TOMORROW'S ROADS TODAY - Maryland State Highway ...

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of state drivers as well as residential and commercial developments in Aberdeen created
congested traffic conditions along this new highway. The SRC planned to construct a third
northeast highway that would have limited access and possibly two legs, one going towards
Delaware and the second going directly to Philadelphia. Although the SRC discussed the road
during the early portions of the Twelve-Year Program, other projects had a higher priority and so
it was programmed for funding at a later time. In order to meet Governor Tawes’ schedule and
to get the highway scheduled for construction, in 1959 the SRC chose to use bond money to fund
the work.
When the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 passed, a northeast highway between
Baltimore and the Delaware State Line was shown on the map as part of the 41,000 mile system.
However, as the SRC struggled to complete Maryland’s interstate portion in a timely fashion, it
was apparent there would not be sufficient funding to complete every planned project on
schedule.
An issue in 1962 was whether or not a toll road could be incorporated into the interstate
system. The federal requirements prohibited toll roads if they were not on the selected alignment
for that portion of the interstate. In Maryland, the Northeast Expressway took the same course
that was recommended in the Interstate Report for the interstate highway between Baltimore and
Philadelphia, so that the toll road met the federal requirement and could be constructed. The
highway extended from northeast Baltimore for forty-two miles. The SRC built the highway for
six lanes of traffic, but it began with four traffic lanes, while the deck truss bridge over the
Susquehanna was opened with six traffic lanes. The highway required $102,000,000 in bonds,
and construction began in February 1962, and was completed by November 1963. President
John F. Kennedy came to opening of the highway and spoke about the importance of the
interstate system to the county’s economy on November 14, 1963 (Figure 17). I-95 and its
Maryland House in Cecil County was opened to all drivers, including African-Americans, which
spurred other calls for more public accommodations in Maryland and elsewhere affected by
segregation. 73
73 The Baltimore Evening Sun, “President Kennedy is Dedicating New Maryland-Delaware Turnpike Link,”
November 14, 1963, page A2, Enoch Pratt Free Library Maryland Department; “Northeast Expressway,” Baltimore
Magazine, February 1962, Enoch Pratt Free Library Maryland Department. This was the only time that a President
had opened a highway, and this segment of I-95 memorializes Kennedy who was killed a week later. Maryland
State Roads Commission, Moving Maryland Forward, A Century of Modern Road Building, Baltimore, MD:
Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration, 2008, p. 72.