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Maryland Route 404 (MD 404) is a major highway on Maryland's Eastern Shore in the United States. It runs from MD 662 in Wye Mills on the border of Queen Anne's and Talbot counties, southeast to the Delaware state line in Caroline County, where the road continues as Delaware Route 404 (DE 404) to Nassau (near Rehoboth Beach). The Maryland and Delaware state highways together cross the width of the Delmarva Peninsula and serve to connect the cities west of the Chesapeake Bay by way of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and U.S. Route 50 (US 50) with the Delaware Beaches. Along the way, MD 404 passes through mostly farmland and woodland as well as the towns of Queen Anne, Hillsboro, and Denton. The road is a two-lane undivided highway for most of its length with the exception of the bypass around Denton and a section near Hillsboro, which is a four-lane divided highway. MD 404 was designated by 1933 to run from Matapeake (where the Annapolis-Matapeake ferry across the Chesapeake Bay connected the route to Annapolis), east along present-day MD 8, US 50, and MD 662 to Wye Mills, where it followed its current routing to the Delaware border. By 1946, the route’s western terminus was moved to MD 2 north of Annapolis, where it headed east across the Chesapeake Bay on the Sandy Point-Matapeake ferry. The western terminus was cut back to Wye Mills in 1949, having been replaced with US 50 west of there. The route was realigned to bypass Queen Anne and Hillsboro in 1960 and Denton in 1987. Since MD 404 is the main route for travelers between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Delaware Beaches, the road has a high accident rate. To improve on this situation, the Maryland State Highway Administration is planning to widen the two-lane portions of the route into a four-lane divided highway. A portion of the road east of Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County received $7.7 million for widening as a part of the stimulus bill signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2009. ==Route description== MD 404 begins at an intersection with MD 662 (Old Wye Mills Road) in Wye Mills on the border of Queen Anne's and Talbot Counties, heading to the east on Queen Anne's Highway, a two-lane undivided road.〔 It heads east through farmland along the Queen Anne's/Talbot County border before reaching an intersection with US 50 (Ocean Gateway). Upon crossing US 50, MD 404 becomes a part of the main route between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Delaware Beaches.〔 MD 404 continues east through farmland with some residences and wooded areas as a two-lane road, approaching the town of Queen Anne.〔〔 Further east, Old Queen Anne Road splits from MD 404, with MD 404 crossing entirely into Queen Anne's County.〔 It resumes east through some farmland before coming to an intersection with MD 309 (Starr Road).〔 Past MD 309, the route intersects the northern terminus of MD 303 (Main Street), which intersects the route as a northbound-only road that provides access to eastbound MD 404. From MD 303, the road heads into wooded areas adjacent to Tuckahoe State Park before crossing the Tuckahoe Creek.〔〔 MD 404 enters Caroline County upon crossing the Tuckahoe Creek, where it becomes Shore Highway.〔 It widens into a four-lane divided highway and emerges from the woods into agricultural areas, intersecting MD 480 (Ridgely Road) near Hillsboro. Past that intersection, the route heads through a mix of woods and residences, narrowing back into a two-lane undivided road, before intersecting MD 404 Alt. (Hillsboro Road), where MD 404 heads into a mix of farms and woodland.〔〔 Unsigned MD 485 (Saathoff Road) loops to the south of MD 404, returning to the route before the intersection with the southern terminus of MD 312 (Downes Station Road).〔 The route continues to the southeast through farms, heading toward Denton. As the road approaches Denton, it widens into a four-lane divided highway that heads through rural areas with some residences and businesses.〔 MD 404 Bus. (Meeting House Road) splits from MD 404 to head through the center of Denton while MD 404 continues east to bypass Denton to the north.〔 The route continues east through fields before intersecting MD 328 (New Bridge Road).〔 Past this intersection, MD 404 crosses over the Choptank River. It continues east as a limited-access road with a diamond interchange with MD 313 (Greensboro Road) and unsigned MD 619 (Sixth Street), where some businesses are located.〔〔 MD 313 forms a concurrency with MD 404 and the two routes turn south, heading along the eastern side of Denton through woodland and then past residential neighborhoods. It turns to the southwest, heading into woods and intersecting MD 404 Bus. (Franklin Street/Gay Street) at an at-grade intersection. MD 313 and MD 404 continue as a surface road that turns south and heads through some commercial areas.〔〔 The road heads south into farmland, passing by Martinak State Park. It crosses over Watts Creek and comes to an intersection with MD 16 (Harmony Road), with that route joining MD 313 and MD 404 for a three-way concurrency.〔〔 The three routes continue southeast, narrowing into a two-lane undivided road that heads through a mix of woods and farms with some homes.〔 The road turns more to the east-southeast, with MD 313 splitting from MD 16 and MD 404 by heading south on Federalsburg Highway in Andersontown. The road turns southeast and in a short distance, MD 16 splits from MD 404 by heading east on Greenwood Road.〔〔 Past this intersection, MD 404 continues southeast through farmland and woodland to the Delaware border, where the road continues as DE 404, which runs east to an intersection with DE 1 in Nassau (near Rehoboth Beach).〔 MD 404 is a part of the main National Highway System for its entire length except for the portion from MD 662 to US 50 in Wye Mills.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Maryland Route 404」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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