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Trip from Middletown, DE to Highland Acres, DE

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

39m

Distance

29.1 mi

47 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 37m ★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 38m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States

Middletown, DE

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Highland Acres, DE, DE

Highland Acres, DE

Ylanite Koppens

Trip Overview

Middletown to Highland Acres is 29.1 miles and takes about 39 minutes via Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, Summit Bridge Road, and South Dupont Parkway, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within Delaware, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. It's a relatively short trip, making it ideal for a quick excursion or an easy commute. Expect a local feel for much of the journey, with a moderate amount of highway driving mixed in. Consider this route if you're looking for a straightforward drive with minimal time commitment.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 39m. Total distance: 29.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

39m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

This route is characterized as 'turn-heavy local drive,' suggesting a need for attention and a dynamic driving experience. With only 15% of the drive on highways, you'll spend most of your time on local roads. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 14.6 miles on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, offering a brief period of more consistent travel before transitioning back to more varied road conditions. Be prepared for frequent turns and changes in speed as you navigate through various local segments.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 14.6 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near DE 71 / South Broad Street.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 29.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (DE 71 / South Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 10.3 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 22.3 miles (DE 1 Toll / Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 10 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

4
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | DE 71 / South Broad Street

Turn left onto DE 71 / South Broad Street

Navigation decision point

6
10.3 mi into trip | ~15m in

Turn left toward DE 1 Toll South: Dover, Beaches

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward DE 1 Toll South: Dover, Beaches
4
22.3 mi into trip | ~29m in | DE 1 Toll / Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway

Keep slight left at fork onto DE 1 Toll / Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

7
25.2 mi into trip | ~33m in | Puncheon Run Connector

Keep slight right at fork onto Puncheon Run Connector toward Salisbury, Norfolk

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 97 Toward Salisbury, Norfolk
4
27.5 mi into trip | ~36m in

Take the exit

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Middletown, DE and Highland Acres, DE, road signs point toward Beaches, Salisbury and Norfolk.

Beaches

10.3 mi in | ~15m

Salisbury

25.2 mi in | ~33m | via Puncheon Run Connector

Norfolk

25.2 mi in | ~33m | via Puncheon Run Connector

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway 14.6 mi 16m
Summit Bridge Road 4.9 mi 7m
South Dupont Parkway 4.5 mi 6m
Puncheon Run Connector 2 mi 2m
South State Street 1 mi 1m
South Broad Street 0.9 mi 1m
North Old Mill Road 0.4 mi 1m
South Dupont Highway 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway — 14.6 mi, about 16m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Middletown, DE and Highland Acres, DE.

1

Start on DE 299

99 ft · 11 sec · East Main Street
2

Turn left onto DE 71

0.9 mi · 1 min · South Broad Street
3

Continue on DE 71

4.7 mi · 7 min · Summit Bridge Road
4

Take the ramp onto DE 71

0.1 mi · 20 sec · Summit Bridge Road
5

Merge onto US 13

4.5 mi · 6 min · South Dupont Parkway
6

Turn left

0.4 mi · 45 sec
Toward DE 1 Toll South: Dover, Beaches
7

Merge onto DE 1 Toll

12 mi · 13 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
8

Keep slight left at fork onto DE 1 Toll

3.0 mi · 3 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
9

Keep slight right at fork onto Puncheon Run Connector

2.0 mi · 2 min · Puncheon Run Connector
Exit 97 Toward Salisbury, Norfolk
10

Turn sharp right onto US 13

0.2 mi · 19 sec · South Dupont Highway
11

Take the exit

464 ft · 13 sec
12

Turn slight right onto South State Street

1.0 mi · 1 min · South State Street
13

Turn right onto North Old Mill Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · North Old Mill Road
14

Turn right onto Candlewicke Drive

478 ft · 20 sec · Candlewicke Drive
15

Arrive at destination

Candlewicke Drive

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.82 one way

$9.65 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $5.28 $10.57
premium $4.93 $5.64 $11.29
diesel $5.61 $6.42 $12.85

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.7 0 $3.06 $1.40
Efficient EV 7.3 0 $2.55 $1.16
EV Truck/SUV 11.6 0 $4.07 $1.86

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Middletown, DE

Late night in Middletown on Saturday

Local time

1:33 AM

EDT

Current temp

59°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Highland Acres, DE

Late night in Highland Acres on Saturday

Local time

1:33 AM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

4 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

39m on the road

Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Middletown, DE to Highland Acres, DE covers 29.1 miles and takes about 39m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, Summit Bridge Road, South Dupont Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 14.5 miles from Middletown, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.82 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 29.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.

The main spots that need attention: near the start (DE 71 / South Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 10.3 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 22.3 miles (DE 1 Toll / Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Between Middletown, DE and Highland Acres, DE, road signs point toward Beaches, Salisbury and Norfolk.

How this page is built

Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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