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 Alternate
A "water-grade" route for US 97 along the east bank of the Columbia River was envisioned in the 1940s and was constructed in sections as part of improvements to SR 151. These improvements included a new alignment for the highway during construction of the Rocky Reach Dam and a new bridge crossing at Chelan Falls. The $14.6 million alignment (equivalent to $ in dollars) following the river for between Chelan Falls and Azwell was opened in September 1985, completing the water-grade route along the Columbia River. The state legislature moved US 97 to the east bank route in 1987 and designated the old highway on the west bank as US 97 Alternate. The redesignation was controversial with Chelan and Entiat businessmen, who feared a loss of business and traffic along the alternate route, but the state government cited predicted traffic volumes as its main determinant for the signing of US 97 onto the eastern route. The change was submitted to the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering, a group within the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) that coordinates the numbering of national highways, and was approved at their June 1988 meeting after being initially withheld.