 By 1997, the start of construction of the Hampstead Bypass was proposed for three to four years in the future; at that time, most of the engineering phase was complete but most of the highway right-of-way had yet to be purchased. The three-year timeframe was again put forth in 2001. Finally, in 2004, officials announced that the bypass would begin construction in autumn 2005. Construction finally got underway in summer 2006. Houcksville Road's bridge over the bypass and the highway's bridges over Shiloh Road and Indian Run were completed in 2007. The roundabouts at MD 482 and at the southern end of the bypass opened, without connections to the under-construction bypass, in April and May of 2009, respectively. The roundabout at the northern end of the bypass opened when the bypass opened to traffic on August 6, 2009. To minimize disruption to the bog turtle habitat, MDSHA installed tunnels under the bypass for the turtles to use and employed goats to consume invasive species in the habitat area near the bypass rather than remove them with mechanical mowers. Old MD 30 through the center of Hampstead was redesignated MD 30 Business when the bypass opened.
