 Maryland Route 135 | ||||
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 Maryland Route 135 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MDSHA | ||||
| Length | 29.00 mi[1] (46.67 km) | |||
| Existed | 1931–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 219 in Oakland | |||
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| East end |  US 220 in McCoole | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Maryland | |||
| Counties | Garrett, Allegany | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Maryland Route 135 (MD 135) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Maryland Highway, the state highway runs 29.00 miles (46.67 km) from U.S. Route 219 (US 219) in Oakland in Garrett County east to US 220 in McCoole in Allegany County. MD 135 is the main link between the towns of Oakland, Mountain Lake Park, Loch Lynn Heights, and Deer Park on the Appalachian Plateau and the communities of Bloomington, Luke, Westernport, and McCoole in the upper valley of the North Branch Potomac River. These groups of towns are separated by Backbone Mountain.
MD 135 was originally built in the early 1930s as a link between McCoole and Westernport. In the late 1930s, the state highway was extended west to Bloomington. In addition, a separate segment of MD 135 was completed around Swanton in the mid-1930s. These separate segments were unified in the early 1950s when the highway over Backbone Mountain was completed. In the late 1950s, MD 135 was extended west over a portion of MD 38 and all of Maryland Route 41 (MD 41) to Oakland, and was mostly rebuilt over its entire length, bypassing Bloomington, Swanton, Deer Park, and Mountain Lake Park. MD 135 remains notorious for the eastbound descent from Backbone Mountain, which has claimed many lives. The Maryland State Highway Administration has instituted many measures to get trucks down the mountain safely and to avoid the downgrade if possible.