text: delaware route 8 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 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 . de 8 crosses into dover , where it passes to the north of dover high school before 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 to lead to street and downtown dover , 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 area . 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 .