U.S. Route 202 in Delaware

Infobox road
state=DE
type=US
route=202
alternate_name=
length_mi=13.06
length_round=2
length_ref=http://www.deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/manuals/traffic_counts/2006/pdf/rpt_pgs1_38_rev.pdf DelDOT 2006 Traffic Count and Mileage Report]
established=
direction_a=South
starting_terminus=
junction=
direction_b=East
ending_terminus=
previous_type=DE
previous_route=141
next_type=DE
next_route=202
browse=de browse|previous_type=US|previous_route=113|route=|next_type=DE|next_route=141
commons=category

U.S. Route 202 runs through northern New Castle County in the U.S. state of Delaware. It heads from a cloverleaf interchange with U.S. Route 13 and U.S. Route 40 near the New Castle Airport north to the Pennsylvania border in Brandywine Hundred following Delaware Route 141 along the eastern edge of New Castle Airport, Interstate 95 through Wilmington, and the Concord Pike through the Brandywine Hundred area.

Route description

U.S. Route 202 heads north with Delaware Route 141 on the four-lane, divided Basin Road from a cloverleaf interchange with US 13 and US 40 running along the eastern boundary of New Castle Airport. It intersects the northern terminus of Delaware Route 37 (Commons Boulevard) and then heads toward the massive Newport interchange. Here US 202 splits from DE 141 and heads north along Interstate 95. Within the interchange, US 202 features connections to Interstate 295, which heads toward the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and Interstate 495, which bypasses Wilmington to the east.

US 202 heads north from the interchange with I-95 on a four-lane freeway. It passes over the marshes of the Christina River and then heads toward downtown Wilmington, passing Frawley Stadium, home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks baseball team. The road the crosses over the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and passes over a part of Wilmington on a high viaduct. Here, the road features ramps to Delaware Route 4 and Delaware Route 48 that provide access to downtown Wilmington. The freeway then enters a below street level alignment and interchanges with Delaware Route 52. It then crosses over the Brandywine Creek, passing through the northern part of the city. It then heads to an interchange with the Concord Pike, where US 202 splits from I-95 by heading north on Concord Pike and Delaware Route 202 heads south into Wilmington on Concord Avenue.

US 202 heads north on the four-lane divided Concord Pike, meeting an interchange that serves as the northern terminus of Delaware Route 141 and the southern terminus of Delaware Route 261. This interchange was built as part of the Blue Ball construction project, which replaced an at-grade intersection with DE 261 and Rockland Road with an interchange that also accommodated a realignment of DE 141. From there, US 202 heads north into Fairfax and intersects the former northern terminus of DE 141 at the Powder Mill Road intersection adjacent to an AstraZeneca facility. From this point, US 202 continues north through various suburban commercial development for the next few miles. It passes several shopping centers and then the Concord Mall as it approaches the Pennsylvania border. Many of these commercial developments serve residents from Pennsylvania and other states wishing to shop in Delaware to avoid sales tax. A short distance from the Pennsylvania border, US 202 crosses Delaware Route 92 (Naamans Road), near the Brandywine Town Center shopping center. The route then heads into Pennsylvania, where it becomes Wilmington West Chester Pike.

History

U.S. Route 122 was created in 1926, connecting US 22 at Whitehouse, New Jersey with Wilmington, Delaware. It became part of US 202 in 1934.

US 202 followed two different alignments in Delaware before it followed its current alignment. The last previous alignment of US 202 had it continuing south on Concord Pike / Concord Avenue, and ending at Market Street, which had been US 13 and which later became Business US 13. This segment of road is now called Delaware Route 202. The next-to-last previous alignment had southbound US 202 going ahead onto start of Concord Avenue, then turning right on Baynard Boulevard, and going ahead onto Washington Street all the way down to Front Street, then turning left on Front Street and right onto S. Market Street, and ending at the Farnhurst interchange at present I-295; US 301 used to begin where US 202 ended. Northbound US 202 went across the Christina River on S. Walnut Street and followed Walnut all the way up to 16th, then went west on 16th for 2 blocks, then north on Market Street and left on Concord Avenue. All of this is still drivable except for a block of southbound Washington Street from 2nd Street to Front Street.

Junction List

The entire route is in New Castle County.

References