Maryland Route 3 south
At exit 7 along southbound Interstate 97 near Millersville in Anne Arundel County, this offramp leads to an interchange which access both the at-grade Maryland Route 3, toward Crofton and Bowie, and Maryland Route 32, the Patuxent Freeway toward Odenton, Fort Meade and the south side of Columbia in neighboring Howard County. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
The carriageway proceeds over the southbound, one-way lane of the south end of Veterans Highway, which has followed I-97 from exit 12 a few miles to the north. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
Traffic from Veterans Highway then merges in to form the southbound lanes of MD 3. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
The following gantry directs traffic south on MD 3 toward Gambrills (technically Crofton) and Bowie, or west on MD 32. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
MD 32 then crosses over MD 3. There is no ramp from southbound MD 3 to eastbound MD 32 to return to southbound I-97. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
MD 3 is two lanes as it proceeds through a wooded area as traffic from eastbound MD 32 prepares to merge in. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
MD 32 traffic is received by MD 3, and as a result the route begins to become more congested, which has been a recurring problem for much of what remains of MD 3 over the years. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
The route now approaches intersections with Charles Hall Road, Millersville Road and the eastern terminnus of Maryland Route 175. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
Bowie, across the Patuxent River in Prince George's County, is straight ahead, Gambrills (and Odenton) to the right and Millersville a left turn away. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
At the traffic signal ahead, MD 175-bound traffic is to turn right. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
Past the intersection, flanked by reassurance, MD 3 now has three through lanes and is approaching the busy Crofton area. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
The route's next intersection is with McKnew Road, and it now has a median wide enough for buildings to be located in it. This is a common sight along some portions of what is known as Crain Highway, which also constitutes all of US 301 from Bowie to the Potomac River crossing into Virginia. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
One lane from the carraigeway then disappears for a time as commercial development begins to increase. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
Subsequently, a sign warning of congestion ahead is situated along the intersection of Churchview Road with southbound MD 3. Photo taken 08-24-2016.
Following that, the route intersects St. Stephens Church Road at a traffic signal, following which it expands back to three lanes. Photo taken 08-24-2016.