Old Baltimore Pike
| Old Baltimore Pike | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Route information | |
| Maintained by DelDOT | |
| Length: | 8.35 mi[1] (13.44 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: |  MD 281 near Newark |
 DE 896 in Glasgow DE 273 in Christiana DE 1 near Christiana |
|
| East end: | Dead end near Christiana |
| Location | |
| Counties: | New Castle |
| Highway system | |
Old Baltimore Pike is a road in the U.S. state of Delaware. The road, known as New Castle County Road 26, runs from Maryland Route 281 (MD 281) at the Maryland state line south of Newark, Delaware and continues east to Christiana, ending near Delaware Route 1 (DE 1). The road is paralleled by Interstate 95 (I-95, Delaware Turnpike) to the north and U.S. Route 40 (US 40, Pulaski Highway) to the south. The Old Baltimore Pike was built before 1720 and connected Elkton, Maryland to Christiana. It was a turnpike called the Elk and Christiana Turnpike between 1817 and 1838. In the past it served as a major connection between Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Route description
Old Baltimore Pike begins at the Delaware–Maryland state line near Newark, Delaware, where the highway continues west into that state as MD 281. The road heads northeast from the state line through wooded residential areas as a two-lane undivided road, intersecting Otts Chapel Road before passing south of Iron Hill Park. Old Baltimore Pike crosses DE 896 and enters rural areas. Here, the roadway passes Cooch's Bridge, a historic battle site of the American Revolutionary War. It then crosses Norfolk Southern's Delmarva Secondary railroad line and encounters DE 72.[2][3]
After this intersection, Old Baltimore Pike continues past suburban neighborhoods, gaining a center left-turn lane and intersecting Salem Church Road. Farther east, the highway reaches a junction with DE 273 in a wooded area. At this point, the road narrows to two lanes again and heads into the community of Christiana. Here, the highway intersects DE 7, where it turns north and follows that route through residential areas. The road comes to an interchange with DE 1 to the west of the Christiana Mall, where DE 7 continues north along with DE 1 and Old Baltimore Pike reaches a dead end.[2][3]
History
The Old Baltimore Pike was built before 1720. The road was known as the Great Road and ran between Head of Elk (now Elkton, Maryland) and Christiana Bridge. It was later known as the Christiana-Elkton Turnpike before becoming Old Baltimore Pike. This path served as a major connection between Philadelphia and Baltimore in addition to providing access between the shipping area of Christiana Bridge and agricultural areas in northern Delaware, northern Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania.[4] In 1723, Welsh Tract settlers pushed for the road to be improved.[5] This road was used by the French army during their march from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown during the Revolutionary War, passing through the area in September 1781.[6]
The road, also known as Old Post Road, was incorporated in 1813 as the Elk and Christiana Turnpike in order to get more money for repairs. The turnpike was completed in April 1817. As a turnpike, tolls were collected to pay for the maintenance of the road. The construction of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad lowered the revenues of the turnpike and it became a public road again in 1838.[5] The road historically went through agricultural areas; however, the surroundings have become more developed over the years.[4] Much of the Old Baltimore Pike remains two lanes.[5]
Major intersections
The entire route is in New Castle County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | 0.00 | 0.00 | MD 281 west (Red Hill Road) – Elkton |
Maryland state line, western terminus | |
| Glasgow | 2.49 | 4.01 | DE 896 (South College Avenue) – Newark, Middletown |
||
| 3.32 | 5.34 |  DE 72 (Sunset Lake Road/South Chapel Street) |
|||
| Christiana | 7.10 | 11.43 | DE 273 (Christiana Road) – Newark, New Castle |
||
| 7.41 | 11.93 |  DE 7 south (Main Street) – Bear |
West end of DE 7 overlap | ||
| 8.07 | 12.99 | DE 1 / DE 7 north – Christiana, Stanton |
DE 1 exit 164, east end of DE 7 overlap | ||
| 8.35 | 13.44 | Dead end | Eastern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
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