User:Algorerhythms/68
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Interstate 68 (I-68) is a 112.6-mile (181.2 km) Interstate highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, which connects Interstate 79 in Morgantown to Interstate 70 in Hancock. Interstate 68 is also designated as Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and prior to its completion in 1991, it was designated as U.S. Route 48. In Maryland, the highway is known as the National Freeway, as an homage to the historic National Road, which Interstate 68 parallels between Keyser's Ridge and Hancock, Maryland. Interstate 68 is noted for the road cut constructed for it through Sideling Hill, which exposes geological features of the mountain and has become a tourist attraction.
The construction of Interstate 68 began in 1965 and lasted for about twenty-five years, being completed on August 2, 1991. While the road was being built, it was predicted that the completion of the road would improve the economic situation along the corridor. The highway provides a major transportation route in western Maryland and northern West Virginia, and also provides an alternate to the Pennsylvania Turnpike for westbound traffic from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.