Delaware Route 1

Delaware Route 1 (DE 1) is the longest numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The route runs from the Maryland state line in Fenwick Island, Sussex County, where the road continues south into that state as Maryland Route 528 (MD 528), north to an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95) in Christiana, New Castle County, where the road continues north as part of DE 7. Between Fenwick Island and Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Kent County, DE 1 is a multilane divided highway with at-grade intersections and occasional interchanges. The route heads north through the Delaware Beaches resort area along the Atlantic Ocean before it runs northwest through rural areas, turning north at Milford to continue to Dover. Upon reaching Dover, DE 1 becomes the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, a freeway that is partially tolled. Between Dover and Tybouts Corner, DE 1 parallels U.S. Route 13 (US 13), crossing over and featuring interchanges with it multiple times. Past Tybouts Corner, the freeway heads north parallel to DE 7 to the terminus of DE 1 in Christiana. DE 1 serves as the main north-south state highway in Delaware, connecting the Delaware Beaches with the Dover and Wilmington areas.

DE 1 was first designated in the 1970s from Fenwick Island north to US 113 in Milford, replacing a portion of DE 14 south of Milford and following the newly-constructed Milford Bypass. DE 14 between Fenwick Island and Milford had been built as a state highway in the 1920s and 1930s and was widened into a divided highway between the 1950s and 1970s. In the 1980s, a controlled-access "Relief Route" of US 13 was proposed between Dover and the Wilmington area in order to relieve that route of beach traffic. This proposed highway was incorporated into DE 1 in 1988, with the route extended north concurrent with US 113 between Milford and Dover to connect to the Relief Route. The DE 1 freeway between Dover Air Force Base and Christiana opened in multiple stages between 1991 and 2003, and at a cost of $900 million was the largest public works project in Delaware history. The concurrent US 113 designation between Milford and Dover Air Force Base was removed in 2004. Upgrades continue to be made to DE 1 such as the construction and improvement of interchanges as well as widening portions of the road.

Route description

DE 1 begins at MD 528 at the Maryland state line in Fenwick Island, where it heads north along a multilane divided highway called Coastal Highway through the Delaware Beaches resort area along the Atlantic Ocean, crossing the Indian River Inlet on the Indian River Inlet Bridge. In Dewey Beach, the route turns northwest away from the ocean, running through commercial development from Rehoboth Beach to Nassau. DE 1 forms a concurrency with US 9 from Carpenters Corner to Nassau. Past Nassau, DE 1 leaves the Delaware Beaches resort area and runs northwest through rural areas in northern Sussex County. The route bypasses Milford to the east along the Milford Bypass, crossing into Kent County. After an interchange with the northern terminus of US 113, DE 1 heads north along Bay Road through more rural areas, passing east of Frederica. The route becomes a freeway near Magnolia and turns into a toll road called the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway while passing Dover Air Force Base. DE 1 bypasses the city of Dover to the east and begins to run parallel to US 13. The route passes east of Smyrna and enters New Castle County, where it crosses US 13 multiple times and heads west of Odessa. The road has an interchange with the northern terminus of the US 301 toll road in Biddles Corner. The toll road portion of the route ends before it crosses the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal on the Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge in St. Georges. DE 1 becomes concurrent with US 13 from Wrangle Hill to Tybouts Corner, where US 13 splits to the northeast. The DE 1 freeway heads north and meets US 40 in Bear before it comes to Christiana, where DE 7 joins the route. The DE 1 designation ends at an interchange with I-95 and DE 7 continues north along the freeway to the DE 58 interchange, from which point DE 7 turns into a divided highway with at-grade intersections.

DE 1 serves as a major route connecting northern Delaware to the Delaware Beaches and sees heavy traffic in the summer months. The peak travel periods in the summer are southbound on Friday evenings, both directions on Saturday afternoons, and northbound on Sunday afternoons. DE 1 serves as a primary hurricane evacuation route from the Delaware Beaches and points along the Delaware Bay to inland locations in northern Delaware. The sections of DE 1 between DE 12 in Frederica and Clapham Road in Little Heaven and between Trap Shooters Road in Magnolia and DE 9 near Dover Air Force Base are designated as part of the Delaware Bayshore Byway, a Delaware Byway and National Scenic Byway. The section of DE 1 between the south end of the DE 7 concurrency and the northern terminus at I-95 in Christiana is part of the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, a National Historic Trail. DE 1 has an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 116,110 vehicles at the US 13 interchange north of Smyrna to a low of 10,590 vehicles at the southern boundary of South Bethany. The entire length of DE 1 is part of the National Highway System, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.

Fenwick Island to Nassau

DE 1 begins at the Maryland state line south of the Delaware Beaches town of Fenwick Island in Sussex County, where the road continues south into the town of Ocean City, Maryland, as MD 528. From this point, DE 1 heads north on Coastal Highway, a four-lane divided highway. A block after the state line, the route intersects the eastern terminus of DE 54. The road continues north into the town limits of Fenwick Island and heads through business areas with some residences a short distance to the west of the Atlantic Ocean. DE 1 passes west of the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce Information Center as it leaves Fenwick Island and enters Fenwick Island State Park, running along a narrow strip of land with the Little Assawoman Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The route heads past a small area of residential development before it goes through more of the state park, running to the west of a fire control tower from World War II. The road runs through the community of York Beach and enters the town of South Bethany, where it passes through residential areas. DE 1 leaves South Bethany and heads into commercial areas in the community of Middlesex Beach, briefly curving northwest before turning north again. The route continues into the town of Bethany Beach, where the road name changes to Delaware Avenue. DE 1 runs past residences and comes to an intersection with DE 26, which heads east into the commercial center of Bethany Beach. The road curves northeast and leaves Bethany Beach as it passes to the east of a Delaware National Guard training site. Continuing north, DE 1 becomes Coastal Highway again and heads past the community of Sussex Shores, running between wooded areas to the west and beachfront homes to the east. Farther north, the route crosses into Delaware Seashore State Park, where it travels along a strip of land between the Indian River Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. DE 1 comes to a right-in/right-out access point to the South Inlet area of the park before it crosses over the Indian River Inlet on the Indian River Inlet Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge.

Past the bridge, the road passes to the east of United States Coast Guard Station Indian River Inlet and the North Inlet area of the park, continuing north through more of the state park between the Rehoboth Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The route travels near the Indian River Life-Saving Station and two fire control towers from World War II before it leaves Delaware Seashore State Park and heads west of the residential community of Indian Beach prior to entering the town of Dewey Beach. At this point, DE 1 runs through business areas. The route comes to an intersection with the southern terminus of DE 1A, which heads north toward the city of Rehoboth Beach. At this intersection, DE 1 turns northwest away from the Atlantic Ocean and passes through residential areas with some commercial development. The road leaves Dewey Beach and continues to a right-in/right-out interchange with DE 1B, which heads north into Rehoboth Beach. Immediately after, the route crosses over the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal on a high-level, twin-span crossing and enters commercial areas. After the bridge, the road has a southbound ramp connecting to South Timberlake Trail and a northbound right-in/right-out serving Oyster House Road, which allows U-turns from the southbound direction to the northbound direction via South Timberlake Trail and Oyster House Road. At this point, the route gains a southbound combined right turn, bus, and bicycle lane.

DE 1 intersects the northern terminus of DE 1A, at which point it widens to eight lanes, with three travel lanes in each direction plus a combined right turn, bus, and bicycle lane in both directions. The road passes more businesses, with the Rehoboth Avenue Extension service road running parallel to the northbound lanes to the Shuttle Road/Sea Blossom Boulevard intersection. Shuttle Road heads south to the Rehoboth Beach Park and Ride, a park and ride facility serving DART First State buses. Following this, the roadway passes between two sections of the Tanger Outlets Rehoboth Beach outlet mall. Farther northwest, the route heads to the northeast of the Rehoboth Mall and comes to an intersection with the eastern terminus of DE 24 and the southern terminus of DE 1D in the community of Midway. DE 1 passes to the northeast of another section of the Tanger Outlets as it is lined with more businesses. In the community of Carpenters Corner, the route intersects US 9, which travels northeast to provide access to the city of Lewes, Cape Henlopen State Park, and the Cape May–Lewes Ferry across the Delaware Bay. At this point, DE 1 becomes concurrent with US 9, and the two routes run through woods before curving west past businesses and passing north of the Lewes Transit Center park and ride serving DART First State buses. At the Five Points intersection, US 9 splits from DE 1 by heading west concurrent with DE 404, with access to the northern termini of DE 23 and DE 1D, while US 9 Bus. heads northeast toward Lewes. At this intersection, access from eastbound US 9/DE 404 to northbound DE 1 is provided by a reverse jughandle. Past Five Points, DE 1 narrows back to four lanes and heads south of a park and pool lot located at a church before it bypasses the community of Nassau to the southwest, curving northwest to pass over the Georgetown-Lewes Trail on a bridge.

Nassau to Dover Air Force Base

After the bridge over the trail, DE 1 leaves the Delaware Beaches resort area and heads into a mix of farm fields and residential and commercial development, coming to a junction with Minos Conaway Road and traveling to the northeast of Red Mill Pond. The road intersects Cave Neck Road in the community of Overbrook and passes northeast of Eagle Crest Aerodrome and the Hudson Fields event venue as it continues through more agricultural areas with some residential subdivisions and woods. The route crosses the Broadkill River and runs to the southwest of a golf course before it comes to a junction with DE 16, which heads west to the town of Milton and east to the community of Broadkill Beach along the Delaware Bay. This is the northernmost signalized intersection on DE 1. Following this, the highway continues through farmland and woodland to the southwest of the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, reaching an intersection with the northern terminus of DE 5; this intersection has no access from northbound DE 1 to DE 5. Immediately after this intersection, the road travels across Waples Mill Pond along the Primehook Creek and runs north-northwest through more agricultural areas, crossing Slaughter Creek. The route curves northwest as it bypasses the community of Argos Corner to the southwest. Past here, DE 1 crosses Cedar Creek and passes near a couple residential subdivisions before intersecting Johnson Road. A short distance later, the road reaches an interchange connecting to