Maryland Route 97 partially coincident with Georgia Avenue
Maryland Route 97 (MD 97) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs 55.27 mi (88.95 km) from U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97 (PA 97). Throughout most of Montgomery County, MD 97 is known as  Georgia Avenue, which continues south from the southern terminus along US 29 into Washington, D.C. It is a suburban four- to six-lane divided highway from Silver Spring north to Olney. From here, the route continues as a rural two-lane undivided road north through Brookeville and into Howard County. MD 97 continues through Carroll County where it passes through the county seat of Westminster. The route intersects many major roads, including Interstate 495 (I-495, Capital Beltway) north of Silver Spring, MD 28 and MD 200 (Intercounty Connector) in Norbeck, I-70/US 40 near Cooksville, MD 26 in Dorsey Crossroads, and MD 27, MD 32, and MD 140 in the Westminster area.
With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, present-day MD 97 north of Westminster became a part of US 140. MD 97 was first designated by 1933 from MD 27/MD 410 (now US 29) in Silver Spring to north of US 40 in Cooksville. Two portions of the route between Cooksville and Westminster became MD 570 in 1939. In 1956, MD 97 was extended north from Cooksville to the Pennsylvania border northwest of Emmitsburg, Frederick County. It replaced the two sections of MD 570 along with the MD 32 designation between Westminster and the Pennsylvania border. MD 97 was rerouted to bypass Westminster in 1960 and was moved to a new alignment between Westminster and Taneytown in 1965; both former alignments became MD 32. In 1961, the route was realigned between MD 26 and MD 32, with the former segment becoming MD 854. MD 97 was rerouted to its current northern terminus in 1979, replacing that portion of US 140, while the former route between Westminster and northwest of Emmitsburg became part of MD 140.Montgomery County
MD 97 begins at an intersection with US 29 and MD 384 (Colesville Road) in downtown Silver Spring in Montgomery County, heading north on Georgia Avenue, a six-lane divided highway. From the route’s southern terminus, Georgia Avenue continues south as part of US 29 toward Washington, D.C. MD 97 passes commercial areas of high-rise buildings in Silver Spring before heading into residential neighborhoods. The route intersects the northern terminus of MD 390 (16th Street), which heads south and becomes 16th Street Northwest upon entering the District of Columbia. Washington Metro's Red Line begins to run below the route at this point. It continues north as a six-lane undivided road with reversible lanes through commercial areas before coming to a modified cloverleaf interchange with I-495 (Capital Beltway).Past this interchange, the road becomes a divided highway again and intersects the eastern terminus of MD 192 (Forest Glen Road) near the Red Line's Forest Glen station. MD 97 passes more residences and continues toward Wheaton. The road heads into business areas again as it intersects MD 586 (Veirs Mill Road) east of the Westfield Wheaton shopping mall and adjacent to the Wheaton station along the Red Line. A short distance later, the road crosses MD 193 (University Boulevard) and continues back into residential areas past that intersection.  The route heads into a mix of residential and commercial areas as it heads toward Glenmont, where it meets Randolph Road at a single-point urban interchange.  A short distance later, MD 97 intersects the southern terminus of MD 182 (Layhill Road).History
In 1911, Georgia Avenue was proposed as a state highway between the Washington, D.C. border and Brookeville. This section of state highway was completed by 1915. By 1921, a state highway was proposed between Roxbury Mills and Cooksville, with a small piece completed to the south of Cooksville. Also, a state highway was completed between Westminster and the Pennsylvania border, connecting to a road that continued northwest to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. By 1923, the state road was finished between south of Cooksville and north of Roxbury Mills and to the north of Cooksville. With the creation of the U.S. Highway System on November 11, 1926, the portion of present-day MD 97 north of Westminster was designated as part of US 140, a U.S. Highway that ran from Baltimore to Gettysburg. In addition, the portion of Georgia Avenue between Norbeck and Olney was designated as part of MD 28 in 1927. The state highway was completed south to Roxbury Mills in 1928. By 1933, the state road between Brookeville and Roxbury Mills was finished.MD 97 was designated by 1933 to run from MD 27/MD 410 (now US 29) in Silver Spring to north of US 40 (now MD 144) in Cooksville.  In 1935, a state highway was finished south of the MD 26 intersection west of Eldersburg and heading south from MD 32 in Fenby. Both these highways were extended south about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) in 1938. In 1939, the state highway running south from MD 26 west of Eldersburg and from MD 32 south of Fenby were both designated as MD 570. By 1946, the MD 28 concurrency between Norbeck and Olney was removed. The southern section of MD 570 was extended south 0.5 miles (0.80 km) again in 1948. MD 97 was widened into a divided highway between Silver Spring and Glenmont in 1950.
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