The Delaware Turnpike , along with the connecting Northeast Expressway in Maryland , was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy , Delaware Governor Elbert N. Carvel , and Maryland Governor J. Millard Tawes in a ceremony at the state line on November 14 , 1963 , in which a ribbon-cutting took place and a replica Mason-Dixon line crownstone was unveiled . The Delaware Turnpike was opened to traffic at midnight on November 15 , 1963 . The first motorist to pay a toll on the turnpike was Omero C. Catan , also known as " Mr. First " , of Teaneck , New Jersey , who marked this occasion as the 517th first moment he achieved . The completion of the Delaware Turnpike allowed motorists to travel from Washington , D.C. to Boston without having to stop at a traffic light . Construction of the Delaware Turnpike cost $ 30 million . Following the opening of the turnpike , traffic levels on US 40 and US 301 fell by 40 to 50 percent . The rerouting of traffic to the Delaware Turnpike led to the reduction in profits for businesses along US 13 and US 40 , with several businesses forced to close . Meanwhile , the Delaware Turnpike saw more traffic volume than originally projected . Eight days after dedicating the toll road , President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas . As a result , both the Delaware Turnpike and the Northeast Expressway were renamed the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway in his honor in December 1963 . On the one year anniversary of the dedication of the Delaware Turnpike on November 14 , 1964 , a memorial service and wreath laying in honor of Kennedy was held at the state line , with Governor Carvel in attendance
assassinated
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Interstate 95 in Delaware