Delaware Route5 (DE5) is a 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, DE5 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 (US9)/DE 404 in Harbeson and DE 16 in Milton. DE5 features one alternate route, DE5 Alternate (DE5 Alt.), which provides a bypass of Milton. DE5 was built as a state highway in the 1920s and 1930s. The road between Long Neck and north of Milton, including present-day DE5 north of DE24, was designated as part of a short-lived DE22 in the 1930s. DE5 was designated to its current alignment by 1938. DE5 Alt. was designated by 2001.

Route description

DE5 heads northwest on two-lane undivided Oak Orchard Road from the intersection with River Road and Oak Orchard Avenue on the northern shore of the Indian River Bay, passing through the residential areas of Oak Orchard. The road continues through a mix of farms and woods with some housing developments, passing northeast of the Nanticoke Indian Association's Nanticoke Indian Museum before coming to an intersection with DE 24. At this point, DE5 turns northeast to form a concurrency with DE24 on John J. Williams Highway. The road heads north through residential and commercial development with some fields as it enters the Long Neck area, where it intersects DE 23.

At the DE23 intersection, DE5 splits from DE24 and turns northwest onto DE23, which is called Indian Mission Road. The road crosses Guinea Creek and heads through a mix of farmland and woodland with some housing subdivisions, intersecting Harmons Hill Road/Phillips Branch Road. In Fairmount, DE23 branches off to the northeast, and DE5 continues to the northwest through more rural areas. At the intersection with DE 24 Alt. in Hollyville, the name changes to Harbeson Road. Farther northwest, the road comes to a junction with Anderson Corner Road/Forest Road. The route turns north and reaches Harbeson. In Harbeson, DE5 heads past homes and crosses the Delmarva Central Railroad's Lewes Industrial Track line before it passes east of an Allen Harim Foods chicken plant and intersects US 9/DE 404 near businesses. Past this intersection, the road runs north through more rural land before curving northwest. Farther northwest, the route runs along the western border of the town of Milton as it passes west of residential development before reaching a junction with Shingle Point Road/Chestnut Street. The route turns north again and comes to an intersection with the southern terminus of the DE 5 Alt. bypass to the west of Milton, which heads west on Sand Hill Road. Also at this junction, the name changes from Harbeson Road to Federal Street. DE5 continues northeast into Milton, crossing the Milton Rail-Trail and passing several homes. At the intersection with Front Street, the route turns northwest onto Union Street, running through the downtown and heading across the Broadkill River. The road continues through residential areas in the northern part of Milton. At the north end of town, DE5 intersects DE 16 along with the northern terminus of DE5 Alt., which heads west on DE16. DE5 continues north on Union Street Extended, passing through agricultural areas with some woods and homes. The route turns northeast and comes to its northern terminus at DE 1; this intersection has no access from northbound DE1 to DE5.

The section of DE5 between the southern terminus and DE16 serves as part of a primary hurricane evacuation route from the Oak Orchard and Long Neck areas to points inland while the section of DE5 between DE16 and DE1 serves as part of a secondary hurricane evacuation route from the coastal areas. The section of the route between US9/DE404 in Harbeson and DE16 in Milton is designated as part of the Delaware Bayshore Byway, a Delaware Byway and National Scenic Byway. DE5 has an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 19,031vehicles at the intersection with DE23 and DE24 to a low of 2,260vehicles at the south end of the DE24 concurrency.

History

By 1920, what is now DE5 existed as an unimproved county road. The road was upgraded to a state highway between Harbeson and Milton by 1924. The following year, the road was proposed as a state highway north of Milton and from Oak Orchard to the present-day north end of the DE24 concurrency. The entire length of the present DE5 was completed as a state highway by 1931. DE22 was designated in 1936 to run from Long Neck north to DE 14 (now DE1) north of Milton. DE5 was assigned to its current alignment by 1938, running between Oak Orchard and DE14 north of Milton. DE 5 replaced DE22 north of the DE24 intersection while the former DE22 south of there became unnumbered (now a part of DE23). By 1994, DE23 was designated to run concurrent with a portion of DE5 in the Long Neck area.

Major intersections

Delaware Route 5 Alternate

Delaware Route5 Alternate (DE5 Alt.) is a alternate route of DE5 that bypasses the town of Milton. The route travels west from DE5 south of Milton along two-lane undivided Sand Hill Road through areas of farms and woods with some homes. The route turns north to join DE 30 on Gravel Hill Road, crossing an abandoned railroad grade just east of the terminus of the Delmarva Central Railroad's Milton Industrial Track line. DE5 Alt. splits from DE30 by turning east onto DE 16, following that route through more rural areas on Milton Ellendale Highway. The route ends at an intersection with DE5 north of Milton. In some locations, the route is signed as "DE5 Truck Alt." The section of the route concurrent with DE16 is designated as part of the Delaware Bayshore Byway, a Delaware Byway and National Scenic Byway.

The route was designated in 1998 as an alternate truck route bypassing the section of DE5 in Milton. Despite this, the route was not suited as a truck bypass, and truck traffic continued to follow DE5 through Milton. Construction of a truck bypass along the route of DE5 Alt. was completed in 2005 in order to reduce truck traffic along DE5 through Milton. This project made improvements to Sand Hill Road and DE30 to upgrade the route to a truck bypass including intersection improvements at DE5 and Sand Hill Road and DE30 and Sand Hill Road, reconstructing Sand Hill Road, and replacing a bridge.

1. Major intersections

See also

References

External links

• DE

• Delaware Roads - DE