Puncheon Run Connector
The Puncheon Run Connector is an unnumbered four-lane freeway in the city of Dover in Kent County, Delaware. It is named after Puncheon Run, a stream it follows. It provides a connection from U.S. Route 13 east to the northbound direction of the Delaware Route 1 toll road, with an intermediate interchange at Bay Road. The road is part of the National Highway System and serves as part of a north–south route for traffic crossing the Delmarva Peninsula. Planning for the Puncheon Run Connector began in the 1980s and originally included a freeway upgrade of US 13 south to Woodside. The connector was scaled back to its current routing in 1992. The freeway was built between 1998 and 2000 at a cost of $25 million.
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 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. The entire length of the Puncheon Run Connector is part of the National Highway System.