 Maryland Route 320 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piney Branch Road | ||||
 Maryland Route 320 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byMDSHA | ||||
| Length | 2.84 mi[1] (4.57 km) | |||
| Existed | 1927–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end | Piney Branch Road at theDistrict of Columbia boundary inTakoma Park | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| North end |  MD 650 inAdelphi | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Maryland | |||
| Counties | Montgomery,Prince George's | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Maryland Route 320 (MD 320) is astate highway in the U.S. state ofMaryland. Known asPiney Branch Road, the highway runs 2.84 miles (4.57 km) fromEastern Avenue at theDistrict of Columbia boundary inTakoma Park north toMD 650 inAdelphi. MD 320 is a southwest–northeast highway that connects Takoma Park andSilver Spring in southeasternMontgomery County with Adelphi in far westernPrince George's County. The state highway originally extended from downtown Silver Spring toWhite Oak and connected withU.S. Route 29 (US 29) at both ends. The Silver Spring–Adelphi portion of the highway was constructed in 1910. The segment through Takoma Park and the Adelphi–White Oak segment, which later became MD 650, were built in the early 1930s; the Takoma Park portion was built as MD 513. MD 320 was widened over its whole length in the late 1940s and reduced to its present course in the mid-1950s.
_just_north_of_Maryland_State_Route_193_(University_Boulevard)_in_Silver_Spring%2c_Montgomery_County%2c_Maryland.jpg)
MD 320 begins at the intersection of Piney Branch Road and Eastern Avenue at the District of Columbia boundary in the city of Takoma Park. Piney Branch Road continues southwest into Washington, where it immediately passes underCSX'sMetropolitan Subdivision railroad line and theWashington Metro'sRed Line. Eastern Avenue provides access to theTakoma station on the Red Line and theTakoma Park Historic District to the southeast; the street also leads to the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus ofMontgomery College to the northwest. MD 320 heads northeast as a narrow two-lane undivided road. The highway expands as it veers north atone-way northbound Chestnut Avenue and intersects MD 410 (Philadelphia Avenue). The highway curves northeast and gains a center turn lane as it leaves the city of Takoma Park and passes west ofTakoma Park Middle School.[1][2]
MD 320 parallels the city limits to Mississippi Avenue, where the highway fully enters theunincorporated area of Silver Spring. MD 320 intersects Sligo Avenue and Dale Drive, then descends into the valley ofSligo Creek. The highway crosses the creek and intersectsSligo Creek Parkway and theSligo Creek Trail. At the top of its climb out of the creek valley, MD 320 intersects Flower Avenue, which was formerlyMD 787. The highway continues east as a four-lane road with acenter left-turn lane, crossing Long Branch before intersectingMD 193 (University Boulevard). Beyond MD 193, MD 320 descends into the valley ofNorthwest Branch. The highway meets the northern end of Carroll Avenue, which leads south toMD 195. MD 320 crosses the Montgomery–Prince George's County line and crosses Northwest Branch before it reaches its northern terminus at MD 650 (New Hampshire Avenue) in Adelphi.[1][2]
 Maryland Route 513 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Takoma Park |
| Existed | 1932–1955 |
MD 320 originally had its southern terminus at the intersection of US 29 and Sligo Avenue in Silver Spring. The highway followed Sligo Avenue east to Piney Branch Road, then followed Piney Branch Road northeast to Adelphi. MD 320 continued roughly along what is now New Hampshire Avenue to its northern terminus at US 29, which is now the intersection of MD 650 and Lockwood Drive in White Oak.[3] The portion of this highway from modern US 29 to Carroll Avenue was paved by Montgomery County with state aid as amacadam road by 1910.[4][5] Sligo Avenue was widened with a pair of 3-foot-wide (0.91 m) concrete shoulders in 1926.[6] MD 320 was extended north as a 18-foot-wide (5.5 m) macadam road from Carroll Avenue through Prince George's County to White Oak in 1931 and 1932.[7][8] The portion of MD 320 south of Sligo Avenue was built in two segments. The first segment, from the District of Columbia to Chestnut Avenue just south of MD 410, was a concrete reconstruction of Saratoga Avenue. The second segment, from Chestnut Avenue to Sligo Avenue, was a concrete road built on a new alignment.[9] Both segments were constructed in 1931 and 1932 and were designated MD 513.[3][7]
MD 513 was widened with a pair of 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) bituminous shoulders from MD 410 toward Sligo Avenue in 1942.[10] MD 320 was expanded to a width of 24 feet (7.3 m) and resurfaced over its entire length in 1947 and 1948.[8][11] MD 320's bridge across Long Branch was widened in 1953 and 1954.[12] The highway's bridge across Northwest Branch at the MD 650 junction, which had originally been built in 1910, was widened in 1954 and 1955.[13][14] MD 320 was placed on its present course in 1955; its northern end was truncated at MD 650.[15] Its southern portion was moved from Sligo Avenue and replaced MD 513 through Takoma Park; Sligo Avenue was redesignated MD 339.[15][16] MD 339 was removed from the state highway system by 1999.[17]
| County | Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | Takoma Park | 0.00 | 0.00 | Eastern Avenue / Piney Branch Road south –Washington | District of Columbia boundary; southern terminus |
| 0.39 | 0.63 |  MD 410 (Philadelphia Avenue) –Hyattsville,Silver Spring | |||
| Silver Spring | 1.43 | 2.30 | Sligo Creek Parkway | ||
| 2.09 | 3.36 |  MD 193 (University Boulevard) –Wheaton,Langley Park | |||
| Prince George's | Adelphi | 2.84 | 4.57 | MD 650 (New Hampshire Avenue) –White Oak,Langley Park | Northern terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
