Suitland Parkway

Suitland Parkway

Suitland Parkway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NPS
Length: 9.1 mi[1] (14.6 km)
Existed: 1944 – present
Restrictions: No commercial vehicles[2]
Major junctions
West end: I‑295 in Washington, D.C.
  MD 5 in Suitland, Maryland
MD 458 in Suitland, Maryland
MD 337 in Forestville, Maryland
East end: MD 4 in Forestville, Maryland
Highway system
Suitland Parkway
Nearest city Suitland, Maryland
Coordinates 38°50′49″N 76°58′5″W / 38.84694°N 76.96806°W / 38.84694; -76.96806Coordinates: 38°50′49″N 76°58′5″W / 38.84694°N 76.96806°W / 38.84694; -76.96806
Area 418.9 acres (169.5 ha)
Built 1944
MPS Parkways of the National Capital Region MPS
NRHP Reference # 95000604[3]
Added to NRHP June 2, 1995[3]

The Suitland Parkway is a parkway in Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland, maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. Conceived in 1937, it was built during World War II to provide a road connection between military facilities in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and opened on December 9, 1944. It connected Camp Springs (now Andrews Air Force Base) in Prince George's County with Bolling Air Force Base and the Pentagon.[4][5]

The Suitland Parkway is 9.35 miles (15.05 km) long. Its eastern terminus is at Pennsylvania Avenue (Maryland Route 4), just outside the Capital Beltway and near Andrews Air Force Base . Its western terminus is at Interstate 295 and the northbound approach to the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

The parkway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It is also part of the National Highway System. The eastern half was a two-lane limited-access road, and the western half a four-lane divided limited-access road. In the early 1990s the eastern half was doubled in size to match the western half.[6]

Route description

Sign for Suitland Parkway

The Suitland Parkway begins at an interchange with I-295 and South Capitol Street in Washington, D.C., heading southeast as a four-lane divided highway. The road intersects Firth Sterling Avenue SE at a traffic light before passing near residential areas as a limited-access road and curving to the south. Just after Firth Sterling Avenue SE, the parkway used to intersect a railroad line at a road crossing. The tracks have been abandoned and removed, but signage for the old railroad crossing can still be seen. The parkway comes to a westbound exit for Sheridan Road SE and an eastbound entrance from Sumner Road SE. that provides access to Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE. At the intersection of Sheridan Road SE and Pomeroy Road SE, a bike path begins and runs parallel to the westbound lanes of the parkway through the remainder of Washington, D.C. Past this, the Suitland Parkway curves east through woods and reaches a traffic light with Stanton Road SE. The road curves southeast and comes to a full interchange with Alabama Avenue SE, with access to and from the westbound direction of the parkway provided by Irving Street SE. Following this, the parkway heads east into woods.[7]

At the bridge that carries Southern Avenue SE over the parkway, the Suitland Parkway enters Prince George's County in Maryland. The road heads northeast into Temple Hills, coming to traffic light with MD 637 north of the Naylor Road station on Washington Metro's Green Line. Left turns are prohibited at the MD 637 intersection. A short distance later, the parkway comes to an interchange with MD 5. Past this interchange, the Suitland Parkway continues east and passes under the Green Line, with the median widening as it continues southeast through woods. The median narrows again as the road comes to an interchange with MD 458 in Suitland near the Suitland station on the Green Line. Past MD 458, the parkway median widens again and the road continues through woodland a short distance to the southwest of the Green Line. The road has an at-grade intersection with Meadowview Drive, which heads south into a residential development, before the subway line passes over the parkway to head south. The Suitland Parkway curves east and the median narrows as the road comes to an interchange with Suitland Road. The road continues east through more woods with nearby development including the incorporated town of Morningside, with the median widening as the road comes to a traffic light with MD 337. It is at this point that southbound MD 337 splits from the westbound Suitland Parkway. The parkway passes under I-95/I-495 without an interchange before northbound MD 337 merges onto the eastbound direction of the parkway via a ramp. At this point, the Suitland Parkway passes to the north of Joint Base Andrews and comes to an interchange that provides access to the north gate of the base. A short distance later, both MD 337 and the Suitland Parkway end at a traffic light with MD 4 in Forestville.[7]

Commercial vehicles, such as trucks, are allowed on the Washington, DC portion of the parkway, but must exit at Alabama Ave.[2]

Exit list

StateCountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
District of ColumbiaWashington0.00.0South Capitol Street northinterchange
0.20.32 I‑295 (Anacostia Freeway)I-295 exit 3; no access from Suitland Parkway west to I-295 south
0.30.48Firth Sterling AvenueAt-grade intersection; traffic light
0.81.3Sheridan RoadInterchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; to Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue
1.62.6Stanton RoadAt-grade intersection; traffic light
2.23.5Alabama AvenueInterchange
MarylandPrince George'sTemple Hills3.15.0Naylor Road (MD 637)At-grade intersection; traffic light; no left turns from Suitland Parkway
3.25.1 MD 5 (Branch Avenue) – WaldorfInterchange
Suitland4.77.6 MD 458 (Silver Hill Road) – Suitland Federal CenterInterchange
5.69.0Meadowview DriveAt-grade intersection
6.610.6 To I-95 (I-495) / Suitland Road – Andrews AFB Main GateInterchange
Forestville8.012.9Forestville Road (MD 337 south)At-grade intersection; traffic light
8.513.7Allentown RoadInterchange; Eastbound entrance only
9.014.5Andrews AFB North GateInterchange
9.114.6 MD 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) – Washington, Upper MarlboroAt-grade intersection; traffic light
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Google (December 26, 2013). "Suitland Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  2. 1 2 36 CFR 7.96 (f )(1))
  3. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  4. ↑ Suitland Parkway (U.S. Reservation 675), National Park Service
  5. ↑ Jere L. Krakow (August 1993). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Suitland Parkway" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  6. ↑ "Historic Roads in the National Park System". National Park Service. August 23, 2004.
  7. 1 2 Google (August 1, 2012). "overview of Suitland Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
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