Delaware Route 896 - History

History

What is now DE 896 originally existed as a county road by 1920, with the portion between Boyds Corner and Mt. Pleasant proposed as a state highway at that time. By 1924, the state highway between Boyds Corner and Mt. Pleasant was completed while the rest of the route was paved. A year later, the road was upgraded to a state highway between Mt. Pleasant and Summit Bridge. By 1936, the road became a state highway between Summit Bridge and Glasgow; at this time none of present-day DE 896 was assigned a route number. DE 896 was designated by 1938 to run from DE 71 in Summit Bridge north to the Maryland border northwest of Newark, passing through Newark on College Avenue and New London Road. At the state line, the road briefly became MD 278 before becoming PA 896 in Pennsylvania. MD 278 became MD 896 in 1942 to match DE 896 and PA 896. At the time of designation, DE 896 between Glasgow and Newark was under construction, this segment was completed a year later.

DE 896 was extended south to US 13 south of Townsend by 1957, following DE 71 between Summit Bridge and Middletown and replacing DE 71 between Middletown and US 13. By 1959, US 301S was designated along DE 71/DE 896 between Summit Bridge and Middletown. The route was realigned to a new Summit Bridge a short distance to the west in 1960, with a part of the former DE 896 north of the bridge becoming a part of a realigned US 301S/DE 71. The US 301S designation along DE 71/DE 896 between Middletown and Summit Bridge became US 301 by 1971, with US 301N being designated along DE 896 between Summit Bridge and US 40 in Glasgow.

By 1984, DE 896 was realigned to run from Mt. Pleasant to US 13 in Boyds Corner along its current alignment. The former alignment south of Middletown became unnumbered at the time but would become part of DE 71 again by 1990. The same year, the Christina Parkway around the southern edge of Newark was completed. A year later, US 301N was rerouted to follow DE 896 between Mt. Pleasant and Boyds Corner, with US 301N being removed from the route between Summit Bridge and Glasgow and US 301S being extended along the route between Mt. Pleasant and Summit Bridge. By 1987, US 301S was removed from DE 71/DE 896 and the US 301N designation became US 301. A year later, DE 896 was routed to bypass the University of Delaware campus by heading west along the Christiana Parkway with DE 4 and then northeast on DE 2 before continuing along New London Road. By 1990, DE 2 was routed to follow DE 4 and DE 896 on the Christiana Parkway and DE 2 Bus. was designated along with DE 896 on Elkton Road. By 1994, US 301 was realigned to follow DE 896 between Mt. Pleasant and Glasgow. By 1996, DE 896 was rerouted to bypass Glasgow to the east, with the former alignment becoming DE 896 Business.