U.S. Route 202 in Delaware: Difference between revisions

| state = DE

| type = US

| route = 202

| map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=240|frame-lat=39.759|frame-long=-75.571|zoom=10|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/U.S. Route 202 in Delaware}}}}

| map_custom = yes

| map_notes = US 202 highlighted in red

| alternate_name =

| length_mi = 12.65

| length_round = 2

| length_ref = <ref name=DelDOT>{{cite web |author= Staff |title= Traffic Count and Mileage Report: Interstate, Delaware, and US Routes |publisher= [[Delaware Department of Transportation]] |year= 2018 |url= https://deldot.gov/Publications/manuals/traffic_counts/pdfs/2018/2018Interstate_USRoutes_DelawareRoutes.pdf?cache=1585496964656 |format= PDF |access-date= March 29, 2020}}</ref>

| maint = [[Delaware Department of Transportation|DelDOT]]

| established = 1934<ref name=fhwa202/><ref name="DE 1936 map"/>

| direction_a = South

| terminus_a = {{jct|state=DE|US|13|US|40|DE|141}} in [[Wilmington Manor, Delaware|Wilmington Manor]]

| junction = {{plainlist|

*{{jct|state=DE|I|95|I|295|I|495|DE|141}} near [[Newport, Delaware|Newport]]

| direction_b = North

| terminus_b = {{jct|state=PA|US|202}} at [[Pennsylvania]] border near Brandywine

| counties = [[New Castle County, Delaware|New Castle]]

| previous_type = DE

| previous_route = 141

| next_type = DE

| next_route = 202

| browse = {{de browse|previous_type=US|previous_route=113|route=US 122|next_type=DE|next_route=141}}

'''U.S. Route&nbsp;202''' ('''US&nbsp;202''') is a [[US Highway]] running from [[New Castle, Delaware]], northeast to [[Bangor, Maine]]. The southernmost section of the route in the U.S. state of [[Delaware]] passes through northern [[New Castle County, Delaware|New Castle County]]. It runs from its southern terminus at a [[partial cloverleafan interchange]] with [[U.S. Route 13 in Delaware|US&nbsp;13]]/[[U.S. Route 40 in Delaware|US&nbsp;40]] near the [[Wilmington Airport (Delaware)|Wilmington Airport]] north to the [[Pennsylvania]] borderstate line in [[Brandywine Hundred]]. The route passes east of the airport [[concurrency (road)|concurrent]] with [[Delaware Route&nbsp;141]] (DE&nbsp;141) before coming to an interchange with [[Interstate 95 in Delaware|Interstate&nbsp;95]] (I-95). At this point, US&nbsp;202 heads northeast along with I-95 through [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]]. Just north of Wilmington, US&nbsp;202 splits from I-95 by running north on '''Concord Pike''' through the suburban Brandywine Hundred area to the Pennsylvania borderstate line. US&nbsp;202 is a multilane [[divided highway]] the entire length across Delaware, with the section concurrent with I-95 a [[freeway]].

The Concord Pike was originally chartered as the Wilmington and Great Valley Turnpike in 1811, a [[toll road|turnpike]] that was to connect Wilmington to [[Great Valley, Pennsylvania]]. The Concord Pike between US&nbsp;13 in Wilmington and the Pennsylvania borderstate line became a part of '''US&nbsp;122''' in 1926. In 1934, US&nbsp;122 was renumbered to US&nbsp;202 and the road was realigned to head southwest and end at US&nbsp;13 and US&nbsp;40 in [[State Road, Delaware|State Road]]. In the 1950s, the Concord Pike north of Wilmington was widened into a divided highway. By 1954, US&nbsp;202 was realigned to follow US&nbsp;13 northbound and Washington Street southbound through downtown Wilmington. The southern terminus was cut back to I-295 in [[Farnhurst, Delaware|Farnhurst]] in 1964. In 1970, the south end of US&nbsp;202 was truncated to the I-95 interchange north of Wilmington. [[Delaware Route 202|DE&nbsp;202]] was designated along Concord Avenue in 1981. US&nbsp;202 was extended south to its current terminus in 1984.

Here, US&nbsp;202 splits from DE&nbsp;141 and heads to the east along I-95, an eight-lane freeway with a wide median. I-295 splits off to the east before the freeway curves northeast and has an interchange with the southern terminus of [[Interstate 495 (Delaware)|I-495]]. Following this, I-95/US&nbsp;202 becomes a six-lane freeway and heads through marshland, crossing the [[Christina River]]. The freeway comes to bridges over [[Norfolk Southern]]'s [[Shellpot Secondary]] and [[Little Mill Creek (Christina River tributary)|Little Mill Creek]] as it continues through more wetlands west of the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge, with [[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]] running parallel a short distance to the northwest. The road enters the city of [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]] and curves to the north, passing to the west of [[Daniel S. Frawley Stadium]], which is home of the [[Wilmington Blue Rocks]] baseball team, and the [[Chase Center on the Riverfront]] convention center as it heads west of the [[Wilmington Riverfront]]. I-95/US&nbsp;202 continues towards downtown Wilmington and crosses onto a viaduct, passing over Norfolk Southern's Wilmington & Northern Running Track and the Northeast Corridor before coming to an interchange that provides access to the downtown area and the Wilmington Riverfront by way ofwith [[Delaware Route 4|DE&nbsp;4]] and [[Delaware Route 48|DE&nbsp;48]] that provides access to the downtown area and the Wilmington Riverfront.<ref name="DE 2017 map"/><ref name="google"/>

At this point, the four-lane freeway continues northeast, with [[one-way traffic|one-way]] northbound North Adams Street to the east and one-way southbound North Jackson Street to the west serving as [[frontage road]]s. I-95/US&nbsp;202 continues through residential areas to the west of downtown Wilmington and passes over [[Delaware Route 9|DE&nbsp;9]], with a southbound exit. Farther northeast, the freeway heads into an alignment below street level and comes to an interchange with [[Delaware Route 52|DE&nbsp;52]]. Past this interchange, the road continues north and crosses [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River)|Brandywine Creek]], heading through [[Brandywine Park]], which is a part of the [[Wilmington State Parks]] complex. The freeway curves northeast again and passes under [[CSX]]'s [[Philadelphia Subdivision]] before reaching ana modified [[cloverleaf interchange]] with the northern terminus of [[Delaware Route 202|DE&nbsp;202]] at the northern edge of Wilmington, at which point US&nbsp;202 splits from I-95.<ref name="DE 2017 map"/><ref name="google"/>

[[File:US 202 NB shield past DE 92.jpeg|thumb|right|US&nbsp;202 northbound past DE&nbsp;92 north of Wilmington]]Upon splitting from I-95, US&nbsp;202 heads north on the six-lane divided Concord Pike into the [[Brandywine Hundred]] area, running between [[Alapocas Run State Park]] to the west and the Rock Manor Golf Course to the east and passing over East Park Drive before coming to an interchange with the northern terminus of DE&nbsp;141 and the southern terminus of [[Delaware Route 261|DE&nbsp;261]] in [[Blue Ball, Delaware|Blue Ball]] that also provides access to the Augustine Cut-off. At this interchange, the southbound shoulder becomes a [[bus lane]]. Past this interchange, the road enters [[Fairfax, Delaware|Fairfax]] and intersects Powder Mill Road/Murphy Road, where the southbound shoulder bus lane ends. The route passes between [[AstraZeneca]]'s North American headquarters to the west and businesses to the east. The roadway passes west of a [[park and ride]] lot located at a church. The route continues through commercial areas, heading into [[Talleyville, Delaware|Talleyville]]. At this point, the median of the road widens to include businesses in it as it comes to the intersection with Garden of Eden Road/Silverside Road. The median narrows again as the road curves to the north-northeast, crossing [[Rocky Run (Brandywine Creek tributary)|Rocky Run]]. US&nbsp;202 passes to the west of the [[Widener University Delaware Law School]] and the [[Concord Mall (Delaware)|Concord Mall]] and east of the Brandywine Campus of [[Wilmington University]] before it reaches an intersection with [[Delaware Route 92|DE&nbsp;92]] in [[Brandywine, Delaware|Brandywine]]. Past this intersection, the route runs between business parks to the west and the Brandywine Town Center shopping center to the east. A park and ride lot is located at the Brandywine Town Center. The road narrows to four lanes as it passes farm fields and homes. US&nbsp;202 reaches the [[Pennsylvania]] borderstate line, where it continues into that state as Wilmington-West Chester Pike.<ref name="DE 2017 map"/><ref name="google"/>

The Wilmington and Great Valley Turnpike Company was chartered on January&nbsp;23,&nbsp;1811 to build a [[toll road|turnpike]] running north from Wilmington along the Concord road, continuing to [[West Chester, Pennsylvania|West Chester]] and [[Great Valley, Pennsylvania|Great Valley]] in Pennsylvania. Construction on the turnpike progressed throughout the 1810s.<ref name=history>{{cite book|last=Scharf|first=John Thomas|access-date=January 6, 2012|title=History of Delaware : 1609-1888, Volume 1|year=1888|publisher=L.J. Richards & Co.|location=[[Philadelphia]]|page=418|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9wd5AAAAMAAJ&q=concord+pike&pg=PA418}}</ref> The Wilmington and Great Valley Turnpike was known in Delaware as the Concord Pike.<ref name=charter>{{cite book|access-date=January 6, 2012|title=The charter of the city of Wilmington|year=1911|publisher=[[Wilmington, Delaware|City of Wilmington]]|location=Wilmington, DE|page=1058|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wuMtAAAAYAAJ&q=wilmington+and+great+valley+turnpike+concord&pg=PA1058}}</ref> The Concord Pike was taken over by New Castle County in 1911, at which point the tolls were removed.<ref name=guide>{{cite book|author=Delaware Federal Writers Project|access-date=January 8, 2012|title=Delaware: a guide to the first state|year=1955|publisher=The Viking Press|location=[[New York City]]|page=422|isbn=9781603540087|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJ5OeFvqWRAC&q=kennett+turnpike+1919&pg=PA422}}</ref> A portion of the Concord Pike near Talleyville was incorporated into the state highway system by 1920, with the remainder of the road proposed to become a state highway.<ref name="DE 1920 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1920|access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref> By 1924, the Concord Pike between Blue Ball and Talleyville was a state highway, with the remainder remaining a county road.<ref name="DE 1924 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1924|access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref> A year later, what is now US&nbsp;202 along Basin Road was completed as a state highway.<ref name="DE 1925 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1925|access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref> When the [[US Highway System]] was established in 1926, US&nbsp;122 was designated to follow the Concord Pike between US&nbsp;13 (Philadelphia Pike) in Wilmington and the Pennsylvania borderstate line, heading north into that state and continuing to [[U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey|US&nbsp;22]] at [[Whitehouse, New Jersey]].<ref name="USHM">{{cite map |author1= [[Bureau of Public Roads]] |author2= [[American Association of State Highway Officials]] |date= November 11, 1926 |title= United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials |url= https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_System_of_Highways_Adopted_for_Uniform_Marking_by_the_American_Association_of_State_Highway_Officials.jpg |scale= 1:7,000,000 |location= Washington, DC |publisher= [[United States Geological Survey]] |oclc= 32889555 |access-date= November 7, 2013 |via= [[Wikimedia Commons]] |name-list-style= amp}}</ref><ref name="DE 1931 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1931|access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:US2022022-07-29 North14 -38 DE14111 SouthView DE261north Northalong U.S. Route 202 (44863036614Concord Pike) at the exit for Delaware State Route 141 SOUTH and Delaware State Route 261 NORTH (Foulk Road) in Blue Ball, New Castle County, Delaware.jpg|thumb|right|US&nbsp;202 northbound at the interchange with DE&nbsp;141/DE&nbsp;261 in Blue Ball]]

In 1934, US&nbsp;122 was redesignated US&nbsp;202. Also at this time, US&nbsp;202 was realigned in Wilmington to head southwest from Concord Avenue onto Baynard Boulevard, splitting into a [[one-way pair]] following Washington Street southbound and West Street northbound as it passed through downtown Wilmington. In this area, US&nbsp;202 turned east onto Front Street to an intersection with US&nbsp;13. From here, US&nbsp;202 headed south concurrent with US&nbsp;13 to an intersection with US&nbsp;13 and US&nbsp;40 in [[State Road, Delaware|State Road]].<ref name=fhwa202>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us202.cfm|title=U.S. 202 - Maine to Delaware - General Highway History - Highway History - Federal Highway Administration|website=www.fhwa.dot.gov|access-date=August 26, 2019}}</ref><ref name="DE 1936 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1936|access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref> On July 1, 1935, the portion of the route between Talleyville and the Pennsylvania borderstate line was taken over by the state.<ref name="DE 1936 map"/><ref name="1935 report">{{cite journal|title=Annual Report of the State Highway Department of the State of Delaware|edition=1935|page=7|publisher=Delaware State Highway Department|location=Dover, DE|date=January 7, 1936|url=http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1935/annual_1935_chief.pdf|access-date=November 19, 2014}}</ref> In 1941, the portion of US&nbsp;202 along Baynard Boulevard and from Talleyville to the Pennsylvania state line was reconstructed.<ref name="1940 report">{{cite journal|title=Annual Report of the State Highway Department|edition=1940|page=31|publisher=Delaware State Highway Department|location=Dover, Delaware|date=January 1, 1941|url=http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1940/annual_1940_chief.pdf|access-date=November 12, 2014}}</ref>

In 1953, the portion of US&nbsp;202 along the Concord Pike between the Wilmington border and Murphy Road was widened into a four-lane divided highway.<ref name="1953 report">{{cite journal|title=Report of the State Highway Department|edition=1953|page=35|publisher=Delaware State Highway Department|location=Dover, Delaware|date=July 1, 1953|url=http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1953/annual_1953_chief.pdf|access-date=November 12, 2014}}</ref> In September&nbsp;1953, construction began to widen the portion of US&nbsp;202 between Murphy Road and Talleyville into a four-lane divided highway. This widening was completed in October&nbsp;1954.<ref name="1954 report">{{cite journal|title=Report of the State Highway Department|edition=1954|pages=12–14|publisher=Delaware State Highway Department|location=Dover, Delaware|date=July 1, 1954|url=http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1954/annual_1954_chief.pdf|access-date=November 12, 2014|journal=|archive-date=September 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213525/http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1954/annual_1954_chief.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1955, recommendations were made to widen US&nbsp;202 between Talleyville and the Pennsylvania borderstate line.<ref name="1955 report">{{cite journal|title=Report of the State Highway Department|edition=1955|page=26|publisher=Delaware State Highway Department|location=Dover, Delaware|date=July 1, 1955|url=http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1955/annual_1955_chief.pdf|access-date=November 12, 2014|journal=|archive-date=September 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213530/http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1955/annual_1955_chief.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The divided highway was extended north from Talleyville to the Pennsylvania borderstate line in 1957.<ref name="DE 1957 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1957|access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="1957 report">{{cite journal|title=Report of the State Highway Department|edition=1957|pages=16–17|publisher=Delaware State Highway Department|location=Dover, Delaware|date=July 1, 1957|url=http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1957/annual_1957_chief.pdf|access-date=November 12, 2014}}</ref>

On September&nbsp;25,&nbsp;2017, the section of US&nbsp;202 along Concord Pike between I-95 and the Pennsylvania borderstate line was dedicated as the Gold Star Highway in honor of families of military members who died in service, with Governor [[John Carney (Delaware politician)|John Carney]] and DelDOT secretary Cohan in attendance at a dedication ceremony.<ref>{{cite press release|title=U.S. 202 Rededicated as the Gold Star Highway in Honor of Families of Soldiers|publisher=Delaware Department of Transportation|date=September 25, 2017|url=http://www.deldot.gov/About/news/index.shtml?dc=release&id=6780|access-date=September 26, 2017}}</ref>

|notes=Southern terminus of I-495; northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit number not signed

|road={{jct|state=DE|DE|4|name1=Maryland Avenue|road|Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard ([[Delaware Route 48|DE&nbsp;48]])|extra=rail}}

|notes=NorthboundNo southbound exit; andto entrance[[Delaware Route 9|DE&nbsp;9]]; access to [[Wilmington station (Delaware)|Wilmington Stationstation]] and [[Wilmington Riverfront|Riverfront Attractions]]}}

|road={{jct|state=DE|DE|49|name1=Fourth Street|road|Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard ([[Delaware Route 48|DE&nbsp;48]])|DE|9|name3=Fourth Street|extra=rail}}

|notes=Southbound exit and entrance; to [[Delaware Route 4|DE&nbsp;4]]; access to [[Wilmington station (Delaware)|Wilmington Stationstation]]
}}

|road={{jct|state=DE|DE|92|name1=Beaver Valley Road&nbsp;/ Naamans Road|location1city1=[[Brandywine Creek State Park]]Claymont|location2=[[Philadelphia]]|city3=Claymont}}