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Interstate 695 outer loop - Rosedale to Towson
In Rosedale, Maryland, as it pulls away from the northern of its two interchanges with Interstate 95, the outer loop of Interstate 695 (Baltimore Beltway) nears exit 32, intersecting U.S. Route 1 (Belair Road) leading north to Bel Air and south to Overlea. Separate signage for the exit is situated at right along the ramp from I-95 north. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The outer loop receives traffic from I-95 north at right. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Although marked as ending, the lane at right will first become a lane for the upcoming exit. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
A gantry in front of the Lillian Holt Drive overpass displays signage specific to exit 32B, for US 1 north to Bel Air, the seat of Harford County to the northeast. It also marks it as being the exit of Franklin Square Hospital, accessible via Rossville Boulevard. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
I-695 shields are located on each side of the outer loop in the meantime. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The speed limit is 55 miles per hour. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Junctions with interstates 83 and 70 are 8 and 20 miles away. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The outer loop now reaches exit 32B, with 32A, US 1 south toward Overlea (and Baltimore city) in ¼ mile. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The exit 32B gore sign. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The cloverleaf exit 32A leaves the outer loop just after US 1's crossing of the Interstate. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The Beltway curves right as traffic from US 1 south enters at right. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 31, Maryland Route 147 (Harford Road) to Carney and Parkville, is in one mile. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Between exits, Putty Hill Avenue passes over the Beltway. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Half a mile from MD 147, White Marsh Boulevard (MD 43) has its western end at the Beltway. It is an inner loop exit and outer loop entrance, and is exit 31C of the inner loop. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The ramp from MD 43 west will become exit 31B to MD 147 north. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The highway next crosses over Avondale Road. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
In just over a mile, I-695 will reach exit 30 at Perring Parkway (MD 41). The outer loop's control city at this point is Towson. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 31B is seen at right. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 31A to MD 147 south follows soon afterward. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 30A ahead access the area Morgan State University. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The next I-695 reassurance shield has dual "west" and "outer loop" notations. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 30B to Perring Parkway north to Waltham Woods Road is just ahead. Meanwhile, just under two miles away is exit 29 for Loch Raven Boulevard (MD 542) and Cromwell Bridge Road. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Old Harford Road crosses over the Beltway prior to Perring Parkway. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 30B leaves the highway ahead. Perring Parkway was originally planned to go much further north when first planned in the 1960s, supposedly into Harford County as a relocated US 1 with a tie-in to the south end of the Bel Air Bypass. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The Beltway crosses over Perring Parkway, then reaches exit 30A for southbound Perring into northeast Baltimore. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Traffic from southbound MD 41 coming from outside the Beltway enters ahead at right. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The following reassurance shield is missing its I-695 marker. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The Beltway goes on to cross East Joppa Road, which meets MD 41 just to the east at Parkville's Perring Plaza. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 29 is half a mile away. I-695 then meets Providence Road and Dulaney Valley Road, with each successive exit in this stretch coming a mile after the previous. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Before the exit, I-695 has a sharp curve to the right and passes over Loch Raven, whose north end is at Cromwell Bridge feet to the north. The inner loop has separate exits for Cromwell Bridge and Loch Raven, whereas on the outer loop, both are served by a single cloverleaf ramp which leads straight into MD 542. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
I-695 crosses over Cromwell Bridge, then exit 29 parts with the outer loop. Cromwell Bridge, which runs northeastward to the intersection of Cub Hill and Glen Arm roads, was once in Maryland's state highway system as MD 567. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
A very small and detached exit sign is located in the exit 29 gore. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Traffic from Cromwell Bridge and Loch Raven enter the outer loop at right. It is around here that I-695 transitions from Parkville into Towson, the seat of Baltimore County. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Providence Road is in half a mile, Dulaney Valley in 1½, and York Road in 2. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
A cloverleaf ramp leads from the outer loop of 695 to Providence Road. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The exit 28 gore sign. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 27, Dulaney Valley Road (Maryland Route 146) marked toward Towson, comes in ¾ mile. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Driver services are available via exit 27A, which directly serves the Towson Town Center. This is also the exit most directly accessing Baltimore County's courthouses and government offices from the outer loop of the Beltway. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The Hampton National Historic Site on Hampton Lane can be reached from exit 27B. Towson's Goucher College is off exit 27A. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The highway curves gradually leftward prior to Dulaney Valley. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 27B to MD 146 north sits just ahead. From this interchange, northbound MD 146 works its way along the eastern edge of Timonium, crosses the Loch Raven Reservoir, then cuts through the Phoenix-Jacksonville area before ending up at Madonna in Harford County, west of Jarrettsville (hence its name of Jarrettsville Pike following its split with Dulaney Valley past the reservoir). Meanwhile, exit 26 for York Road (Maryland Route 45) is in ¾ mile. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 27A for MD 146 south then follows. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The gore sign for exit 27A. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The outer loop receives traffic from both directions of MD 146 shortly thereafter. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The onramp from MD 146 will shortly become the offramp to York Road. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 26, with control cities Towson and Lutherville, leaves the outer loop momentarily. This exit is followed in ¾ mile by exit 25 for southbound Maryland Route 139 (Charles Street). Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 26 splits off at right. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The Beltway proceeds under York Road. Its designation prior to MD 45 was U.S. Route 111, the original corridor linking Baltimore with Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The onramp from York Road is at right. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The Charles Street exit is half a mile away. This is the exit of three universities in north Baltimore as well as the nearby campus of Towson University and its Johnny Unitas Stadium. The home venue of Towson Tigers outdoor sports teams, it is named for the late Baltimore Colts quarterback who led the 1970 team to victory in Super Bowl V. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Between exits sits I-695 reassurance, with the "outer loop" notation displayed more prominently than the designated cardinal direction. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The far-right lane is about to turn into the offramp for exit 25. Large trucks are not permitted on Charles Street in the city. At left on the pictured gantry, the distances for the forthcoming exits to Interstate 83 and Falls Road are listed. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Exit 25 lies just ahead. As a city street, Charles Street acts as the dividing line between east and west Baltimore, as it is where all intersecting east-west city streets' block numbers reset to 0. Half a mile away, I-695 reaches exit 24, the eastern of its two interchanges with I-83 - this one with I-83 north, the Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Charles Street crosses the Beltway via this bridge. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The right lane is now marked for outer loop traffic going onto I-83 north, which has control cities of Timonium and York, Pennsylvania. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
Meanwhile, the onramp from Charles Street enters to the right. Photo taken 06-23-2024.
After exit 24, I-83 joins I-695 for a short distance before leaving the Beltway at exit 23, which also includes ramps to and from Falls Road (Maryland Route 25). Photo taken 06-23-2024.
The exit 24 gore sign, complete with I-83 shield. Photo taken 06-09-2024.
Beside the flyover ramp from I-83 south to the inner loop of I-695, there is a sign that I-83 south (exit 23A) can be used from the outer loop to Baltimore's Inner Harbor along with Pimlico, the northwest Baltimore horse track best known for hosting the Preakness, the middle leg of the Triple Crown of thoroughbred horse racing. Photo taken 06-09-2024.
Then, I-695 passes over the ramp from the inner loop to I-83 north. Photo taken 06-09-2024.
Traffic from I-83 south merges onto the outer loop at right. Photo taken 06-09-2024.
Two lanes open up to the right for I-83 south and MD 25. They are arranged to spare southbound I-83 through traffic any merging. The control cities for the outer loop of I-695 are now Pikesville and Washington, DC, the latter mainly via I-95 south. Photo taken 06-09-2024.
Approaching the I-83 split, the Beltway crosses Thornton Road. Photo taken 06-09-2024.
I-83 south also leads to Sinai Hospital and the Baltimore Zoo at Druid Hill Park. Photo taken 06-09-2024.
Exit 23 is preceded by I-695 reassurance, this time without "outer loop" notation. Photo taken 06-09-2024.
Both offramps for exit 23 leave the outer loop at right. Inside the Beltway, I-83 is known as the Jones Falls Expressway (or "JFX"), after the waterway it parallels (the same is the case for MD 25's name). I-83 ends at the intersection of Fayette and President streets a few blocks north of the harbor in Baltimore, but was originally supposed to continue east through Fell's Point and Canton in providing a direct connection to I-95 in east Baltimore. Community opposition forced officials' hand into cancelling the remainder in the latter half of the 1970s. Photo taken 06-09-2024.