MD 85 begins at a three-way intersection with MD 28 in Tuscarora, which is also known as Licksville. The roadway continues south as eastbound MD 28 (Dickerson Road) and westbound MD 28 (Tuscarora Road) heads west from the intersection. MD 85 heads north through farmland as a two-lane undivided road that parallels the
Monocacy River about to the east. The state highway intersects Lily Pons Road, which heads east toward the Lily Pons Water Gardens and the historic
Amelung House and Glassworks, and Adamstown Road, which heads west toward
Adamstown. MD 85 intersects the western terminus of
MD 80 (Fingerboard Road) on the southern edge of Buckeystown. The state highway continues through the
Buckeystown Historic District, where the highway intersects Manor Woods Road and the old alignment of MD 80, Michaels Mill Road, and crosses Rocky Fountain Run. The road runs through rural land and passes to the west of
Saint John's Catholic Prep school. MD 85 enters an industrial area as the highway enters the community of
Lime Kiln, the site of the road's oblique at-grade crossing of
CSX's
Old Main Line Subdivision railroad line. The state highway temporarily expands to a four-lane undivided highway between the railroad crossing and its intersection with English Muffin Way, which is the site of a
Bimbo Bakeries USA factory. At the north end of the industrial area, MD 85 crosses
Ballenger Creek and passes the
George Markell Farmstead and the historic home
Arcadia. The state highway expands to a four-lane undivided highway as it passes through a commercial area north of Executive Way. MD 85 intersects Crestwood Boulevard, which heads west into the suburb of
Ballenger Creek, before the highway meets I-270 (Eisenhower Memorial Highway) at a
partial cloverleaf interchange at a rakish angle. MD 85 continues north through a commercial area that includes the
Francis Scott Key Mall. At the northern end of the commercial area at Evergreen Point, the state highway expands to a
divided highway, veers east, and intersects MD 355 (Urbana Pike). MD 85 curves to the north and meets I-70/
US 40 (Baltimore National Pike) at a
single-point urban interchange. The state highway intersects Walser Drive and Monocacy Boulevard before reaching its northern terminus at the end of state maintenance next to Harry T. Greager Memorial Athletic Field at the city limit of Frederick. The roadway continues north as East Street through the
Frederick Historic District, where the street passes the
Frederick station on the Frederick Branch of
MARC's
Brunswick Line. MD 85 is a part of the
National Highway System as a principal arterial from I-270 in Ballenger Creek north to I-70/US 40 just south of Frederick. ==History==