Southern Maryland Boulevard was constructed in the late 1920s and was designated MD 416.

The road crosses Galloway Creek and receives a pair of exit ramps from MD 4, with a park and ride lot serving MTA Maryland commuter buses located southwest of the road between the ramps, before reaching its northern terminus at MD 408 (Mount Zion–Marlboro Road) at Waysons Corner.

[1][2] MD 794 was originally constructed as the northernmost part of the Southern Maryland Boulevard, a highway built on a completely new alignment to better connect Calvert County with Upper Marlboro and Washington.

[5] In 1934, the Maryland State Roads Commission proposed MD 416 be widened to 20 feet (6.1 m).

[6] The highway was widened from 18 to 22 feet (5.5 to 6.7 m) from Waysons Corner south into Calvert County in 1948.