WHEREAS, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 authorized the construction of the interstate highway system, now known as the "Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways," that has brought freedom of movement to hundreds of millions of Americans and has made a tremendous contribution to the economic growth, prosperity and security of our country and Delaware during the last 40 years; and

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware under this Act has built three interstate highways which are included in the national highway system, I-95, I-295 and I-495 and because of Delaware’s central location on the east coast, these interstates are among the most used and important links in the interstate system linking the northeast states to our east coast southern states; and

WHEREAS, I-95 is a four lane divided highway which was originally conceived and built as an interstate highway corridor linking Maine to Florida, and, generally, because it was among the first interstate highways to be built and completed, is regarded and understood by the traveling public as the most direct and quickest route between the cities along the east coast corridor; and

WHEREAS, I-95 in Delaware was the original interstate highway corridor connecting Pennsylvania to Maryland and was built to handle interstate traffic traveling through Delaware; and

WHEREAS, I-95 has, since its construction, become the major transportation artery for Delaware allowing citizens of Delaware access to their homes and businesses in Brandywine Hundred, Delaware or to their homes or businesses in Wilmington, New Castle County or our lower counties of Sussex and Kent; and

WHEREAS, because of the dramatic and increased growth of local usage of the northern portion of I-95 and the lack of adequate space to expand highway capacity in the I-95 highway corridor, I-495 was conceived and built primarily with the intention of handling interstate through traffic and diverting such through traffic from I-95 and encouraging through traffic seeking points further north and south around the city of Wilmington and around Brandywine Hundred; and

WHEREAS, although the construction of I-495 is now complete and this expansive six lane limited access interstate highway open, significant amounts of through interstate traffic which should be using I-495 as the primary route through Delaware still use the limited size northern portion of I-95 to reach points north and south of Delaware; and

WHEREAS, despite the best efforts of the Delaware Department of Transportation to direct north and southbound through interstate traffic on to I-495, through the use of directional signage, speed limit increases, variable message boards and other methods, significant and increasing amounts of interstate through traffic which have no intention of stopping in Delaware or using services or businesses available in Wilmington or Brandywine Hundred area continues to use and travel on the northern portion of I-95; and

WHEREAS, this interstate traffic uses I-95 because interstate travelers have learned and understand that traditionally the most direct route to any destination using the northeast interstate highway corridor is to remain on I-95 and to ignore other intersecting, connecting or merging interstate routes because such interstate routes were primarily designated to create long, looping and out-of-the-way beltways around cities and urban areas and are frequently the less direct means of travelling north or south on the interstate highway system; and

WHEREAS, because I-495, conceived, developed and built to be the primary interstate through traffic highway route through northern Delaware, is not such a looping beltway, but instead is the route that provides the fastest, most direct, less congested, most expansive and the more driver friendly route for interstate traffic going north or southbound through Delaware on the interstate system, it is desirable to encourage this traffic to use the larger and higher capacity I-495 highway corridor; and

WHEREAS, through interstate traffic that is now using I-95 instead of the preferred I-495 is causing needless traffic delays and congestion to the detriment of the residents of Delaware, and such traffic is creating degradation on I-95 and its interchanges, creating unnecessary noise disturbances to the residents along the I-95 corridor and accelerating the deterioration of I-95 and shortening its life span; and

WHEREAS, the renaming of I-95 to I-195 and I-495 to I-95 will reverse the interstate traveling public’s understanding of the most direct route through Delaware, will relieve Delaware’s residents and businesses of the unnecessary and burdensome traffic problems associated with interstate travelers who have no need for stopping in Delaware or to use the services provided here and will cause no confusion to the hundreds of thousands of daily travelers using the interstate highway corridors in Delaware; and

WHEREAS, the Delaware Department of Transportation is about to embark on a multi-year process to refurbish, reconstruct and repair the northern portion of I-95 from the Pennsylvania boarder through the city of Wilmington, and that reconstruction project presents a perfect opportunity for the renaming of I-95 to I-195 and I-495 to I-95 to assist in the rerouting of through interstate traffic that should not otherwise be using I-95 and reducing congestion on I-95 during the reconstruction project and beyond; and

WHEREAS, to physically effect this change the Department of Transportation needs only to change and install signs and implement certain limited highway, roadside and interchange improvements on I-495.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the 140^th General Assembly of the State of Delaware calls on The Honorable Governor Thomas Carper and Anne Canby, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation, to take immediately the appropriate steps to begin the process of applying to the appropriate officials in our federal government to approve the renaming of I-95 to I-195 and renaming I-495 to I-95 and thereafter to effect the name change as promptly as possible.

This Resolution calls on the Governor and the Secretary of the Department of Transportation to take immediate steps to begin the process to re-designate Interstate Highway 95 (I-95) in Delaware as I -195 and to re-designate I-495 as I-95 in order to encourage through traffic to utilize the current I-495 with its greater vehicular capacity and thereby improve traffic conditions in the northern sections of the State.