Delaware Route 7
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by DelDOT | ||||
Length | 16.87 mi[1] (27.15 km) | |||
Existed | 1936[2]–present | |||
Tourist routes | Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | US 13 / DE 72 in Wrangle Hill | |||
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North end | SR 3013 at Pennsylvania state line near Hockessin | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Delaware | |||
Counties | New Castle | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Delaware Route 7 (DE 7) is a north–south highway in New Castle County, Delaware that connects U.S. Route 13 (US 13) and DE 72 in Wrangle Hill north to the Pennsylvania border near Hockessin, where the road continues into Pennsylvania as State Route 3013 (SR 3013), intersecting Pennsylvania Route 41 (PA 41) at an interchange. Between Wrangle Hill and Christiana, DE 7 runs parallel to the west of the DE 1 freeway through suburban areas, passing through Bear. DE 7 joins DE 1 next to the Christiana Mall and comes to an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95), where DE 1 reaches its northern terminus, before the freeway ends at the DE 58 interchange. After the freeway segment, DE 7 continues north as an at-grade road concurrent with DE 4 through Stanton. From Stanton to the Pennsylvania border, DE 7 heads northwest through suburban areas, passing through Pike Creek.
What is now DE 7 was built as a state highway during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1936, the route was designated to run along its present alignment between US 13 near Red Lion and the Pennsylvania border. From the 1950s to the 1970s, DE 7 became a divided highway between Christiana and Milltown Road. With the construction of the DE 1 freeway in the 1990s, DE 7 was shifted to a portion of the freeway near the Christiana Mall. The route was also extended south to an intersection with US 13 and DE 72 as a result of the relocation of US 13 onto a portion of the freeway. The road also became a divided highway between Milltown Road and DE 72 in the 1990s. In 1999, an interchange was built at DE 58 as a result of a northward extension of the freeway along DE 7. The interchange with I-95 was reconstructed to include flyover ramps in 2013.
Route description
DE 7 begins at an intersection with
After this intersection, the route becomes Bear-Christiana Road and passes through suburban residential development with some farm fields. Farther north, DE 7 narrows into a two-lane undivided road. The highway comes to an intersection with DE 273, where it is briefly a four-lane divided highway. A park and ride lot is located at the northeast corner of this intersection. Following this, DE 7 becomes East Main Street and narrows into a two-lane undivided road, heading through woods and curving to the northwest as it crosses the Christina River. The route enters Christiana and passes homes, intersecting Old Baltimore Pike. At this point, DE 7 turns north onto North Old Baltimore Pike, with the name changing to Stanton-Christiana Road. The route turns east onto four-lane divided Road A and comes to a partial cloverleaf interchange with the DE 1 freeway and Mall Road southwest of the Christiana Mall, a super-regional shopping mall that is the largest in Delaware, and adjacent retail development.[3][4]
At this point, DE 7 heads north
DE 7 splits from DE 4 by heading northwest on four-lane divided Limestone Road. The road runs through suburban residential neighborhoods, coming to a bridge over
Following this, the road continues through suburban development. At the junction with Little Baltimore Road/Brackenville Road, the route curves to the northwest and narrows to a three-lane undivided road with one northbound lane and two southbound lanes, heading into the
The section of DE 7 between Old Baltimore Pike in Christiana and DE 4 in Stanton is part of the
History
What would become DE 7 originally existed as a county road by 1920.[7] By 1924, the road was paved between Christiana and Stanton and was upgraded to a state highway between Capitol Trail and New Linden Hill Road.[8] A year later, the road was upgraded to a state highway between Bear and Christiana and between Paper Mill Road and Brackenville Road, with all the sections south of Bear, between New Linden Hill Road and Paper Mill Road and Brackenville Road and the Pennsylvania border proposed as a state highway.[9] By 1931, these sections of state highway had been completed.[10] DE 7 was designated to run from US 13 south of Red Lion north to the Pennsylvania border by 1936, following its present alignment.[2] In 1937, the narrow swing bridge over the Christina River in Christiana was replaced with a stone bridge.[11] A concrete tied-arch bridge was built over the White Clay Creek in Stanton in 1941.[12] By 1959, DE 7 was widened into a divided highway between Stanton and DE 2.[13] The divided highway was extended north to Milltown Road by 1966.[14] By 1985, DE 273 was realigned to bypass Christiana, removing it from a portion of DE 7 through the town. Also at this time, the route was widened into a divided highway from the Christiana Mall north to Stanton. The route was shifted west to a new alignment passing over the Amtrak tracks and the White Clay Creek.[15]
In the 1980s, a freeway relief route for DE 7 was proposed to run between US 13 in Tybouts Corner and I-95 in Christiana in order to reduce congestion along DE 7.[16] In 1988, this relief route became part of DE 1, a freeway connecting the Wilmington area to Dover.[17] The first section of the DE 1 freeway opened in August 1991 between US 13 in Tybouts Corner and US 40 in Bear. Three months later, the freeway opened north to DE 273 in Christiana. The section of DE 1 between DE 273 and I-95 in Christiana opened in April 1993.[18] As a result, DE 7 was relocated onto the DE 1 freeway for a short distance near the Christiana Mall.[19] The DE 1 freeway was extended from US 13 in Tybouts Corner to St. Georges in December 1995, in which it incorporated a portion of the existing US 13 near Red Lion.[18][20] US 13 was moved to the new freeway between DE 72 and Tybouts Corner, and DE 7 was extended south along the former alignment of US 13 to end at US 13 and DE 72 in Wrangle Hill.[20][21] The divided highway portion of DE 7 along Limestone Road was extended north from Milltown Road to DE 72 by 1999.[22] DE 7 from I-95 to north of DE 58 became an extension of the freeway in 1999 with an interchange built at DE 58 in a $25 million construction project.[23][24]
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) reconstructed the cloverleaf interchange at I-95 to include flyover ramps between southbound I-95 and southbound DE 1 and northbound DE 1 and northbound I-95, aiming to reduce merging and congestion at the interchange.[25][26] Construction began in 2011 with work to replace the bridge over DE 1/DE 7 leading to the Christiana Mall in order to allow room for the flyover ramps; this bridge was completed in March 2012.[26] The ramp from southbound I-95 to southbound DE 1 opened on August 27, 2013 and the ramp from northbound DE 1 to northbound I-95 opened on October 17, 2013, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Governor Jack Markell and DelDOT secretary Shailen Bhatt.[27][28] A project widening DE 7 to four lanes between Newtown Drive in Bear and DE 273 in Christiana was completed in early 2014.[29]
DelDOT is planning to widen DE 1 and part of this involves reconstructing its interchange with DE 273. One version of the plan involves moving DE 7 onto DE 1 from DE 273 northward and disconnecting East Main Street from the DE 273 interchange. New ramps would connect the southbound lanes of DE 1 directly to DE 7 where East Main Street once did, and the park and ride lot north of DE 273 would be removed. Local opposition to this project is strong as the nearby Christina River frequently floods and some local residents would not be able to evacuate. Also the Christiana Fire House is located in the center of Christiana and would not be able to continue directly onto DE 7 south, thus adding about 1 mile (1.6 km) and sending trucks onto a frequently congested DE 273 east to reach DE 7 south.[30] This was later revised to have the ramps to and from the southbound lanes of DE 1 merge with DE 7 using a roundabout located at the present entrance to the park and ride lot.[31] A public workshop for the widening project was held on October 27, 2021, with the preferred alternative reconstructing the interchange between DE 1 and DE 273 into a single-point urban interchange and keeping DE 7 along its current alignment.[32]
Major intersections
The entire route is in New Castle County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Georges, Delaware City, Newark | Southern terminus | |||||
Red Lion | 2.05 | 3.30 | DE 71 (Red Lion Road) to US 13 | |||
Bear | 3.75 | 6.04 | US 40 (Pulaski Highway) – Newark, Elkton, Baltimore | |||
Christiana | 5.67 | 9.12 | DE 273 (Christiana Road) to DE 1 / US 13 – Newark, New Castle, Dover | |||
7.14 | 11.49 | DE 1 south (Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway south) – Dover, Beaches | DE 1 north exit 164, Korean War Veterans Memorial Hwy. south exit 164B | |||
South end of freeway section Exit numbers based on DE 1 kilometer posts | ||||||
7.88 | 12.68 | 165 | Split into exits 165B (north) and 165A (south) northbound; southbound access via exit 166; I-95 exit 4A | |||
8.27 | 13.31 | 166 | Churchmans Crossing | Southbound entrance ramp provides access to I-95 (exits 165A-B); I-95 exit 4B; access to Christiana Hospital | ||
AAA Boulevard | North end of freeway section | |||||
8.81 | 14.18 | Northern terminus of Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway | ||||
DE 4 west (Ogletown Stanton Road) – Ogletown, Newark | South end of DE 4 overlap; access to Christiana Hospital | |||||
Stanton | DE 4 east (Mitch Road) – Stanton, Wilmington | One-way street, outbound access only | ||||
10.01 | 16.11 | DE 4 (Main Street) | One-way street, inbound access only; north end of DE 4 overlap | |||
Marshallton | 10.94 | 17.61 | DE 2 (Kirkwood Highway) – Newark, Elsmere, Wilmington | |||
Pike Creek | 14.12 | 22.72 | DE 72 south (Paper Mill Road) – Newark | Northern terminus of DE 72 | ||
Twelve-Mile Circle | 16.87 | 27.15 | Delaware–Pennsylvania line | |||
SR 3013 north (Limestone Road north) to PA 41 – Avondale | Continuation into Pennsylvania | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- U.S. Roads portal
References
- ^ a b c Staff (2018). "Traffic Count and Mileage Report: Interstate, Delaware, and US Routes" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Delaware State Highway Department; The National Survey Co. (1936). Official Road Map of the State of Delaware (PDF) (Map) (1936–1937 ed.). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Delaware Department of Transportation (2017). Official Travel & Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Google (February 7, 2011). "overview of Delaware Route 7" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ "Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route". Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ National Highway System: Delaware (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1920). Official Road Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1924). Official Road Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1925). Official Road Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1931). Official Road Map of the State of Delaware (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Report of the State Highway Department" (PDF) (1937 ed.). Dover, Delaware: Delaware State Highway Department. January 1, 1938: 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
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(help) - ^ "Annual Report of the State Highway Department" (PDF) (1941-42 ed.). Dover, Delaware: Delaware State Highway Department. July 1, 1942: 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
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: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1959). Official Highway Map of Delaware (PDF) (Map) (1959–1960 ed.). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1966). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Delaware Department of Transportation (1985). Official State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ "State Route 1 Tybouts Corner to I-95 / Christiana Mall Overview". Delaware Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 24, 2003. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
- ^ Delaware Department of Transportation (1988). Official State Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ a b "State Route 1 Project Timeline". Delaware Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 24, 2003. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ Delaware Department of Transportation Division of Planning Cartographic Information Section (1994). Delaware Official State Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Delaware Department of Transportation Division of Planning Cartographic Information Section (1996). Delaware Official State Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (April 21, 1996). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ Delaware Department of Transportation (1999). Delaware Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ "I-95 Corridor Projects". Delaware Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^ "JFK Memorial Highway Improvement Program; Churchman's Road/SR 7 Interchange". Delaware Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- Gannett Company. July 5, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
- ^ a b "New Christiana Mall Road Bridge Open". Delaware Department of Transportation. March 8, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ Chang, David (August 27, 2013). "New Flyover Ramp Provides Easier Commute for Del. Drivers". Philadelphia, PA: WCAU-TV. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
- ^ "Major Improvements Completed on I-95/SR-1 Interchange". Delaware Department of Transportation. October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ "SR 7, Newtown Road to SR 273". Delaware Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
- ^ "SR 273 Listening Tour" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. March 12, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
- ^ "Route 273 Interchange Interim Roundabout Concept" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. November 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ "Welcome to the SR 1 Widening, Road A to Tybouts Corner - Virtual Public Workshop". Delaware Department of Transportation. October 27, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.