Existed: 1994 – present Counties: Sussex Constructed 1994 | South end: Dead end in Long Neck Length 23.75 km County Sussex County, Delaware | |
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North end: US 9 / DE 1 / US 9 Bus. in Five Points | ||
Delaware Route 23 (DE 23) is a 14.76-mile-long (23.75 km) state highway in Sussex County, Delaware. Its southern terminus is at Massey's Landing in Long Neck, near the confluence of Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay and its northern terminus is at the Five Points intersection, where it ends at U.S. Route 9 (US 9), DE 1, and DE 404. From the southern terminus, the route runs west through residential areas of Long Neck before heading north through rural areas with some development. DE 23 is concurrent with DE 5 between the DE 24 intersection in Long Neck and Fairmount. It is also concurrent with DE 24 Alternate (DE 24 Alt.) between Hollymount and the DE 1D intersection in Five Points. The road originally existed as an unnumbered road except along the DE 5 concurrency, becoming fully paved by 1970. The DE 23 designation was assigned by 1994.
Contents
Map of DE-23, Delaware, USA
Route description
DE 23 begins at a boat ramp parking lot at Massey's Landing in Long Neck, near the confluence of the Rehoboth Bay and the Indian River Bay. From here, the route heads west on two-lane undivided Long Neck Road, passing through a mix of residential areas and marshland between Rehoboth Bay to the north and Indian River Bay to the south. The road winds west through homes, commercial development, and a few farms. Farther west, DE 23 comes to an intersection with DE 5/DE 24. At this intersection, the name changes to Indian Mission Road, and DE 23 begins a concurrency with DE 5. The two routes head northwest through a mix of farmland and woodland with some housing subdivisions.
In Fairmount, DE 5 splits to the northwest and DE 23 continues north on Beaver Dam Road. In Hollymount, DE 23 intersects DE 24 Alt. and forms a concurrency with that route, with the road curving northeast. In Five Points, DE 23 intersects DE 1D and turns to the north, with DE 1D/DE 24 Alt. continuing straight and curving to the southeast. A short distance later, DE 23 intersects US 9/DE 404 and turns east-northeast to join those two routes on the four-lane divided Lewes Georgetown Highway. DE 23 reaches its northern terminus at an intersection with DE 1, at which point DE 404 also ends and US 9 turns east to join DE 1. At this intersection, access from northbound DE 23 to northbound DE 1 is provided by a reverse jughandle. Past this intersection, the road becomes US 9 Business (US 9 Bus.).
DE 23 has a total length of 14.76 mi (23.75 km). The route has an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 13,167 vehicles at the northern terminus at DE 1 to a low of 1,671 vehicles at the south end of the DE 24 Alt. concurrency. The small portion of DE 23 that is concurrent with US 9/DE 404 is part of the National Highway System.
History
By 1920, what is now DE 23 existed as an unimproved county road. The portion of the present route that is concurrent with DE 5 was upgraded to a state highway by 1931 and became a part of DE 5 by 1938. By 1970, the road was paved. DE 23 was assigned onto its current alignment by 1994. DE 24 Alternate was designated to run along DE 23 between Hollymount Road and Plantation Road by 2006.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Sussex County.