Maryland Route 459 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for much of its length as Tuxedo Road, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 50 in Cheverly north to MD 201 just west of Cheverly. MD 459 serves an industrial area in and near Cheverly and connects the town to the Cheverly station of the Washington Metro. The state highway was constructed in the early 1930s. MD 459 originally followed Cheverly Avenue through the middle of Cheverly, but the state highway was rolled back to the US 50 interchange in the early 1970s.
Route description
MD 459 begins at the intersection of Columbia Park Road and an exit ramp from eastbound US 50. Columbia Park Road continues south as a county-maintained highway, crossing Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, MARC's Penn Line, and the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and passing the entrance to the Cheverly Metro Station before turning east through an industrial area. Just south of MD 459's southern terminus, there is a ramp from westbound Columbia Park Road to eastbound US 50. From its origin, MD 459 crosses US 50 then intersects both an entrance ramp to westbound US 50 and Cheverly Avenue, which passes through the heart of Cheverly. MD 459 turns west and passes through an industrial area as two-lane Tuxedo Road. The old alignment of MD 459, MD 973, continues straight as the state highway parallels US 50 under the Alexandria Extension of CSX's Capital Subdivision. Tuxedo Road ends at an intersection with Kenilworth Avenue, which is the old alignment of MD 201, and ramps to and from US 50 west. MD 459 turns north onto Kenilworth Avenue, a divided highway with two lanes northbound. The state highway passes exit ramps from both directions of MD 201 before the southbound direction ends at Frolich Lane. MD 459 continues north as a single lane a short distance until that lane merges with northbound MD 201. MD 459 is a part of the National Highway System as an intermodal connector for north from its southern terminus.
History
The first part of modern MD 459 was the Kenilworth Avenue segment, which was built as a concrete road as part of MD 201, then named River Road, in 1929. MD 459 proper was built in two sections starting in 1930. Tuxedo Road from MD 201 east to Columbia Park Road was constructed as a macadam road, and Cheverly Avenue from Columbia Park Road north through Cheverly to MD 202 was built as a concrete road; both roads were completed by 1933. Kenilworth Avenue was expanded to a divided highway between 1953 and 1956. When the relocation of MD 201 as a divided highway south of MD 459 was completed in 1957, MD 459 was extended to its present terminus. Construction of the B&O Railroad's Alexandria Branch overpass of MD 459 and US 50 began in 1958 and was completed in 1959. MD 459 was relocated at the railroad crossing; part of the old alignment became MD 973. US 50 east of MD 201 was completed in 1962. The freeway's partial interchange with Columbia Park Road was open by 1965. MD 459 was removed from Cheverly Avenue and redirected to its present southern terminus in 1972.
