U.S. Route 219 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 219 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MDSHA | ||||
| Length | 48.40 mi[1] (77.89 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926[2]–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 219 at the West Virginia state line near Redhouse | |||
| North end | US 219 at the Pennsylvania state line near Grantsville | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Maryland | |||
| Counties | Garrett | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 219 (US 219) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Rich Creek, Virginia, to West Seneca, New York. In the U.S. state of Maryland, the U.S. Highway runs 48.40 miles (77.89 km) from the West Virginia state line near Redhouse to the Pennsylvania state line near Grantsville. Known as Garrett Highway for much of its length in Maryland, US 219 is the primary north–south route in Garrett County, connecting Interstate 68 (I-68) and Oakland. The highway also provides the main access to the resort area of Deep Creek Lake, which includes Maryland's only ski area, Wisp Ski Resort.
The part of US 219 between Oakland and Keyser's Ridge was designated as part of the original state road system in 1909 by the Maryland State Roads Commission and constructed in the early 1910s. Chestnut Ridge Road near Grantsville was upgraded to a modern road in the late 1910s, while the Seneca Trail south of Oakland was mostly built in the 1920s. The US 219 designation was assigned to Chestnut Ridge Road and Maryland Route 37 (MD 37) was assigned to the highway south of Keyser's Ridge when national and state route numbers were assigned in 1926 and 1927. The intersection with US 40 near Grantsville was the southern terminus of US 219 until the U.S. Highway was extended through West Virginia in 1935. US 219 was almost completely rebuilt in the 1940s and 1950s, and moved onto I-68 in the late 1970s. Future plans call for a bypass of Oakland and construction of freeway north from I-68 to connect with other freeway portions of US 219 in Pennsylvania.