Interstate 695 (Maryland)

Interstate 695
Baltimore Beltway McKeldin Beltway
I-695 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-95
Maintained by MDSHA and MDTA
Length	51.46 mi[1][2] (82.82 km)
Existed	1958–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
Beltway around Baltimore
Counterclockwise end	MD 173 in Baltimore City
Major intersections	I-97 near Glen Burnie MD 295 near Linthicum I-895 in Lansdowne I-95 near Arbutus US 40 near Catonsville I-70 / MD 570 near Woodlawn I-795 in Pikesville I-83 / MD 25A near Timonium US 1 near Bel Air I-95 near White Marsh US 40 in Rosedale
Clockwise end	MD 157 / MD 158 in Dundalk
Location
Country	United States
State	Maryland
Counties	Anne Arundel, Baltimore, City of Baltimore
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Maryland highway system Interstate US State Scenic Byways
← MD 694 → MD 700

Interstate 695 (I-695) is a 51.46-mile-long (82.82 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway that constitutes a beltway extending around Baltimore, Maryland, United States. I-695 is officially designated the McKeldin Beltway but is colloquially referred to as either the Baltimore Beltway or 695. The route is an auxiliary route of I-95, intersecting that route southwest of Baltimore near Arbutus and northeast of the city near White Marsh. It also intersects other major roads radiating from the Baltimore area, including I-97 near Glen Burnie, the Baltimore–Washington Parkway (B–W Parkway; MD 295) near Linthicum, I-70 near Woodlawn, I-795 near Pikesville, and I-83 in the Timonium area. Originally, a 19.37-mile (31.17 km) portion of the Baltimore Beltway between I-95 northeast of Baltimore and I-97 south of Baltimore was officially Maryland Route 695 (MD 695) and was not part of the Interstate Highway System but is signed as I-695. The Francis Scott Key Bridge that crossed over the Patapsco River was included in this section of the route before the bridge's collapse on March 26, 2024. The bridge and its approaches were maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), while the remainder of the Baltimore Beltway is maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA). The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials approved the redesignation of MD 695 as I-695 on April 29, 2024.

The Baltimore Beltway was first planned in 1949 by Baltimore County; the state eventually took over the project, becoming part of the Interstate Highway System planned in 1956. The length of the route from MD 2 south of Baltimore clockwise to U.S. Route 40 (US 40) northeast of the city opened in stages from 1955 to 1962, providing an Interstate bypass of Baltimore. It was the first beltway in the US to be built as part of the Interstate Highway System. Plans were made to finish the remainder of the route, with a diversion to the Windlass and Patapsco freeways, opened in 1973, following the cancelation of a more outer route that was to partly follow what is today MD 702 (Southeast Boulevard).

The Outer Harbor Crossing over the Patapsco River, which was dedicated to Francis Scott Key, who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner", and its approaches were finished in 1977, completing the route around Baltimore. The approaches to the bridge were originally two lanes to accommodate a tunnel that was initially proposed to run under the river; in subsequent years, they were upgraded to a four-lane configuration compliant with Interstate Highway standards, allowing for this portion of the route to be signed as I-695 rather than MD 695. There are plans for I-695 that include high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes to ease traffic. In addition, the northeastern interchange with I-95 was reconstructed in 2014 to accommodate express toll lanes that were added to I-95, and construction took place in 2016 to remove I-695's carriageway crossovers here.