Interstate 97
Interstate 97 (I-97) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs entirely within Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The intrastate Interstate runs from U.S. Route 50 (US 50) and US 301 in Parole near Annapolis north to I-695 and I-895 in Brooklyn Park near Baltimore. The Interstate is the primary highway between Baltimore and Annapolis. I‑97 connects Annapolis with Baltimore–Washington International Airport and links the northern Anne Arundel County communities of Crownsville, Millersville, Severna Park, Glen Burnie, and Ferndale. It is the shortest primary Interstate Highway.
U.S. Route 97 in Washington
On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law, establishing a system of freeways that would later become the Interstate Highway System. Included in the system were Interstate 82 (I-82) and I-90, which were to be concurrent with US 97. The Biggs Rapids Bridge (later renamed to the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge) was opened on November 1, 1962, replacing the ferry that had been operating on the route since the early 1920s. A new system of highways was introduced in 1964 and ultimately caused US 97 to replace the Primary state highways.