Delaware Route 18
Encyclopedia
Delaware Route 18 is a state highway located in Sussex County
, Delaware
. It runs from Maryland Route 318
at the Maryland
border east of Federalsburg, Maryland
to U.S. Route 9
in Georgetown, Delaware
. Delaware Route 18 overlaps Delaware Route 404 from its intersection with that highway southeast of Bridgeville
to the eastern termiuns in Georgetown, where Route 404 continues eastward to Five Points
on US 9. What would become DE 18 was built as a state highway in stages during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1936, DE 18 was designated to run from the Maryland border east through Georgetown to Lewes
. By 1976, the route east of Georgetown was replaced by US 9 and US 9 Business. DE 404 was designated along the eastern portion of DE 18 by 1987.
. DE 18 heads east through Cannon
and then crosses U.S. Route 13
. It then merges with Delaware Route 404, the main road between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
and the Delaware beaches. The two routes continue east together on Seashore Highway through countryside toward Georgetown
. Upon reaching Georgetown, the road crosses U.S. Route 113
and then Routes 18 and 404 merge onto Bedford Street and head south toward the center of Georgetown. Delaware Route 18 ends at The Circle in the center of Georgetown, where it meets U.S. Route 9
(Market Street) and where DE 404 heads east for a long concurrency with US 9.
; the remainder existed as an unimproved county road. The state highway was completed between Cannon and present-day US 13 and from southeast of Bridgeville east to Lewes
by 1924, with the exception of a portion within Georgetown. The part of present day DE 18 west of Clarksons Crossroads was under proposal as a state highway by this time also. By 1925, the portions of the route west of Clarksons Crossroads and within Georgetown were upgraded to state highway status. By 1931, the state highway was finished between Clarksons Crossroads and Cannon. The portion of road from US 13 east to the current west end of the DE 404 concurrency was completed as a state highway by 1932.
When Delaware created its state highway system by 1936, DE 18 was designated to run from the Maryland border west of Cannon east to Lewes Beach, following its current alignment east to Georgetown and continuing east through Gravel Hill, Harbeson, and Lewes. By 1976, the eastern terminus of DE 18 was cut back to its current location in Georgetown, with an extended US 9 replacing the route between Georgetown and Five Points
and US 9 Business replacing DE 18 from Five Points to Lewes. DE 404 was extended to run concurrent with DE 18 from east of Bridgevillle to Georgetown by 1987.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Road
!Notes
|-
|
|0.00
|
|Maryland state line, western terminus
|-
|Cannon
|7.61
|
|
|-
|
|9.11
|
|West end of DE 404 overlap
|-
|rowspan=2|Georgetown
|18.44
|
|
|-
|19.49
|
|Traffic circle, eastern terminus
|-
Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...
, 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...
. It runs from Maryland Route 318
Maryland Route 318
Maryland Route 318 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from MD 16 and MD 331 near Preston east to the Delaware state line near Federalsburg, where the highway continues east as Delaware Route 18 . MD 318 follows the Dorchester–Caroline county line for...
at the Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
border east of Federalsburg, Maryland
Federalsburg, Maryland
Federalsburg is a town in Caroline County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,642 at the 2009 census. The ZIP code is 21632. The primary phone exchange is 754 and the area code is 410.-Town features:...
to U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9 is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the United States. It is one of only two U.S. highways with a ferry connection ; the other being US 10. US 9 is signed east–west in Delaware and north–south on the rest of...
in Georgetown, Delaware
Georgetown, Delaware
Georgetown is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade...
. Delaware Route 18 overlaps Delaware Route 404 from its intersection with that highway southeast of Bridgeville
Bridgeville, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,436 people, 570 households, and 381 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,768.6 people per square mile . There were 636 housing units at an average density of 783.3 per square mile...
to the eastern termiuns in Georgetown, where Route 404 continues eastward to Five Points
Five Points, Delaware
Five Points is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Five Points is located at the junction of U.S. Route 9, Delaware Route 1, and Delaware Route 404 west-northwest of Rehoboth Beach....
on US 9. What would become DE 18 was built as a state highway in stages during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1936, DE 18 was designated to run from the Maryland border east through Georgetown to Lewes
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
. By 1976, the route east of Georgetown was replaced by US 9 and US 9 Business. DE 404 was designated along the eastern portion of DE 18 by 1987.
Route description
Delaware Route 18 heads east from the Maryland border on Federalsburg Road. In Clarksons Crossroads, it makes a right turn onto Bowdens Garage Road while Federalsburg Road continues northeast toward BridgevilleBridgeville, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,436 people, 570 households, and 381 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,768.6 people per square mile . There were 636 housing units at an average density of 783.3 per square mile...
. DE 18 heads east through Cannon
Cannon, Delaware
Cannon is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Cannon is located on Delaware Route 18 south of Bridgeville....
and then crosses 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 then merges with Delaware Route 404, the main road between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Chesapeake Bay Bridge
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the more urban Western Shore. The original span opened in 1952 and, at the time, with a length of , it was the world's longest...
and the Delaware beaches. The two routes continue east together on Seashore Highway through countryside toward Georgetown
Georgetown, Delaware
Georgetown is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade...
. Upon reaching Georgetown, the road crosses U.S. Route 113
U.S. Route 113
U.S. Route 113 is a spur of US 13 in the U.S. states of Maryland and Delaware. The U.S. Highway runs from US 13 in Pocomoke City, Maryland north to Delaware Route 1 in Milford, Delaware...
and then Routes 18 and 404 merge onto Bedford Street and head south toward the center of Georgetown. Delaware Route 18 ends at The Circle in the center of Georgetown, where it meets U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9 is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the United States. It is one of only two U.S. highways with a ferry connection ; the other being US 10. US 9 is signed east–west in Delaware and north–south on the rest of...
(Market Street) and where DE 404 heads east for a long concurrency with US 9.
History
By 1920, what would eventually become DE 18 was under contract as a state highway from southeast of Bridgeville to Georgetown and from Georgetown to HarbesonHarbeson, Delaware
Harbeson is an unincorporated community in east central Sussex County, Delaware, United States. It lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 9 and Delaware Route 5, east of the town of Georgetown, the county seat of Sussex County. Its elevation is 36 feet...
; the remainder existed as an unimproved county road. The state highway was completed between Cannon and present-day US 13 and from southeast of Bridgeville east to Lewes
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
by 1924, with the exception of a portion within Georgetown. The part of present day DE 18 west of Clarksons Crossroads was under proposal as a state highway by this time also. By 1925, the portions of the route west of Clarksons Crossroads and within Georgetown were upgraded to state highway status. By 1931, the state highway was finished between Clarksons Crossroads and Cannon. The portion of road from US 13 east to the current west end of the DE 404 concurrency was completed as a state highway by 1932.
When Delaware created its state highway system by 1936, DE 18 was designated to run from the Maryland border west of Cannon east to Lewes Beach, following its current alignment east to Georgetown and continuing east through Gravel Hill, Harbeson, and Lewes. By 1976, the eastern terminus of DE 18 was cut back to its current location in Georgetown, with an extended US 9 replacing the route between Georgetown and Five Points
Five Points, Delaware
Five Points is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Five Points is located at the junction of U.S. Route 9, Delaware Route 1, and Delaware Route 404 west-northwest of Rehoboth Beach....
and US 9 Business replacing DE 18 from Five Points to Lewes. DE 404 was extended to run concurrent with DE 18 from east of Bridgevillle to Georgetown by 1987.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Sussex CountySussex County, Delaware
Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Road
!Notes
|-
|
|0.00
|
|Maryland state line, western terminus
|-
|Cannon
Cannon, Delaware
Cannon is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Cannon is located on Delaware Route 18 south of Bridgeville....
|7.61
|
|
|-
|
|9.11
|
|West end of DE 404 overlap
|-
|rowspan=2|Georgetown
Georgetown, Delaware
Georgetown is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade...
|18.44
|
|
|-
|19.49
|
|Traffic circle, eastern terminus
|-