Smyrna times., 1924-07-02
HISTORY OF THE Dupont ROAD
Began In 1911, 1t Now Forms the
Backbone of State Highway Sys-
TEN Nearly 100 Miles in Length


gun by group of citizens, headed by
Mr.. DUPONT, known as the Boulevard
Corporation. This organization
agreed to build the road and turn it
over to the State with the under
standing that the State would main
tain it forever. Construction was be-
gun in 1911 at the southermost point
of Delaware in Sussex County. Liti-
cation interferred with rapid pro-
gress. By 1917 twenty miles of con-
crete pavement had been laid. In
1917 the State realized the import
ance of a system of good roads, and
the State Highway Department was
organized. The Boulevard Corpora
ton went out of existence. Mr.. Du-
Pont, loath to see work on the road
abandoned, offered to pay for its COM
pletion, under State supervision, at
cost not to exceed $4,000 mile. The
offer was accepted. The last stretch
of the pavement was laid this year.
The State Highway Department ever
bears in mind the mathematical
axiom that ga straight line is the
shortest distance between two
points" In order to build the Du-
Pont road accordingly it often became
necessary to strike a new location, al
though the highway follows old roads
in the main. The shortening of dis
tances has resulted in ever-increasing
savings for motorists. The cost of
additional right of way was offset by
saving in paving materials and con-
structiOn.
Road Touches Important Cities
The Dupont road, which is the
backbone of the State highway sys-
TEN, is nearly 100 miles in length and
touches or skirts the following places:
Wilmington, st. Georges, Odessa,
Smyrna, Dover, Magnolia, Frederick,
Milford, Glendale, Georgetown, Mills
bOro and Selbyville. Virtually all of
the DUPONT road is concrete. When
construction was begun in 1911 sew
eral other types of pavement were
laid over short distances to test the
efficiency of the different kinds of ma
terials and methods of construction.
In addition to the services of prom
inent American engineers, General
DUPONT called into consultation sew
eral foreign engineers in an effort to
I determine definitely the most durable
type of road. As in the case of some
other projects undertaken in Della
ware, politics was injected and in sec
tions of the State almost insurmOunt-
| able obstacles to the building of the
road were encountered. Due to op-
position offered in New Castle and
Kent Counties, work on the DUPONT
road was begun in Sussex County,
where the first grade stake was driv-
en- on September IS, 1911, after the
right of way had been acquired be-
tween Georgetown and the Maryland
| line-a distance of about twenty
miles. When the road was continued
north from Georgetown to Milford
great difficulties were met by reason
of the fact that the line of the road
/ lay through a considerable section of
swamp in the vicinity of Glendale, a
condition that put the cost of con-
struction at a decidedly higher figure
than the average for an equal dis
tance. Prior to the building of the
dupont road, sections of the country
in the neighbOrhood of Glendale
were virtually isolated during and af-
ter the wet weather that is frequent
during the winter and spring months.
Road Brought Increase in Realestate
With the DUPONT road an accom-
| plished fact it is now recognized as
a boon to the towns and agricultural
districts in lower Delaware. The road
has brought about a marked increase
in property values, especially in the
vicinity of towns. Some of this real
estate has more than trebled in cost.
General DuPont's motive for making
so munificent a contribution to the
general welfare of his State has been
variously interpreted, but it is now
generally conceded that, in a spirit of
liberality, he desired to do for Della
ware what the State was unable to do
because of the condition of its treas
ury, without imposing the burden of
a bond issue with a consequent big
increase in the State tax rate. The
situation of private citizen offering,
without possibility of financial re-
turn, to contribute so lavishly to the
common wealth meeting with such
/ determined resistance bv a consider
able portion Of the people, is, per-
haps, without parellel,