 Before reaching the river, the state highway passes to the north of the village of Benedict, which was the site of the landing of British troops to march toward Washington prior to the Battle of Bladensburg during the War of 1812.The state highway crosses the Patuxent River on the Benedict Bridge, a long steel beam bridge whose roadway is wide.At the Patuxent River's navigation channel, the bridge features a through steel girder swing span that has vertical clearance when closed and provides two openings with horizontal clearance when opened.