Subchapter V. Controlled-Access Highways
TITLE 17
Highways
CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Subchapter V. Controlled-Access Highways
§ 171. Declaration of policy.
The General Assembly finds, determines and declares that this subchapter is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety and for the promotion of the general welfare.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 171; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1.;
§ 172. Definition of a controlled-access facility.
For the purposes of this subchapter, a controlled-access facility is defined as a highway or street especially designed for through traffic, and over, from or to which owners or occupants of abutting land or other persons have no right or easement or only a controlled right or easement of access, light, air or view by reason of the fact that their property abuts upon such controlled-access facility or for any other reason. Such highways or streets may be freeways open to use by all customary forms of street and highway traffic, or they may be parkways from which trucks, buses and other commercial vehicles shall be excluded.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 172; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1.;
§ 173. Authority to establish controlled-access facilities.
The Department, acting alone or in cooperation with any other governmental agency or political subdivision of this State or with any federal, state or local agency of any other state having authority to participate in the construction and maintenance of highways, may plan, designate, establish, regulate, vacate, alter, improve, maintain and provide controlled-access facilities for public use wherever the Department is of the opinion that traffic conditions, present or future, will justify such special facilities, provided that within cities and towns such authority shall be subject to such municipal consent as may be provided by law. The Department, in addition to the specific powers granted in this subchapter, shall also have and may exercise, relative to controlled-access facilities, any and all additional authority now or after June 22, 1956, vested in it relative to highways or streets within its jurisdiction. The Department may regulate, restrict or prohibit the use of such controlled-access facilities by the various classes of vehicles or traffic in a manner consistent with § 172 of this title.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 173; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1.;
§ 174. Design of controlled-access facility.
The Department may so design any controlled-access facility and so regulate, restrict or prohibit access as to best serve the traffic for which such facility is intended. In this connection the Department may divide and separate any controlled-access facility into separate roadways by the construction of raised curbings, central dividing sections or other physical separations or by designating such separate roadways by signs, markers, stripes and the proper lane for such traffic by appropriate signs, markers, stripes and other devices. No person shall have any right of ingress or egress to, from or across controlled-access facilities to or from abutting lands, except at such designated points at which access may be permitted, upon such terms and conditions as may be specified from time to time.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 174; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1.;
§ 175. Acquisition of property and property rights.
For the purpose of this subchapter, the Department may acquire private or public property and property rights for controlled-access facilities and service roads, including rights of access, air, view and light, by gift, devise, purchase or condemnation in the same manner as such units are now or may, after June 22, 1956, be authorized by law to acquire such property or property rights in connection with highways and streets within its jurisdiction. All property rights acquired under this subchapter shall be in fee simple. In connection with the acquisition of property or property rights for any controlled-access facility or portion thereof or service road in connection therewith, the Department may, in its discretion, acquire an entire lot, block or tract of land, if, by so doing, the interest of the public will be best served, even though said entire lot, block or tract is not immediately needed for the right-of-way proper.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 175; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1.;
§ 176. New and existing facilities; grade-crossing eliminations.
The Department may designate and establish controlled-access highways as new and additional facilities or may designate and establish an existing street or highway as included within a controlled-access facility. The State or any of its subdivisions shall have authority to provide for the elimination of intersections at grade of controlled-access facilities with existing state and county roads and city or town streets by grade separation or service road or by closing off such roads and streets at the right-of-way boundary line of such controlled-access facility; and after the establishment of any controlled-access facility, no highway or street which is not part of said facility shall intersect the same at grade, except as a temporary expedient, for which a separate resolution for each individual location shall be approved by a duly executed resolution of the Department. No city or town street, county or state highway, or other public way shall be opened into or connected with any such controlled-access facility without the consent and previous approval of the agency having jurisdiction over such controlled-access facility. Such consent and approval shall be given only if the public interest shall be served thereby.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 176; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1.;
§ 177. Authority of local units to consent.
The Department may enter into agreements with other states, counties, towns or with the federal government respecting financing, planning, establishment, improvement, maintenance, use, regulation or vacation of controlled-access facilities or other public ways in its jurisdiction to facilitate the purposes of this subchapter.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 177; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1.;
§ 178. Local service roads.
In connection with the development of any controlled-access facility, the Department may plan, designate, establish, use, regulate, alter, improve, maintain and vacate local service roads and streets or may designate as local service roads and streets any existing road or street and may exercise jurisdiction over service roads in the same manner as is authorized over controlled-access facilities under the terms of this subchapter, if, in their opinion, such local service roads and streets are necessary or desirable. Such local service roads or streets shall be of appropriate design, and shall be separated from the controlled-access facility proper by means of all devices designated as necessary or desirable by the proper authority.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 178; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1.;
§ 179. Restrictions on use of controlled-access facilities.
The Department may prohibit the use of specific classes of motor-driven vehicles or of other vehicles on controlled-access highways either all the time or during such times as necessary for safety. Notice of such prohibition shall be posted on traffic-control devices at the entrance to the controlled-access facilities.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 179; 50 Del. Laws, c. 603, § 1; 60 Del. Laws, c. 701, § 4.;
§ 180. Certain commercial establishment prohibited.
No automotive service station or other commercial establishment for serving motor vehicle users, except telephone facilities, shall be constructed or located within the right-of-way of, or on publicly owned or publicly leased land acquired or used for, or in connection with a controlled-access facility.
17 Del. C. 1953, § 181; 52 Del. Laws, c. 38.;