page_title: Maryland Route 542
section_title: Route description
hierarchical_section_title: Maryland Route 542 / Route description
caption_attribution_description: English: View south along Maryland State Route 542 (Loch Raven Boulevard) at Thetford Road in Towson, Baltimore County, Maryland
context_page_description: Maryland Route 542 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Loch Raven Boulevard, the state highway runs 6.33 miles from MD 147 in Baltimore north to Interstate 695 and Cromwell Bridge Road near Towson. MD 542 is a four-lane divided highway that connects portions of Northeast Baltimore with Towson and I-695. The state highway is maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration in Baltimore County and the Baltimore City Department of Transportation in the city. MD 542 was constructed in the early to mid-1930s. The highway was expanded to a divided highway in Baltimore by 1950 and in Baltimore County in the mid- to late 1950s.
context_section_description: MD 542 begins at an intersection with MD 147 (Harford Road) adjacent to Clifton Park in Baltimore.  St. Lo Drive heads south into the city park on the south side of the intersection.  The state highway heads north as The Alameda, a four-lane divided boulevard through the Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello neighborhood, where the highway passes Baltimore City College.  North of 33rd Street, MD 542 heads through the Ednor Gardens-Lakeside neighborhood north to Loch Raven Boulevard.  MD 542 switches to Loch Raven Boulevard while The Alameda continues through the Northwood neighborhood.  The state highway intersects Cold Spring Lane and crosses Chinquapin Run.  North of Good Samaritan Hospital, MD 542 intersects Northern Parkway and leaves the city limits.
  MD 542 meets the northern end of Hillen Road shortly after entering Baltimore County on the eastern edge of Towson.  The state highway's northbound direction gains a third lane north to Taylor Avenue, where the highway veers northeast.  MD 542 intersects Putty Hill Avenue and Joppa Road before reaching I-695 (Baltimore Beltway).  The state highway passes under the Beltway and has ramps from eastbound I-695 to southbound MD 542 and from northbound MD 542 to eastbound I-695.  MD 542 curves northwest and reaches its northern terminus at Cromwell Bridge Road.  The northwest leg of the terminal intersection comprises ramps to and from westbound I-695.
  MD 542 is a part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from Northern Parkway in Baltimore to its northern terminus at Cromwell Bridge Road near Towson.
caption: View south along MD 542 in Baltimore County, just north of the Baltimore city limits
exif: {"Image Make": "Apple", "Image Model": "iPhone 6", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "8.1.1", "Image DateTime": "2016:07:28 10:51:00", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "204", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[39, 23, 1379/50]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[76, 34, 3/5]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "24184/193", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[14, 51, 3/25]", "GPS GPSSpeedRef": "K", "GPS GPSSpeed": "0", "GPS GPSImgDirectionRef": "T", "GPS GPSImgDirection": "9427/175", "GPS GPSDestBearingRef": "T", "GPS GPSDestBearing": "40927/175", "GPS GPSDate": "2016:07:28", "Image GPSInfo": "1584", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1968", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "10476", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/1647", "EXIF FNumber": "11/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "32", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2016:07:28 10:51:00", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2016:07:28 10:51:00", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "4050/379", "EXIF ApertureValue": "7983/3509", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "5751/559", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "83/20", "EXIF SubjectArea": "[1631, 1223, 1795, 1077]", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "294", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "294", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3264", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2448", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "29", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[83/20, 83/20, 11/5, 11/5]", "EXIF LensMake": "Apple", "EXIF LensModel": "iPhone 6 back camera 4.15mm f/2.2"}