 On June 28, 1978, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved rerouting I-95 along the I-495 alignment. However, AASHTO disapproved renumbering the alignment of I-95 through Wilmington as I-595. On October 27 of that year, AASHTO gave conditional approval for I-95 through Wilmington to be designated as I-195 from I-95 near Newport north to US 202 while the route from US 202 to I-95 in Claymont would become I-395. I-895 was designated along the conditionally approved route of I-195 and I-395 on June 25, 1979. In 1980, the South Wilmington Viaduct along I-895 was reconstructed. On November 14, 1980, I-95 and I-495 were returned to their original alignments, with I-895 decommissioned. In 1988, an interchange was built at US 13 and DE 3 in Edgemoor. This interchange was numbered as exit 4, which resulted in the US 13 interchange in Claymont being renumbered from exit 4 to exit 5. In February 1988, a tanker drove off the Christina River bridge and exploded, with the truck driver killed. The accident forced the closure of I-495 in order to repair the heat damage to the bridge structure. In 2000, through traffic from I-95 was detoured onto I-495 while I-95 was rebuilt between Wilmington and the Pennsylvania border.
