Delaware Route 48
Encyclopedia
Delaware Route 48 connects the City of Wilmington
, Delaware
to an intersection with Delaware Route 41
(Newport-Gap Pike) about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Pennsylvania
state line in Hockessin, Delaware
.
Route 48 is known as Lancaster Avenue in the city of Wilmington and Lancaster Pike outside of the city. The westbound portion of Route 48 in Wilmington to Union Street is Second Street which is one way. Lancaster Avenue is one way eastbound from Union Street.
and continues to the east as a four-lane, divided highway. It heads east to an intersection with Delaware Route 100
and Delaware Route 141
. At this intersection, DE 100 makes a left turn from DE 141 southbound to form a concurrency with DE 48.
Past the DE 141 intersection, DE 48 narrows back into an undivided highway. It heads southeast toward the city border of Wilmington
, where it becomes Lancaster Avenue and where DE 100 heads to the south on Dupont Road. DE 48 continues into the city where it meets Delaware Route 2, which at this point follows the one-way pair
of Lincoln Street northbound and Union Street southbound. Here, DE 48 splits into the one-way pair of Lancaster Avenue eastbound and 2nd Street westbound. It follows these one-way streets toward downtown Wilmington.
Upon reaching downtown Wilmington, DE 48 intersects Delaware Route 4
(Maryland Avenue), and it features ramp connections to Interstate 95
, which passes over this part of Wilmington on a viaduct, to and from the south and from the north via Adams and Jackson Streets, and also connections to I-95 via Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which runs between Lancaster Ave and 2nd Street. DE 48 contiunes east toward its eastern terminus at U.S. Route 13 Business adjacent to the Wilmington Train Station
. At this point, US 13 Business follows Walnut Street northbound and at the intersection with DE 48 shifts from King Street southbound to Market Street southbound.
hauling produce to tidewater at Wilmington in the late 18th century. In the early days, it was a toll road and later became a public road without tolls.
The designation "Route 48" began in the 1920s as it was seen as an extension of New Jersey Route 48 by means of the Wilmington - Penns Grove Ferry. It is the only Delaware route that continues a New Jersey state route number (there are several PA and MD roads that do).
After the termination of ferry service from Wilmington to Penns Grove
in the 1940s, the route number was retained. The Delaware terminal of this ferry was at 4th Street in Wilmington on the Christina River
.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Road
!Notes
|-
|Hockessin
|0.00
|
|Western terminus
|-
|rowspan=7|Wilmington
|3.85
|
|West end of DE 100 overlap
|-
|4.88
|
|East end of DE 100 overlap
|-
|5.64
|
|
|-
|6.41
|, Baltimore
, Chester
, Philadelphia
|Interchange
|-
|6.58
|
|
|-
|7.00
|
|
|-
|7.11
|
|Eastern terminus
|-
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, 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...
to an intersection with Delaware Route 41
Delaware Route 41
Delaware Route 41 is a highway in northwestern New Castle County. Its northern terminus is the Pennsylvania state line just north of Hockessin, and it continues on as Pennsylvania Route 41 to Gap. Its southern terminus is the on-ramp to Delaware Route 141 southbound...
(Newport-Gap Pike) about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state line in Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,902 at the 2000 census. The place name may be derived from the Lenape word "hòkèsa" meaning "pieces of bark" or from a misspelling of "occasion," as pronounced by the Quakers who settled...
.
Route 48 is known as Lancaster Avenue in the city of Wilmington and Lancaster Pike outside of the city. The westbound portion of Route 48 in Wilmington to Union Street is Second Street which is one way. Lancaster Avenue is one way eastbound from Union Street.
Route description
Delaware Route 48 heads to the southeast from DE 41 on Lancaster Pike, passing through suburban areas. It crosses the Red Clay CreekRed Clay Creek
Red Clay Creek is a tributary of White Clay Creek in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware in the United States.The East and West branches both rise in West Marlborough Township, Pennsylvania, near the hamlet of Upland, and flow south through Kennett Square before uniting just north of...
and continues to the east as a four-lane, divided highway. It heads east to an intersection with Delaware Route 100
Delaware Route 100
Delaware Route 100 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from Delaware Route 4 near Elsmere to the Pennsylvania border near Montchanin, where it continues into Pennsylvania as Creek Road...
and Delaware Route 141
Delaware Route 141
Delaware Route 141 is a bypass around the western suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware. Its northern terminus is an interchange with U.S. Route 202 and Delaware Route 261 in Fairfax, and its southern terminus is at Delaware Route 9 and Delaware Route 273 in New Castle...
. At this intersection, DE 100 makes a left turn from DE 141 southbound to form a concurrency with DE 48.
Past the DE 141 intersection, DE 48 narrows back into an undivided highway. It heads southeast toward the city border of Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, where it becomes Lancaster Avenue and where DE 100 heads to the south on Dupont Road. DE 48 continues into the city where it meets Delaware Route 2, which at this point follows the one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....
of Lincoln Street northbound and Union Street southbound. Here, DE 48 splits into the one-way pair of Lancaster Avenue eastbound and 2nd Street westbound. It follows these one-way streets toward downtown Wilmington.
Upon reaching downtown Wilmington, DE 48 intersects Delaware Route 4
Delaware Route 4
Delaware Route 4 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from Delaware Route 2 and Delaware Route 896 in Newark east to Delaware Route 48 in downtown Wilmington. What is now DE 4 was originally a county road that was paved in the 1930s...
(Maryland Avenue), and it features ramp connections to Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Delaware
In Delaware, Interstate 95 runs diagonally from the border with Maryland northeast to the border with Pennsylvania. Between the Maryland state line and exit 5, I-95 is also designated as the Delaware Turnpike and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. Along with its auxiliaries, I-95 is the only...
, which passes over this part of Wilmington on a viaduct, to and from the south and from the north via Adams and Jackson Streets, and also connections to I-95 via Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which runs between Lancaster Ave and 2nd Street. DE 48 contiunes east toward its eastern terminus at U.S. Route 13 Business adjacent to the Wilmington Train Station
Wilmington Station (Delaware)
Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station, normally called Wilmington Station, is a passenger rail station in Wilmington, Delaware, formerly known as Pennsylvania Station. The station is located on Front Street between French and Walnut Streets in downtown Wilmington...
. At this point, US 13 Business follows Walnut Street northbound and at the intersection with DE 48 shifts from King Street southbound to Market Street southbound.
History
Route 48 (Lancaster Pike) was a cut off for farmers from Lancaster County, PennsylvaniaLancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
hauling produce to tidewater at Wilmington in the late 18th century. In the early days, it was a toll road and later became a public road without tolls.
The designation "Route 48" began in the 1920s as it was seen as an extension of New Jersey Route 48 by means of the Wilmington - Penns Grove Ferry. It is the only Delaware route that continues a New Jersey state route number (there are several PA and MD roads that do).
After the termination of ferry service from Wilmington to Penns Grove
Penns Grove, New Jersey
Penns Grove is a Borough in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 4,886.Penns Grove was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1894, from portions of Upper Penns Neck Township Penns Grove is a...
in the 1940s, the route number was retained. The Delaware terminal of this ferry was at 4th Street in Wilmington on the Christina River
Christina River
The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near its mouth the river flows past downtown Wilmington, Delaware,...
.
Major intersections
The entire route is in New Castle CountyNew 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...
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Road
!Notes
|-
|Hockessin
Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,902 at the 2000 census. The place name may be derived from the Lenape word "hòkèsa" meaning "pieces of bark" or from a misspelling of "occasion," as pronounced by the Quakers who settled...
|0.00
|
|Western terminus
|-
|rowspan=7|Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
|3.85
|
|West end of DE 100 overlap
|-
|4.88
|
|East end of DE 100 overlap
|-
|5.64
|
|
|-
|6.41
|, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Chester
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
, Philadelphia
|Interchange
|-
|6.58
|
|
|-
|7.00
|
|
|-
|7.11
|
|Eastern terminus
|-