Old Baltimore Pike

Old Baltimore Pike
Road 26
Route information
Maintained by DelDOT
Length:	8.35 mi[1] (13.44 km)
Major junctions
West end:	MD 281 near Newark
	DE 896 in Glasgow DE 273 in Christiana DE 1 near Christiana
East end:	Dead end near Christiana
Location
Counties:	New Castle
Highway system
Routes in Delaware

Old Baltimore Pike is an unsigned highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The road, known as New Castle County Road 26, runs from the Maryland state line (continuing from Maryland Route 281 (MD 281)) near Newark, Delaware east to Christiana, ending near Delaware Route 1 (DE 1). The road is mainly paralleled by Interstate 95 (I-95, Delaware Turnpike) to the north and U.S. Route 40 (US 40, Pulaski Highway) to the south. The road was first built by 1720 and connected Elkton, Maryland to Christiana. It was a turnpike called the Elk and Christiana Turnpike between 1817 and 1838.

Route description

Old Baltimore Pike begins at the Delaware/Maryland state line near Newark, continuing the eastward route of MD 281. The road heads northeast through wooded residential areas as a two-lane undivided road, intersects Otts Chapel Road. It continues through more residential areas, passing south of Iron Hill Park. Old Baltimore Pike crosses DE 896 and heads into rural areas. Here, the road passes Cooch's Bridge, a historic battle site of the American Revolutionary War. It then crosses a Norfolk Southern railroad line encounters DE 72. Past this intersection, Old Baltimore Pike continues past more residential subdivisions, gaining a center left-turn lane. The road intersects Salem Church Road as it heads through more suburban areas. Old Baltimore Pike comes to a junction with DE 273 in a wooded area. Following this, the road narrows back to two lanes and heads into the community of Christiana. Here, the road intersects DE 7, where it turns north and follows that route through more residential areas. The road comes to an interchange with DE 1 to the west of the Christiana Mall, where DE 7 heads north along with DE 1 and Old Baltimore Pike comes to a dead end.^[2]

History

The Old Baltimore Pike was built before 1720. The road was known as the Great Road and ran between Head of Elk (now Elkton, Maryland) and Christiana Bridge. It was later known as the Christiana-Elkton Turnpike before becoming Old Baltimore Pike. The road serves as a major connection between Philadelphia and Baltimore in addition to providing access between the shipping area of Christiana Bridge and agricultural areas in northern Delaware, northern Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania.^[3] In 1723, Welsh Tract settlers pushed for the road to be improved.^[4] This road was used by the French army during their march from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown during the Revolutionary War, passing through the area in September 1781.^[5] The road, also known as Old Post Road, would be incorporated in 1813 as the Elk and Christiana Turnpike in order to get more money for repairs. The turnpike was completed in April 1817. As a turnpike, tolls were collected to pay for the maintenance of the road. The construction of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad lowered the revenues of the turnpike and it became a public road again in 1838.^[4] The road historically went through agricultural areas; however, over the years, the surroundings have become more developed.^[3] Much of the Old Baltimore Pike remains two lanes.^[4]

Junction list

The entire route is in New Castle County.

Location	Mile[1]	Roads intersected	Notes
Newark	0.00	MD 281 west (Red Hill Road) – Elkton	Western terminus, Delaware/Maryland state line
Glasgow	2.49	DE 896 (South College Avenue) – Newark, Middletown
	3.32	DE 72 (Sunset Lake Road/South Chapel Street)
Christiana	7.10	DE 273 (Christiana Bypass) – Newark, New Castle
	7.41	DE 7 south (Main Street) – Bear	West end of DE 7 overlap
	8.07	DE 1 / DE 7 north – Christiana, Stanton	DE 1 exit 164, east end of DE 7 overlap
	8.35	Dead end	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

• U.S. Roads portal
• Delaware portal

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Traffic Count and Mileage Report: Interstate, Delaware, and US Routes" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. 2007. http://www.deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/manuals/traffic_counts/2007/pdf/rpt_pgs76_114.pdf. Retrieved November 17, 2011. 
2. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Old Baltimore Pike (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Old+Baltimore+Pike&daddr=39.656869,-75.674981+to:Stanton+Christiana+Rd&hl=en&sll=39.658194,-75.662928&sspn=0.016024,0.042272&geocode=FQiUXAIdapd7-w%3BFaUdXQIdm0p9-ykZ9g0iLAfHiTECNCTKOk51oQ%3BFbhyXQIdG499-w&vpsrc=0&mra=ls&via=1&t=h&z=13. Retrieved 2010-07-09. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Public Information Handout - Cultural Resources Project Old Baltimore Pike from DE Route 273 (Christiana By-Pass) to DE Route 896 (Four Seasons Parkway)". Delaware Department of Transportation. http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/old_balt_pike/pdf/series71_app3.pdf. Retrieved November 17, 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Old Baltimore Pike". Pencader Heritage Area Association. http://www.pencaderheritage.org/main/landmarks/phland_p28.html. Retrieved November 17, 2011. 
5. ^ "W3R Heritage Tour in Delaware". Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. The National Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association, Inc.. 2008-04-17. http://www.w3r-us.org/tours/tour-de.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-27.