Named Pulaski Highway, U.S. 40 travels across northern New Castle County, Delaware between Elkton, Maryland and the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Previously a rural four-lane highway comprising part of the route between Baltimore and Philadelphia, today U.S. 40 serves local and commuter traffic through suburban areas of Glasgow and Bear.
U.S. 40 Delaware Guides
Rapid development in the Bear and Glasgow areas during the 1990s and early 2000s overtook all remaining farm land along what was once referred to as the "Delaware Drag Strip". This led to DelDOT studies in the mid-2000s to address growing traffic congestion, with a proposed solution separating local and through traffic movements along U.S. 40 with the addition of service roads. Construction time tables estimated a potential start date of 2005, but that never came to fruition.
The Glasgow junction of U.S. 40 with SR 896 and U.S. 301 south was originally planned as a full interchange as part of the U.S. 301 freeway planned from Middletown to Interstate 95. Those plans never materalized and upgrades to the existing SR 896 corridor were made instead during the mid-1990s. The interchange however remained planned, but at the concerns of area residents, DelDOT cancelled it. Land allocated for the exchange was later redeveloped as part of the 300-acre Glasgow county Park in 2004.
East of Glasgow, U.S. 40 crosses SR 72 (Sunset Lake Road) en route to SR 7 (Bear Christiana Road) and the suburban community of Bear. The history of Bear dates back to the late 1800s Bear Tavern, which was located at the area crossroads. Bear today however is a piecemeal conglomeration of subdivisions, shopping centers and apartment complexes. The rapid growth of Bear in the mid-1990s necessitated widening of U.S. 40 (Pulaski Highway) from four to six lanes between Walther Road and the parclo interchange with SR 1. Within that stretch is the busy intersection with SR 7, which often ranks as the most dangerous in the state. DelDOT planned to build an overpass for SR 7 there in 2005 to address safety concerns. It has yet to be constructed.
Suburban development extends east along the Pulaski Highway corridor from Bear to State Road. Traffic signals were added to U.S. 40 at Buckley Boulevard and School Bell Road in 2000. Additionally the left-hand turn from Appleby Road onto U.S. 40 eastbound was eliminated with motorists directed to make a U-turn at the School Bell Road signal to the west. Further adding to the traffic quagmire was the opening of a Wal-Mart by the intersection of U.S. 40 and Wilton Boulevard.
U.S. 40 combines with U.S. 13 (Dupont Highway) north at State Road. The two routes overlap 3.56 miles from there to Farnhurst and Interstate 295 along a six to eight lane arterial. Several older strip malls, small businesses and the New Castle Farmers Market reside along the corridor north to Hares Corner and New Castle County Airport (ILG).
SR 273 crosses paths with Dupont Highway at Hares Corner directly below the runway lighting array for airport. The state route provides one of connections to New Castle from U.S. 40. Further north a cloverleaf interchange joins U.S. 13/40 (Dupont Highway) with SR 141 (Basin Road) and the southern terminus of U.S. 202. The exchange includes businesses located within each of the three loop ramps.
North from there, Dupont Highway passes between the post World War II subdivisions of Wilmington Manor and Penn Acres to the congested intersection with Boulen Boulevard. Boulen Boulevard links the arterial with Southgate Industrial Park and Moores Lane, with Moores Lane providing access to SR 9 (New Castle Avenue).
U.S. 40 parts ways with U.S. 13 (Dupont Highway) at Farnhurst to combine with Interstate 295 east to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The Farnhurst Interchange opened to traffic in 1951 as part of the toll bridge approach to Deepwater, New Jersey.
Within the Garden State, U.S. 40 leaves I-295 beyond the split with the New Jersey Turnpike but before the turnpike main line toll plaza. East from there, the US highway provides the main route between the Delaware Memorial Bridge and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Mileage: 17.18
U.S. 40 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
| Begin Milepost | Location | To: | AADT Composite |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | MD state line | Pleasant Valley Road | 29,814 |
| 0.84 | Pleasant Valley Road | SR 896 Business | 29,027 |
| 2.12 | SR 896 Business | SR 896 | 41,954 |
| 2.33 | SR 896 | SR 72 Fox Run | 31,649 |
| 3.70 | SR 72 Fox Run | Salem Church Road | 35,214 |
| 5.06 | Salem Church Road | SR 7 Bear | 43,954 |
| 7.15 | SR 7 Bear | Appleby Road | 25,272 |
| 9.01 | Appleby Road | U.S. 13 Dupont Highway | 26,752 |
| U.S. 13 overlap (10.88-13.40) | |||
| I-295 overlap (13.40-17.18) | |||
| Source: Delaware Vehicle Volume Summary 2014 (Traffic Summary) | |||
 scenes |
 | U.S. 40 shield assembly posted at the east exit from Eden Square shopping center in Bear. 04/24/04 |
Photo Credits:
04/24/04 by AARoads
Connect with:
U.S. 13
State Route 1
State Route 7
State Route 72
State Route 273
State Route 896
State Route 896 Business
Page Updated 01-07-2023.