Why do MoCo/Maryland roads have SO many names?
I could name many examples but here's my favorite: MD-355 through the heart of MoCo. Let me make some measurements on Google Earth.
Starts off emerging out of DC as Wisconsin Ave. Continues for ~2.3 miles through downtown Bethesda, then becomes Rockville Pike. Okay, I can accept this, we're heading to Rockville.
~7 miles as Rockville Pike. Then, in the middle of downtown Rockville... becomes Hungerford Drive for... just over a mile? What?
THEN, suddenly, we're Frederick Road. This is getting to be a lot, but surely the road will remain unchanged until we reach Frederick, right?
NO! After less than 2 miles, it changes to, drumroll.... Frederick... Avenue. Groundbreaking stuff here. Don't worry though, because once you're through Gaithersburg, we are BACK to Frederick Road. Seriously.
You can continue this out of the county, too. Frederick... Road never reaches Frederick. Such fascinating names as Urbana Pike and Worthington Boulevard appear along the way.
I have never lived anywhere that has single roads share 5+ names. Surely this serves only to confuse us drivers and anyone trying to navigate the area. Can someone offer me a historic/legal/etc. reason why this sort of thing happens in Maryland? I'm fascinated.
Edit: I do understand these are old roads merged together. I am from the east coast and still think it happens here more than elsewhere lol. But who knows