MD 501, which is the main east–west highway through Chillum in northwestern Prince George's County, was constructed in the early 1930s.

Chillum Road continues west as a two-lane undivided county highway toward New Hampshire Avenue just inside the District of Columbia boundary.

MD 501 heads southeast as a four-lane undivided highway that intersects Sargent Road and crosses a branch of the Northwest Branch Anacostia River.

The highway begins to parallel Northwest Branch and passes under the Green Line of the Washington Metro just south of the West Hyattsville station.

[6] This bridge was replaced with one wide enough for the present four-lane road in 1968.