Editing Interstate 68 (section)

===Effect on surrounding region===
[[File:2021-08-01 18 08 20 View east along Interstate 68 (National Freeway) west of Sand Spring Road in Sand Spring, Garrett County, Maryland.jpg|thumb|right|I-68 eastbound in Garrett County, Maryland, past the West Virginia state line]]
One of the arguments in favor of the construction of I-68 was that the freeway would improve the poor economic conditions in western Maryland. The economy of the surrounding area has improved since the construction of the freeway, especially in [[Garrett County, Maryland|Garrett County]], where the freeway opened up the county to tourism from [[Washington DC]] and [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]]. Correspondingly, Garrett County saw a sharp increase in population and employment during and after the construction of the road, with full- and part-time employment increasing from 8,868 in 1976 to 15,334 in 1991.<ref name=edh>{{cite web |title = Economic Development History of I-68 in Maryland |publisher = [[Federal Highway Administration]] |first1 = Jason |last1 = Bezis |first2 = Kristin |last2 = Noyes |name-list-style = amp |date = November 5, 2008 |url = http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Planning/econdev/i68md.htm |access-date = January 17, 2009 |archive-date = December 13, 2012 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121213053138/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Planning/econdev/i68md.htm |url-status = dead }}</ref> Economic difficulties, however, remain in Allegany and Garrett counties.<ref name=washpostecon>{{cite news |newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] |first = Dan |last = Beyers |date = September 8, 1992 |title = Mountain Road of Promise Slow to Lift Fortunes |page = D1 |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1992/09/08/mountain-road-of-promise-slow-to-lift-fortunes/6336b9cb-7a13-47d3-8ea4-6a374fa41c10/ |access-date = July 22, 2016 |archive-date = August 22, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160822122437/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1992/09/08/mountain-road-of-promise-slow-to-lift-fortunes/6336b9cb-7a13-47d3-8ea4-6a374fa41c10/ |url-status = live }}</ref> There were concerns over loss of customers to businesses that have been cut off from the main highway due to the construction of the new alignment in the 1980s, leading to protests when then-Governor [[Harry Hughes]] visited the Sideling Hill road cut when it was opened.<ref name=hh>{{cite book |publisher = The History Press |year = 2006 |title = My Unexpected Journey |first = Harry Roe |last = Hughes |isbn = 978-1-59629-117-1 |page = 105 }}</ref>