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Interstate 495 (I-495) is an long
Interstate highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
in the U.S. state of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
. The highway, named the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway, serves as a six-lane bypass of
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
around the city of Wilmington. I-495 begins at an interchange with I-95 and
I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville *Interstate 29 ...
near Newport to the southwest of Wilmington. From here, the road heads east to the Port of Wilmington, where it turns northeast and crosses the
Christina River The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near i ...
as it heads to the east of downtown Wilmington. Upon reaching Edgemoor, I-495 runs between the
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
to the east and U.S. Route 13 (US 13) to the west, continuing to
Claymont Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware. The estimated 2017 population of the 19703 ZIP code, which Claymont encompasses, was 15,292. History The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans C ...
. In Claymont, I-495 turns north and merges into northbound I-95 at an interchange with Delaware Route 92 (DE 92) just south of the
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
state line. Plans for a bypass of Wilmington to the east date back to 1948 and were incorporated into the Interstate Highway System in 1956. This interstate bypass was numbered I-495 in the 1960s. Construction of I-495 took place during the course of the 1970s, with the entire length of the highway completed and opened to traffic in 1977. Between 1978 and 1980, I-95 was designated along the I-495 alignment while the South Wilmington Viaduct along I-95 was reconstructed; during this time the route through Wilmington was known as I-895. The US 13/ DE 3 interchange in Edgemoor opened in 1988. In 2014, the bridge over the Christina River was closed due to tilting support columns until repairs were completed.


Route description

I-495 begins at an interchange with
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
/ US 202 and
I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville *Interstate 29 ...
near the town of Newport, heading to the east on a six-lane
freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
called the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. At the southern terminus, southbound I-495 merges into southbound I-95 and also has a ramp that provides easier access to the DE 141 interchange along I-95. The route passes over the Jack A. Markell Trail and runs between the
Christina River The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near i ...
to the north and a landfill to the south prior to reaching an interchange with US 13 and the southern terminus of US 13 Bus. to the north of Wilmington Manor. Past this, the highway enters industrial areas and reaches the DE 9A exit near the Port of Wilmington, turning to the northeast. From here, the highway heads into the eastern part of the city of Wilmington. I-495 comes to a bridge that crosses over
Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway (U.S.), Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the ...
's New Castle Secondary and Christiana Avenue Industrial Track railroad lines, DE 9A, and the Christina River. The freeway passes near another landfill as it comes to the 12th Street exit. The road runs through some marshland, crossing
Shellpot Creek Shellpot Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in northeast New Castle County, Delaware. The stream rises between Grubb Road and Shipley Road, south of Naaman's Road at in Brandywine Hundred and flows southeast for about six miles before di ...
and Norfolk Southern's Edgemoor Lead railroad line, before coming to an interchange in an industrial area of Edgemoor that connects to the southern terminus of DE 3 as well as to US 13. Following this interchange, I-495 crosses over Norfolk Southern's Shellpot Secondary and
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
’s
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
railroad lines before it runs between US 13 and suburban areas to the west and the Northeast Corridor and the
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
to the east, passing northwest of
Fox Point State Park Fox Point State Park is a Delaware state park on along the Delaware River in New Castle County, Delaware in the United States. The park, which opened in 1995, has been built atop a former hazardous waste site that has been rehabilitated under a ...
and crossing Stoney Creek and Perkins Run. I-495 continues along this configuration until it reaches
Claymont Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware. The estimated 2017 population of the 19703 ZIP code, which Claymont encompasses, was 15,292. History The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans C ...
. US 13 heads farther west from the freeway and I-495 makes a turn to the north away from the railroad tracks and the river near the Claymont station along
SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
's
Wilmington/Newark Line The Wilmington/Newark Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system in the Philadelphia area. The line serves southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, with stations in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and ...
that uses the Northeast Corridor. The road comes to another exit for US 13 before merging into northbound I-95 at the DE 92 interchange near the
Tri-State Mall The Tri-State Mall was a shopping mall located on Delaware Route 92 (locally known as "Naamans Road") in Claymont, Delaware. The mall was closed in November 2015. At , it was the state's fourth-biggest mall, with approximately fifty shops. It i ...
and the
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
state line. Southbound I-495 features an exit to DE 92; the remaining ramps of the DE 92 interchange connect directly to I-95. Southbound, the I-495 splitoff from I-95 actually starts in Pennsylvania, but crosses into Delaware later before the exit to DE 92. This ramp is inventoried by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Yassmin Gramian. Presently, Pe ...
as State Route 8009.
Delaware County
(PDF)
I-495 has an
annual average daily traffic Annual average daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a y ...
count ranging from a high of 105,159 vehicles at the south end of Wilmington near the Christina River to a low of 22,379 vehicles at the ramp to I-95 at the southern terminus. As part of the
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
, the entire length of I-495 is a part of the National Highway System, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.


History

In 1948, the Wilmington Transportation Study proposed two new roads running between the southern end of Wilmington and the Pennsylvania state line to improve traffic flow in the Wilmington area. Route A followed the current alignment of I-95 through the city while Route B bypassed the city to the east along the current alignment of I-495. In 1956, the Interstate Highway System was created, with FAI-3 proposed along the current alignment of I-495. In 1960, design work on FAI-3 was underway. The route of FAI-3 was numbered as I-495 in 1962. In 1968, structural design for bridges along I-495 was underway. The same year, the first construction contracts began with three demolition contracts, the building of a culvert under the
Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...
railroad line at Holly Oak Creek, and the relocation of a section of US 13 to the west to allow for room to build I-495. In 1970, work continued on relocating US 13 along with the construction of bridges carrying the interstate over Stoney Creek. A contract was awarded to build I-495 between Edgemoor and I-95 in Claymont in 1971. The same year, work was underway on building the bridge over the Christina River. Design work on the interstate was completed at this time. The following year, construction contracts were awarded to build I-495 south of the Christina River and to stabilize the road near Cherry Island. Paving was also underway between the Christina River and Edgemoor. In 1973, contracts were let to build structures along the freeway between the Christina River and Edgemoor. Work on the highway between New Castle Avenue and the Christina River bridge was finished in 1975. In 1976, the first section of I-495 was opened between US 13 and I-95 in Claymont. The same year, the bridge carrying the highway over Edgemoor Road was completed. In June 1977, the remainder of I-495 was completed and opened to traffic. On June 28, 1978, the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test quality control, protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction through ...
(AASHTO) approved rerouting I-95 along the I-495 alignment. However, AASHTO disapproved renumbering the alignment of I-95 through Wilmington as I-595. On October 27 of that year, AASHTO gave conditional approval for I-95 through Wilmington to be designated as I-195 from I-95 near Newport north to US 202 while the route from US 202 north to I-95 in Claymont would become I-395. I-895 was designated along the conditionally approved route of I-195 and I-395 on June 25, 1979. In 1980, the South Wilmington Viaduct along I-895 was reconstructed. On November 14, 1980, I-95 and I-495 were returned to their original alignments, with I-895 decommissioned. In 1988, an interchange was built at US 13 and DE 3 in Edgemoor. This interchange was numbered as exit 4, which resulted in the US 13 interchange in Claymont being renumbered from exit 4 to exit 5. In February 1988, a tanker drove off the Christina River bridge and exploded, with the truck driver killed. The accident forced the closure of I-495 in order to repair the heat damage to the bridge structure. In 2000, through traffic from I-95 was detoured onto I-495 while I-95 was rebuilt between Wilmington and the Pennsylvania state line. On June 2, 2014, the bridge over the Christina River was closed after it was discovered that four support columns were tilting. I-495 was indefinitely closed to traffic between the DE 9A and 12th Street interchanges. DelDOT officials later announced plans to have the southbound side of the bridge reopened by Labor Day, with the northbound side to follow by late September. The southbound lanes reopened on July 31, a month earlier than expected, and the northbound lanes reopened on August 23. During the closure, traffic was detoured onto I-95, and several major roads in the Wilmington area experienced increased traffic congestion.


Exit list


See also

*


References


External links


I-495 on Kurumi.com

Interstate Guide - I-495

I-495 at AARoads.com

Delaware Roads - I-495

The Roads of Metro Philadelphia: Wilmington Bypass (I-495)
{{3di, 95 95-4 Delaware 95-4 4 Delaware Transportation in New Castle County, Delaware