U.S. Route 40 in Delaware

U.S. Route 40 In Delaware

Routes in Delaware

U.S. Route 40 (US 40) is a US highway running from Park City, Utah east to Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the US state of Delaware, it serves as a major east–west highway in northern New Castle County, Delaware, just south of Wilmington. It runs from the Maryland border east of Elkton, Maryland east to the Delaware Memorial Bridge over the Delaware River to New Jersey, at which point it is concurrent with Interstate 295 (I-295). Along the way, US 40 runs through suburban areas of Glasgow and Bear before following US 13 and I-295 around New Castle. US 40 is a multilane divided highway the entire length across Delaware.

US 40 was originally built as a state highway during the 1920s, comprising Elkton Road and a part of the Dupont Highway. When first designated, the route followed these two roads to Wilmington, where it crossed the Delaware River on a ferry to Penns Grove, New Jersey. By the 1930s, the route was rerouted at Hares Corner to head east into New Castle and cross the river on a ferry to Pennsville, New Jersey. The Delaware Memorial Bridge opened in the 1950s, and US 40 was rerouted up US 13 to the bridge approach, with Delaware Route 273 (DE 273) being extended along the former route into New Castle. By 1959, the Delaware Memorial Bridge approach became a part of I-295. Between the 1960s and 1990s, US 301 ran along the US 13/US 40 concurrency and US 301N followed US 40 between Glasgow and State Road from the 1970s to the 1980s.