The epzik8 Webpage
Interstate 895 north
Interstate 895 (Harbor Tunnel Thruway) has its southern terminus at exit 46 along its parent Interstate 95 north of Elkridge in Howard County. Both Interstates have tunnels under the Patapsco River in the city of Baltimore; I-895's is the namesake Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Northbound I-895 begins with this single-lane sweeping curve to the right. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
The first northbound reassurance shield sits here. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Before I-895 crosses the non-tidal Patapsco River, drivers are formally welcomed to it by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), which is responsible for all Maryland tollways. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
The Interstate then has a viaduct over the Patapsco Valley State Park and Levering Avenue. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
The highway next reaches its original southwest end at U.S. Route 1, at southbound exit 1. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
At US 1, I-95 crosses the Patapsco into Baltimore County. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
The highway receives entering traffic from US 1 at right. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Next, I-895 passes under Interstate 195, a spur from I-95 to the Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport. Going north toward Baltimore, I-195 can only be accessed from I-95 due to I-895's partial interchanges allowing only southbound traffic to exit south of the tunnel. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
After that, the Interstate passes over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor; here, it carries MARC's Penn Line running between Washington, DC's Union Station and Perryville. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
At mile marker 2, the highway crosses the Patapsco tributary Herbert Run. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
The Interstate straightens out momentarily, then curves slight left up ahead. The opening of I-95's Fort McHenry Tunnel in 1985 took most through traffic off I-895, meaning this segment of I-895 is now quiet and something of a hidden treasure in the area. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
To the right, the northbound carriageway picks up a ramp from the outer loop of Interstate 695, the Baltimore Beltway. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
I-895 then makes its passage over the Beltway. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
The next crossing is over Hammonds Ferry Road. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Up ahead, the speed limit drops to 55 miles per hour. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
At the pair of overpasses 800 feet in the distance, there is a vertical height clearance of 14 feet, 1 inch. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Those overpasses carry each carriageway of Maryland Route 295 (Baltimore-Washington Parkway). MD 295 south is accessible from I-895 south at exit 4. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
At right, an onramp from MD 295 north enters the picture. It is here, with drivers coming in from Washington, DC and BWI, that northbound traffic on I-895 begins to increase. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
After the Parkway, I-895 goes over Maryland Route 648 (Annapolis Road) just south of the Baltimore Highlands. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Afterward, the highway comes upon a crossing of a swampy portion of the Patapsco. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Along this viaduct, I-895 curves wide to the left. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
At this time, I-895 proceeds into Anne Arundel County. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Accessed from southbound exit 6, I-895's B Spur, which connects mainline I-895 with Interstate 97 (via the A Spur) and Maryland Route 2, flies overhead. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
Northbound I-895 becomes more crowded here as it collects traffic coming from state capital Annapolis and the east side of BWI. Photo taken 05-01-2025.
There is I-895 reassurance as the Interstate moves northeastward past Brooklyn Park. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Through traffic, i.e. that not exiting at Childs Street, is to use the two left lanes of the forthcoming tunnel toll plaza. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
I-895 soon departs Anne Arundel County for the city of Baltimore. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The speed limit is about to drop to 50 miles per hour. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Tunnel toll rates are displayed here. As of 2020, cash is not accepted at tollbooths anywhere in Maryland; this precedent was started with the early-2010s opening of the Inter-County Connector north of Washington, DC. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The highway passes over Patapsco Avenue (which becomes Maryland Route 173 just a few feet to the east), then the two one-way pair components of Maryland Route 2, Potee Street and Hanover Street; just to the south, they consolidate into a single trafficway, Ritchie Highway. Southbound I-895 has access to MD 2 through exit 7 as well as via the B Spur at exit 6, which ends there just after the I-97 cutoff. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
A joint onramp from Patapsco and Potee enters ahead at right. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The highway then crosses the northbound-only Hanover Street. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The tollbooth is a mile away. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The Fairfield/Masonville terminal of the Port of Baltimore is off exit 9 just ahead. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The tunnel, 1½ miles away, has a vertical clearance of 13 feet, 6 inches. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Exit 9 leads to Childs Street and, in turn, Frankfurst Avenue. Exiting traffic is to use the right toll lane. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Before the tollbooth, I-895 begins crossing over CSX trackage by way of the K bridge, nicknamed as such for its center truss casing. For 47 years, the Francis Scott Key Bridge along the Baltimore Beltway was visible from here until it collapsed in 2024. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
A reiteration of the toll rates is posted on the truss canopy. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Childs Street is ¼ mile past the end of the bridge. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
At right, onramps enter I-895 north from Shell Road and Frankfurst Avenue. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The highway then reaches the tollbooth. In 2024, the state announced the impending removal of these booths, the last remaining in Maryland after others were replaced with overhead scanners. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The Interstate now pushes ahead toward the tunnel. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
There is a gradual curve to the left ahead of the tunnel. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Overhead lane markers have begun appearing, with green arrows indicating valid travel lanes. During two-way traffic periods, the left marker will display a red X as southbound traffic will be directed along that lane. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
I-895 now plunges into the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, opened in 1957 with multiple renovations since. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The highway is flat at the tunnel's midpoint several feet under the tidal Patapsco River. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
A "false ending" of the tunnel lies ahead. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The highway briefly emerges back into open air, then passes under Newgate Avenue. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The tunnel then ends for good, but lane changing is still prohibited. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Lane changing is now permissible again, and the lane markers end here. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Exit 10, leading to Holabird Avenue and in turn Dundalk Avenue, is half a mile away. Exit 11, at Boston Street and O'Donnell Street, is a mile away. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
There is a 45 MPH curve to the left ahead. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Exit 10 sits ahead. This exit ramp replaced a previous ramp that was removed in 2019. Up above, I-95 nears its portion of the Boston/O'Donnell exit (57). Photo taken 07-28-2024.
I-895 passes under I-95 at the exit 10 ramp gore. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
I-895 curves left as it comes out from under I-95. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Now oriented due north, I-895 will reach Boston Street (exit 11A) in ¼ mile, and exit 12 (Lombard Street) in a mile. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Here, I-895 crosses Boston Street. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
After Boston Street, a right lane lingers for O'Donnell (exit 11B). Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The exit 11A gore sign. Boston Street is a main street of sorts for the Canton section of Baltimore. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The O'Donnell Street exit arrives. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The Interstate goes downhill and nears the Lombard Street exit, home to Johns Hopkins' Bayview medical campus. Just ahead, Fait Avenue passes over the highway. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Eastern Avenue (MD 150) passes overhead here. Just to the east, it meets I-95 at exit 59, while to the west, it cuts through Greektown and Highlandtown. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Exit 12, I-895's only full interchange, sits ahead. Exit 13, leading to eastbound U.S. Route 40 (Pulaski Highway) and Erdman Avenue, is in one mile. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Meanwhile, information regarding I-95's upcoming express lanes is available through an AM radio frequency posted at right. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
I-895 makes its passage over Lombard prior to the cloverleaf exit ramp to the street. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The I-95 express entrance is half a mile after exit 13. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Exit 12 is followed by I-895 reassurance. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The express entrance is ¾ mile away. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Erdman Avenue's bridge ahead of exit 13 has a 14-foot vertical clearance. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Mapleton Avenue then passes over the Interstate. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The exit 13 gore sign, sitting just in front of Pulaski Highway. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
I-95 express toll rates are posted here. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Remaining northbound traffic is now getting ready to default onto I-95 north with control city New York, a remnant of the days of the New Jersey gap. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
In the meantime, I-895 passes under Moravia Road and receives an onramp from it. Moravia Road is accessible from I-895 south at exit 14. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Moravia Road has separate access to the express lanes at left. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
Then, Moravia Park Drive passes overhead. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The express entrance is marked at left. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The northbound carriageway has a flyover to I-95 north. Photo taken 07-28-2024.
The right lane ends half a mile ahead, at the moment of the I-95 merge. Before the construction of the express lanes, I-95 was the exiting highway at this location, with Fort McHenry-bound drivers having to keep right to remain on I-95. Photo taken 07-28-2024.