State Route 30

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Prior to 2022, SR 30 was an L-shaped route serving southern and eastern Sussex County. SR 30 traveled 45 miles overall from Bacons to Milford. The southern leg of the route traversed agricultural areas from U.S. 13 (Sussex Highway) to SR 26/54 (Millsboro Highway) near Gumboro. The eastern section followed rural Millsboro Highway north to Millsboro, where suburban development lines the route east to Laurel Road and U.S. 113.

A one way couplet took SR 24/30 through Downtown Millsboro to a bridge spanning Indian River at Millsboro Pond. Beyond the crossing, SR 24 (John J. Williams Highway) branches east toward Midway while SR 30 (Gravel Hill Road) commences a rural route north 22.48 miles to Mount Joy, Zoar, Gravel Hill and Milford. Delaware State Route 30 previously changed cardinal directions on its respective legs.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) truncated SR 30 north from Bi-State Boulevard at Bacons to SR 24 at Gravel Hill Road at Millsboro in the Summer of 2022. The declassification of SR 30 dropped 22 miles of the route, including the entire leg along Whitesville Road west from SR 26/54 (Millsboro Highway). The removal eliminated overlaps with SR 24, SR 26 and SR 54, which DelDOT cited as a source of motorist confusion and sign clutter. Additionally the sign removals were thought to encourage more trucks and long distance travelers to shift from Whitesville Road, which lacked shoulders, to SR 24, SR 26 or SR 54.1

Delaware State Route 30 Guides

The origins of SR 30 can be traced back to 1938, when the state route traveled north along Gravel Hill Road from SR 24 at Millsboro. The original alignment took Shingle Point Road north from Gravel Hill Road to end at SR 5 outside Milton. Per the 1971 Official Delaware Highway Map, the north end shifted from south of Milton to SR 1 near Milford. The extension follows the remainder of Gravel Hill Road north from Shingle Point Road to Isaacs and Cedar Creeks Roads.

SR 30 gained additional mileage south from Millsboro by the 1994 edition of the Official Delaware Highway Map. The route was cosigned with SR 24 through Millsboro and southwest from the town along Millsboro Highway to Laurel Road. Overlaps were also created alongside SR 26 south from Nine Foot Road, and with SR 54 south from Cypress Road at Gumboro. The designation overlaid the unnumbered section of Millsboro Highway between SR 26 and SR 24, providing a route number for interests north from Maryland to the Rehoboth Beach area.

The east to west segment of SR 30 along Whitesville Road was also established by 1994. The rural highway passes through Ward and Smith Mill to intersect U.S. 13 (Sussex Highway) across from Dorothy Road. SR 30 (Dorothy Road) concluded with a dangling end at Bi-State Boulevard (old U.S. 13), just west of Sussex Highway.

Further changes to SR 30 realigned the north end from an intersection with SR 1 (Coastal Highway) to run northward alongside SR 1 on Rehoboth Avenue to SR 1 Business. That realignment coincided with the designation of SR 30 Alt along Johnson Road to provide connectivity between the two state routes.

The north end of SR 30 changed again with construction of a new folded diamond interchange linking SR 1 (Coastal Highway) with SR 30 (Cedar Neck Road) at the cross roads with Wilkins Road. Work there between December 2012 and July 2014 eliminated the at-grade intersection along SR 1 at Cedar Neck Road, and restored direct connectivity between the two state routes.1

Construction in Spring 2016 reconfigured the intersection with U.S. 13 (Sussex Highway) to utilize J-turns. The change improves safety along the four lane highway by eliminating cross traffic.2

Delaware State Route 30 - 2015 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

  • 1,426 - Bi-State Boulevard to U.S. 13
  • 1,772 - Gordy Road (Road 70) to SR 26/54
  • 6,789 - SR 54 (Cypress Road) to SR 26 (Nine Foot Road)
  • 23,021 - U.S. 113 to South Washington Street
  • 3,018 - U.S. 9 to Pettyjohn Road (Road 2)
  • 3,229 - SR 16 to Cedar Creek Road
  • 6,282 - Johnson Road (Road 207) to Wilkins Road (Road 206)
Delaware State Route 30 scenes
Bi-State Boulevard, the historic alignment of U.S. 13 between Delmar and Laurel, intersects the former west end of SR 30 at Bacons. 01/16/17
SR 30 followed Dorothy Road 0.54 miles east from Bi-State Boulevard to U.S. 13 (Sussex Highway). 01/16/17
Bi-State Boulevard south ahead of Dorothy Road and what was SR 30 east. Bi-State Boulevard was proposed as U.S. 13 Alternate in 1956 but never designated as such. 01/16/17
Meadow Lane, the entrance to the Country Grove neighborhood, ties into the intersection of Bi-State Boulevard and Dorothy Road (old SR 30) from the west. 01/16/17
Wilkins Road spans Coastal Highway west from the north side ramps with SR 1 to SR 30. The interchange here opened to traffic in 2014. 12/19/20
SR 30 parallels SR 1 north along Rehoboth Boulevard from Wilkins Road back to SR 1 Business. SR 30 lines Cedar Creek Road to the south side ramps with SR 1. 12/19/20
Construction of the grade separation of Wilkins Road over SR 1 included an expanded intersection with SR 30. Traffic lights were also added to accommodate the Bayhealth Sussex Campus, built at the southwest corner from 2016 to 2018. 12/19/20
Wilkins Road spans SR 1 east from SR 30 (Cedar Creek Road) to the northbound entrance ramp for Dover and Wilmington. 12/19/20

Sources:
  1. SR 30 Declassification: Delmar/Laurel to Millsboro. Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), archived project web page, accessed November 1, 2022.
  2. SR1, SR30 Grade Separated Intersection. https://www.deldot.gov/information/ projects/sr1/sr1_30_gsi/index.shtml Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) project web site, accessed January 21, 2017.
  3. US 13 at SR30/Dorothy Road. https://www.deldot.gov/information/projects/ CompletedProjects/us13_sr30_DorothyRoad/ index.shtml Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) project web site, accessed January 21, 2017.


Photo Credits:

01/16/17, 12/19/20 by AARoads

Connect with:
U.S. 13
U.S. 113
State Route 1
State Route 20
State Route 16
State Route 24
State Route 26
Former State Route 30 Alternate
Multi State Route 54

Page Updated 11-01-2022.

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