Travel to College Park

March 2005

We describe below some of the many routes you can take to the University and to the Quality Inn by car, train, metrorail or air. At the end there are directions to the Mathematics Building, including information about parking and a campus map. NOTE: times mentioned below are only approximate, and we are copying some taxi fare information from other sources, which may be out of date.

By Car

From the North:

Coming from Baltimore, take I-95 South to Exit 27 and follow the signs to U.S. Route 1 south, College Park. The route is well marked but there is a tricky point. As you approach the Capital Beltway (I-495), keep to the RIGHT of center as the freeway splits at Exit 27. Soon after the split, you will need to exit to the LEFT. Just keep following the signs to College Park. Take Exit 25B, U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore Ave.) south to College Park.

Proceed south on U.S. Route 1 for 2 miles. The University will be on your right. The Quality Inn is on the right about 3 blocks past campus at 7200 Baltimore Ave.

From the South:

Take I-95 north, joining the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Virginia. Cross into Maryland on I-95/I-495 and continue to Exit 25, College Park. Take this exit, go south on U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore Ave.), and proceed as above.

From the West:

Take I-66 east to I-495 north (it later curves to the east after you enter Maryland), or I-270 south to I-495 east. Continue past Silver Spring to Exit 25B, U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore Ave.), College Park, and proceed as above.

From Washington, DC:

Take Rhode Island Ave. northeast out of the city. Rhode Island Ave. turns into Baltimore Ave., U.S. Route 1. Continue north and the University will be on your left. The Quality Inn, at 7200 Baltimore Ave., will be on your left just after the stoplight at Guilford Rd., one mile north of the intersection with Md. Route 410 (East-West Hwy.), and before you reach campus.

By Train

By train from all directions you can reach Union Station in Washington, D.C. Coming from the north, Amtrak also stops closer to the University, at the New Carrollton station in Maryland near the Capital Beltway.
(Feb 2005 guess: taxi fare to College Park is perhaps $20 from New Carrolton and perhaps $35 from Union Station.) The metrorail connection is better from Union Station. See information on metrorail connections below under "Via Metrorail".

Via Metrorail

Click for Metrorail's hours of operation (which are extensive) and the Metrorail system map.

From Union Station:

Take the Red Line north toward Silver Spring and Glenmont. Exit the train at the Fort Totten station and transfer to the Green Line toward Greenbelt. Then exit at the College Park station, and see the directions below.

From Reagan National Airport:

Take the Yellow Line north to the Mt. Vernon Sq./Convention Center station, and transfer there to the Green Line toward Greenbelt. Then exit at the College Park station, and see the directions below.

From the College Park Metrorail Station:

From the Metrorail station, it is a walk of 1/2 mile to the Quality Inn. For this walk, exit the station on the west side. (This is the direction that requires you to cross under some MARC train tracks next to the station, and it is the direction in which one would walk to "downtown" College Park or U.S. Route 1.) Walk west from the station on Calvert Road (the main road, toward the south end and moving directly away from the station) for 1/2 mile to U.S. Route 1. The Quality Inn is directly across the street.

We presume you can alternately catch a taxi to the Quality Inn on the east (busy) side of the station (to reach the east side, do not cross under the MARC tracks), but we don't have information on the reliable availability of taxis here.

For people arriving on or before Friday, there is also a free shuttle bus (the College Park Metro route of Shuttle-UM) to campus that leaves from the east side of the station frequently from approximately 7am to 8pm and then every 30 minutes until around midnight. The shuttle takes 10-15 minutes to reach campus. About 200 yards after crossing U.S. Route 1 and entering the main gate of the University, you will see on your right a four story building with a grey slate dome. That is the Mathematics Building. There is a shuttle stop just ahead near the traffic circle.

Even when the UM shuttle is closed, it is a walk of not more than 25 minues from the College Park Metrorail Station to the Mathematics department.

By Air

There are three airports serving the Washington area, listed below with instructions for ground connections.

From Reagan National Airport:

You can walk to the airport's Metrorail station directly from the new terminal. (From the old terminal, you can walk or take a free shuttle that runs very frequently.) Take the Yellow Line north, transfer to the green line to College Park. (Plan on an hour to reach the College Park station.) See the "Via Metrorail" directions above for travel from the College Park Station.

See Reagan National Airport ground transportation for taxi rates. (On Feb., 2004, the listed fare to the College Park Quality Inn is $30, with a qualification "exact fare may vary ...". Expect more.) Driving time is about a half hour during non-rush hours.

From BWI (Baltimore-Washington International Airport):

Super Shuttle (1-800-BLUEVAN) provides door-to-door service to College Park from BWI. You do not need a reservation, just proceed to the ground transportation area when you arrive. On Feb 2004, a Super Shuttle agent quoted a price of $28 for the first BWI traveller to a College Park destination, and $10 for each additional traveller.

A University information page lists other possibilities from BWI, including a cheaper shuttle. Driving time from BWI is around 30 minutes. The BWI site ground transportation link was not functioning on Feb. 4, 2004, but maybe now ...

From Dulles Airport:

Click Dulles ground transportation for detailed information. Below are the highlights.

You can take the Washington Flyer Express Bus to the West Falls Church Metrorail station (cash only, $8-$10 ), and from there you can make your way by Metrorail to College Park (then see "Via Metrorail" above). Total time from the airport to College Park may be 90 minutes or more.

Washington Flyer Taxi services Dulles exclusively. An agent gave a guess of $60-65 for a taxi to take one person from Dulles to College Park. BUT, from their rates breakdown, each additional person in the taxi costs little more.

A SuperShuttle service may be available.

How to get to the Mathematics Building

The Quality Inn is within easy walking distance of the conference, which will be held primarily on the third floor of the Mathematics Building on the University of Maryland campus, in the department lounge (Room 3201) and colloquium room (Room 3206). Walk north (left as you leave the hotel) along U.S. Route 1. The Quality Inn is at Calvert and Route 1, with a stop light. You will pass another light at Knox, and then reach a light at an intersection including the Maryland Book Exchange. On the far side of the intersection is the Maryland campus: veer left across a field, between Route 1 and the Chapel. On the far side of the field you will hit a campus road: continue north on that road to a traffic circle. Between the traffic circle and Route 1, not far from the circle, you will see a four story building with a gray slate dome. That is the Mathematics Building. Below the dome and above the main entrance the building is labeled "Glenn L. Martin Institute of Technology".

If you are arriving by car, follow the directions above to reach College Park via U.S. Route 1. Enter campus by turning west onto Campus Drive at the main (north) gate. This is a major intersection with a stoplight. If you are driving south, this will be about 2 miles from the Beltway (I-95/I-495), and will be your first opportunity to turn right onto campus, as the road widens just past a small bridge. Driving north on U.S. Route 1, look for the campus on your left and, after a couple minor stoplights, turn left at the big intersection with 2 left turn lanes.

If you continue straight on Campus Drive for about 0.2 miles, you will be in front of the Mathematics Building, which has four stories and supports a grey slate dome. However, follow the instructions below to park.

Parking

Parking from Saturday-Sunday, May 14-15:

After turning onto Campus Drive from Route 1, keep right and take the first right turn, onto Paint Branch Drive. This is the area for Lot XX-1. It is safe to park in this lot during the weekend.

Parking on Monday-Wednesday March 16-18:

You can park in the lot XX-1 AFTER 4 P.M. Before 4 P.M., use a pay lot. For this, after turning onto Campus Drive, keep right and take the first right turn onto Paint Branch Drive. Proceed about 3 blocks. You will see a pay lot on your left.