A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often less-traveled roads and promote tourism and economic development. The National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) is administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Delaware Route 404 (DE 404) is a major state highway in Sussex County, Delaware that spans the east-west width of the state. DE 404's western terminus is at the Maryland border northwest of Bridgeville, where the road continues into that state as Maryland Route 404 (MD 404), and its eastern terminus is at the Five Points intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9), DE 1, and US 9 Business in Nassau. The route passes through rural areas as well as the towns of Bridgeville and Georgetown. DE 404 runs concurrent with DE 18 from east of Bridgeville to Georgetown and with US 9 from Georgetown to Five Points. DE 404 has a business route, DE 404 Bus., that passes through Bridgeville and a truck route, DE 404 Truck, that bypasses Georgetown. DE 404, along with MD 404, serves as a major route connecting the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area with the Delaware Beaches.
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 east to the Delaware Bay at Broadkill Beach. The route passes through rural areas along with the towns of Greenwood, Ellendale, and Milton. DE 16 intersects DE 36 and U.S. Route 13 (US 13) 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.
Delaware Route 20 (DE 20) is an east–west state highway in Sussex County, Delaware. Its western terminus is the Maryland state line in Reliance, where the road continues as Maryland Route 392 (MD 392). Its eastern terminus is DE 54 west of Fenwick Island. The route runs through rural areas of Sussex County and passes through the towns of Seaford, Millsboro, and Dagsboro. DE 20 intersects U.S. Route 13 (US 13) in Seaford, US 9 in Hardscrabble, US 113 and DE 24 in Millsboro, DE 26 in Dagsboro, and DE 17 in Roxana. DE 20 was originally created by 1936 to run from the Maryland border east to US 113 in Millsboro. By 1970, it was realigned to bypass Seaford. The route was extended east to DE 1 in Fenwick Island by 1994; however, the eastern terminus was cut back to DE 54 in 2005 to avoid the concurrency with that route.
Delaware Route 9 (DE 9) is a 57.83-mile (93.07 km) state highway that runs from DE 1 near Dover Air Force Base in Kent County north to DE 2 in the city of Wilmington in New Castle County. DE 9 is a designated scenic highway known as the Delaware Bayshore Byway south of New Castle, running through mostly rural areas to the west of the Delaware Bay and the Delaware River as a two-lane undivided road. Between New Castle and Wilmington, DE 9 is a four-lane road that runs through urban and suburban areas. DE 9 passes through several cities and towns including Little Creek, Leipsic, Port Penn, Delaware City, and New Castle. DE 9 has an auxiliary route, DE 9A, that provides access to the Port of Wilmington. In addition, it has a truck route, DE 9 Truck, located to the south of New Castle.
Delaware Route 12 (DE 12) is a state highway in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It runs from Maryland Route 314 (MD 314) at the Maryland border in Whiteleysburg east to an interchange with DE 1 near Frederica. The route follows a mostly rural alignment, passing through the towns of Felton and Frederica. DE 12 intersects U.S. Route 13 (US 13) in Felton and DE 15 east of Felton. What would become DE 12 was built as a state highway during the 1920s. DE 12 was designated between Felton and Frederica by 1936 and extended west to the Maryland border by 1938. The eastern terminus was moved to its current location in 1965 when US 113 was routed to bypass Frederica to the east. The DE 1 intersection became an interchange in 2011.
Delaware Route 5 (DE 5) is a 19.49-mile-long (31.37 km) state highway in Sussex County, Delaware. The route runs from River Road and Oak Orchard Avenue on the Indian River Bay in Oak Orchard north to an intersection with DE 1 north of Milton. Along the way, DE 5 passes through rural areas along with the communities of Long Neck, Harbeson, and Milton. The route has concurrencies with DE 23 and DE 24 in the Long Neck area and crosses U.S. Route 9 (US 9)/DE 404 in Harbeson and DE 16 in Milton. DE 5 features one alternate route, DE 5 Alternate, which provides a bypass of Milton. DE 5 was built as a state highway in the 1920s and 1930s. The road between Long Neck and north of Milton, including present-day DE 5 north of DE 24, was designated as part of a short-lived DE 22 in the 1930s. DE 5 was designated to its current alignment by 1938. DE 5 Alt. was designated by 2001.
Delaware Route 36 (DE 36) is a state highway in Sussex County, Delaware. It runs in a generally northeast–southwest direction from DE 404 in Scotts Corner east to Slaughter Beach, a town along the Delaware Bay. The road runs through the northern portion of Sussex County, passing through rural areas along with Greenwood and Milford. The route intersects DE 16 and U.S. Route 13 (US 13) in Greenwood and US 113, DE 1 Business, and DE 1 in Milford. DE 36 was built as a state highway in stages during the 1920s and 1930s. The road was designated by 1938 from DE 16 east of Greenwood east to Fort Saulsbury and was extended west to DE 404 by 1994.
Delaware Route 30 (DE 30) is a state highway in Sussex County, Delaware. The route runs from an intersection with DE 24 in Millsboro north to DE 1 Business in Milford near the area of Lincoln and Cedar Creek. Along the way, DE 30 intersects U.S. Route 9 (US 9)/DE 404 in Gravel Hill, DE 16 west of Milton, and DE 1 at an interchange in Milford.
Delaware Route 299 (DE 299) is a 9.77-mile-long (15.72 km) state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 282 (MD 282) at the Maryland state line east of Warwick, Maryland to DE 9 in Mathews Corners, traveling through Middletown and Odessa. The route intersects the U.S. Route 301 (US 301) toll road, DE 15, and DE 71 in Middletown, the DE 1 toll road east of Middletown, and US 13 in Odessa. The highway travels through a mix of suburban development and some farmland.
Delaware Route 82 (DE 82) is a state highway in the northwest suburbs of Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware. The route, which is signed north-south, runs 5.49 miles (8.84 km) from DE 52 near Greenville northwest to the Pennsylvania state line near Yorklyn, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 82 (PA 82). The route runs through areas of woods and fields in northern New Castle County, with much of the route paralleling the Red Clay Creek. The entire route is a part of the Red Clay Scenic Byway, created in 2005. DE 82 was first numbered by 1952 on its current alignment. In 2010, the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) proposed eliminating the route number, but the plan fell through due to public opposition.
Delaware Route 52 (DE 52) is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from U.S. Route 13 Business in downtown Wilmington north to Pennsylvania Route 52 (PA 52) at the Pennsylvania border near Centerville. DE 52 runs through the city of Wilmington and passes through areas of the Brandywine Valley north of Wilmington. DE 52 intersects Interstate 95 (I-95)/US 202 and DE 2 in Wilmington and DE 100/DE 141 and DE 82 in Greenville. The entire route is designated as part of the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway and Delaware Byway, while most of the route is also designated as part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway of the Delaware Byways system. The road was built as the Kennett Pike, a turnpike, between 1811 and 1813. The Kennett Pike was bought by Pierre S. du Pont in 1919 and was widened and paved before being sold to the State of Delaware for $1. The road received the DE 52 designation by 1936.
Delaware Route 100 (DE 100) is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from DE 4 near Elsmere to the Pennsylvania border near Montchanin, where it continues into Pennsylvania as State Route 3100. The road runs through suburban areas of northern New Castle County. The route intersects DE 2 in Elsmere before forming separate concurrencies with DE 48 and DE 141 from west of Wilmington north to Greenville. In Greenville, there is an interchange with DE 52. North of Greenville, DE 100 continues by itself to the Pennsylvania border, intersecting DE 92 in Montchanin. DE 100 was first designated in the 1930s to run from DE 52 to the Pennsylvania border, where it connected to Pennsylvania Route 100 (PA 100) until the southern terminus of that route was truncated away from the state line in 2003. By the 1970s, it was extended south to DE 4. The route was realigned to follow parts of DE 48 and DE 141 by 1990.
U.S. Route 13 Business is an 8.19-mile (13.18 km) business route of US 13 that runs through the heart of the city of Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware, where US 13 bypasses downtown Wilmington to the east, running near Interstate 495 (I-495) and the Delaware River. US 13 Bus. begins at I-495 and US 13 at the southern border of Wilmington and heads north toward the downtown area, where it splits into a one-way pair. Past downtown, the business route heads through the northeastern part of the city on North Market Street before continuing through suburban Brandywine Hundred on Philadelphia Pike. US 13 Bus. reaches its northern terminus at US 13 in Claymont. US 13 Bus. is a four-lane road for much of its length.
U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a United States Numbered Highway in the Northeastern U.S., running from Laurel, Delaware, north to Champlain, New York. In Delaware, the route runs a southwest–northeast path through Sussex County. Even though US 9 is signed north–south for the remainder of its route, the segment in Delaware is signed east–west. The highway runs from its western terminus at US 13 in Laurel northeast to the Cape May–Lewes Ferry terminal in Lewes, where the ferry carries the route across the Delaware Bay to North Cape May, New Jersey. US 9 passes through rural areas and serves the communities of Laurel, Georgetown, and Lewes. US 9 intersects Delaware Route 20 (DE 20) in Hardscrabble, US 113 and DE 18/DE 404 in Georgetown, DE 30 in Gravel Hill, DE 5 in Harbeson, and DE 1 at the Five Points intersection in Nassau. US 9 runs concurrent with DE 404 between Georgetown and Five Points and with DE 1 between Five Points and Carpenters Corner.
U.S. Route 13 (US 13) runs along the Atlantic coastline for over 500 miles (800 km), passing through five states. Along its route, it possessed numerous special routes, which are all loops off the mainline US 13. At present, there are at least 15 special routes in existence: two in North Carolina, five in Virginia, two in Maryland, four in Delaware, and two in Pennsylvania. 13 others have existed in the past but have been deleted.
William Brinkley was a conductor on the Underground Railroad who helped more than 100 people achieve freedom by traveling from Camden, Delaware past the "notoriously dangerous" towns of Dover and Smyrna north to Blackbird and sometimes as far as Wilmington, which was also very dangerous for runaway enslaved people. Some of his key rescues include the Tilly Escape of 1856, the Dover Eight in the spring of 1857, and the rescue of 28 people, more than half of which were children, from Dorchester County, Maryland. He had a number of pathways that he would take to various destinations, aided by his brother Nathaniel and Abraham Gibbs, other conductors on the railroad.
