Delaware Route 15
Encyclopedia
Delaware Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state
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...

. The route runs from Delaware Route 14
Delaware Route 14
Delaware Route 14 is a state highway in the southern part of Kent County, Delaware. The route runs from the Maryland border in Burrsville, where it continues as Maryland Route 317, east to DE 1 in Milford...

 west of Milford
Milford, Delaware
Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,559....

 in Kent County
Kent County, Delaware
Kent County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is coextensive with the Dover, Delaware, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population was 162,310, a 28.1% increase over the previous decade. The county seat is Dover, the state capital...

 to U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 301 is a spur of U.S. Route 1 running through the South Atlantic States. It currently runs 1,099 miles from Glasgow, Delaware at U.S. Route 40 to Sarasota, Florida. It passes through the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida...

 and Delaware Routes 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 896 in Summit, New Castle County
New 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...

, just south of 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...

. Delaware Route 15 winds a path through many rural sections of Delaware, turning along many different roads. Most of the route, with the exception of the southern part of the route from Canterbury to Milford, runs to the west of 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,...

. Delaware Route 15 skirts the western outskirts or misses many notable Delaware towns, including Wyoming
Wyoming, Delaware
Wyoming is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It was named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, 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...

, Clayton
Clayton, Delaware
Clayton is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. Located almost entirely in Kent County, it is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2.918 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

, and 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 ....

. What is now DE 15 was paved in several stages from the 1930s to the 1960s. By the 1980s, the route was designated between DE 14 in Milford and US 13 in Canterbury. By 1990, it was extended north to US 301/DE 299 near Middletown and then to US 301/DE 71/DE 896 near the Summit Bridge by 1994.

Kent County

Delaware Route 15 begins at an intersection with Delaware Route 14
Delaware Route 14
Delaware Route 14 is a state highway in the southern part of Kent County, Delaware. The route runs from the Maryland border in Burrsville, where it continues as Maryland Route 317, east to DE 1 in Milford...

 west of the city of Milford
Milford, Delaware
Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,559....

 and proceeds in a northwest direction on Canterbury Road. It intersects Delaware Route 12
Delaware Route 12
Delaware Route 12 is a state highway in Kent County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 314 at the Maryland border near Whiteleysburg, Maryland east to an interchange with Delaware Route 1 near Frederica. The route follows a mostly rural alignment, passing through the towns of Felton and...

 and reaches the community of Canterbury, where it meets 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,...

. It follows US 13 for a short distance and continues to the north along with U.S. Route 13 Alternate on Upper King Road. The two head to the town of Woodside
Woodside, Delaware
Woodside is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 181 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Woodside is located at ....

 where Delaware Route 15 turns west along Delaware Route 10 Alternate.

The route follows Delaware Route 10 Alternate for a short distance before turning north on Dundee Road. It then intersects Delaware Route 10
Delaware Route 10
Delaware Route 10 is a state highway in Kent County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 287 at the Maryland border in Sandtown east to an interchange with Delaware Route 1 at the north gate of Dover Air Force Base. The route passes through the towns of Camden and Wyoming along the way. It is a...

 and the name changes to Moose Lodge Road. Delaware Route 15 then turns east onto Westville Road and enters the town of Wyoming
Wyoming, Delaware
Wyoming is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It was named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area...

.

In Wyoming, Delaware Route 15 turns north on Railroad Avenue West, paralleling a Norfolk Southern rail line to the west through the town. The route exits Wyoming on Wyoming Mill Road, which carries Delaware Route 15 north through agricultural land to the western end of 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...

. It then heads east on North Street, passing through the West Dover industrial district, before turning north on Saulsbury Road. The route intersects Delaware Route 8
Delaware Route 8
Delaware Route 8 is a state highway located in Kent County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 454 at the Maryland border near Marydel, Maryland east to an intersection with Delaware Route 9 north of Little Creek. The route passes through the heart of Delaware's capital, Dover, on Division...

 and then heads north to the intersection with Walker Road, where the name changes to McKee Road.

Delaware Route 15 then intersects Scarborough Road, which provides access to 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,...

 and the Delaware Route 1 turnpike. It then leaves Dover, turning west on Denneys Road West and then north on Kenton Road. The route meets Delaware Route 42
Delaware Route 42
Delaware Route 42 is a state highway in Kent County, Delaware. It runs from Delaware Route 6 in Blackiston to Delaware Route 9 in Leipsic. Delaware Route 42 passes through the towns of Kenton and Cheswold along the way. The road was built as a state highway during the 1920s and 1930s...

, and it continues west for a brief concurrency with DE 42 on Seven Hickories Road. Delaware Route 15 then heads north on Mount Friendship Road.

Mount Friendship Road carries Delaware Route 15 to Delaware Route 300
Delaware Route 300
Delaware Route 300 is a state highway in Kent County, Delaware. The route is a continuation of Maryland Route 300 from the Maryland border near Everetts Corner. It runs in a northeast direction from there to Smyrna, where it ends at U.S. Route 13...

, which it follows for a very short distance, before heading north on Alley Corners Road. The route then meets Delaware Route 6
Delaware Route 6
Delaware Route 6 is a state highway in Kent County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 291 at the Maryland border west of Blackiston to the Delaware Bay in Woodland Beach. The route passes through rural areas of northern Kent County as well as the towns of Smyrna and Clayton. DE 6 intersects...

, and it follows Delaware Route 6 east toward Clayton
Clayton, Delaware
Clayton is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. Located almost entirely in Kent County, it is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2.918 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

. Along the west edge of Clayton, Delaware Route 15 turns to the north on West Duck Creek Road and heads into New Castle County.

New Castle County

Delaware Route 15 enters New Castle County and the name becomes Clayton Greenspring Road. It then turns northwest on Greenspring Road and heads into the Blackbird State Forest. The route then turns north on Dexter Corner Road and then branches to the northwest on Blackbird Station Road, leaving the Blackbird State Forest.

The road name changes to Dogtown Road and then Delaware Route 15 makes a right turn onto Levels Road. The route then heads north to meet U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 301 is a spur of U.S. Route 1 running through the South Atlantic States. It currently runs 1,099 miles from Glasgow, Delaware at U.S. Route 40 to Sarasota, Florida. It passes through the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida...

 and 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...

 on the western edge 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 ....

. Delaware Route 15 follows these two routes eastward toward Middletown. It then branches off from US 301, heading to the northwest on Bunker Hill Road.

Delaware Route 15 then turns to the north onto Choptank Road. It meets 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...

, which heads west toward 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...

. At this intersection, Delaware Route 15 takes on the name of Bethel Church Road. It then turns to the east and ends at U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 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 896 in Summit, just south of 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...

.

History

By 1920, the roads that comprise present-day DE 15 existed as county roads. Bunker Hill Road was paved by 1932, with Levels Road being constructed as a state highway by this time. By 1936, the segment between DE 12 and US 13, Brenford Road, a portion north of DE 6, and Bethel Church Road were paved. Kenton Road were paved by 1939. By 1942, paving was completed on the sections between DE 14 and Carpenters Bridge Road and from DE 8 to Kenton Road, and the entire segment between Clayton and Middletown excluding a portion of Blackbird Station Road. The remainder of the road between Milford and Canterbury, the portion between Woodside and DE 10, the portion between Wyoming and Dover, and the segment of Choptank Road between Bohemia Church Road and Bethel Church Road were all paved by 1952. The remainder of the route between Clayton and Middletown was paved by 1954. By 1957, paving was completed on the remainder of Choptank Road. The section between Woodside and Wyoming was fully paved by 1959. The Mt. Friendship Road part of the current route was paved by 1964. By 1966, the paving of present-day DE 15 was completed when Alley Corner Road was paved. DE 15 was designated to run from DE 14 near Milford north to US 13 in Canterbury by 1984. The route was extended north to US 301/DE 299 west of Middletown by 1990. By 1994, DE 15 was extended farther north to US 301/DE 71/DE 896 near the Summit Bridge by 1994.

Major intersections

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