Delaware Route 26
Encyclopedia
Delaware Route 26 is a state highway in Sussex County
, Delaware
. The route's western terminus is at an intersection with Maryland Route 353
and Delaware/Maryland Route 54
at the Maryland
border south of Gumboro
and its eastern terminus is at a dead end on the Atlantic Ocean
in Bethany Beach
, even though signage ends at the Delaware Route 1 intersection. The road was built as a state highway in various stages during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1926, DE 26 was assigned onto its current alignment.
and Delaware/Maryland Route 54
on the Maryland border. At this intersection, Maryland Route 353 continues south to Pittsville, Maryland
, Route 54 continues west along the Delaware/Maryland border to Delmar
, and Delaware Routes 26 & 54 head north on the Millsboro Highway. Delaware Route 30
joins with Routes 26 & 54 between Gumboro and the Maryland border, and Delaware Route 54 turns east at Gumboro, heading for Selbyville
. Delaware Route 26 splits from Route 30 at Shaft Ox Corner and heads east towards Dagsboro
on Nine Foot Road.
It intersects U.S. Route 113
just west of Dagsboro and it becomes Clayton Street past this intersection and continues into Dagsboro. In Dagsboro, it intersects Delaware Route 20
(Main Street), and DE 26 makes a right turn to form a concurrency. The two routes then make a left turn onto Vines Creek Road and then split, with DE 20 heading to the southeast on Armory Road.
DE 26 continues east on Vines Creek Road, passing through farmland. In Clarksville
, the route makes a left turn to continue east on Atlantic Avenue. Just west of the town of Millville
, it meets the northern terminus of Delaware Route 17
. It then passes through the towns of Millville and Ocean View
on Atlantic Avenue. It then crosses the Assawoman Canal into Bethany Beach
, where it becomes the Garfield Parkway. Delaware Route 26 then heads east to Delaware Route 1, where DE 26 signage ends. The route officially continues east on the Garfield Parkway through the center of Bethany Beach toward the Atlantic Ocean
.
(now part of DE 1). The route has not changed since its inception.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Road
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|Gumboro
|0.00
|
DE/MD 54 west (Line Road) / MD 353
south (Gumboro Road)
|Western terminus, west end of DE 54 concurrency
|-
|0.83
|
|West end of DE 30 overlap
|-
|2.37
|
|East end of DE 54 concurrency
|-
|Mission
|5.68
|
|East end of DE 30 concurrency
|-
|rowspan=3|Dagsboro
|11.28
|
|
|-
|12.09
|
|West end of DE 20 concurrency
|-
|12.31
|
|East end of DE 20 concurrency
|-
|Millville
|18.83
|
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Bethany Beach
|
|
|
|-
|22.91
|
|Eastern terminus of DE 26 signage
|-
|23.15
|Dead end at Atlantic Ocean
|Eastern terminus
Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. The route's western terminus is at an intersection with Maryland Route 353
Maryland Route 353
Maryland Route 353 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Gumboro Road, the state highway runs from MD 346 in Pittsville north to the Delaware state line, where the highway intersects Delaware Route 26 and DE-MD 54...
and Delaware/Maryland Route 54
Delaware/Maryland Route 54
Delaware Route 54 and Maryland Route 54 are adjoining state highways in the U.S. states of Delaware and Maryland. Route 54 runs from MD 313 in Mardela Springs, Maryland east to DE 1 in Fenwick Island, Delaware...
at the Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
border south of Gumboro
Gumboro, Delaware
Gumboro is a small unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, USA. It is part of the Seaford, Delaware Micropolitan Statistical Area....
and its eastern terminus is at a dead end on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in Bethany Beach
Bethany Beach, Delaware
Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationers...
, even though signage ends at the Delaware Route 1 intersection. The road was built as a state highway in various stages during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1926, DE 26 was assigned onto its current alignment.
Route description
Delaware Route 26's western termiuns is at an intersection with Maryland Route 353Maryland Route 353
Maryland Route 353 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Gumboro Road, the state highway runs from MD 346 in Pittsville north to the Delaware state line, where the highway intersects Delaware Route 26 and DE-MD 54...
and Delaware/Maryland Route 54
Delaware/Maryland Route 54
Delaware Route 54 and Maryland Route 54 are adjoining state highways in the U.S. states of Delaware and Maryland. Route 54 runs from MD 313 in Mardela Springs, Maryland east to DE 1 in Fenwick Island, Delaware...
on the Maryland border. At this intersection, Maryland Route 353 continues south to Pittsville, Maryland
Pittsville, Maryland
Pittsville is a town in Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,182 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Pittsville is located at ....
, Route 54 continues west along the Delaware/Maryland border to Delmar
Delmar, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,407 people, 542 households, and 344 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,498.9 people per square mile . There were 595 housing units at an average density of 633.9 per square mile...
, and Delaware Routes 26 & 54 head north on the Millsboro Highway. Delaware Route 30
Delaware Route 30
Delaware Route 30 is a state highway in Sussex County, Delaware. The route runs from an intersection with Bi-State Boulevard a short distance west of U.S. Route 13 between Laurel and Delmar to Delaware Route 1 Business southeast of Milford in the area of Lincoln City and Cedar Creek. The road runs...
joins with Routes 26 & 54 between Gumboro and the Maryland border, and Delaware Route 54 turns east at Gumboro, heading for Selbyville
Selbyville, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,645 people, 615 households, and 439 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,176.9 people per square mile . There were 664 housing units at an average density of 475.1 per square mile...
. Delaware Route 26 splits from Route 30 at Shaft Ox Corner and heads east towards Dagsboro
Dagsboro, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 519 people, 226 households, and 141 families residing in the town. The population density was 409.5 people per square mile . There were 248 housing units at an average density of 195.7 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 92.29% White, 6.36%...
on Nine Foot Road.
It intersects U.S. Route 113
U.S. Route 113
U.S. Route 113 is a spur of US 13 in the U.S. states of Maryland and Delaware. The U.S. Highway runs from US 13 in Pocomoke City, Maryland north to Delaware Route 1 in Milford, Delaware...
just west of Dagsboro and it becomes Clayton Street past this intersection and continues into Dagsboro. In Dagsboro, it intersects Delaware Route 20
Delaware Route 20
Delaware Route 20 is an east–west highway in Sussex County, Delaware. Its western terminus is the Maryland state line just west of Seaford where it continues as Maryland Route 392. Its eastern terminus is Delaware Route 54 west of Fenwick Island. The route passes through the towns of...
(Main Street), and DE 26 makes a right turn to form a concurrency. The two routes then make a left turn onto Vines Creek Road and then split, with DE 20 heading to the southeast on Armory Road.
DE 26 continues east on Vines Creek Road, passing through farmland. In Clarksville
Clarksville, Delaware
Clarksville is an unincorporated community in Baltimore Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware, United States located just west of Millville. It is centered, more or less, along Delaware Route 26. Many tourists from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area pass through the town on their way to and from the...
, the route makes a left turn to continue east on Atlantic Avenue. Just west of the town of Millville
Millville, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 259 people, 111 households, and 71 families residing in the town. The population density was 534.1 people per square mile . There were 141 housing units at an average density of 290.8 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 96.91% White, 1.93%...
, it meets the northern terminus of Delaware Route 17
Delaware Route 17
Delaware Route 17 is a state highway located in Sussex County, Delaware. The route runs in a northeast-southwest direction between DE 54 in Selbyville and Delaware Route 26 west of Millville, crossing Delaware Route 20 in Roxana. It is called Bethany Street within Selbyville and Roxana Road for the...
. It then passes through the towns of Millville and Ocean View
Ocean View, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,006 people, 458 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density was 495.0 people per square mile . There were 751 housing units at an average density of 369.6 per square mile...
on Atlantic Avenue. It then crosses the Assawoman Canal into Bethany Beach
Bethany Beach, Delaware
Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationers...
, where it becomes the Garfield Parkway. Delaware Route 26 then heads east to Delaware Route 1, where DE 26 signage ends. The route officially continues east on the Garfield Parkway through the center of Bethany Beach toward the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
History
By 1920, what is now DE 26 existed as an unimproved county road. The route was upgraded to a state highway between present-day US 113 and Dagsboro and from Millville to just west of the Assawoman Canal by 1924. By 1925, the road was completed as a state highway between Gumboro and Mission and between Dagsboro and Vines Creek, with the route between the Maryland border and Gumboro and the incomplete sections between Dagsboro and Bethany Beach proposed as a state highway. The proposed segments were completed by 1931. By 1932, the road between Mission and Dagsboro was under construction. When Delaware created its state highway system by 1936, DE 26 was assigned to its current alignment between the Maryland border south of Gumboro and Bethany Beach, where it intersected the southern terminus of DE 14Delaware Route 14
Delaware Route 14 is a state highway in the southern part of Kent County, Delaware. The route runs from the Maryland border in Burrsville, where it continues as Maryland Route 317, east to DE 1 in Milford...
(now part of DE 1). The route has not changed since its inception.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Sussex CountySussex County, Delaware
Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Road
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|Gumboro
Gumboro, Delaware
Gumboro is a small unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, USA. It is part of the Seaford, Delaware Micropolitan Statistical Area....
|0.00
|
Maryland Route 353
Maryland Route 353 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Gumboro Road, the state highway runs from MD 346 in Pittsville north to the Delaware state line, where the highway intersects Delaware Route 26 and DE-MD 54...
south (Gumboro Road)
|Western terminus, west end of DE 54 concurrency
|-
|0.83
|
|West end of DE 30 overlap
|-
|2.37
|
|East end of DE 54 concurrency
|-
|Mission
Mission, Delaware
Mission is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Mission is located along Delaware Route 24 and Delaware Route 30 southwest of Millsboro....
|5.68
|
|East end of DE 30 concurrency
|-
|rowspan=3|Dagsboro
Dagsboro, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 519 people, 226 households, and 141 families residing in the town. The population density was 409.5 people per square mile . There were 248 housing units at an average density of 195.7 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 92.29% White, 6.36%...
|11.28
|
|
|-
|12.09
|
|West end of DE 20 concurrency
|-
|12.31
|
|East end of DE 20 concurrency
|-
|Millville
Millville, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 259 people, 111 households, and 71 families residing in the town. The population density was 534.1 people per square mile . There were 141 housing units at an average density of 290.8 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 96.91% White, 1.93%...
|18.83
|
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Bethany Beach
Bethany Beach, Delaware
Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationers...
|
|
|
|-
|22.91
|
|Eastern terminus of DE 26 signage
|-
|23.15
|Dead end at Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
|Eastern terminus