Delaware Route 71
Encyclopedia
Delaware Route 71 is a state highway in New Castle County
, Delaware
. The route loops off U.S. Route 13
(US 13) from south of Townsend
to Tybouts Corner
, traveling to the west of US 13 by way of Townsend, Middletown
, and the Summit Bridge
. The route overlaps US 301
from the north end of Middletown to just north of the Summit Bridge, and also with DE 896 from Mount Pleasant to just north of the Summit Bridge, where US 301 and DE 896 continue north together to Glasgow
.
DE 71 was built as a state highway during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1938, the route was designated to run from US 13 south of Townsend to US 13 in Tybouts Corner roughly along its present-day alignment. In the 1950s, DE 71 was rerouted to head to the Maryland
border southwest of Middletown, with the former route south of Middletown becoming an extended DE 896. Between the 1950s and 1980s, DE 71 was signed with various alignments of US 301 and US 301S. In the 1980s, DE 71 was truncated to DE 896 in Summit Bridge before being extended back along its 1930s alignment to US 13 by the 1990s.
on two-lane undivided Summit Bridge Road, passing through wooded areas with some homes. The road passes to the east of Townsend
and interesects Pine Tree Road/Main Street near some businesses. Past Townsend, the route continues northwest into farmland, making a turn to the north. At the intersection with St. Anne's Church Road, Delaware Bicycle Route 1
(Bike Route 1) turns north to join DE 71. DE 71 enters areas of increasing residential development as it heads into the town of Middletown
, where it becomes Broad Street. The road heads north through the town and intersects DE 299
(Main Street) in the commercial center of town. Here, Bike Route 1 turns west onto DE 299. From this point, the route passes more homes before passing near businesses. DE 71 crosses Norfolk Southern's Delmarva Secondary at-grade and intersects US 301
immediately after.
DE 71 heads north concurrent
with US 301 on Summit Bridge Road, passing near some businesses and a housing development before leaving Middletown. The road runs a short distance to the west of the Norfolk Southern rail line as it continues farmland with some scattered residential and commercial development. In Mount Pleasant, DE 896 joins US 301/DE 71 from the east and the road widens from a two-lane undivided road to a four-lane, divided highway
. The road passes a few businesses before heading between the Summit Airport
to the west and housing developments to the east. US 301/DE 71/DE 896 heads to the northwest through farm fields before turning to the west and passing a residential subdivision to the south. In the unincorporated community of Summit, the road intersects the northern terminus of DE 15
, where Bike Route 1 joins the road again. Past this intersection, US 301/DE 71/DE 896 turns north and crosses over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
on the Summit Bridge
.
Past the Summit Bridge, the road passes through woods and passes under Chesapeake City Road near the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery. DE 71 splits from US 301/DE 896 and Bike Route 1 by heading to the southeast on two-lane undivided Red Lion Road. The road passes a mix of woods and homes as it becomes the southern boundary of Lums Pond State Park
and turns east into woodland. The route turns northeast through more of the state park before entering into a mix of farmland and homes. DE 71 passes through the community of Kirkwood
and crosses the Norfolk Southern Delmarva Secondary again, continuing into wooded areas of suburban residential development, crossing DE 72
. The route continues northeast near a mix of farms and woods with some homes, crossing Norfolk Southern's Delaware City Secondary. From here, the road passes more suburban residences and reaches the community of Red Lion, where it crosses DE 7. The final stretch of DE 71 heads northeast past more housing subdivisions toward its northern terminus at US 13 in Tybouts Corner
. This intersection is within an interchange between US 13 and DE 1, where DE 1 merges off US 13. Direct access is provided from southbound DE 1 to DE 71 just before the intersection with US 13.
By 1957, DE 71 was to follow DE 299 southwest from Middletown before splitting from that route and reaching the Maryland
border, where it connected to MD 71. Also, DE 896 was extended south from Summit Bridge to follow DE 71 to Middletown and then continue along the former DE 71 through Townsend to US 13. By 1959, US 301 was designated along DE 71/DE 299 between the Maryland border and Middletown and US 301S was designated along DE 71 from Middletown to Tybouts Corner. The route was realigned to a new Summit Bridge a short distance to the west in 1960, following new roads that led to the bridge. As a result of this, US 301S/DE 71 was designated onto a former piece of DE 896 between the new alignment and Red Lion Road to the east, with the rest of the former alignment becoming a dead end road south to the canal and the former alignment south of the canal becoming a local road serving the community of Summit. By 1971, US 301 was shifted to follow what had been US 301S between Middletown and Summit Bridge, with US 301S remaining along DE 71 between Summit Bridge and Tybouts Corner. By 1984, DE 896 was rerouted to run from Mount Pleasant to Boyds Corner, with the route being removed from DE 71 from Mt. Pleasant to Middletown and the segment from Middletown to south of Townsend, which was the original routing of DE 71, becoming unnumbered. A year later, US 301N was rerouted onto the newly aligned DE 896 and US 13 between Mt. Pleasant and Tybouts Corner and US 301S was extended south along DE 71/DE 896 from Summit Bridge to Mt. Pleasant. DE 71 was truncated to Summit Bridge by 1987, also at which time US 301S was removed from DE 71. By 1990, DE 71 was extended back south along its original alignment to again end at US 13 south of Townsend. US 301 was realigned to follow the route between Mt. Pleasant and Summit Bridge by 1994.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Road
!Notes
|-
|Townsend
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus
|-
|rowspan=2|Middletown
|5.73
|
|
|-
|
|
|South end of US 301 concurrency
|-
|Mount Pleasant
|10.04
|
|South end of DE 896 concurrency
|-
|rowspan=3|Summit Bridge
|12.19
|
|
|-
|colspan=4 align="center"|Summit Bridge
over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
|-
|14.14
|
|North end of US 301/DE 896 concurrency
|-
|Wrangle Hill
|18.84
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Bear
|20.75
|
|
|-
|21.99
|
|Interchange, northern terminus
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...
, 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 loops off U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13 in Delaware
U.S. Route 13 is the main north–south highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. It traverses the entire length of the state from the Maryland border in Delmar, Sussex County to the Pennsylvania border in Claymont, New Castle County. U.S. Route 13 connects many important cities and towns in...
(US 13) from south of Townsend
Townsend, Delaware
Townsend is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,049 at the 2010 census, an increase of 492.2% from 2000...
to Tybouts Corner
Tybouts Corner, Delaware
Tybouts Corner is an unincorporated populated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located at the intersection of US Route 13 and Hamburg Road/Bear Tybouts Road at and has an elevation of 55 feet....
, traveling to the west of US 13 by way of Townsend, 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 ....
, and 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...
. The route overlaps US 301
U.S. Route 301 in Delaware
In the U.S. state of Delaware, U.S. Route 301 runs from U.S. Route 40 in Glasgow to the Maryland state line where it continues as the Blue Star Memorial Highway...
from the north end of Middletown to just north of the Summit Bridge, and also with DE 896 from Mount Pleasant to just north of the Summit Bridge, where US 301 and DE 896 continue north together to Glasgow
Glasgow, Delaware
Glasgow is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,840 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glasgow is located at ....
.
DE 71 was built as a state highway during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1938, the route was designated to run from US 13 south of Townsend to US 13 in Tybouts Corner roughly along its present-day alignment. In the 1950s, DE 71 was rerouted to head to 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 southwest of Middletown, with the former route south of Middletown becoming an extended DE 896. Between the 1950s and 1980s, DE 71 was signed with various alignments of US 301 and US 301S. In the 1980s, DE 71 was truncated to DE 896 in Summit Bridge before being extended back along its 1930s alignment to US 13 by the 1990s.
Route description
DE 71 heads to the northwest from US 13U.S. Route 13 in Delaware
U.S. Route 13 is the main north–south highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. It traverses the entire length of the state from the Maryland border in Delmar, Sussex County to the Pennsylvania border in Claymont, New Castle County. U.S. Route 13 connects many important cities and towns in...
on two-lane undivided Summit Bridge Road, passing through wooded areas with some homes. The road passes to the east of Townsend
Townsend, Delaware
Townsend is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,049 at the 2010 census, an increase of 492.2% from 2000...
and interesects Pine Tree Road/Main Street near some businesses. Past Townsend, the route continues northwest into farmland, making a turn to the north. At the intersection with St. Anne's Church Road, Delaware Bicycle Route 1
Delaware Bicycle Route 1
Delaware Bicycle Route 1 is a bicycle route that runs the north-south length of the U.S. state of Delaware, from the Maryland border in Fenwick Island, Sussex County north to the Pennsylvania border near Montchanin, New Castle County. The route passes through many Delaware scenes, including...
(Bike Route 1) turns north to join DE 71. DE 71 enters areas of increasing residential development as it heads into the town 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 ....
, where it becomes Broad Street. The road heads north through the town and intersects DE 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...
(Main Street) in the commercial center of town. Here, Bike Route 1 turns west onto DE 299. From this point, the route passes more homes before passing near businesses. DE 71 crosses Norfolk Southern's Delmarva Secondary at-grade and intersects US 301
U.S. Route 301 in Delaware
In the U.S. state of Delaware, U.S. Route 301 runs from U.S. Route 40 in Glasgow to the Maryland state line where it continues as the Blue Star Memorial Highway...
immediately after.
DE 71 heads north concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with US 301 on Summit Bridge Road, passing near some businesses and a housing development before leaving Middletown. The road runs a short distance to the west of the Norfolk Southern rail line as it continues farmland with some scattered residential and commercial development. In Mount Pleasant, DE 896 joins US 301/DE 71 from the east and the road widens from a two-lane undivided road to a four-lane, divided highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
. The road passes a few businesses before heading between the Summit Airport
Summit Airport (Delaware)
Summit Airport is a public-use airport located five miles north of the central business district of Middletown, in New Castle County, Delaware, United States...
to the west and housing developments to the east. US 301/DE 71/DE 896 heads to the northwest through farm fields before turning to the west and passing a residential subdivision to the south. In the unincorporated community of Summit, the road intersects the northern terminus of DE 15
Delaware Route 15
Delaware Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The route runs from Delaware Route 14 west of Milford in Kent County to U.S. Route 301 and Delaware Routes 71 and 896 in Summit, New Castle County, just south of Summit Bridge. Delaware Route 15 winds a path through many rural...
, where Bike Route 1 joins the road again. Past this intersection, US 301/DE 71/DE 896 turns north and crosses over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is a 14-mile long, 450-foot wide and 40-foot deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the waters of the Delaware River with those of the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore...
on 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...
.
Past the Summit Bridge, the road passes through woods and passes under Chesapeake City Road near the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery. DE 71 splits from US 301/DE 896 and Bike Route 1 by heading to the southeast on two-lane undivided Red Lion Road. The road passes a mix of woods and homes as it becomes the southern boundary of Lums Pond State Park
Lums Pond State Park
Lums Pond State Park is a 1790-acre Delaware state park near Bear, New Castle County, Delaware in the United States. The park surrounds Lums Pond, an impoundment built by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on St. Georges Creek...
and turns east into woodland. The route turns northeast through more of the state park before entering into a mix of farmland and homes. DE 71 passes through the community of Kirkwood
Kirkwood, Delaware
Kirkwood is an unincorporated community in central New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It lies along Delaware Route 71, southwest of the city of Wilmington, the county seat of New Castle County. Its elevation is 69 feet . Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with...
and crosses the Norfolk Southern Delmarva Secondary again, continuing into wooded areas of suburban residential development, crossing DE 72
Delaware Route 72
Delaware Route 72 is a state highway located in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from Delaware Route 9 near Delaware City to Delaware Route 7 in Pike Creek. Parts of DE 72 were built as a state highway during the 1940s. By the 1940s, the route was designated between DE 2 and DE 7 along...
. The route continues northeast near a mix of farms and woods with some homes, crossing Norfolk Southern's Delaware City Secondary. From here, the road passes more suburban residences and reaches the community of Red Lion, where it crosses DE 7. The final stretch of DE 71 heads northeast past more housing subdivisions toward its northern terminus at US 13 in Tybouts Corner
Tybouts Corner, Delaware
Tybouts Corner is an unincorporated populated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located at the intersection of US Route 13 and Hamburg Road/Bear Tybouts Road at and has an elevation of 55 feet....
. This intersection is within an interchange between US 13 and DE 1, where DE 1 merges off US 13. Direct access is provided from southbound DE 1 to DE 71 just before the intersection with US 13.
History
What is now DE 71 originally existed as a county road by 1920, with the portion south of Townsend proposed as a state highway at this time. By 1924, the entire length of the present route was paved, with the portion from the Summit Bridge to Kirkwood proposed as a state highway and the portion from Kirkwood to Tybouts Corner improved to a state highway. A year later, the state highway had been completed south of Townsend and between Mt. Pleasant and Kirkwood. By 1931, the remainder became a state highway. When Delaware started numbering state highways by 1936, this road remained unnumbered. By 1938, DE 71 was designated to run from US 13 south of Townsend north to US 13 in Tybouts Corner, following roughly the same alignment it does today.By 1957, DE 71 was to follow DE 299 southwest from Middletown before splitting from that route and reaching 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, where it connected to MD 71. Also, DE 896 was extended south from Summit Bridge to follow DE 71 to Middletown and then continue along the former DE 71 through Townsend to US 13. By 1959, US 301 was designated along DE 71/DE 299 between the Maryland border and Middletown and US 301S was designated along DE 71 from Middletown to Tybouts Corner. The route was realigned to a new Summit Bridge a short distance to the west in 1960, following new roads that led to the bridge. As a result of this, US 301S/DE 71 was designated onto a former piece of DE 896 between the new alignment and Red Lion Road to the east, with the rest of the former alignment becoming a dead end road south to the canal and the former alignment south of the canal becoming a local road serving the community of Summit. By 1971, US 301 was shifted to follow what had been US 301S between Middletown and Summit Bridge, with US 301S remaining along DE 71 between Summit Bridge and Tybouts Corner. By 1984, DE 896 was rerouted to run from Mount Pleasant to Boyds Corner, with the route being removed from DE 71 from Mt. Pleasant to Middletown and the segment from Middletown to south of Townsend, which was the original routing of DE 71, becoming unnumbered. A year later, US 301N was rerouted onto the newly aligned DE 896 and US 13 between Mt. Pleasant and Tybouts Corner and US 301S was extended south along DE 71/DE 896 from Summit Bridge to Mt. Pleasant. DE 71 was truncated to Summit Bridge by 1987, also at which time US 301S was removed from DE 71. By 1990, DE 71 was extended back south along its original alignment to again end at US 13 south of Townsend. US 301 was realigned to follow the route between Mt. Pleasant and Summit Bridge by 1994.
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
|-
|Townsend
Townsend, Delaware
Townsend is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,049 at the 2010 census, an increase of 492.2% from 2000...
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus
|-
|rowspan=2|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 ....
|5.73
|
|
|-
|
|
|South end of US 301 concurrency
|-
|Mount Pleasant
|10.04
|
|South end of DE 896 concurrency
|-
|rowspan=3|Summit Bridge
|12.19
|
|
|-
|colspan=4 align="center"|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...
over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is a 14-mile long, 450-foot wide and 40-foot deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the waters of the Delaware River with those of the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore...
|-
|14.14
|
|North end of US 301/DE 896 concurrency
|-
|Wrangle Hill
|18.84
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Bear
Bear, Delaware
Bear is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 17,593 at the 2000 census.Originally a small crossroads in a rural area south of Wilmington, the area supported small farms growing mainly corn and cattle...
|20.75
|
|
|-
|21.99
|
|Interchange, northern terminus