Delaware Route 16
 Delaware Route 16 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by DelDOT | ||||
| Length | 30.31 mi[1] (48.78 km) | |||
| Existed | 1936[2]–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Delaware's Bayshore Byway | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  MD 16 in Hickman | |||
 DE 36 in Greenwood US 13 in Greenwood US 113 in Ellendale DE 30 near Milton DE 5 in Milton DE 1 near Broadkill Beach | ||||
| East end | Dead end in Broadkill Beach | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Delaware | |||
| Counties | Kent, Sussex | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Delaware Route 16 (DE 16) is an east-west state highway in Delaware, mainly across northern Sussex County, with a small portion near the Maryland border in extreme southwestern Kent County. It runs from Maryland Route 16 (MD 16) at the Maryland border in Hickman to the Delaware Bay at Broadkill Beach. The route runs through rural areas, passing through the towns of Greenwood, Ellendale, and Milton. DE 16 intersects U.S. Route 13 (US 13) and DE 36 in Greenwood, US 113 in Ellendale, DE 30 and DE 5 in the Milton area, and DE 1 between Milton and Broadkill Beach. West of DE 1, the route serves as part of a connection between the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and the Delaware Beaches. DE 16 was built as a state highway during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1936, the route was designated onto its current alignment.
Route description
DE 16 begins at the Maryland border in Hickman, Kent County, where the road continues west into that state as MD 16. From the state line, the route heads east on two-lane undivided Hickman Road, passing through a mix of farmland and woodland with some homes. The road crosses Marshyhope Creek in the community of Adamsville and heads into Sussex County, turning to the southeast. DE 16 comes to an intersection with DE 36, at which point it turns east to form a concurrency with that route. The road enters the town of Greenwood and becomes Market Street, passing several homes along with a few businesses. The highway crosses the Delmarva Central Railroad's Delmarva Subdivision railroad line before it intersects US 13 on the eastern edge of Greenwood. Past this intersection, DE 16/DE 36 leaves Greenwood and becomes Beach Highway, crossing the Nanticoke River.[3][4]
In Saint Johnstown, DE 36 splits from DE 16 by heading to the northeast on Shawnee Road. DE 16 continues east through agricultural areas and woods with some residences. Farther east, the road passes through Oakley. The route comes to an intersection with US 113 and enters the town of Ellendale, where it becomes Main Street. In Ellendale, DE 16 runs past several homes, crossing the Delmarva Central Railroad's Indian River Subdivision railroad line. The road leaves the town and becomes Milton-Ellendale Highway, turning southeast. The route heads through woodland and farms, running immediately to the north of a Delaware Coast Line Railroad line. DE 16 turns east away from the railroad tracks and comes to an intersection with DE 30. At this point, DE 5 Alternate (DE 5 Alt.), which runs south along DE 30, heads east along with DE 16. The road reaches the town of Milton, where it passes homes and businesses. DE 16 comes to an intersection with DE 5, where DE 5 Alt. ends and the road name changes to Broadkill Road. The route leaves Milton and continues into farmland with a few residences, turning to the northeast. The road intersects DE 1 and runs through a mix of farms and woods with some homes. DE 16 turns east and northeast through marshland within the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge before reaching the community of Broadkill Beach, where it crosses Bay Shore Drive before ending at a dead end on the Delaware Bay.[3][4]
The portion of DE 16 west of DE 1 serves as part of a route connecting the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area to the Delaware Beaches.[5] DE 16 also serves as part of a primary hurricane evacuation route from Broadkill Beach and the Delaware Beaches to points inland.[6] The section of the route between DE 30 near Milton and Broadkill Beach is designated as part of the Delaware's Bayshore Byway, a Delaware Byway.[7] DE 16 has an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 9,681 vehicles at the eastern edge of Greenwood to a low of 2,196 vehicles at west end of the DE 36 concurrency.[1] None of DE 16 is part of the National Highway System.[8]
History
What is now DE 16 originally existed as a county road by 1920.[9] By 1924, the section of road in Greenwood was constructed as a state highway.[10] A year later, the route between the Dupont Highway and Ellendale became a state highway.[11] In 1929, the road was completed as a state highway between Ellendale and Milton.[12] A year later, the state highway was built between Owens and Ellendale.[13] The entire road west of Milton was finished as a state highway by 1931.[14] By 1936, DE 16 was designated to run from the Maryland border to Broadkill Beach along its current alignment.[2] The portion of route east of DE 14 (present-day DE 1) was paved by 1942.[15]
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | Hickman | 0.00 | 0.00 |  MD 16 west (Greenwood Road) – Denton, Bay Bridge | Maryland state line; western terminus |
| Sussex | Greenwood | 7.08 | 11.39 |   DE 36 west (Scotts Store Road) to DE 404 | West end of DE 36 overlap |
| 8.56 | 13.78 | US 13 (Sussex Highway) – Harrington, Dover, Bridgeville, Seaford | |||
| Saint Johnstown | 9.06 | 14.58 |  DE 36 east (Shawnee Road) – Milford | East end of DE 36 overlap | |
| Ellendale | 16.62 | 26.75 | US 113 (Dupont Boulevard) – Milford, Georgetown | ||
| Milton |   DE 30 / DE 5 Alt. south (Isaacs Road/Gravel Hill Road) – Milford, Gravel Hill, Oak Orchard | West end of DE 5 Alt. overlap | |||
| 23.69 | 38.13 | DE 5 (Union Street/Union Street Extended) – Milton, Oak Orchard DE 5 Alt. ends | East end of DE 5 Alt. overlap; northern terminus of DE 5 Alt. | ||
| | 26.41 | 42.50 | DE 1 (Coastal Highway) – Milford, Rehoboth Beach, Beaches | ||
| Broadkill Beach | 30.31 | 48.78 | Dead end | Eastern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
- ^ a b c Staff (2016). "Traffic Count and Mileage Report: Interstate, Delaware, and US Routes" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Delaware State Highway Department; The National Survey Co. (1936). Official Road Map of the State of Delaware (PDF) (Map) (1936–1937 ed.). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Delaware Department of Transportation (2017). Official Travel & Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation.
- ^ a b "overview of Delaware Route 16" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
- ^ "Directions to Rehoboth Beach, DE". Rehoboth.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ Delmarva Peninsula Evacuation Route Map (PDF) (Map). Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ "Delaware's Bayshore Byway". Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ National Highway System: Delaware (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1920). Official Road Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1924). Official Road Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1925). Official Road Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Report of the State Highway Department" (PDF) (1929 ed.). Dover, Delaware: Delaware State Highway Department. December 31, 1929: 19. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Annual Report of the State Highway Department" (PDF) (1930 ed.). Dover, Delaware: Delaware State Highway Department. December 31, 1930: 19. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1931). Official Road Map of the State of Delaware (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1942). Official Road Map of the State of Delaware (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
External links
Media related to Delaware Route 16 at Wikimedia Commons
