Puncheon Run Connector

Route description

The Puncheon Run Connector begins at an at-grade intersection with US 13 in the city of Dover, heading to the northeast as a four-lane freeway. The intersection with US 13 has no access from southbound US 13 to the freeway. After passing over South State Street and Puncheon Run, the freeway curves to the east and runs between woods and the parallel Puncheon Run to the south and residential and commercial development to the north. The road crosses over the St. Jones River in marshland and continues east-northeast, passing between a residential neighborhood to the south and the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) headquarters to the north before coming to an eastbound exit and westbound entrance at Bay Road. Immediately after the Bay Road interchange, the Puncheon Run Connector merges into the northbound direction of the DE 1 toll road at a partial interchange a short distance to the north of Dover Air Force Base, with access to northbound DE 1 and from southbound DE 1.

The Puncheon Run Connector has an annual average daily traffic count of 14,618 vehicles.

History

Planning for the Puncheon Run Connector dates back to the 1980s, when a "Relief Route" was proposed for US 13 between Dover and Wilmington. In 1987, plans called for the Puncheon Run Connector to be built along its current alignment between US 13 and DE 1, with an intermediate interchange at US 113 (Bay Road), in addition to US 13 being upgraded to a freeway south to Woodside, with interchanges at Webbs Lane in Dover and DE 10 in Camden. In 1992, DelDOT held a meeting to discuss proposals for the road, including a possible Far West By-Pass Connector through the western part of Dover. The city of Dover initially opposed the Puncheon Run Connector and favored the Far West By-Pass Connector as the latter would ease traffic congestion caused by development in the western part of the city. Plans for the connector were modified in 1992 to not include the upgrade of US 13 to a freeway between Woodside and Dover. The excavation of the site lasted from October 1997 to September 1998. Construction on the road began in October 1998. The Puncheon Run Connector was completed and opened to traffic in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 19, 2000, with Governor Tom Carper and DelDOT secretary Anne Canby in attendance. The road was constructed by David A. Bramble, Inc. and G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. at a cost of $25 million.

Exit list

References

References

1. Staff. (2018). "Traffic Count and Mileage Report: Kent County". [[Delaware Department of Transportation]].
2. {{Delaware road map. (2017)
3. "overview of Puncheon Run Connector".
4. (2010). "National Highway System: Delaware". [[Federal Highway Administration]].
5. (Summer 1992). "Puncheon Run Alternative Selected". Delaware Department of Transportation.
6. (August 10, 1992). "Regular Council Meeting". [[Dover, Delaware.
7. "Explore Delaware's Prehistory at Puncheon Run". Delaware Department of Transportation.
8. (2005). "Section 1.0 Introduction". Delaware Department of Transportation.
9. (October 12, 1998). "Council Committees". [[Dover, Delaware.
10. (Spring 2001). "SR 1 in Home Stretch". Delaware Department of Transportation.
11. "The History of David A. Bramble, Inc". David A. Bramble, Inc..