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Fourth of July traffic in 1996

July 2, 2024

One thing all Cape Region residents have become accustomed to is traffic. With the continued growth of eastern Sussex County comes more traffic. And while the Delaware Department of Transportation is trying to catch up with many major road projects in progress or in the pipeline, there is only so much space to accommodate hundreds and thousands of cars, particularly in the summer.

This photograph from the Cape Gazette archives shows what the 1996 Fourth of July traffic looked like along Route 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth. The image is looking north just south of the Route 1 intersection with Munchy Branch Road and Miller Road. The clump of trees on the left is where Shell We Golf and the Sea Shell Shop are today.

The crossover for emergency vehicles in the median still remains today, as it is across from the entrance to Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company Station 2. 

  • Delaware Cape Region History in Photographs, published every Tuesday in the Cape Gazette, features historical photos from Delaware's Cape Region - particularly - and from throughout Sussex County and Delaware generally.

    Readers are invited to submit photos of historic interest. They can be mailed to the Cape Gazette at PO Box 213, Lewes, DE 19958, or via email to newsroom@capegazette.com.

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