Route 491 (Pennsylvania–Delaware)

Pennsylvania Route 491 (PA 491) and Delaware Route 491 (DE 491) is a state highway that starts in Delaware County, Pennsylvania and ends in New Castle County, Delaware. It is also called Naamans Creek Road. The road begins at U.S. Route 202 (US 202) in Concord Township and goes east to the Delaware border in Lower Chichester Township.

In Delaware, the highway is very short, only about 0.36 miles (0.58 kilometers). It connects the Pennsylvania border to DE 92 near Claymont, Delaware. Throughout most of its path, PA 491 runs very close to the border with Delaware.

The road intersects PA 261 in the Booths Corner area of Bethel Township. The western part of PA 491 was first designated as part of an old road called Legislative Route 135 in 1911. The Delaware part of the road was built as a state highway in the 1920s, and PA 491 itself was officially created in 1928.

Route description

PA 491 starts at a place where it meets US 202 in Concord Township, Delaware County. From there, it goes east-southeast on a two-lane road called Naamans Creek Road. It passes through places with homes and then enters areas with businesses. It also crosses a railroad line and goes under a big highway called I-95 before reaching the border with Delaware.

When the road enters Delaware, it becomes DE 491 and is called Hickman Road. It passes near a former shopping place and ends at DE 92 in Claymont.

History

What is now PA 491 west of Zebley Road was part of an old road called Legislative Route 135 in 1911. This road went from West Chester to the border of Delaware. By 1920, the whole stretch of PA 491 and DE 491 was just a simple country road. In 1925, the part in Delaware was built as a state highway. PA 491 got its current name and path in 1928, going from US 122/PA 29 (now US 202) east to Delaware. At first, the road in Pennsylvania was paved, and it has kept the same route ever since.

Major intersections

State	County	Location	mi	km	Destinations
Pennsylvania	Delaware	Concord Township	0.000	0.000	US 202 (Wilmington–West Chester Pike) – Wilmington, West Chester
		Bethel Township	2.440	3.927	PA 261 (Foulk Road) – Chester Heights, Wilmington
Pennsylvania–Delaware state line			5.6610.36	9.1100.58	PA 491 becomes DE 491
Delaware	New Castle	Claymont	0.00	0.00	DE 92 west (Naamans Road)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access       Route transition