SAFETY CONGESTION PAVEMENT CONDITION CLARITY OF SIGNING AESTHETICS
7 3 9 9 7
A tale of two roads, I-95 from the Maryland border north to Wilmington is wide, safe, well marked and very well maintained. The "Delaware Turnpike" section is a very well designed road: many of the interchanges are larger than usual and allow traffic to flow freely on and off I-95. There is considerable congestion heading south where I-95, I-295 and I-495 merge where you have local and long distance traffic coming together, depending on the time and day traffic can crawl along well below the speed limit to the Maryland border creating a huge problem at the toll plaza. Overall signage in Delaware is excellent, the state seems to understand that not everyone traveling I-95 is from the area
From Wilmington north to the Pennsylvania border, I-95 is your typical 1960's Northeastern expressway, tight and twisting. It could use some major upgrades. Fortunately, this part of I-95 is not used for long distance travel, but the local traffic it serves is more than enough for it to handle.
Reviewed by: Steve Anderson Last Traveled: 2005
SAFETY CONGESTION PAVEMENT CONDITION CLARITY OF SIGNING AESTHETICS
7 5 7 9 6
South of the I-95 / I-295 / I-495 merge, the "Delaware Turnpike" section of I-95 is a relatively safe highway where traffic (for the most part) flows freely, though the speed limit on the turnpike should be raised from 55 MPH to 65 MPH. At times (particularly on holiday weekends), there can be some congestion at the I-95 / I-295 / I-495 interchange. The roadway is adequately landscaped, interrupted at times by the state's many pharmaceutical production facilities.
North of the turnpike section, I-95 is your typical Northeast freeway. The elevated highway through Wilmington offers a decent view of the city's skyline. Six lanes narrow quickly down to four. Reconstruction of this section has helped rectify safety problems, but because of its inherent deficiencies, this section is intended for local, not through traffic. A rerouting of I-95 to the nearby Wilmington Bypass (I-495) would steer through traffic away from the winding, narrow current section of I-95.
SAFETY CONGESTION PAVEMENT CONDITION CLARITY OF SIGNING AESTHETICS
6 3 8 10 7
Eight lanes of freeway see almost 200,000 vpd, not to mention tons of weaving motorists trying to get in position for their appropriate route at the Interstate 95-295-495-DE 141 junction, causing hazards to motorists. The junction with U.S. 202 at Exit 8 also causes a hazard as traffic overwhelms the off-ramps routinely, causing back-ups to bleed onto the freeway itself.
Expect traffic to slow to 15-20 MPH every day on the stretch between DE 1 / DE 7 and Interstate 495. This occurs generally in both directions during the afternoon peak hours of travel. The issues at Exit 8 also tend to clog traffic over the Brandywine River Bridge. The toll plaza at the state line sees problems from time to time with congestion as well.
Delaware places many signs to guide motorists to where they need to go. The approach to Wilmington is nice from an urban point of view. Otherwise the freeway is fairly ugly.
