Interstate 170 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Auxiliary route of I-70 | ||||
Maintained by BDPW | ||||
Length: | 2.3 mi (3.7 km) extrapolated from cancellation info |
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Existed: | 1969 – 1983 | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end: | I-70 at Gwynns Falls Park | |||
US 1 | ||||
East end: | US 40 at MLK Blvd. | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | City of Baltimore | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Interstate 170 (abbreviated I-170) was the designation for a 1.39-mile (2.24 km) freeway in Baltimore, Maryland, that currently carries US 40. The highway was originally envisioned as the eastern terminus of the Maryland portion of Interstate 70, a major transcontinental route, and was later envisioned as a direct link between the Interstate and the western edge of the central business district of Baltimore. However, with the loss of Interstate 70 in Baltimore, the route was deleted as an Interstate. Disapproval of the remaining depressed highway by Baltimore citizens, as well as environmental groups, has earned it the common nicknames of "The Highway to Nowhere" and "The Ditch"; in addition, other names include the "Westside Freeway" and the "Franklin–Mulberry Expressway", both referring to its location in the city.
I-170 would have begun at a directional-T interchange with I-70 where Baltimore Street and the Amtrak Northeast Corridor cross Gwynns Falls. The Interstate would have paralleled the north side of the railroad tracks through what is presently an industrial area. I-170 would have crossed Mulberry Street (eastbound US 40) and veered east through what are now parking lots for the West Baltimore station on MARC's Penn Line to seamlessly connect with the portion of I-170 that was constructed east of Pulaski Street. The unconstructed freeway would have had an eastbound exit ramp to Mulberry Street and a westbound entrance ramp from Franklin Street. These ramps, which were partially constructed when the highway was built and torn down in 2010, would have connected US 1 with I-170 in the direction of I-70.