Maryland Route 97

Maryland Route 97
MD 97 in red, MD 97A in pink (south of Olney), former Brookeville alignment in grey
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length	55.27 mi[1] (88.95 km)
Existed	1933–present
Tourist routes	Mason and Dixon Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end	US 29 / MD 384 in Silver Spring
Major intersections	MD 390 in Silver Spring I-495 in Silver Spring MD 28 in Norbeck MD 200 Toll in Norbeck I-70 / US 40 near Cooksville MD 26 in Dorsey Crossroads MD 32 in Fenby MD 140 in Westminster MD 27 in Westminster
North end	PA 97 near Littlestown, PA
Location
Country	United States
State	Maryland
Counties	Montgomery, Howard, Carroll
Highway system
Maryland highway system Interstate US State Scenic Byways
← I-97 → MD 99

Maryland Route 97 (MD 97) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs 55.27 mi (88.95 km) from U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97 (PA 97). Throughout most of Montgomery County, MD 97 is known as Georgia Avenue, which continues south from the southern terminus along US 29 into Washington, D.C. It is a suburban four- to six-lane divided highway from Silver Spring north to Olney. From here, the route continues as a rural two-lane undivided road north through Brookeville and into Howard County. MD 97 continues through Carroll County where it passes through the county seat of Westminster. The route intersects many major roads, including Interstate 495 (I-495, Capital Beltway) north of Silver Spring, MD 28 and MD 200 (Intercounty Connector) in Norbeck, I-70/US 40 near Cooksville, MD 26 in Dorsey Crossroads, and MD 27, MD 32, and MD 140 in the Westminster area.

With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, present-day MD 97 north of Westminster became a part of US 140. MD 97 was first designated by 1933 from MD 27/MD 410 (now US 29) in Silver Spring to north of US 40 in Cooksville. Two portions of the route between Cooksville and Westminster became MD 570 in 1939. In 1956, MD 97 was extended north from Cooksville to the Pennsylvania border northwest of Emmitsburg, Frederick County. It replaced the two sections of MD 570 along with the MD 32 designation between Westminster and the Pennsylvania border. MD 97 was rerouted to bypass Westminster in 1960 and was moved to a new alignment between Westminster and Taneytown in 1965; both former alignments became MD 32. In 1961, the route was realigned between MD 26 and MD 32, with the former segment becoming MD 854. MD 97 was rerouted to its current northern terminus in 1979, replacing that portion of US 140, while the former route between Westminster and northwest of Emmitsburg became part of MD 140.