Editing Interstate 68 (section)

{{Short description|Interstate in West Virginia and Maryland}}
{{Redirect|I-68}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox road
| country = USA
| route = 68
| type = I
| map = {{maplink-road|from=Interstate 68.map}}
| map_custom = yes
| map_notes = I-68 highlighted in red
| length_mi = 113.15
| length_ref = <ref name="fhwa">{{Cite web |last=Starks |first=Edward |date=January 27, 2022 |title=Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table01.cfm |access-date=January 3, 2024 |work=FHWA Route Log and Finder List |publisher=[[Federal Highway Administration]] |archive-date=September 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920000348/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table01.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref>
| tourist = [[File:MUTCD D6-4.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Historic National Road]]<br />[[File:MD scenic byway.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway]]
| established = 1991
| maint = [[West Virginia Division of Highways|WVDOH]] and [[Maryland State Highway Administration|MDSHA]]
| map_alt = Map of a road that stretches across northern West Virginia and northwestern Maryland.
| direction_a = West
| terminus_a = {{Jct|state=WV|I|79}} in [[Morgantown, West Virginia|Morgantown, WV]]
| junction = <!-- Major junctions only; Only 5-8 most major intersections and cities belong here; please read [[WP:USRD/STDS]] for more info -->{{plainlist|1=
*{{jct|state=WV|US|119}} in Morgantown, WV
*{{jct|state=WV|WV|43}} near Morgantown, WV
*{{Jct|state=MD|US|40|US|219}} near [[Keysers Ridge, Maryland|Keysers Ridge, MD]]
*{{Jct|state=MD|US|219}} near [[Grantsville, Maryland|Grantsville, MD]]
*{{Jct|state=MD|US|220}} near [[Cumberland, Maryland|Cumberland, MD]] }}
| direction_b = East
| terminus_b = {{Jct|state=MD|I|70|US|40|US|522}} in [[Hancock, Maryland|Hancock, MD]]
| states = [[West Virginia]], [[Maryland]]
| counties = '''WV:''' [[Monongalia County, West Virginia|Monongalia]], [[Preston County, West Virginia|Preston]]<br />'''MD:''' [[Garrett County, Maryland|Garrett]], [[Allegany County, Maryland|Allegany]], [[Washington County, Maryland|Washington]]
| system1 = {{infobox road/browselinks/USA|state=WV}}
| system2 = {{infobox road/browselinks/USA|state=MD}}
| browse = {{wv browse|previous_type=WV|previous_route=67|route=WV|next_type=WV|next_route=68}}{{md browse|previous_type=MD|previous_route=67|route=MD|next_type=MD|next_route=68}}
}}
'''Interstate&nbsp;68''' ('''I-68''') is a {{convert|113.15|mi|km|adj=on}} [[Interstate Highway]] in the U.S. states of [[West Virginia]] and [[Maryland]], connecting [[Interstate 79|I-79]] in [[Morgantown, West Virginia]], east to [[Interstate 70|I-70]] in [[Hancock, Maryland]]. I-68 is also '''Corridor&nbsp;E''' of the [[Appalachian Development Highway System]] (ADHS). From 1965 until the freeway's construction was completed in 1991, it was designated as '''U.S. Route&nbsp;48''' ('''US&nbsp;48'''). In Maryland, the highway is known as the '''National Freeway''', an homage to the historic [[National Road]], which I-68 parallels between [[Keysers Ridge, Maryland|Keysers Ridge]] and Hancock. The freeway mainly spans rural areas and crosses numerous mountain ridges along its route. A road cut at [[Sideling Hill]] exposed geological features of the mountain and has become a tourist attraction.

[[U.S. Route 219|US&nbsp;219]] and [[U.S. Route 220|US&nbsp;220]] [[concurrency (road)|overlap]] I-68 in [[Garrett County, Maryland|Garrett County]] and [[Cumberland, Maryland|Cumberland]], respectively, and [[U.S. Route 40|US&nbsp;40]] overlaps with the freeway from Keysers Ridge to the eastern end of the freeway at Hancock.

The construction of I-68 began in 1965 and continued for over 25&nbsp;years, with completion on August 2, 1991. While the road was under construction, it was predicted that economic conditions would improve along the corridor for the five counties connected by I-68: [[Allegany County, Maryland|Allegany]], Garrett, and [[Washington County, Maryland|Washington]] in Maryland and [[Preston County, West Virginia|Preston]] and [[Monongalia County, West Virginia|Monongalia]] in West Virginia. The two largest cities connected by the highway are Morgantown, West Virginia, and Cumberland, Maryland. Although the freeway serves no major metropolitan areas, it provides a major transportation route in western Maryland and northern West Virginia and also provides an alternative to the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] for westbound traffic from [[Washington DC]] and [[Baltimore]].

Various West Virginia officials have proposed extending the highway westward to the [[Ohio River]] valley, ending in either [[Moundsville, West Virginia|Moundsville]], or [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling]], West Virginia. An extension to Moundsville was approved by federal officials at one point but shelved due to funding problems.