Maryland Route 6
Maryland Route 6 (MD 6), also known as Port Tobacco Road, is a Maryland state highway about 47.4 miles long. It runs from a dead end at the Potomac River in Riverside east to MD 235 in Oraville. The road connects small communities in southern Charles County and northern St. Mary’s County with US 301 in La Plata (the county seat) and with MD 5 in Charlotte Hall. It also provides access to historic Port Tobacco.
Route summary
- Start: A dead end next to the Potomac River in Riverside.
- It travels northwest as a narrow farm road, then turns north at MD 224 (Riverside Road).
- Heads through Nanjemoy, Doncaster (where it meets MD 344), Ironsides, Hill Top, Welcome, McConchie, and the Port Tobacco area.
- Passes near several historic sites and through La Plata, where it meets US 301 and runs along Charles Street past the courthouse and other town landmarks.
- Leaves La Plata, crosses Zekiah Swamp, and enters St. Mary’s County as New Market Road.
- Reaches Charlotte Hall and intersects MD 5 at two points in the area.
- Continues to Huntersville, then toward the Patuxent River and ends at MD 235 in Oraville.
Notable details
- MD 6 is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial from US 301 east to Prospect Hill Road in La Plata.
- The road was built in stages starting in the 1910s and 1920s, with the final section completed in 1940. It has seen major improvements mainly around La Plata in the early 1950s, with little change since the 1950s.
Major junctions
- MD 224 in Riverside
- MD 344 in Doncaster
- MD 425 in Ironsides
- US 301 in La Plata
- MD 488 in La Plata
- MD 5 in Charlotte Hall
- MD 235 in Oraville
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 02:20 (CET).