U.S. Route 113 Alternate (Delaware)

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U.S. Route 113
Length:	7 mi (11 km)
Formed:	1926 (decommissioned in 2004)
south end:	US 113 (now DE 1) near Frederica
Major junctions:	DE 10 Alt. near Rising Sun DE 10 near Camden US 13 & US 13 Alt. in S. Dover
north end:	US 13 & US 113 (decommissioned) near State Capitol Complex
United States Numbered Highways Spur of US 113 U.S. Routes - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U.S. Route 113 Alternate (U.S. 113A) was a former U.S. Highway that connected what is now Delaware Route 1 in Little Heaven, Delaware to U.S. Route 13 in Dover, Delaware. Prior to the decommissioning of U.S. Route 113 north of Milford, Delaware in 2004, U.S. 113A continued in conjunction with U.S. 13 to the original northern terminus of U.S. 113 near the State Capitol Complex. After its decommissioning in 2004, a short section of the roadway continues as a part of DE Rt. 10A.

[edit] Description

Formerly a two-lane section of U.S. Route 113 before being relocated in the 1950s to go past Dover Air Force Base, U.S. 113A starts in the small hamlet of Little Heaven, only three miles north of the incorproated town of Frederica, Delaware. Going north and west from the present-day DE Rt. 1 highway, U.S. 113A would enter the small town of Magnolia, Delaware, which has a rich history of Victorian Era architecture. North of Magnolia, U.S. 113A would then curve due north and link up with DE Rt. 10A near Rising Sun, Delaware, a former section of Delaware Route 10 before it was rebuilt into a divided highway between U.S. 13 and present-day DE Rt. 1.

Both U.S. 113A and DE Rt. 10A would then travel north with DE Rt. 10A terminating at DE Rt. 10 proper. Crossing over DE Rt. 10, U.S. 113A now enters a more developed area, residences oriented to state jobs in Dover, before U.S. 113A joins up with U.S. 13 in South Dover, adjacent to the Puncheon Run Corridor linking U.S. 13 with the DE Rt. 1 Turnpike. U.S. 113A would then follow U.S. 13 for a short distance (1 mile) before terminating, along with U.S. 113, at the State Capitol Complex.

Despite being a two-lane highway, U.S. 113A served well as an alternate route to the bustling U.S. 113, and later DE Rt. 1 highway. An excellent example came in the 1980s when the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) undertook a massive expansion project on U.S. 113 proper when the section between Dover A.F.B. and Little Heaven, which was a two-lane highway, was expanded into the present four-lane configuration and, with extensive backups, U.S. 113A allowed motorists to avoid closed down section while DelDOT worked on the highway expansion.

Today the road is known as "Clapham Road" between DE Rt. 1 and Magnolia and "S. State Street" between Magnolia and Dover. DE Rt. 10A, the only signed highway that uses the road to this day, utilizes the section of former U.S. 113A between "Walnut Shade Road" and DE Rt. 10 proper.