Delaware Route 8

Delaware Route 8
Route information
Maintained by DelDOT
Length:	17.15 mi (27.60 km)
Existed:	1936 – present
Tourist routes:	Delaware's Bayshore Byway
Major junctions
West end:	MD 454 in Marydel
	DE 44 in Pearsons Corner DE 15 in Dover US 13 Alt. in Dover US 13 in Dover DE 1 east of Dover
East end:	DE 9 north of Little Creek
Location
Counties:	Kent
Highway system
Delaware State Route System List Byways ← DE 7 US 9 →

Delaware Route 8 (DE 8) is a state highway located in Kent County in the U.S. state of Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 454 (MD 454) at the Maryland border in Marydel east to an intersection with DE 9 north of Little Creek. The route passes through rural areas of western Kent County before heading through Delaware's capital, Dover, on Forrest Avenue and Division Street. East of Dover, the road passes through more rural areas. DE 8 intersects DE 44 in Pearsons Corner, DE 15, U.S. Route 13 Alternate (US 13 Alt.), US 13 in Dover, and DE 1 at a partial interchange east of Dover. The road was built as a state highway west of Dover by 1924 and east of Dover by 1931. The DE 8 designation was given to the road by 1936.

Route description

DE 8 begins at the Maryland border in Marydel, where the road continues into Marydel, Maryland as MD 454. From the state line, the route heads southeast on two-lane undivided Halltown Road, passing a few homes and businesses. The road leaves Marydel and curves northeast through a mix of farmland and woodland with some homes. In Pearsons Corner, DE 8 intersects the eastern terminus of DE 44, where the name changes to Forrest Avenue and it turns to the east. This area of Kent County is home to many Amish families and businesses.

Westbound DE 8 (Forrest Avenue) in the western part of Dover

DE 8 crosses into Dover, where it widens from a two-lane country road to a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane. The road runs past homes and businesses in the western part of Dover, intersecting DE 15. The name changes to Forest Street and the route continues east onto Division Street at the point Forest Street splits to the southeast, narrowing to a two-lane road. DE 8 crosses Norfolk Southern's Delmarva Secondary railroad line and continues past a mix of homes and businesses to the north of downtown Dover. The road crosses US 13 Alt. and passes to the south of Wesley College before intersecting State Street. The road crosses the St. Jones River and heads between industrial areas to the north and residential neighborhoods to the south.

DE 8 intersects US 13 in a commercial area and the name changes to North Little Creek Road as it continues through the residential eastern part of Dover. The route heads through less dense areas of homes with some farmland and at the eastern edge of the city, it features a partial interchange with the DE 1 freeway, providing access to and from the north. After this interchange, the road leaves Dover and continues east through open agricultural areas. DE 8 reaches its eastern terminus at an intersection with DE 9 just north of the town of Little Creek.

The section of the route between DE 1 east of Dover and DE 9 north of Little Creek is designated as a spur of the Delaware's Bayshore Byway, a Delaware Byway. DE 8 has an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 19,408 vehicles at the intersection with Forest Street to a low of 894 vehicles at the Little Creek border near the eastern terminus. The portion of DE 8 between DE 44 and DE 15 is part of the National Highway System.

History

By 1920, what is now DE 8 existed as an unimproved county road. The route was completed as a state highway between the Maryland border in Marydel and Dover by 1924. By 1925, the road was proposed as a state highway between Dover and Little Creek. This state highway was completed by 1931. DE 8 was assigned to its current alignment between the Maryland border in Marydel and DE 9 north of Little Creek by 1936.

On September 5, 2002, a partial interchange opened at the DE 1 toll road in Dover, utilizing existing emergency vehicle ramps. This interchange was included in the initial plans for the highway but was dropped due to low traffic volumes. As part of building the interchange, DelDOT purchased development rights to adjacent land parcels in order to prevent additional development in the area of the interchange. In 2012, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance pushed for the city of Dover to rename the Division Street portion of DE 8 to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. However, local merchants opposed the renaming. The Dover city council instead voted to rename Court Street, Duke of York Street, and William Penn Street near Delaware Legislative Hall to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Kent County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Marydel	0.00	0.00	MD 454 north (Crown Stone Road) – Marydel, Bay Bridge	Maryland state line, western terminus
Pearsons Corner	6.33	10.19	DE 44 west (Hartly Road) – Hartly
Dover	11.99	19.30	DE 15 (Saulsbury Road) – Cheswold
	12.80	20.60	US 13 Alt. (Governors Avenue)
	13.53	21.77	US 13 (Dupont Highway) – Smyrna, Dover Air Force Base
			DE 1 north – Wilmington	DE 1 exit 98
Little Creek	17.15	27.60	DE 9 (Bayside Drive) – Leipsic, Port Mahon, Little Creek	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

See also

• U.S. Roads portal
• Delaware portal