's Ridge.[25] The roadway which previously was U.S. Route 40 parallels Interstate 68 to Cumberland, and is designated as U.S. Route 40 Alternate. The freeway then crosses Negro Mountain, which was the highest point along the historic National Road. which Interstate 68 parallels east of Keyser's Ridge. This is the source of the name of the freeway in Maryland: the National Freeway.[7]

Three miles east of Grantsville, U.S. Route 219 leaves the National Freeway to run northward toward Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, while I-68 continues eastward, crossing Savage Mountain before entering Allegany County.[25]

The Interstate 68 bridge over the Casselman River near Grantsville, Maryland, with the U.S. Route 40 Alternate bridge in the foreground

After entering Allegany County, Interstate 68 bypasses Frostburg to the south, with two exits, one to Midlothian Road (unsigned Maryland Route 736) and one to Maryland Route 36. Near the Maryland Route 36 exit is God's Ark of Safety church, which is known for its attempt to build a replica of Noah's Ark. This replica, which currently consists of a steel frame, can be seen from Interstate 68.[29]

East of Frostburg, Interstate 68 crosses a bridge above Spruce Hollow near Clarysville, passing over Maryland Route 55, which runs along the bottom of the valley. The freeway then runs along the hillside above U.S. Route 40 Alternate in the valley formed by Braddock Run. Entering LaVale, Interstate 68 has exits to U.S. Route 40 Alternate and Maryland Route 658 (signed southbound as U.S. Route 220 Truck). I-68 then ascends Haystack Mountain, entering the city of Cumberland, the most congested section of the highway in Maryland. The speed limit on the highway drops from 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) in LaVale to 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) to the U.S. Route 220 exit, and then finally to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) in downtown Cumberland.[1] This drop in speed limit is due to several factors, including heavy congestion, closely-spaced interchanges, and a sharp curve in the road, known locally as "Moose Curve," located at the bottom of Haystack Mountain. This section of the highway was originally built in the 1960s as the Cumberland Thruway, a bypass to the original path of U.S. Route 40 through Cumberland.[7]

At Exit 44 in east Cumberland, U.S. Route 40 Alternate meets the freeway and ends, and at Exit 46, U.S. Route 220 leaves Interstate 68 toward Bedford, Pennsylvania. Interstate 68 continues across northeastern Allegany County, passing Rocky Gap State Park near Exit 50. In northeastern Allegany County, the former U.S. Route 40 bypassed by I-68 is designated as Maryland Route 144, with several exits from I-68 along the route. I-68 crosses several mountain ridges along this section of the highway, including Martins Mountain, Town Hill, and Green Ridge, and the highway passes through Green Ridge State Forest. East of Green Ridge State Forest, Maryland Route 144 ends at U.S. Route 40 Scenic, another former section of U.S. Route 40.[1]

Interstate 68 passing through the Sideling Hill road cut

Interstate 68 crosses into Washington County at Sideling Hill Creek, and then ascends Sideling Hill. The road cut that was built into Sideling Hill for I-68 can be seen for several miles in each direction, and has become a tourist attraction as a result of the geologic structure exposed by the road cut.[30]

On the east side of Sideling Hill, Interstate 68 again interchanges with U.S. Route 40 Scenic, at its eastern terminus at Woodmont Road. Here U.S. Route 40 Scenic ends at a section of Maryland Route 144 separate to the section further west. Four miles east of this interchange, Interstate 68 ends at Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 522.[31]

Future work

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Mon-Fayette Expressway

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The Mon-Fayette Expressway, a proposed 66-mile (106 km) toll road from Interstate 376 in Pittsburgh to Interstate 68, has been partially completed in Pennsylvania. The remaining portion of the highway to Interstate 68 through West Virginia is currently under construction, and when completed is expected to be designated as West Virginia Route 43, to match the Pennsylvania state highway designation of the road, Pennsylvania Route 43. Numerous funding problems have plagued the highway's construction, and it has been questioned whether there is enough funding to complete the West Virginia segment of the road, which is crucial for its connection to Interstate 68. The section of highway is expected to be completed in 2013.[32]

West Virginia extension

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In the 1990s, the possibility of a westward extension of Interstate 68 in West Virginia was discussed. Such an extension would connect the western terminus of Interstate 68 in Morgantown to West Virginia Route 2 in Moundsville. A 1989 proposal had suggested a toll road be built along this corridor.[33] In 2003, the Federal Highway Administration approved the extension, paving the way for federal funding and for the road to become part of the National Highway System on completion.[34] However, the project ran into problems due to lack of funds, and in 2008, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin suggested dropping the project altogether, making construction a westward extension of Interstae 68 unlikely in the near future.[35]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference HLR_Allegany was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Demolition in Path of Bridge to Begin". Cumberland News. 1965-06-10.
  3. ^ "Cumberland Thruway Opened to Motorists". Cumberland News. 1966-12-05.
  4. ^ "Transportation Department Head to Check Thruway". Cumberland Evening Times. 1972-07-28.
  5. ^ "Highway Program". Appalachian Regional Commission. 2007. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  6. ^ "I-68 Extension Gets Important Federal Endorsement". WTOV. 2003-09-09. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Building the National Freeway". Maryland Roads. Maryland State Highway Administration. 1991-08-02.
  8. ^ "New Section of Freeway Now Open". Cumberland Evening News. 1973-10-13.
  9. ^ Raitz, K. and Thompson, G. (1996). The National Road. JHU Press. p. 331. ISBN 0801851556.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Ron Shaffer (1990-01-12). "Tunnel Visions". Washington Times.
  11. ^ AASHTO (1989-06-07). "Report to the Special Committee on Route Numbering" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  12. ^ "Driver Of Overturned Tanker Warns Residents Before Blasts". Associated Press. 1991-06-02.
  13. ^ Ruben Castaneda (1991-06-02). "Gasoline Truck Overturns; Leak Ignites 8 Md. Houses; Three-Block Area Evacuated in Cumberland". Washington Post.
  14. ^ "Cumberland Fire Damage". Washington Post. 1991-06-03.
  15. ^ "85-vehicle pileup kills two in western Maryland". CNN. 2003-05-23. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  16. ^ Matthew Wald (2003-06-18). "War on Road Fog Lacks Easy Solution". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  17. ^ "Fog warning system installed on I-68". Hagerstown Herald Mail. 2005-07-03. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  18. ^ Jill King Greenwood (2007-07-11). "Notifying kin of 5 dead West Virginia crash victims difficult". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  19. ^ Steve Levin (2007-07-11). "Five victims of I-68 crash identified". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  20. ^ Robin Acton (2008-03-18). "Fatal West Virginia DUI trial stirs up emotions". Pittsburg Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  21. ^ "Man gets 41 years in wreck that killed 5". Charleston Gazette. 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  22. ^ Jason Bezis and Kristin Noyes (2008-11-05). "Economic Development History of Interstate 68 in Maryland". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  23. ^ Dan Beyers (1992-09-08). "Mountain Road of Promise Slow to Lift Fortunes". Washington Post.
  24. ^ Harry Roe Hughes (2006). My Unexpected Journey. The History Press. p. 105. ISBN 1596291176.
  25. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference HLR_Garrett was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Sarah Moses (2008-12-23). "Signs alert truck drivers to low overpass in Ridgeley". Cumberland Times-News. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  27. ^ "Photograph of sign on I-70 showing I-68 as an "alternate route to Ohio and points west"". AARoads.com. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  28. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference gm_wv was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ Cleary, Caitlin (2006-04-16). "If the flood comes too soon, this ark won't be quite ready". Local News. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2006-04-16.
  30. ^ David Brezinski (1994). "Geology of the Sideling Hill Road Cut". Maryland Geological Society. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference HLR_Washington was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ Courtney Dunn (2007-09-20). "Slow But Steady to Connect the States". WBOY.
  33. ^ Rick Steelhammer (2000-11-28). "West Virginia Hearings on Interstate 68 Extension Set for Next Week". Charleston Gazette.
  34. ^ Carol Melling (2003-10-31). "I-68 Extension Now Eligible for Federal Funding". West Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  35. ^ Art Limann (2008-08-12). "Authority Won't Give Up on I-68 to Marshall". Wheeling News-Register. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
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