Interstate 695 (I-695) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway that constitutes a partial beltway extending around Baltimore, Maryland, United States. I-695 is officially designated the McKeldin Beltway but is colloquially referred to as either the Baltimore Beltway or 695. The route is an auxiliary route of I-95, intersecting that route southwest of Baltimore near Arbutus and northeast of the city near White Marsh. It also intersects other major roads radiating from the Baltimore area, including I-97 near Glen Burnie, the Baltimore–Washington Parkway (B–W Parkway; MD 295) near Linthicum, I-70 near Woodlawn, I-795 near Pikesville, and I-83 in the Timonium area.
Originally, a portion of the Baltimore Beltway between I-95 northeast of Baltimore and I-97 south of Baltimore was officially Maryland Route 695 (MD 695) and was not part of the Interstate Highway System, but was still signed as I-695. The Francis Scott Key Bridge that crossed over the Patapsco River was included in this section of the route before the bridge's collapse on March 26, 2024. The bridge and its approaches were maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), while the remainder of the Baltimore Beltway is maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA). The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials approved the redesignation of MD 695 as I-695 on April 29, 2024.
The Baltimore Beltway was first planned in 1949 by Baltimore County; the state eventually took over the project, becoming part of the Interstate Highway System planned in 1956. The length of the route from MD 2 south of Baltimore clockwise to U.S. Route 40 (US 40) northeast of the city opened in stages from 1955 to 1962, providing an Interstate bypass of Baltimore. It was the first beltway in the US to be built as part of the Interstate Highway System. Plans were made to finish the remainder of the route, with a diversion to the Windlass and Patapsco freeways, opened in 1973, following the cancelation of a more outer route that was to partly follow what is today MD 702 (Southeast Boulevard).
The Outer Harbor Crossing over the Patapsco River, which was dedicated to Francis Scott Key, who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner", and its approaches were finished in 1977, completing the route around Baltimore. The approaches to the bridge were originally two lanes to accommodate a tunnel that was initially proposed to run under the river; in subsequent years, they were upgraded to a four-lane configuration compliant with Interstate Highway standards, allowing for this portion of the route to be signed as I-695 rather than MD 695. There are plans for I-695 that include high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes to ease traffic. In addition, the northeastern interchange with I-95 was reconstructed in 2014 to accommodate express toll lanes that were added to I-95, and construction took place in 2016 to remove I-695's carriageway crossovers here.
Route description
Curtis Creek to I-95
thumb|left|Curtis Creek Drawbridges as seen from I-695 outer; the center of the bascule bridge marks mile marker 0.0. In the distance at top right is the [[Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)|Francis Scott Key Bridge further east along I-695, which collapsed in 2024.]]
Starting at the zero milepost in Baltimore, I-695, which is maintained by the MDTA, is four lanes wide. Continuing west through industrial areas into Anne Arundel County, the route encounters the northern terminus of MD 10 (Arundel Expressway) at a directional interchange, where maintenance switches to MDSHA. The interchange includes access to the next interchange, with MD 2 (Ritchie Highway), a major north–south route between Baltimore and the southern suburbs, in Glen Burnie. This interchange has access to northbound MD 2 in both directions and from northbound MD 2 to the westbound direction. Beyond MD 2, I-695 encounters I-895B, a short connector to I-895 (Harbor Tunnel Thruway); this interchange provides access to southbound MD 2 from both directions and to the eastbound direction from southbound MD 2. It turns more to the north from here and heads into commercial areas, interchanging with MD 168 (Nursery Road) and Hammonds Ferry Road.
From here, I-695 heads northeast as an eight-lane road and enters Pikesville, where it passes under CSX Transportation's Hanover Subdivision and intersects MD 140 (Reisterstown Road) at a single-point urban interchange.
I-95 to Curtis Creek
thumb|right|MD 158 (left) running alongside I-695 (right) in Dundalk
Continuing south, soon encounters MD 7 (Philadelphia Road). Immediately after MD 7, the route interchanges with US 40 (Pulaski Highway) northwest of Essex near The Centre at Golden Ring. After crossing the Patapsco River over the bridge, the route touched down within the Baltimore city limits. It continues west past Thoms Cove through Hawkins Point's industrial areas. It comes to an interchange with Quarantine Road (where the route resumes after the collapsed bridge), which provides access to MD 173, south of Curtis Bay. Past this interchange, the Baltimore Beltway continues west and returns to the Curtis Creek drawbridges.