Historic US highway ends in the
Wilmington - New Castle DE area

Photo credits: Alex Nitzman; Michael Summa

When the US routes were first commissioned in 1926, there was a US 122 running from US 22 at Whitehouse NJ to US 13/40 in the Wilmington area. Hard to say exactly where it ended, but it came in on Concord Avenue, so it seems likely that the route would've ended at US 13. This ran along Market Street at the time, which is now designated Business 13:

Nitzman, August 1999

Here's a view from northbound Market (old US 13); US 122 probably began to the left:

Nitzman, Oct. 2001

That's actually DE hwy. 202, but Concord becomes US 202 north of I-95 (about a mile to the left). The sign shown in that photo replaced a neat old-style cutout:

Nitzman, Mar. 1994

By 1934, when US 122 was replaced by US 202, Robert Droz says the south end was at "State Road" DE. That refers to the junction southwest of New Castle where US 13 and US 40 split and diverge. Here's a photo:

Nitzman, Apr. 2004

That was looking south on US 13/west on US 40 at the point where they split. US 301 doesn't really run through here anymore; these signs still indicated the pre-1990 routing. They were changed later that year:

Nitzman, Jan. 2005

Apparently this was the original south end of US 202, and possibly the south end of US 122 [I] during the latter period of its existence.

It was in 1960 that US 301 was first extended into this area. Its north terminus was at I-295's Farnhurst interchange. A few years later, the US 202 designation was cut back to that same location, such that it began where US 301 ended (and vice-versa). The photo below shows both shields:

Summa, c. 1970

That's on southbound I-295/westbound US 40. Back then, US 202 began to the north with US 13, and US 301 began to the south with US 13/40. The photo below shows modern signage at that same location:

Nitzman, Apr. 2004

Below we're heading the opposite direction (northbound I-295):

Nitzman, Apr. 2004

Here's a shot from northbound US 13/eastbound US 40:

Nitzman, Apr. 2004

US 301 used to end there, and US 202 began straight ahead. Below is a view from the opposite direction:

Nitzman, Apr. 2004

That's looking south on US 13. US 202 ended here at I-295, and US 301 used to begin straight ahead.

US 202 was rerouted in 1984; you can view photos of its current endpoint on this page. US 301 was changed in about 1990; its current terminus is described on this page.