Maryland Route 202 (MD 202) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from MD 725 in Upper Marlboro north to MD 450 in Bladensburg. MD 202 connects the central Prince George's County communities of Bladensburg, Cheverly, Landover, and Largo with the county seat of Upper Marlboro. The state highway was constructed from Bladensburg to Largo in the mid- to late 1920s and from Largo to Upper Marlboro in the early 1930s. MD 202 was relocated through Landover in the early 1940s. The highway was expanded to a divided highway with several interchanges from Bladensburg through Landover and Largo from the early 1960s to the mid-1970s. In the 1990s, MD 202's divided highway segment was extended halfway to Upper Marlboro and expanded again through Largo, including the construction of several auxiliary routes to connect the highway with FedExField.
Route description
MD 202 begins at an intersection with MD 725 (Marlboro Pike) just east of the town of Upper Marlboro. MD 725 provides access to U.S. Route 301 (US 301, Robert Crain Highway) to the east and forms the Main Street of Upper Marlboro to the west. MD 202 heads northwest as Largo Road, which immediately crosses Collington Branch just above its confluence with the Western Branch of the Patuxent River. The undivided highway has three lanes—two lanes northbound and one lane southbound—as it ascends out of the river valley. The road becomes two lanes before it passes through Brock Hall, where the highway parallels several segments of Old Largo Road. MD 202 expands to a four-lane divided highway southeast of its junction with the eastern end of MD 193 (Watkins Park Drive) and crosses the Western Branch into the suburb of Kettering, the site of the historic home Mount Lubentia.
MD 202 passes Largo High School and the main campus of Prince George's Community College just before it expands to six lanes just south of Campus Way in Largo. The highway meets MD 214 (Central Avenue) at a partial cloverleaf interchange. Access from northbound MD 202 to eastbound MD 214 and from westbound MD 214 to southbound MD 202 is via Campus Way. North of MD 214, MD 202 expands to eight lanes and intersects Arena Drive and Lake Arbor Way. The latter road leads through the eponymous suburb; the former road leads to The Boulevard at the Capital Centre, the Downtown Largo station at the eastern terminus of the Washington Metro's Blue and Silver lines, and FedExField, the home of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League. MD 202 curves west through intersections with Lottsford Road and St. Joseph's Drive and McCormick Drive. At the latter intersection, the highway's name changes to Landover Road.
MD 202 reduces to six lanes just east of its partial cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95)/I-495 (Capital Beltway). The highway passes south of the remains of Landover Mall and intersects Brightseat Road, which is unsigned MD 202E and provides northern access to FedExField. MD 202 continues northwest through Landover and has a cloverleaf interchange with MD 704 (Martin Luther King Jr. Highway). The highway meets the eastern end of Old Landover Road, which leads to the Landover station on the Washington Metro's Orange Line, before crossing over the Orange Line and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Immediately to the west of the railroad crossing is MD 202's junction with US 50 (John Hanson Highway), which is a combination of the partial cloverleaf and trumpet interchanges. The highway continues along the northern edge of the town of Cheverly and has a four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange with the Baltimore–Washington Parkway, which is unsigned MD 295. West of the parkway, MD 202 enters the town of Bladensburg and reaches its northern terminus at MD 450 (Annapolis Road). There is no direct access from westbound MD 450 to southbound MD 202.
MD 202 is a part of the National Highway System for its entire length. The highway is an intermodal connector between US 50 and Old Landover Road. The remainder of MD 202 is a National Highway System principal arterial.
History
The first section of MD 202 was constructed as a concrete road from US 50 (now MD 450) in Bladensburg east to the Pennsylvania Railroad (now Amtrak Northeast Corridor) at Landover in 1924 and 1925. The highway was extended southeast to MD 214 in Largo in 1929 and 1930. The portion of MD 202 from Largo southeast to MD 3 and MD 4 (now MD 725) in Upper Marlboro was constructed as a gravel road that was started in 1930 and completed by 1933. By 1934, traffic on the highway was dense enough that the Maryland State Roads Commission recommended the stretch from Bladensburg to Largo be widened from to .