Churchman's Crossing to St. Georges

Highway Guide for the SR 1 Turnpike southbound between Churchman's Crossing and St. Georges

Delaware 1 Southbound
	Delaware 7 southbound approaching the transition into the Delaware 1 freeway at Churchman's Crossing. The upcoming traffic signal de marks the north end of the SR 1 Turnpike. To the left is AAA Boulevard, a frontage road that connects Delaware 7 with Delaware Technical and Community College. To the right is a second frontage road that serves local businesses along the original Delaware 7. Photo taken 05/20/07.
	Delaware 7 consists of six lanes between Stanton and the merge with Delaware 4 southward to the SR 1 Turnpike. A diagrammatical overhead is in place at the beginning of the Delaware 1 freeway directing motorists to Exit 166 and Interstate 95 (Exits 165A/B). At present Delaware 1 & 7 carry only four lanes southward through the Interstate 95 and Mall Road interchanges. Photo taken 05/20/07.
	A pair of lanes depart Delaware 1 & 7 southbound for the Exit 166 ramp to Delaware 58 (Churchman's Road). Delaware 58 composes a busy east-west arterial between Interstate 95 and Delaware 4 at Delaware Park. The divided highway is also home to the nearby Christiana Hospital. All traffic interests to Interstate 95 are also directed onto the Exit 166 ramp. Currently the mainline of Delaware 1 & 7 southbound is segregated from the Interstate 95 ramps via a temporary concrete barrier. The barrier in effect creates a collector/distributor roadway out of the former right-hand lane of Delaware 1 & 7 south. Photo taken 05/20/07.
	Traffic to Interstate 95 continues through the intersection with Delaware 58 (Churchmans Road) and onto the Delaware 1 & 7 c/d roadway for Exits 165A/B. A permanent ramp for Interstate 95 southbound directly from Delaware 1 & 7 is planned for the future when traffic counts warrant it. The May 2004 decision to upgrade the current Delaware 1 & 7 interchange will see a new flyover constructed to handle the Interstate 95 south to Delaware 1 southbound movement. Upon completion of this, the concrete barrier currently in place along Delaware 1 & 7 southbound underneath Interstate 95 will no longer be needed and traffic to Exit 165B (Interstate 95 northbound) will no longer have to utilize Exit 166. Photo taken 05/20/07.

	In the month of June 2000 an "Begin Delaware 1" sign was installed in the median of the Delaware 1 & 7 mainline above Delaware 58. The sign was meant to replace an older begin shield posted between Interstate 95 and the Mall Road overpass. However as of 2004, neither begin sign remained in place. Photo taken 07/01/00.
	Beyond the traffic light at Delaware 58 (Churchmans Road), drivers ascend along a collector/distributor roadway to Interstate 95 and Delaware 1 & 7 south. The right-hand lane defaults onto Exit 165A (Interstate 95 south). Interstate 95 travels west to junction Delaware 273 and 896 before crossing into Maryland. Photo taken 05/20/07.
	Exit 165A departs the Delaware 1 & 7 c/d roadway for Interstate 95 south. Eventually a direct ramp to Interstate 95 southbound will depart from Delaware 1 & 7 southbound at this location. Originally a direct ramp existed between Delaware 7 south onto Interstate 95 south beyond the Churchmans Road intersection. It is unclear when a new direct ramp will ever be built. Photo taken 05/20/07.
	One lane of Delaware 1 & 7 southbound skirts underneath Interstate 95. The right-hand lane was converted into a collector/distributor roadway for the Interstate 95 ramps and Exit 166 on-ramp to eliminate some of the weaving traffic concerns associated with the original setup. Departing to the right is the Exit 165B cloverleaf ramp to Interstate 95 northbound. The exit suffixes are counter intuitive for Exits 165 and 164 as B comes second instead of first. Photo taken 05/20/07.
	The street level guide sign for Interstate 95 northbound remains in place even though a sign bridge is also posted. DelDOT carbon copied the original Delaware Turnpike guide sign (pictured below) with a new sign conforming to the same specifications. This additional sign is not needed but remains as one of a handful of signs still acknowledging Interstate 95 as the Delaware Turnpike. Photo taken 05/20/07.
	Visible in this photograph is the original Delaware 7 southbound guide sign for Interstate 95 northbound. The assembly was the last original sign of the Delaware Turnpike to remain in place until 2002. Two holes remained in place above the Interstate 95 shield from where a "TOLL" banner was affixed. Tolls at the Delaware Turnpike interchanges with Delaware 896, Delaware 273, and Delaware 7 were removed by 1978. Photo taken 12/17/01.
	Traffic entering Delaware 1 & 7 southbound from Interstate 95 northbound provides a third southbound auxiliary lane. The third lane provides traffic with one mile to merge to the left or the option to access Exits 164A and B. Pictured here is the replacement for the former "Godzilla" sign of Exits 164A/B. The overpass in the background is the original Mall Road access road. To the right is old Delaware 7 (Stanton Christiana Road). Until 2002, an unusually large diagrammatical overhead stood over Delaware 1 & 7 southbound at this location. The sign was so large that locals referred to it as the "Godzilla" sign. Photo taken 03/24/04.
	Traffic to Christiana Mall and Mall Road itself departs Delaware 1 & 7 southbound via a sharp loop ramp at Exit 164A. The ramp utilized a portion of the original Mall Road and Delaware 7 interchange built in 1979/80. Traffic is afforded two lanes to the sprawling commercial complex as Delaware 1 & 7 southbound continue onward with three overall lanes. Photo taken 08/05/07.
	Delaware 7 southbound departs Delaware 1 at the Exit 164B partial cloverleaf interchange. Delaware 7 utilizes a connector roadway between Delaware 1 and original Stanton Christiana Road. The state highway returns to its former alignment just west of this junction en route to the village of Christiana. Delaware 1 reduces to two overall southbound lanes between Exit 164B and Exit 156. Photo taken 08/05/07.
	Merging traffic from Delaware 7 and the Christiana Mall joins Delaware 1 via a short auxiliary lane. The 1993 completed segment of the SR 1 Turnpike between Delaware 7 and Delaware 273 crosses an area of undeveloped wetlands. Pictured here is the one half mile guide sign for Exit 162 (Delaware 273). Photo taken 08/05/07.

		Southbound Delaware 1 at the Exit 162 diamond interchange with Delaware 273 (Christiana Road). Delaware 273 is a busy east-west arterial between the city of Newark and the Hare's Corner area of U.S. 13 & 40 (Dupont Highway). The roadway consists of four lanes with a concrete or grass median between downtown Newark and U.S. 13 & 40. Widening of the highway took place between 1994 and 1998. It is not uncommon to find traffic backed up onto the freeway itself from this off-ramp. Delaware 7 intersects Delaware 273 on the west side of the interchange. The second image shows the sign replacement and lighting removal. Photos taken 03/27/04 & 08/05/07.
		Suburban development composes the landscape of Delaware 1 southward between Exit 162 (Delaware 273) and U.S. 13 (Exit 156). The explosive growth that represents the area of Bear (U.S. 40 & Delaware 7) is a testament to the expansion of the Wilmington metropolitan area. When Delaware 1 first opened to traffic through here in 1991, a good portion of the existing homes and businesses now in place were yet to be constructed. The upcoming partial cloverleaf interchange with U.S. 40 (Pulaski Highway) is set amid the ramped sprawl. All original Exit 160 signs were replaced with carbon copies in the mid 2000s. Photos taken 03/24/04 & 08/05/07.
		One-half mile guide sign for U.S. 40 (Exit 160) on Delaware 1 southbound. The control points of U.S. 40 (Pulaski Highway) feature State Road and Elkton, Maryland. State Road is the name of the area where the Pulaski Highway merges with the Dupont Highway (U.S. 13). From there northward U.S. 13 & 40 overlap to Interstate 295. Westward U.S. 40 serves the Bear and Glasgow communities en route to Elkton, Maryland, the county seat of Cecil. Photos taken 03/27/04 & 08/05/07.
		Delaware 1 ascends to pass above the Pulaski Highway at Exit 160. Departing to the right is the U.S. 40 off-ramp to Bear. Once touted as the "Delaware Dragstrip", U.S. 40 is another example of how suburban sprawl when set loose, creates a traffic congestion nightmare. The days of open road and farmland frontage of U.S. 40 are long gone. During those days youngsters would sometimes utilize the stretch to feed their appetite for speed and have unsanctioned races. U.S. 40 now is home to 20 signalized intersections in a ten mile stretch between the state line and U.S. 13. Photos taken 03/24/04 & 08/05/07.

	A two lane ramp descends toward the Pulaski Highway from Delaware 1 southbound at Exit 160. The nearby Eden Square Shopping Center necessitated changes to the U.S. 40 configuration between Delaware 1 and Delaware 7. Traffic wishing to turn left into the shopping plaza must use the eastbound ramp and turn right at the traffic light to use a segregated left-hand turn lane on U.S. 40 west. Previously traffic could dart across two lanes of traffic to enter the left-turn lane into Eden Square. The adjacent intersection of U.S. 40 and Delaware 7 (Bear Christiana Road) is Delaware's most dangerous intersection. Photo taken 03/27/04.
	A new sign installed in the median of Delaware 1 southbound above U.S. 40 indicates that Exit 156 departs the freeway in one mile. A previous sign installed in 1991 indicated "Delaware 1 southbound Seashore Points straight ahead". The upcoming trumpet interchange with U.S. 13 (Dupont Highway) saw the addition of a ramp to Delaware 71 in spring of 1999. Photo taken 03/24/04.
	Portions of the Valero refinery facility in Delaware City dot the landscape along Delaware 1 southbound. To the right are additional subdivisions created in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The sign bridge indicates that traffic to U.S. 13 northbound (Dupont Highway) and Delaware 71 southbound (Red Lion Road) will depart from the left. Original concrete from Delaware 273 southward to U.S. 13 was paved over with asphalt by 2007. Photo taken 08/05/07.
	Delaware 1 southbound approaching the original ending of the Christiana-Tybout's Corner section of freeway. Delaware 1 for years merged onto U.S. 13 with the two highways utilizing the original Dupont Highway from Tybout's Corner southward to Dover. The Exit 156 interchange built in 1991 features full access between both directions of U.S. 13 and Delaware 1. Delaware 71 ends at U.S. 13 in the middle of the expansive interchange. Photo taken 08/05/07.
	Exit 156 diverges from the Delaware 1 mainline to U.S. 13 north and Delaware 71 south. Delaware 1 mainline traffic is squeezed into lane for the merge with U.S. 13 (Dupont Highway). Delaware 71 (Red Lion Road) itself stems southwestward from the Dupont Highway to the village of Red Lion and Lums Pond State Park. Development is also underway along much of Red Lion Road and thus Deldot found it feasible to construct a new ramp from Delaware 1 onto adjacent Delaware 71 in 1998/99. Photo taken 08/05/07.
	The Exit 156 off-ramp splits into Exit 156A (Delaware 71 south) and Exit 156B (U.S. 13 north). A short connector ramp descends from the roadway to Delaware 71 within the trumpet interchange area. There is no traffic light at the end of the ramp. Photo taken 05/15/05.
	U.S. 13 & Delaware 1 southbound after their merge at Tybout's Corner. The two highways share a six lane freeway between Exits 156 and 152. Pictured here is the Red Lion Creek crossing of the turnpike. Photo taken 03/24/04.
	Delaware 1 & U.S. 13 reassurance shields posted at the Red Lion Creek. The SR 1 Turnpike jaunts east of the original U.S. 13 alignment at the Lower Twin Lane Road overcrossing. Photo taken 08/05/07.
	Visible to the west of the U.S. 13 & Delaware 1 southbound mainline is the abandoned northbound carriageway of U.S. 13 and the two-way southbound carriageway now used for local access. Still designated Dupont Highway, the two lane roadway parallels U.S. 13 & Delaware 1 between Governor Lea Road and Lower Twin Lane Road. A second segment of abandoned pavement resides south of Lower Twin Lane Road. Photo taken 04/17/04.
	Governor Lea Road and School House Road were severed with the completion of the SR 1 Turnpike. A new overpass saw construction to link the two highways by way of Lower Twin Lane Road and the original Dupont Highway. The bridge is visible in this photo of the one-mile guide sign for Exit 152 (U.S. 13 south & Delaware 72). Photo taken 08/05/07.
	U.S. 13 & Delaware 1 southbound one half mile north of their split near St. Georges. Delaware 72 (Wrangle Hill Road) ends nearby at Delaware 7 outside of Delaware City. The state highway arcs northwestward from Delaware City to the city of Newark. U.S. 13 and Delaware 72 share pavement for two tenths of a mile between the Exit 152 diamond interchange and the original Dupont Highway. Photo taken 08/05/07.

U.S. 13 southbound leaves the SR 1 Turnpike at Exit 152. It was debated for years whether or not to keep the existing St. Georges steel arch bridge over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal open or not. For a time U.S. 13 remained multiplexed with Delaware 1 southward over the turnpike canal bridge as the fate of the St. Georges Bridge was undecided. When U.S. 13 was moved back onto its original alignment, a Bypass U.S. 13 was christened along Delaware 1 for a short period of time. Now Delaware 1 and U.S. 13 segregate at Exit 152 and follow their respective paths through St. Georges. Note the sign replacement in the second photo, including the Business District banner for the non-existant St. Georges business district. Photos taken 04/17/04 & 08/05/07.

	Ascending the Exit 152 off-ramp to Wrangle Hill Road. U.S. 13 & Delaware 72 intersect the Dupont Highway (Delaware 7) nearby. There U.S. 13 overtakes Delaware 7 and follows the Dupont Highway southward through North and South St. Georges. Delaware 72 continues eastward along Wrangle Hill Road two miles to its terminus at Delaware 9 (River Road) outside of Delaware City. Photo taken 04/17/04.
	Delaware 1 continues with six lanes on the approach to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. This sign is a replacement of the original. Photo taken 08/05/07.

New mileage sign, and its replacement, posted on the SR 1 Turnpike after the completion of the Odessa to Smyrna segment in 2003. It is unknown why Deldot insists on placing a trailblazer for the coastal area on all Delaware 1 related signs. In the background is the Kirkwood-St. Georges Road overpass. Photos taken 03/24/04 & 08/05/07.

	One of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provisions for providing maintenance of the SR 1 Turnpike Canal Bridge is that the crossing remain toll-free. Thus Deldot was required to construct an off-ramp for all traffic not wishing to pay the $1.00 car toll at the Biddles Corner toll plaza just south of the bridge. Before the Odessa Bypass section of the SR 1 Turnpike opened, traffic simply directly merged onto U.S. 13 (Dupont Highway). Photo taken 08/05/07.
	Traffic wishing to avoid the toll now must utilize the 1999 constructed Exit 148 loop ramp to Lorewood Grove Road. The ramp descends from the south descend of the Canal Bridge onto Lorewood Grove Road below. Lorewood Grove Road intersects U.S. 13 (Dupont Highway) in South St. Georges close by. All vehicles continuing southward on Delaware 1 must pay the $1.00 car toll otherwise. Photo taken 08/05/07.
	The official name of the Delaware 1 Cheasapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge is the U.S. Senator William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge, as designated by the Delaware Legislature in 2007. Small signs mention this in each direction. Photo taken 08/05/07.

		Six lanes of traffic travel high above the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal on Delaware 1. The cable-stayed bridge is similar in design to the Interstate 295 James River Bridge near Richmond, Virginia and the Interstate 275 & U.S. 19 Sunshine Skyway Bridge at St. Petersburg, Florida. The signature bridge features gold colors representative of one of the state colors. Photos taken 08/05/07 & 03/24/04.
		A look at the second tower of the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal Bridge of the SR 1 Turnpike. The bridge opened to traffic December 23, 1995 after four years of construction. Paralleling to the east is the original four-lane St. Georges Bridge. Original lighting fixtures on the Delaware 1 bridge illuminated both the roadway and the cables so that they were visible from as far north as Tybout's Corner. Unfortunately light from the fixtures caused issues with mariners below and during a 2005 snowstorm, a snow plow left in the upright position knocked over a significant amount of the light poles. The remaining poles were removed (compare the two photos). Photos taken 08/05/07 & 03/24/04.

	Delaware 1 southbound at Exit 148 (Lorewood Grove Road). Lorewood Grove Road straddles the countryside between U.S. 13 and South St. Georges and Old Summit Bridge Road near U.S. 301 & Delaware 71-896. The two lane roadway likely will see more development in the coming years. U.S. 13 is a half mile drive from Exit 148. Photo taken 03/24/04.
	Side profile of the Delaware 1 Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Bridge visible from the descending loop ramp of Exit 148. A Deldot maintenance shed resides off of an original stretch of Lorewood Grove Road next to the bridge. Lorewood Grove Road saw a slight realignment to accommodate the bridge itself. Photo taken 03/24/04.
	The end of the Exit 148 off-ramp features a stop sign at Lorewood Grove Road. Traffic to both directions of U.S. 13 is advised to turn right where an access road departs Lorewood Grove Road to loop underneath the nearby St. Georges Bridge for U.S. 13 northbound. U.S. 13 southbound destined motorists stay on Lorewood Grove road and merge directly onto Dupont Highway otherwise. Photo taken 03/24/04.

Page Updated October 12, 2007