page_title: Delaware Route 2
section_title: Delaware Route 2 Business
hierarchical_section_title: Delaware Route 2 / Delaware Route 2 Business
caption_attribution_description: Westbound Delaware Route 2 Business/Delaware Route 273 (Main Street) approaching the intersection with College Avenue in Newark
context_page_description: Delaware Route 2 is a 10.81-mile-long east–west highway located in northern New Castle County, Delaware. It runs from DE 72 and DE 273 on the eastern edge of Newark east to DE 52 in Wilmington. DE 2 is known variously as Capitol Trail, Kirkwood Highway, and Lincoln and Union streets along its route. Between Newark and Wilmington, the route is a four- to six-lane divided highway that passes through suburban areas. In Wilmington, DE 2 is routed along a one-way pair of city streets.
  What would become DE 2 was paved by 1924 and became a state highway in 1927, receiving the DE 2 designation by 1936. At this time, the western terminus of the road was at the Maryland border southwest of Newark, where it continued into that state as Maryland Route 279. The road was progressively widened into a divided highway from Wilmington to Newark between 1940 and 1964, bypassing some portions of the road which are now known as Old Capitol Trail. DE 2 was routed to bypass Newark by 1990, with DE 2 Business designated on the former route through Newark. In 2013, the western terminus of DE 2 was truncated to its current location and DE 2 Bus. was decommissioned.
context_section_description: Delaware Route 2 Business (DE 2 Bus.) was a 2.91-mile (4.68 km) long business route of DE 2 that ran through the city of Newark. DE 2 Bus. continued northeast from an intersection with DE 2/DE 4/DE 896 southwest of downtown Newark along four-lane divided Elkton Road, concurrent with DE 896. From this point, DE 2 Bus./DE 896 crossed the Christina River and headed into residential areas. The road changed names to South Main Street and became undivided as it passed businesses before reaching downtown Newark. Here, DE 2 Bus./DE 896 intersected DE 273, with the road splitting into a one-way pair. Eastbound DE 2 Bus./northbound DE 896 ran concurrent with eastbound DE 273 on West Delaware Avenue, heading to the east, while westbound DE 2 Bus./southbound DE 896 remained along South Main Street, also concurrent with eastbound DE 273. The one-way pair carried two lanes in each direction. Westbound DE 2 Bus. entered South Main Street from West Main Street, which also carried the westbound direction of DE 273 and the northbound direction of DE 896. At the intersection with South College Avenue, the concurrency in both directions with northbound DE 896 ended. DE 2 Bus./DE 273 passed through the University of Delaware campus and continued through the commercial downtown as East Delaware Avenue eastbound and East Main Street westbound. Farther east,  the one-way pair crossed the Pomeroy and Newark Rail Trail and passed the Newark Transit Hub serving DART First State buses, which is located between East Main Street and East Delaware Avenue. East Delaware Avenue shifted farther to the south of East Main Street, with the one-way streets passing between a residential neighborhood and East Delaware Avenue passing to the north of Newark High School. Past here, the route came to an intersection with DE 2/DE 72. At this point, DE 2 Bus. ended and eastbound DE 273 headed north with DE 2/DE 72 to rejoin westbound DE 273.
  The business route was created by 1990 when DE 2 was routed to bypass Newark. In 2012, the Newark city council voted in favor of renaming the portion of Elkton Road carrying DE 2 Bus./DE 896 between West Park Place and West Main Street to South Main Street in order to promote businesses along this stretch of road. The change went into effect January 1, 2013. DE 2 Bus. was decommissioned in 2013 as part of changes that also truncated the western terminus of DE 2 to the intersection with DE 72 and DE 273 in the eastern part of Newark.
  Major intersections
  
  The entire route was in Newark, New Castle County.
caption: Westbound DE 2 Bus./DE 273 along Main Street in Newark approaching College Avenue in 2013, a short time before DE 2 Bus. was decommissioned
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