 Maryland Route 197 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Maryland Route 197 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MDSHA | ||||
| Length | 14.64 mi[1] (23.56 km) | |||
| Existed | 1927–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 301 in Bowie | |||
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| North end |  MD 198 in Laurel | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Maryland | |||
| Counties | Prince George's | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Maryland Route 197 (MD 197) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Laurel Bowie Road, the state highway runs 14.64 miles (23.56 km) from U.S. Route 301 (US 301) in Bowie north to MD 198 in Laurel. MD 197 serves as the main connection between Bowie and Laurel in northern Prince George's County. The highway also provides access to Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and Bowie State University. MD 197 also connects US 50 in Bowie and the Baltimore–Washington Parkway in South Laurel with the Bowie State MARC station.
MD 197 was constructed from what is now MD 450 in Bowie to US 1 in Laurel between the mid-1920s and early 1930s. The highway was extended south to US 301 in the mid-1950s. MD 197's northern terminus was relocated in the mid-1960s. The portion through Laurel and South Laurel was expanded to a divided highway in the mid-1970s. MD 197 was relocated from its original course through Old Town Bowie to its present course near Bowie State University in the late 1980s; much of this segment was built as divided highway. The highway's southern end was expanded to a divided highway concurrent with the expansion of the US 50 interchange. MD 197's 1950s-era interchange with the Baltimore–Washington Parkway was reconstructed in the early 2000s.