US highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

Silver Summit, Utah Silver Summit is a census-designated place (CDP) in Summit County, Utah, United States. Prior to the 2010 Census, the area was designated as North Snyderville Basin CDP. The population was 1,821 at the 2000 census. Geography According to the Un ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

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 ...

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Delaware Memorial Bridge The Delaware Memorial Bridge is a dual-span suspension bridge crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridges carry Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 40 and is also the link between Delaware and New Jersey. The bridge was designed by the firm kno ...

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 ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

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 ...

Penns Grove, New Jersey Penns Grove is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Salem County, New Jersey, Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,147,Hares Corner to head east into New Castle and cross the river on a ferry to

Pennsville, New Jersey Pennsville Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 13,409, reflecting an increase of 215 (+1.6%) from the 13,194 counted in the 2000 census. The townshi ...

. The entire length of US 40 west of Hares Corner was widened to a divided highway during the 1930s. The Delaware Memorial Bridge opened in 1951, and US 40 was rerouted north along US 13 before heading east along the bridge approach, with Delaware Route 273 (DE 273) extended east along the former route into New Castle. In 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.

Route description

US 40 enters Delaware from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

west of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, heading east on four-lane

divided Division is one of the four basic operations of arithmetic, the ways that numbers are combined to make new numbers. The other operations are addition, subtraction, and multiplication. At an elementary level the division of two natural numb ...

Pulaski Highway (which originates in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

). From the state line, the route passes near residential subdivisions. Upon reaching Glasgow, the road continues into commercial areas and the median of the road widens to include businesses in it. US 40 passes north of the Peoples Plaza shopping center and comes to an intersection with DE 896 Bus. in the center of the community. The median of the road narrows as it reaches a junction with DE 896 on the eastern edge of Glasgow. Past this junction, the route runs between Glasgow Park to the north and a mix of development and woods to the south, crossing Belltown Run. US 40 passes through residential and business areas and comes to an intersection with DE 72. Past this intersection, the road curves to the northeast, crossing

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 Delmarva Secondary railroad line at-grade. The route heads through a mix of wooded areas and businesses as it enters

Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

, intersecting Salem Church Road/Porter Road. US 40 continues through suburban development with some farm fields, passing to the south of the Wilmington University Athletic Complex. The road widens to six lanes at the Walther Road/Glendale Boulevard junction before reaching an intersection with DE 7 in a business area. Past this intersection, US 40 comes to a

partial cloverleaf interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...

with the DE 1 freeway. After this interchange, the route narrows to four lanes and passes more development and some farm fields, reaching a westbound

right-in/right-out Right-in/right-out (RIRO) and left-in/left-out (LILO) refer to a type of three-way road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. "Right-in" and "left-in" r ...

with Appleby Road. Farther east, US 40 heads through business areas immediately to the north of Norfolk Southern's New Castle Secondary railroad line as it reaches a directional intersection with US 13 in

State Road A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

; this intersection has no access from northbound US 13 to westbound US 40. US 40 EB past Walther Road-Glendale Boulevard

At this point, US 40 heads northeast for a

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with US 13 on South Dupont Highway, an eight-lane divided highway. DE 9 Truck also runs concurrent with US 13/US 40 at this point. The road runs through commercial areas, coming to an intersection with DE 273 in Hares Corner. At this point, DE 9 Truck splits from US 13/US 40 by heading east along DE 273. Past this intersection, US 13/US 40 becomes North Dupont Highway and passes between Wilmington Airport to the northwest and businesses to the southeast as it runs along the western border of the city of New Castle for a short distance, reaching a partial cloverleaf interchange with the southern terminus of US 202 and DE 141 at the end of the airport property. Following this, the two routes narrow to six lanes, heading to the northwest of the Main Campus of

Wilmington University Wilmington University (WilmU) is a private university with its main campus in Wilmington Manor, Delaware, with a New Castle street address. - It was founded in 1968 as Wilmington College by educator Dr. Donald E. Ross. As of 2016, the univer ...

and running through more commercial areas in Wilmington Manor. Along this stretch, the route gains an eastbound combined right turn, bus, and bicycle lane. The road loses the eastbound combined right turn, bus, and bicycle lane before passing over the Jack A. Markell Trail and reaching an interchange with

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 ...

in Farnhurst. Here, US 40 splits from US 13 by heading east concurrent with I-295 on an eight-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 ...

maintained by the

Delaware River and Bay Authority The Delaware River and Bay Authority or DRBA is a bi-state government agency of the U.S. states of New Jersey and Delaware established by an interstate compact in 1962. The authority operates the Delaware Memorial twin suspension bridges, the ...

(DRBA). The road has an eastbound ramp to Landers Lane before it passes between residential neighborhoods and comes to a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

with DE 9 north of New Castle. This interchange provides access to Veterans Memorial Park, where a war memorial honoring veterans from Delaware and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

is located. Past DE 9, the median of the freeway widens to include the DRBA headquarters, with direct access to and from the westbound lanes while eastbound access is provided by way of DE 9. After this, the westbound direction has a toll plaza for the

Delaware Memorial Bridge The Delaware Memorial Bridge is a dual-span suspension bridge crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridges carry Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 40 and is also the link between Delaware and New Jersey. The bridge was designed by the firm kno ...

. I-295/US 40 continues east and passes over Norfolk Southern's New Castle Secondary before crossing 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 ...

on the twin-span Delaware Memorial Bridge, at which point both routes head into New Jersey. US 40 in Delaware 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 107,176 vehicles at the DE 9 interchange along the I-295 concurrency to a low of 25,863 vehicles at the Appleby Road intersection between Bear and New Castle. The entire length of US 40 in Delaware is part of the National Highway System.

History

US 40 EB past Salem Church Road-Porter Road

By 1920, what would become the Delaware portion of US 40 was a county road, with the portion along US 13 under contract to become a state highway. The section of US 40 along the Dupont Highway was completed by 1923. The Pulaski Highway portion of the road was built as a state highway by 1924. When the

US Highway System The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

was created on November 11, 1926, US 40 was designated to pass through Delaware along Elkton Road (Pulaski Highway) between the Maryland state line and State Road, a concurrency with US 13 from State Road to Wilmington, and Christiana Avenue from US 13 to a ferry across the Delaware River which carried the route to

Penns Grove, New Jersey Penns Grove is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Salem County, New Jersey, Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,147, In 1926, the Delaware State Highway Department suggested that the portion of US 40 that followed US 13 along the DuPont Highway be widened. This widening was completed a year later. In 1928, US 40 was rerouted at Hares Corner to head east through New Castle and cross the Delaware River on a ferry to

Pennsville, New Jersey Pennsville Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 13,409, reflecting an increase of 215 (+1.6%) from the 13,194 counted in the 2000 census. The townshi ...

. All of the route was a state highway by 1931 except the portion from Hares Corner to the Basin Road intersection in New Castle. In 1931, work began on widening US 40 along the US 13 concurrency to a divided highway. The completion of the divided highway between State Road and Wilmington was slated for summer 1933. US 202 was designated concurrent with US 13/US 40 north of State Road in 1934. Recommendations were made in 1932 to widen US 40 into a divided highway between the Maryland state line and State Road. A year later, the divided highway portion of US 40 had been graded between the Maryland state line and Glasgow while paving of the divided highway was in progress between Bear and State Road. Grading of the divided highway between the Maryland state line and State Road had been completed in 1934 with construction of the remainder of the road underway. Work on widening US 40 to a divided highway between the Maryland state line and US 13 was finished in 1936. In 1934, recommendations were made to upgrade US 40 to a state highway between Hares Corner and New Castle. The portion of US 40 between Hares Corner and New Castle was taken over by the state on July 1, 1935. Construction on upgrading this section began in 1936, with the project completed later that year. The same year, a bridge was constructed over a

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

line (now the Jack A. Markell Trail) in New Castle. US 13 SB-US 40 WB at split in State Road

Construction on the Delaware Memorial Bridge began in 1949. At the same time, work was underway on the Delaware Memorial Bridge approach, a divided highway which would begin at a

directional T interchange In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, using ...

with US 13/US 202 in Farnhurst and head east to a cloverleaf interchange at New Castle Avenue (present DE 9) before leading to the bridge. Construction on the US 13/US 202 interchange at Farnhurst began on July 12, 1950. On August 16, 1951, the Delaware Memorial Bridge opened to traffic. US 40 was rerouted to use the Delaware Memorial Bridge to cross the Delaware River, being realigned to follow US 13/US 202 north from Hares Corner to Farnhurst and the bridge approach road between Farnhurst and the bridge. The ferry connecting New Castle to Pennsville was discontinued and DE 273 was extended east along the former alignment of US 40 into New Castle. In 1954, plans were made to replace the intersection with DE 41/DE 141 in Basin Corner with a modified cloverleaf interchange in an effort to reduce traffic congestion. Construction on the interchange began in September of that year. The interchange between US 13/US 40/US 202 and DE 41/DE 141 was completed in 1956. In 1958, construction began for a bridge at the Farnhurst interchange that would link the US 40 approach to the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the

Delaware Turnpike Interstate 95 (I-95) is an Interstate highway running along the East Coast of the United States from Miami, Florida, north to the Canadian border in Houlton, Maine. In the state of Delaware, the route runs for across the Wilmington are ...

that was proposed to run west to the Maryland state line. A year later, the Farnhurst interchange and the bridge approach were upgraded to

Interstate Highway standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...

, and it was designated as part of I-295. Construction at the interchange connecting to the Delaware Turnpike at Farnhurst was completed in July 1961. On November 14, 1963, the Delaware Turnpike opened to traffic, with I-295 extended west to I-95 at the northern terminus of the turnpike. In the middle of 1964, work began on a second span at the Delaware Memorial Bridge due to increasing traffic volumes. The second span of the bridge was opened to traffic in the later part of 1968. The US 202 designation was removed from US 13/US 40 between State Road and Farnhurst in 1964, with US 301 extended north to follow US 13/US 40 from State Road to Farnhurst. US 301N was designated to follow US 40 between DE 896 and US 13 in 1971. US 301N was removed from US 40 in 1985. By 1994, US 301 was removed from the US 13/US 40 concurrency, having been rerouted to follow DE 896 to end at US 40 in Glasgow. Despite this, 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) still had US 301 follow US 40 between DE 896 in Glasgow and I-295/US 13 in Farnhurst. There are plans to widen the portion of US 40 from Salem Church Road/Porter Road east to Walther Road in Bear from four lanes to six lanes. The widening project is planned to begin in 2023 and be finished in 2026.

Major intersections

References

External links

US 40 at AARoads.com

Delaware Roads - US 40
{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=40, state=Delaware, statebefore=Maryland, stateafter=New Jersey 40 Delaware Transportation in New Castle County, Delaware

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links