U.S. Route 13 Business (Wilmington, Delaware)

U.S. Route 13 Business
US 13 Bus. northbound highlighted in red and southbound highlighted in yellow
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 13
Maintained by DelDOT
Length	8.19 mi[1] (13.18 km)
Existed	1970[2]–present
Tourist routes	Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
Major junctions
South end	I-495 / US 13 in Minquadale
Major intersections	DE 48 in Wilmington DE 9 in Wilmington DE 52 in Wilmington DE 202 in Wilmington DE 3 near Bellefonte
North end	US 13 in Claymont
Location
Country	United States
State	Delaware
Counties	New Castle
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Delaware State Route System List Byways

U.S. Route 13 Business (US 13 Bus.) is an 8.19-mile (13.18 km) business route of US 13 that runs through the heart of the city of Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware, where US 13 bypasses downtown Wilmington to the east, running near Interstate 495 (I-495) and the Delaware River. US 13 Bus. begins at I-495 and US 13 at the southern border of Wilmington and heads north toward the downtown area, where it splits into a one-way pair. Past downtown, the business route heads through the northeastern part of the city on North Market Street before continuing through suburban Brandywine Hundred on Philadelphia Pike. US 13 Bus. reaches its northern terminus at US 13 in Claymont. US 13 Bus. is a four-lane road for much of its length.

The Philadelphia Pike was built as a turnpike in the 1820s and improved to a state highway by 1920. US 13 was designated to run through downtown Wilmington and along Philadelphia Pike in 1926. During the 1930s, US 13 was shifted from Market Street to a one-way pair on Market and French streets before both directions were moved onto French Street through downtown Wilmington. In the 1950s, the route was shifted to Walnut and French streets in the downtown area. The Walnut Street extension south of downtown, which included a new bridge over the Christina River, opened in 1957. US 13 Bus. was designated in 1970 when US 13 was routed to bypass Wilmington along the former US 13 Alternate (US 13 Alt.) The business route was moved to its current one-way pairing on Walnut and King street in the 1970s.