U.S. Route 40 in Delaware

U.S. Route 40
US 40 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by DelDOT and DRBA
Length	17.18 mi[1] (27.65 km)
Existed	1926[2]–present
Major junctions
West end	US 40 at Maryland border in Glasgow
Major intersections	DE 896 in Glasgow DE 72 near Glasgow DE 7 in Bear DE 1 in Bear US 13 in State Road DE 273 in Hares Corner US 202 / DE 141 in Wilmington Manor I-295 / US 13 in Wilmington Manor DE 9 in Holloway Terrace
East end	I-295 / N.J. Turnpike / US 40 at New Jersey border in Holloway Terrace
Location
Country	United States
State	Delaware
Counties	New Castle
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Delaware State Route System List Byways
← DE 37 → DE 41

U.S. Route 40 (US 40) is a US highway running from Silver Summit, Utah, east to Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the US state of Delaware, it serves as a major east–west highway in northern New Castle County, just south of Wilmington. It runs from the Maryland state line west of Glasgow east to the Delaware Memorial Bridge over the Delaware River to New Jersey, at which point it is concurrent with Interstate 295 (I-295). Along the way, US 40 passes through suburban areas in Glasgow and Bear before running concurrent with US 13 and I-295 around New Castle. US 40 is a multilane divided highway the entire length across Delaware, with the section concurrent with I-295 a freeway.

US 40 was originally built as a state highway during the 1920s, comprising Elkton Road and a part of the Dupont Highway. When first designated, the route followed these two roads from the Maryland state line to Wilmington, where it crossed the Delaware River on a ferry to Penns Grove, New Jersey. In 1928, the route was rerouted at Hares Corner to head east into New Castle and cross the river on a ferry to Pennsville, New Jersey. The entire length of US 40 west of Hares Corner was widened to a divided highway during the 1930s. The Delaware Memorial Bridge opened in 1951, and US 40 was rerouted north along US 13 before heading east along the bridge approach, with Delaware Route 273 (DE 273) extended east along the former route into New Castle. In 1959, the Delaware Memorial Bridge approach became a part of I-295. Between the 1960s and 1990s, US 301 ran along the US 13/US 40 concurrency and US 301N followed US 40 between Glasgow and State Road from the 1970s to the 1980s.