As early as 1933, two years before US 13 had been completed as a four-lane divided highway from Dover to Wilmington, Delawareans petitioned DSHD to extend the divided highway south to the Maryland state line at Selbyville or Delmar (US 13), a proposition DSHD acknowledged but deferred due to lack of funding, lack of proper planning, and higher priorities elsewhere in the state. Instead of adding divided highway in southern Delaware, DSHD needed to resolve the problem of the deterioration of 15- to 25-year-old concrete roads, such as those along the DuPont Highway. The department planned to address the issue by patching the concrete surface as needed, adding concrete shoulders, and applying a layer of bituminous concrete, more commonly known as asphalt concrete or blacktop, over the entire width of concrete to provide a wearing surface.