Delaware Route 2 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by DelDOT | ||||
Length: | 10.94 mi (17.61 km) | |||
Existed: | 1936 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end: | DE 72 / DE 273 near Newark | |||
DE 7 in Marshallton DE 41 / DE 62 in Prices Corner DE 141 in Prices Corner DE 100 in Elsmere DE 48 in Wilmington DE 9 in Wilmington |
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East end: | DE 52 in Wilmington | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | New Castle | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Delaware Route 2 Business |
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Location: | Newark |
Length: | 2.91 mi (4.68 km) |
Existed: | 1990–2013 |
Delaware Route 2 (DE 2) is a 10.94-mile-long (17.61 km) east–west highway located in northern New Castle County, Delaware. It runs from DE 72 and DE 273 east of Newark east to DE 52 in Wilmington. DE 2 is known variously as Capitol Trail, Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington Avenue, 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 (MD 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 (DE 2 Bus.) 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. The westernmost portion of the route was designated as DE 279.
DE 2 begins at an intersection with DE 72 and DE 273 in the eastern part of Newark. From here, DE 2 heads north concurrent with DE 72 on Capitol Trail, a four-lane divided highway. The road turns northeast and passes under CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision railroad line before it leaves Newark and continues northeast through residential areas, briefly becoming undivided as it crosses White Clay Creek.