U.S. Route 301 in Delaware
Encyclopedia
In the U.S. state
of Delaware
, U.S. Route 301 runs from U.S. Route 40
in Glasgow
to the Maryland
state line where it continues as the Blue Star Memorial Highway
. The route is mostly a two-lane undivided highway, however there are plans to move it onto a new tolled
highway to better connect northern Delaware with Annapolis
and points south along Interstate 95
, without the need to pass through Baltimore.
. The two routes continue along Middletown-Warwick Road toward Middletown
, with Delaware Route 15
joining in for a three-route concurrency.
On the western edge of Middletown
, Delaware Route 15
turns west on Bunker Hill Road, Delaware Route 299
heads east into Middletown on Main Street, and U.S. Route 301 continues north. On the north end of Middletown, U.S. Route 301 meets Delaware Route 71
, and the two routes continue north together. In Mount Pleasant, Delaware Route 896 joins in from the east and the route widens to four lanes. The three routes continue north together, intersecting the northern terminus of Delaware Route 15
in Summit, and then cross over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
on the Summit Bridge
.
North of the Summit Bridge, U.S. Route 301 passes under Chesapeake City Road. Delaware Route 71 eventually splits off to the east, and US 301 and DE 896 continue north on Summit Bridge Road. They continue to Glasgow, where the route bypasses the town to the east with the former alignment preserved as Delaware Route 896 Business. U.S. Route 301 ends at the intersection with U.S. Route 40 in Glasgow cosigned with Delaware Route 896.
from Bowie, Maryland
and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
to Queenstown, Maryland
. US 301 then replaced the four-lane, divided Maryland Route 71 between Queenstown and the Delaware border. It then followed Delaware Route 71
to Middletown
, where northbound and southbound US 301 split. Northbound US 301 followed Delaware Route 299
east to Odessa
and then U.S. Route 13
north to Interstate 295
at Farnhurst, crossing the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
on the St. Georges Bridge
. Southbound US 301 followed US 13 from Farnhurst south to Red Lion. It then followed Delaware Route 71 south to Middletown, crossing the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the Summit Bridge
. In the 1970s, the alignment of northbound US 301 was changed to follow DE 71 over the Summit Bridge and then Delaware Route 896 north to Glasgow
. It then headed east on U.S. Route 40
to State Road where it resumed north on US 13 to Farnhurst. In the 1980s, US 301 was moved to one alignment which followed Delaware Route 896 between DE 71 in Mount Pleasant and US 13 in Boyds Corner and US 13 from Boyds Corner to Farnhurst. Due to structural problems along the St. Georges Bridge, a truck route, U.S. Route 301 Truck was created, following Delaware Route 896 between Mount Pleasant and Glasgow and US 40 between Glasgow and State Road. In 1992, AASHTO approved relocating US 301 to its present alignment which ends at US 40 in Glasgow.
connecting the existing four-lane U.S. Route 301 in Maryland
near Warwick, Maryland to the Delaware Route 1 toll road near St. Georges, Delaware. The cost for the project is estimated to be 738 million USD. The road will serve as a high-speed bypass around the cities of Middletown
and Newark, Delaware
and has a proposed construction start date in mid-2012.
On November 13, 2006, DelDOT announced that it has chosen the "green route + spur" option to build the new US 301. The main highway itself will consist of a four-lane, limited access toll road built to the same Interstate Highway standards
as that of Route 1 (either a concrete
surface with asphalt
shoulders or, as a time-saving measure, an all-asphalt surface like that used on the Puncheon Run Connector
in Dover
) and will have exits for two local roads, as well as Delaware Route 299
, the current two-lane U.S. 301 (which is also signed as Delaware Route 71
), and Delaware Route 896. A two-lane limited access spur, will connect the main highway with the Summit Bridge at the intersection with Delaware Rts. 71/896 and Delaware Route 15
, which connects the Summit Bridge with Chesapeake City, Maryland
(via Delaware Route 286
).
The northern terminus of the highway will be at Route 1 between the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Bridge and the Biddle's Corner toll plaza, most likely using the existing one-way exit that was constructed in 2000 to provide access to U.S. 13 in South St. Georges, but with provisions to provide complete access to U.S. 301 from Del. Rt. 1 without having to use Del. Rt. 896 as a connector. The "green + spur" option is the lowest cost, and will have minimum impact on property acquisition (35 residential and business properties total, mostly farmland) and would not allow for the demolishing of two local churches. Thus the location of the exit between the bridge and the toll plaza will allow the U.S. 301 upgrade to serve as a sort-of "Chesapeake Bay Extension" of the Route 1 as well as bringing the original bi-state toll road project back to full circle – the building of two separate toll roads connecting the Washington D.C. metro area with the New Jersey Turnpike, except that the Maryland portions are currently not tolled except at its Susquehanna River
/Chesapeake Bay crossings.
(via the Delaware Memorial Bridge
) with the Washington, D.C.
metro area dates back to the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
in the mid-1950s. As to provide adequate coverage for the entire Chesapeake Bay region, two separate toll highways, to be jointly operated by both Maryland and Delaware, were proposed. One road would parallel the existing U.S. 301 (then a two-lane road), but this was never built, although U.S. 301 was eventually upgraded to a high-speed four-lane road with both at-grade and grade-separated exits. Another road, to be part of the mainline I-95
route between Maine
and Florida
, was eventually built, as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway and the Delaware Turnpike
, and followed the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., with a spur (I-97
) providing access to Annapolis, Maryland
. Despite the upgrade of most of U.S. 50
and 301 to freeway standards between Washington, D.C. and Queen Anne's County
(which included the building of a parallel span to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge) and upgrading U.S. 301 to four lanes, limited budgets in Delaware, along with local opposition from farmers, prevented the state upgrading U.S. 301 to a four-lane road, although in 1960, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, during a major widening and upgrade of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
to its present configuration, built the new four-lane Summit Bridge
to freeway standards, with its approaches using a 3% climbing grade instead of the 5% grade used on the nearby Chesapeake City
and St. Georges Bridges
.
Despite the building of the Summit Bridge, U.S. 301 remained, for most of the last 40 years, as either a two-lane road, or as part of U.S. 13
or U.S. 40
(U.S. 301, which currently ends in Glasgow
, originally began at the Delaware Turnpike
's Farnhurst interchange in New Castle
). In the 1980s, in an effort to provide a bypass around Newark, Delaware
, DelDOT proposed building a four-lane highway, signed as U.S. 301, that would bypass Glasgow, connect with the Delaware Turnpike (I-95) south of Newark, and then branch off between the current Delaware Route 896 interchange and the service plaza, via the unbuilt Exit-2 interchange. Because of local opposition, DelDOT, in the 1990s, upgraded the mostly two-lane U.S. 301/Route 896 highway between Boyds Corner and Glasgow to a four-lane divided highway
with surface intersections, with a bypass around Glasgow to connect U.S. 301 with U.S. 40
, itself also being a surface intersection.
With the surrounding area around Middletown
undergoing exponential growth in the 1990s and early 2000s, along with traffic tieups on U.S. 301 and neighboring state highways being common, DelDOT investigated in the resurrecting of the U.S. 301 highway project, but instead of using the original plans in the 1960s, DelDOT instead looked into connecting U.S. 301 with the new Route 1 in St. Georges
. In addition, because of the cuts in federal funds to build and maintain highways, along with U.S. 301 being used as a major heavy truck route, DelDOT also looked into building a toll plaza on the Delaware/Maryland State Line (similar to the Newark Toll Plaza on the Delaware Turnpike) in order to collect the needed tolls to fund the costs of the new road.
.
{|class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=5|Middletown
|0.00
|
|Maryland state line
|-
|1.01
|
|South end of DE 299 overlap
|-
|
|
|South end of DE 15 overlap
|-
|3.62
|
|North end of DE 15 / DE 299 overlap
|-
|
|
|South end of DE 71 overlap
|-
|Mount Pleasant
|7.42
|
|South end of DE 896 overlap
|-
|rowspan=3|Summit
|9.57
|
|
|-
|colspan=4 align="center"|Summit Bridge
over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
|-
|11.52
|
|North end of DE 71 overlap
|-
|Glasgow
|14.93
|
|North end of US 301
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
, U.S. Route 301 runs from U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
in Glasgow
Glasgow, Delaware
Glasgow is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,840 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glasgow is located at ....
to 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...
state line where it continues as the Blue Star Memorial Highway
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland is a major highway that runs from Delaware to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge into Virginia. It passes through three of Maryland's four main regions: the Eastern Shore, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and Southern Maryland...
. The route is mostly a two-lane undivided highway, however there are plans to move it onto a new tolled
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
highway to better connect northern Delaware with Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
and points south along Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
, without the need to pass through Baltimore.
Route description
U.S. Route 301 enters Delaware near the town of Warwick, Maryland, where it narrows from the four-lane, divided Blue Star Memorial Highway in Maryland to a two-lane, undivided road in Delaware. It heads to the northeast, joining Delaware Route 299Delaware Route 299
Delaware Route 299 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 282 at the Maryland border east of Warwick, Maryland to DE 9 in Mathews Corner, passing through Middletown and Odessa. It overlaps US 301 from just east of the Maryland border to the west end of...
. The two routes continue along Middletown-Warwick Road toward Middletown
Middletown, Delaware
Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871.-Geography:Middletown is located at with an elevation of ....
, with Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The route runs from Delaware Route 14 west of Milford in Kent County to U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 in Summit, New Castle County, just south of Summit Bridge. Delaware Route 15 winds a path through many rural...
joining in for a three-route concurrency.
Middletown, Delaware
Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871.-Geography:Middletown is located at with an elevation of ....
, Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The route runs from Delaware Route 14 west of Milford in Kent County to U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 in Summit, New Castle County, just south of Summit Bridge. Delaware Route 15 winds a path through many rural...
turns west on Bunker Hill Road, Delaware Route 299
Delaware Route 299
Delaware Route 299 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 282 at the Maryland border east of Warwick, Maryland to DE 9 in Mathews Corner, passing through Middletown and Odessa. It overlaps US 301 from just east of the Maryland border to the west end of...
heads east into Middletown on Main Street, and U.S. Route 301 continues north. On the north end of Middletown, U.S. Route 301 meets Delaware Route 71
Delaware Route 71
Delaware Route 71 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route loops off U.S. Route 13 from south of Townsend to Tybouts Corner, traveling to the west of US 13 by way of Townsend, Middletown, and the Summit Bridge...
, and the two routes continue north together. In Mount Pleasant, Delaware Route 896 joins in from the east and the route widens to four lanes. The three routes continue north together, intersecting the northern terminus of Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The route runs from Delaware Route 14 west of Milford in Kent County to U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 in Summit, New Castle County, just south of Summit Bridge. Delaware Route 15 winds a path through many rural...
in Summit, and then cross over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is a 14-mile long, 450-foot wide and 40-foot deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the waters of the Delaware River with those of the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore...
on the Summit Bridge
Summit Bridge
The Summit Bridge carries U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, connecting Newark, Delaware with Dover, Delaware and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge . The bridge also carries Delaware Bicycle Route 1, a bicycle route that spans the length of the state of...
.
North of the Summit Bridge, U.S. Route 301 passes under Chesapeake City Road. Delaware Route 71 eventually splits off to the east, and US 301 and DE 896 continue north on Summit Bridge Road. They continue to Glasgow, where the route bypasses the town to the east with the former alignment preserved as Delaware Route 896 Business. U.S. Route 301 ends at the intersection with U.S. Route 40 in Glasgow cosigned with Delaware Route 896.
History
U.S. Route 301 was first signed in Delaware in 1960, when it was rerouted from its northern terminus in Baltimore, Maryland to follow U.S. Route 50U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...
from Bowie, Maryland
Bowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Chesapeake Bay Bridge
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the more urban Western Shore. The original span opened in 1952 and, at the time, with a length of , it was the world's longest...
to Queenstown, Maryland
Queenstown, Maryland
Queenstown is a town in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 617 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Queenstown is located at ....
. US 301 then replaced the four-lane, divided Maryland Route 71 between Queenstown and the Delaware border. It then followed Delaware Route 71
Delaware Route 71
Delaware Route 71 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route loops off U.S. Route 13 from south of Townsend to Tybouts Corner, traveling to the west of US 13 by way of Townsend, Middletown, and the Summit Bridge...
to Middletown
Middletown, Delaware
Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871.-Geography:Middletown is located at with an elevation of ....
, where northbound and southbound US 301 split. Northbound US 301 followed Delaware Route 299
Delaware Route 299
Delaware Route 299 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 282 at the Maryland border east of Warwick, Maryland to DE 9 in Mathews Corner, passing through Middletown and Odessa. It overlaps US 301 from just east of the Maryland border to the west end of...
east to Odessa
Odessa, Delaware
Odessa is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census. Originally founded as Cantwell's Bridge in the 18th century, the name was changed in the 19th century, after the Ukrainian port city of the same name...
and then U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13 is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville. In all, it traverses five states in the Atlantic coastal plain region,...
north to Interstate 295
Interstate 295 (Delaware-New Jersey)
Interstate 295 in New Jersey and Delaware is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a bypass around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The route begins at a junction with Interstate 95 south of Wilmington, Delaware, and runs to another junction with I-95 north of Trenton, New Jersey...
at Farnhurst, crossing the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is a 14-mile long, 450-foot wide and 40-foot deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the waters of the Delaware River with those of the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore...
on the St. Georges Bridge
St. Georges Bridge (Delaware)
The St. Georges Bridge is a steel truss bridge with a tied arch span that carries U.S. Route 13 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal in St. Georges, Delaware. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and opened in 1942 as a high-level crossing, the bridge was the first four-lane, high-level...
. Southbound US 301 followed US 13 from Farnhurst south to Red Lion. It then followed Delaware Route 71 south to Middletown, crossing the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the Summit Bridge
Summit Bridge
The Summit Bridge carries U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, connecting Newark, Delaware with Dover, Delaware and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge . The bridge also carries Delaware Bicycle Route 1, a bicycle route that spans the length of the state of...
. In the 1970s, the alignment of northbound US 301 was changed to follow DE 71 over the Summit Bridge and then Delaware Route 896 north to Glasgow
Glasgow, Delaware
Glasgow is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,840 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glasgow is located at ....
. It then headed east on U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
to State Road where it resumed north on US 13 to Farnhurst. In the 1980s, US 301 was moved to one alignment which followed Delaware Route 896 between DE 71 in Mount Pleasant and US 13 in Boyds Corner and US 13 from Boyds Corner to Farnhurst. Due to structural problems along the St. Georges Bridge, a truck route, U.S. Route 301 Truck was created, following Delaware Route 896 between Mount Pleasant and Glasgow and US 40 between Glasgow and State Road. In 1992, AASHTO approved relocating US 301 to its present alignment which ends at US 40 in Glasgow.
Planned upgrade
The U.S. Route 301 Project is a proposed upgrade, which will replace US 301 with a 17.4 miles (28 km), four-lane toll roadToll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
connecting the existing four-lane U.S. Route 301 in Maryland
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland
U.S. Route 301 in Maryland is a major highway that runs from Delaware to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge into Virginia. It passes through three of Maryland's four main regions: the Eastern Shore, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and Southern Maryland...
near Warwick, Maryland to the Delaware Route 1 toll road near St. Georges, Delaware. The cost for the project is estimated to be 738 million USD. The road will serve as a high-speed bypass around the cities of Middletown
Middletown, Delaware
Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871.-Geography:Middletown is located at with an elevation of ....
and Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
and has a proposed construction start date in mid-2012.
On November 13, 2006, DelDOT announced that it has chosen the "green route + spur" option to build the new US 301. The main highway itself will consist of a four-lane, limited access toll road built to the same Interstate Highway standards
Interstate Highway standards
Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in the publication A Policy on Design Standards - Interstate System...
as that of Route 1 (either a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surface with asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
shoulders or, as a time-saving measure, an all-asphalt surface like that used on the Puncheon Run Connector
Puncheon Run Connector
The Puncheon Run Connector is the name of an unnumbered limited access highway in Dover, Delaware. It is named after Puncheon Run, a stream it follows. Opened in 2001, it provides a connection between the Delaware Route 1 turnpike and U.S. Route 13 that is mainly used by traffic from the north on...
in Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
) and will have exits for two local roads, as well as Delaware Route 299
Delaware Route 299
Delaware Route 299 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 282 at the Maryland border east of Warwick, Maryland to DE 9 in Mathews Corner, passing through Middletown and Odessa. It overlaps US 301 from just east of the Maryland border to the west end of...
, the current two-lane U.S. 301 (which is also signed as Delaware Route 71
Delaware Route 71
Delaware Route 71 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route loops off U.S. Route 13 from south of Townsend to Tybouts Corner, traveling to the west of US 13 by way of Townsend, Middletown, and the Summit Bridge...
), and Delaware Route 896. A two-lane limited access spur, will connect the main highway with the Summit Bridge at the intersection with Delaware Rts. 71/896 and Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The route runs from Delaware Route 14 west of Milford in Kent County to U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 in Summit, New Castle County, just south of Summit Bridge. Delaware Route 15 winds a path through many rural...
, which connects the Summit Bridge with Chesapeake City, Maryland
Chesapeake City, Maryland
Chesapeake City is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 787 at the 2000 census.The town was originally named by Bohemian colonist Augustine Herman the Village of Bohemia , but the name was changed in 1839 when the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was built...
(via Delaware Route 286
Delaware Route 286
Delaware Route 286, also known as Bethel Church Road, is a short, two-lane roadway that, along with Maryland Route 286 and Delaware Route 15, forms a link between Chesapeake City, Maryland and Summit, Delaware. Although primarily a rural route, DE Rt. 286 has seen an influx of residential...
).
The northern terminus of the highway will be at Route 1 between the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Bridge and the Biddle's Corner toll plaza, most likely using the existing one-way exit that was constructed in 2000 to provide access to U.S. 13 in South St. Georges, but with provisions to provide complete access to U.S. 301 from Del. Rt. 1 without having to use Del. Rt. 896 as a connector. The "green + spur" option is the lowest cost, and will have minimum impact on property acquisition (35 residential and business properties total, mostly farmland) and would not allow for the demolishing of two local churches. Thus the location of the exit between the bridge and the toll plaza will allow the U.S. 301 upgrade to serve as a sort-of "Chesapeake Bay Extension" of the Route 1 as well as bringing the original bi-state toll road project back to full circle – the building of two separate toll roads connecting the Washington D.C. metro area with the New Jersey Turnpike, except that the Maryland portions are currently not tolled except at its Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
/Chesapeake Bay crossings.
Concerns and opposition
This proposal is opposed by many in the area, most notably the Middletown Corridor Coalition. The MCC is opposed to the "Spur" on the Rt 301 project feeling that it was added in mid-workshop process and the public was given no alternatives to the Spur. The MCC is working with area legislators to "uncouple" the Spur from the Project and have it as a "stand alone" project. It remains to be seen if this 135 million dollar addition will make it through the ROD process by the FHWA. There is also the matter of whether traffic trends and projected toll-revenue. Projections of traffic volume and revenue reported in 2011 are substantially below those reported in mid-2010 and projections on which decision making in 2008 were made.History
Plans for a four-lane superhighway connecting the New Jersey TurnpikeNew Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
(via the Delaware Memorial Bridge
Delaware Memorial Bridge
The Delaware Memorial Bridge is a set of twin suspension bridges crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridges carry Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 40 between Delaware and New Jersey...
) with the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
metro area dates back to the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Chesapeake Bay Bridge
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the more urban Western Shore. The original span opened in 1952 and, at the time, with a length of , it was the world's longest...
in the mid-1950s. As to provide adequate coverage for the entire Chesapeake Bay region, two separate toll highways, to be jointly operated by both Maryland and Delaware, were proposed. One road would parallel the existing U.S. 301 (then a two-lane road), but this was never built, although U.S. 301 was eventually upgraded to a high-speed four-lane road with both at-grade and grade-separated exits. Another road, to be part of the mainline I-95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
route between Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, was eventually built, as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway and the Delaware Turnpike
Delaware Turnpike
The Delaware Turnpike, also known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, is an tolled highway that lies entirely within the state of Delaware. Running in a general southwest to northeast direction, paralleling nearby U.S...
, and followed the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., with a spur (I-97
Interstate 97
Interstate 97 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It runs from Annapolis at the overlapped section of US 50, US 301, and the unsigned I-595 to Baltimore at the city's beltway...
) providing access to Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. Despite the upgrade of most of U.S. 50
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...
and 301 to freeway standards between Washington, D.C. and Queen Anne's County
Queen Anne's County, Maryland
Queen Anne's County is a county located on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 47,798. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville is the county's most populous place...
(which included the building of a parallel span to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge) and upgrading U.S. 301 to four lanes, limited budgets in Delaware, along with local opposition from farmers, prevented the state upgrading U.S. 301 to a four-lane road, although in 1960, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, during a major widening and upgrade of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is a 14-mile long, 450-foot wide and 40-foot deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the waters of the Delaware River with those of the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore...
to its present configuration, built the new four-lane Summit Bridge
Summit Bridge
The Summit Bridge carries U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, connecting Newark, Delaware with Dover, Delaware and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge . The bridge also carries Delaware Bicycle Route 1, a bicycle route that spans the length of the state of...
to freeway standards, with its approaches using a 3% climbing grade instead of the 5% grade used on the nearby Chesapeake City
Chesapeake City Bridge
The Chesapeake City Bridge carries Maryland Route 213 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal in Chesapeake City, Maryland. There are two undivided traffic lanes and one sidewalk on the east side of the bridge. It was built in 1949 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide a high-level canal...
and St. Georges Bridges
St. Georges Bridge (Delaware)
The St. Georges Bridge is a steel truss bridge with a tied arch span that carries U.S. Route 13 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal in St. Georges, Delaware. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and opened in 1942 as a high-level crossing, the bridge was the first four-lane, high-level...
.
Despite the building of the Summit Bridge, U.S. 301 remained, for most of the last 40 years, as either a two-lane road, or as part of U.S. 13
U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13 is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville. In all, it traverses five states in the Atlantic coastal plain region,...
or U.S. 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
(U.S. 301, which currently ends in Glasgow
Glasgow, Delaware
Glasgow is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,840 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glasgow is located at ....
, originally began at the Delaware Turnpike
Delaware Turnpike
The Delaware Turnpike, also known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, is an tolled highway that lies entirely within the state of Delaware. Running in a general southwest to northeast direction, paralleling nearby U.S...
's Farnhurst interchange in New Castle
New Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...
). In the 1980s, in an effort to provide a bypass around Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
, DelDOT proposed building a four-lane highway, signed as U.S. 301, that would bypass Glasgow, connect with the Delaware Turnpike (I-95) south of Newark, and then branch off between the current Delaware Route 896 interchange and the service plaza, via the unbuilt Exit-2 interchange. Because of local opposition, DelDOT, in the 1990s, upgraded the mostly two-lane U.S. 301/Route 896 highway between Boyds Corner and Glasgow to a four-lane divided highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
with surface intersections, with a bypass around Glasgow to connect U.S. 301 with U.S. 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
, itself also being a surface intersection.
With the surrounding area around Middletown
Middletown, Delaware
Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871.-Geography:Middletown is located at with an elevation of ....
undergoing exponential growth in the 1990s and early 2000s, along with traffic tieups on U.S. 301 and neighboring state highways being common, DelDOT investigated in the resurrecting of the U.S. 301 highway project, but instead of using the original plans in the 1960s, DelDOT instead looked into connecting U.S. 301 with the new Route 1 in St. Georges
Saint Georges, Delaware
Saint Georges is an unincorporated town situated on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in New Castle County, Delaware, about midway between the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay. The town is located in New Castle County District 12 and is represented to the county council by Councilman James W. Bell...
. In addition, because of the cuts in federal funds to build and maintain highways, along with U.S. 301 being used as a major heavy truck route, DelDOT also looked into building a toll plaza on the Delaware/Maryland State Line (similar to the Newark Toll Plaza on the Delaware Turnpike) in order to collect the needed tolls to fund the costs of the new road.
Junction list
The entire route is in New Castle CountyNew Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 its population was 538,479, an increase of 7.6% over the previous decade. The county seat is Wilmington. The center of population of Delaware is located in New Castle County, in the town of...
.
{|class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=5|Middletown
Middletown, Delaware
Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871.-Geography:Middletown is located at with an elevation of ....
|0.00
|
|Maryland state line
|-
|1.01
|
|South end of DE 299 overlap
|-
|
|
|South end of DE 15 overlap
|-
|3.62
|
|North end of DE 15 / DE 299 overlap
|-
|
|
|South end of DE 71 overlap
|-
|Mount Pleasant
|7.42
|
|South end of DE 896 overlap
|-
|rowspan=3|Summit
|9.57
|
|
|-
|colspan=4 align="center"|Summit Bridge
Summit Bridge
The Summit Bridge carries U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, connecting Newark, Delaware with Dover, Delaware and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge . The bridge also carries Delaware Bicycle Route 1, a bicycle route that spans the length of the state of...
over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is a 14-mile long, 450-foot wide and 40-foot deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the waters of the Delaware River with those of the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore...
|-
|11.52
|
|North end of DE 71 overlap
|-
|Glasgow
Glasgow, Delaware
Glasgow is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,840 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glasgow is located at ....
|14.93
|
|North end of US 301