Maryland Route 303

Maryland Route 303
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length:	4.20 mi[1][2] (6.76 km)
Major junctions
South end:	MD 309 in Cordova
	MD 404 Alt. in Queen Anne MD 309 in Queen Anne
North end:	MD 404 in Queen Anne
Location
Counties:	Talbot, Queen Anne's
Highway system
Maryland highway system Interstate • US • State • Minor • Former • Turnpikes ← MD 302 MD 304 →

Maryland Route 303 (MD 303) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 4.20 miles (6.76 km) from MD 309 in Cordova north to MD 404 in Queen Anne. MD 303 is an L-shaped highway that passes through the northeast corner of Talbot County and the southeast corner of Queen Anne's County. The state highway also passes very close to the birthplace of Frederick Douglass. MD 303 was originally designated along Starr Road between Queen Anne and U.S. Route 213 (US 213) south of Centreville, while present MD 303 is part of the old alignment of MD 309. The original MD 303 was constructed in the late 1920s and early 1930s, with a gap near Starr filled in the late 1940s. MD 309 absorbed MD 303 in 1955. MD 303 was assigned to its present course in 1961.

Route description

MD 303 begins at an intersection with MD 309 (Cordova Road) a short distance north of the village of Cordova. The state highway heads east as two-lane Tappers Corner Road, passing under the abandoned railroad grade of the Easton–Clayton branch of the Maryland and Delaware Railroad and crossing a pair of branches of Tuckahoe Creek.^[1][3] MD 303 turns north onto Lewistown Road at Tappers Corner very close to the birthplace of Frederick Douglass.^[3][4] After crossing Norwich Creek, the state highway has a short concurrency with MD 404 ALT (Talbot Avenue), during which MD 303 enters the town of Queen Anne.^[1][3] The state highway turns north onto Main Street to pass through the center of town and enters Queen Anne's County at the intersection with Park Avenue.^[1][2][3] MD 303 leaves the town after crossing the railroad grade and intersects MD 309, which heads southwest as Cordova Road and northwest as Starr Road. MD 303 turns northeast onto a one-way road to its northern terminus at MD 404 (Queen Annes Highway). Traffic from MD 404 must use MD 309 to access southbound MD 303.^[2][3]

History

The present MD 303 was originally part of MD 309.^[5] MD 303's first incarnation was between Queen Anne and US 213 (now MD 213) south of Centreville. Construction began in 1925 from Queen Anne.^[6] The highway was paved about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Queen Anne by 1927.^[7] Another 1.5 miles (2.4 km) was paved toward Starr by 1930.^[8][9] By 1933, a second, unconnected section of MD 303 was constructed for 2 miles (3.2 km) east from US 213.^[10] The gap between the two sections was filled in two sections in 1949 and 1950.^[11][12][13] The first edition of MD 303 was assumed by MD 309 in 1955 when the latter highway was extended north from its terminus in Queen Anne to US 213.^[14] MD 303 was assigned to the old alignment of MD 309 between Cordova and Queen Anne in 1961 following the construction of MD 309's present alignment between Cordova and Queen Anne that parallels the railroad grade.^[15] The section of MD 303 between MD 309 and MD 404 became one-way northbound in 2004.^[16]

Junction list

County	Location	Mile [1][2]	Intersection	Notes
Talbot	Cordova	0.00	MD 309 (Cordova Road) – Easton	Southern terminus
	Tappers Corner	1.39	Lewistown Road south – Matthews	MD 303 turns north onto Lewistown Road
	Queen Anne	3.58	MD 404 Alt. west (Talbot Avenue)	South end of concurrency with MD 404 ALT
		3.66	MD 404 Alt. east (Talbot Avenue) – Hillsboro	North end of concurrency with MD 404 ALT
Queen Anne's		4.03	MD 309 (Starr Road/Cordova Road) – Starr, Cordova	MD 309 forms southwest and northwest legs of intersection; northbound MD 303 turns northeast onto one-way road
		4.20	MD 404 (Queen Annes Highway) – Bay Bridge, Denton	Northern terminus; traffic from MD 404 uses MD 309 to access southbound MD 303
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Highway Location Reference: Talbot County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2009. http://www.marylandroads.com/Location/2009_TALBOT.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "Highway Location Reference: Queen Anne's County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2009. http://www.marylandroads.com/Location/2009_QUEENANNES.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Google, Inc. Google Maps – Maryland Route 303 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=MD-309+N%2FCordova+Rd&daddr=MD-303+N%2FLewistown+Rd+to:Cordova+Rd&geocode=FQRiUQIdnIt4-w%3BFQ-3UQIddPx4-w%3BFcDsUQIdTQd5-w&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=38.9057,-75.969505&sspn=0.061315,0.154324&ie=UTF8&ll=38.904259,-75.969429&spn=0.061316,0.154324&t=h&z=13. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
4. ^ Amanda Barker (1996). "The Search for Frederick Douglass' Birthplace". http://www.riverheritage.org/douglass/. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
5. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. General Highway Map: State of Maryland (Map) (1939 ed.). 
6. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1924-1926. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. January 1927. pp. 32, 95. http://www.archive.org/details/annualreportsofs1924mary. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
7. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (Map) (1927 ed.). 
8. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map) (1930 ed.). 
9. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1927-1930. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1930-10-01. p. 225. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1927mary. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
10. ^ Maryland Geological Survey. Map of Maryland Showing State Road System: State Aid Roads and Improved County Road Connections (Map) (1933 ed.). 
11. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1949 ed.). 
12. ^ Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland. 1949-1950. Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission. 1950-12-20. p. 110. http://www.archive.org/details/reportofstateroa1949mary. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
13. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1950 ed.). 
14. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1955 ed.). 
15. ^ Maryland State Roads Commission. Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map) (1961 ed.). 
16. ^ "Highway Location Reference: Queen Anne's County" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2004. http://www.marylandroads.com/Location/2004_QUEENANNES.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 

External links

• MD 303 @ MDRoads.com