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Opened in 1954, the parkway is a 29-mile scenic highway that connects
Baltimore, Maryland with Washington, D.C. The part of the parkway from Washington,
D.C. to Fort Meade,Maryland is managed by the National Park Service. Although
the first concept of Parkway design was envisioned by Pierre L'Enfant in
his 18th century plan, the concept of a parkway in Washington, D.C. was
not approved until 1902. At that time, Parkways were designed for use by
bicyclists and horse-drawn carriages. There are no tolls or fees for use
on the parkway. There are no trucks allowed on the parkway. The United States
Park Police patrol the parkway.
The Baltimore-Washington Parkway is the ceremonial entrance route into the
nation's capital from the north. In the 1920s the federal government's parkway
system for Washington, D.C., based on Pierre Charles L'Enfant's layout of
the Capital, included plans for this byway. Although the construction did
not begin until 1942, at the end of the American parkway movement, this
byway exemplifies one of the last such roads constructed and the only fully
developed parkway of its kind in Maryland. Its character continues today.
This byway was recently dedicated to the late Senator Gladys Noon Spellman.
The Baltimore-Washington Parkway was opened on October 1954. An average
of 21,000 vehicles traveled it the first week, 6,000 more than expected.
This ribbon of road maintains the integrity of the area and preserves
the natural topography by following the landscape architecture. There
is limited access, gentle curves, and a park-like setting inviting delightsome
driving. The byway is thickly wooded with a variety of trees, including,
oak, tulip, ash, maple, sweet gum, sycamore, and pine.
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