Delaware Route 273

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DE Route 273
Length:	13 mi (21 km)
Formed:	N/A
West end:	MD 273 near Fair Hill, Maryland
Major junctions:	DE 2 in Newark (several locations) DE 4 near Ogletown I-95/DE Tpk near Christiana DE 7 near Christiana DE 1 near Christiana US 13/US 40 at New Castle County Airport DE 141 in New Castle
East end:	DE 9 in New Castle
Routes in Delaware < DE 261 DE 286 >

Delaware Route 273 is a Delaware state highway that is a continuation of the road with the same number in Maryland (see: Maryland Route 273). MD 273 has its western terminus at U.S. Route 1 near Rising Sun, Maryland, and runs east-west near the state's northern border. Approximately two miles east of the Delaware-Maryland line, Route 273 splits into Main Street (westbound) and Delaware Avenue (eastbound) in downtown Newark as it passes through the campus of the University of Delaware. The road becomes a divided highway with a speed limit of 50 mph from just east of the Newark city limits past the hamlets of Ogletown, Christiana, and Pleasantville, as well as the New Castle County Airport.

During this stretch, Route 273 is served by interchanges with Interstate 95 and Delaware Route 1, a tolled highway that goes south to Dover (explaining why I-95 exit 3A, Route 273 East, is labeled as a route to Dover). After crossing Dupont Parkway (U.S. Routes 13 and 40), Route 273 turns into two-lane Delaware Street in the town of New Castle, Delaware's colonial capital. Route 273's eastern terminus is at Sixth Street (Delaware Route 9), roughly a quarter mile away from the banks of the Delaware River. Delaware Route 273 is approximately thirteen miles long and is an essential east-west road in New Castle County, typically experiencing great congestion during afternoon rush hours.