Delaware Route 71
|
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by DelDOT and USACE | ||||
| Length: | 21.99 mi (35.39 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1938 – present | |||
| Tourist routes: |
 Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
|
|||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: |
 US 13 south of Townsend
|
|||
 DE 299 in Middletown US 301 in Middletown DE 896 in Mount Pleasant DE 15 in Summit BridgeUS 301 / DE 896 north of Summit Bridge DE 72 near Red Lion DE 7 in Red Lion |
||||
| North end: |
 US 13 / DE 1 in Tybouts Corner
|
|||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | New Castle | |||
| Highway system | ||||
|
||||
Delaware Route 71 (DE 71) is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route loops off U.S. Route 13 (US 13) from south of Townsend to Tybouts Corner, traveling to the west of US 13 by way of Townsend, Middletown, and the Summit Bridge. The route overlaps US 301 from the north end of Middletown to just north of the Summit Bridge, and also with DE 896 from Mount Pleasant to just north of the Summit Bridge, where US 301 and DE 896 continue north together to Glasgow.
DE 71 was built as a state highway during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1938, the route was designated to run from US 13 south of Townsend to US 13 in Tybouts Corner roughly along its present-day alignment. In the 1950s, DE 71 was rerouted to head to the Maryland border southwest of Middletown to connect to Maryland Route 71 (MD 71), with the former route south of Middletown becoming an extended DE 896. Between the 1950s and 1980s, DE 71 was signed with various alignments of US 301 and US 301S. In the 1980s, DE 71 was truncated to DE 896 in Summit Bridge before being extended back along its 1930s alignment to US 13 by the 1990s.
DE 71 heads to the northwest from US 13 on two-lane undivided Summit Bridge Road, passing through wooded areas with some homes. The road passes to the east of Townsend and interesects Pine Tree Road/Main Street. Past Townsend, the route continues northwest into farmland, crossing the Appoquinimink River and making a turn to the north. DE 71 enters residential areas as it heads into the town of Middletown, where it becomes Broad Street. The road heads north through the town and intersects DE 299 (Main Street) in the downtown area. From this point, the route passes more homes before running near businesses. DE 71 crosses Norfolk Southern's Delmarva Secondary at-grade and intersects US 301 immediately after.
...
Wikipedia