U.S. Route 240

U.S. Route 240 marker

U.S. Route 240
Washington National Pike
Wisconsin Avenue
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 40
Existed: 1926 – 1972
Major junctions
South end: US 50 in Washington, D.C.
  I-270 / MD 355 near Bethesda, MD
I-70 in Frederick, MD
North end: US 40 in Frederick, MD
Location
States: District of Columbia, Maryland
Counties: DC: City of Washington
MD: Montgomery, Frederick
Highway system
← MD 239MDMD 242 →
← US 211DCI‑270 →

U.S. Route 240 is a defunct designation for a short, but once very important, segment of highway between Frederick, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Route description

This route description features US 240 as it existed in 1945, with references to today's highways to provide context.

Washington, D.C.

US 240 began at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street near the White House in Washington. US 1 followed 14th Street through the intersection. Pennsylvania Avenue east of US 1 was part of District of Columbia Routes 4 and 5, which ran concurrently along Pennsylvania Avenue southeast around the Capitol and across the Anacostia River, east of which they diverged toward the D.C. ends of MD 4 and MD 5, respectively. US 240 headed west on Pennsylvania Avenue to 15th Street, then entered the White House grounds, which are today known as President's Park and features streets closed to the public. The U.S. Highway headed straight west for a block, then curved around the south side of the South Lawn (White House) to E Street, then followed E Street west to 17th Street. US 240 followed 17th Street north to Farragut Square, where the highway intersected K Street, which carried US 50.

US 240 continued north along Connecticut Avenue to Dupont Circle, which did not yet have an underpass for Connecticut Avenue. At the circle, the U.S. Highway met US 29, which used New Hampshire Avenue on both sides of the circle, and US 240 Alternate, which headed north on Connecticut Avenue. US 240 continued northwest on Massachusetts Avenue. The highway passed through Sheridan Circle, crossed Rock Creek on what is now named the Charles C. Glover Memorial Bridge, and passed along part of Observatory Circle on the edge of the circular U.S. Naval Observatory grounds. US 240 followed Massachusetts Avenue to its intersection with Wisconsin Avenue next to Washington National Cathedral. There, the U.S. Highway turned north and followed Wisconsin Avenue through Tenleytown to the District of Columbia boundary at Western Avenue in Friendship Heights.

Maryland

Main article: Maryland Route 355

US 240 followed a divided highway north to its intersection with MD 191, which as today headed west as Bradley Boulevard, a divided highway, and east as Bradley Lane. The U.S. highway became undivided and intersected MD 82 (Leland Street) and crossed over the Georgetown Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad before meeting the southern and western ends of MD 187 (Old Georgetown Road) and MD 410 (East–West Highway), respectively, in the center of Bethesda. This intersection also served as the northern end of US 240 Alternate, which headed east along MD 410 to Connecticut Avenue, which was then MD 193 and is now MD 185. North of Bethesda, US 240 met the western end of MD 702 (Jones Bridge Road) just south of the National Naval Medical Center. The highway descended into the valley of Rock Creek then left the valley and met the western end of MD 547 (Strathmore Avenue).

US 240 intersected Montrose Road and then the northern end of MD 187 (Old Georgetown Road) at the village of Montrose. The highway began to parallel the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (now CSX's Metropolitan Subdivision) as it approached the town of Rockville. US 240 entered the county seat at Dodge Street and had an acute intersection with MD 28 (Viers Mill Road). The two highways ran concurrently northwest along a street that no longer exists to Montgomery Avenue, then west on Montgomery Avenue to Washington Street. There, MD 28 continued west on Montgomery Avenue and US 240 continued out of town on Washington Street. The U.S. Highway paralleled the railroad to Derwood, where the highway intersected MD 688 (Redland Road) just north of Indianola Drive. US 240 intersected Shady Grove Road and entered the town of Gaithersburg at Summit Avenue. The highway crossed over the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad between a pair of oblique intersections with MD 124 (West and East Diamond Avenue), which ran concurrently with US 240 across the railroad.

US 240 continued north from Gaithersburg across Great Seneca Creek to the hamlets of Middlebrook and Neelsville. In the latter location, the highway met the northern end of MD 118 (Germantown Road) at what is now Boland Farm Road and the southern end of MD 27 (Ridge Road) at what is presently Henderson Corner Road. US 240 crossed Little Seneca Creek and had a pair of staggered intersections with MD 121 (Clarksburg Road); the latter highway followed what are now Spire Street and Redgrave Place north and south, respectively. The U.S. Highway crossed Little Bennett Creek just south of the village of Hyattstown, where the highway intersected Old Hundred Road; MD 109 did not yet extend to Hyattstown. Just north of Hyattstown, US 240 crossed the Montgomery–Frederick county line and met the southern end of MD 75 (Green Valley Road).

US 240 crossed Bennett Creek as it approached Urbana, through which the highway ran concurrently with MD 80 (Fingerboard Road). The U.S. Highway descended into the valley of the Monocacy River, which the highway crossed just south of its bridge across the Old Main Line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Frederick Junction. South of the city limits of Frederick, US 240 had an oblique intersection with US 15 (Buckeystown Pike) just south of the modern intersection of MD 355 and MD 85. US 15 and US 240 entered Frederick together along Market Street. The U.S. Highways crossed Carroll Creek before US 240 ended at US 40 (Patrick Street) in the center of downtown Frederick. US 15 continued north along Market Street toward Gettysburg.

History

U.S. 240's original route between Maryland Route 109 and Maryland Route 85 (then part of U.S. 15) was supplanted by a new freeway alignment in 1953; U.S. 240 was diverted away from its original route onto the new freeway as it was completed south to the future alignment of the Capital Beltway. In 1956, with the arrival of the Interstate Highway System, the route gained the designation Interstate 70S (now Interstate 270).

In Maryland, the whole of U.S. 240 was redesignated as Maryland Route 355 around 1970. U.S. 240 crossed into Washington, D.C. on Wisconsin Avenue, it turns southwest onto Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.) and then south-southwest onto Connecticut Avenue at Dupont Circle. It reached U.S. Route 50 at K Street and by 1968 extended to the area around the Lincoln Memorial .[1][2] Signs for U.S. 240 within Washington existed at least into the early 1970s, when the route was deleted in its entirety, leaving I-70S (now I-270) as the sole route following the original freeway.

In addition, Alternate U.S. 240 ran along Connecticut Avenue through Washington D.C. and Maryland inside the Washington Beltway with its southern end at the intersection with U.S. 240 at Dupont Circle.[1][2]


Junction list

This table shows the intersections of US 240 as they existed in 1945. 

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
City of Washington US 1 (14th Street) / DC 4 east / DC 5 south (Pennsylvania Avenue) – Richmond, Baltimore, Upper MarlboroSouthern terminus of US 240; intersection of E Street, 14th Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue
US 50 (K Street) – Annapolis, ArlingtonIntersection of 17th Street, K Street, and Connecticut Avenue

US 29 / US 240 Alt. / Massachusetts Avenue east – Baltimore, Arlington		Dupont Circle; southern terminus of US 240 Alternate
Western AvenueDistrict of Columbia–Maryland boundary
MontgomeryChevy Chase MD 191 (Bradley Boulevard/Bradley Lane) – Potomac
MD 82 (Leland Street)Intersection of MD 355 and Leland Street
Bethesda
US 240 Alt. south / MD 410 east (East–West Highway) / MD 187 north (Old Georgetown Road) – Washington, Silver Spring, Rockville
MD 702 east (Jones Bridge Road)Intersection of MD 355 and Jones Bridge Road
​ MD 547 east (Strathmore Avenue) – Garrett Park, Kensington
​Montrose RoadNear intersection of MD 355 and Montrose Parkway
​ MD 187 south (Old Georgetown Road) – BethesdaIntersection of MD 355 and Hoya Street
Rockville MD 28 (Veirs Mill Road) to MD 586 – Norbeck, WheatonSouth end of concurrency with MD 28
MD 28 (Montgomery Avenue) to MD 189 – Darnestown, PotomacIntersection of Montgomery Avenue and Washington Street; north end of concurrency with MD 28
Derwood MD 688 east (Redland Road) – RedlandIntersection of MD 355 and Paramount Drive
Gaithersburg MD 124 west (West Diamond Avenue) – GermantownNear intersection of MD 355 and MD 117A; south end of concurrency with MD 124
MD 124 east (East Diamond Avenue) – Washington GroveNear intersection of MD 355 and Brookes Avenue; north end of concurrency with MD 124
​ MD 118 south (Germantown Road) – GermantownIntersection of MD 355 and Boland Farm Road
​ MD 27 north (Ridge Road) – DamascusIntersection of MD 355 and Henderson Corner Road
Clarksburg MD 121 south (Germantown Road) – BoydsIntersection of MD 355 and Redgrave Place; south end of concurrency with MD 121
MD 121 north (Germantown Road)Intersection of MD 355 and Spire Street; north end of concurrency with MD 121
FrederickHyattstown MD 75 (Green Valley Road) – New Market
Urbana MD 80 east (Fingerboard Road) – DamascusIntersection of MD 355 and MD 80; south end of concurrency with MD 80
MD 80 west (Fingerboard Road) – BuckeystownIntersection of MD 355 and Old MD 80; north end of concurrency with MD 80
Frederick US 15 south (Buckeystown Pike) – Buckeystown, LeesburgNear intersection of MD 355 and MD 85; south end of concurrency with US 15
US 15 north (Market Street) / US 40 (Patrick Street) to US 340 – Hagerstown, Baltimore, Gettysburg, Harpers FerryNorthern terminus of US 240; intersection of Market Street and MD 144FA
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 1946 DC Map
  2. 1 2 Torch & Trefoil. Fall 1968. Vol. 44, No. 1. p. 2.
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