Maryland Route 363

Maryland Route 363
Maryland Route 363 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length:	18.30 mi (29.45 km)
Existed:	1927 – present
Tourist routes:	Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway
Major junctions
West end:	Dead end on Deal Island
	MD 627 near Oriole US 13 in Princess Anne
East end:	Mansion Avenue in Princess Anne
Location
Counties:	Somerset
Highway system
Maryland highway system Interstate US State Scenic Byways ← MD 362 MD 364 →

MD 627 near Oriole

Maryland Route 363 (MD 363) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for almost all of its length as Deal Island Road, the state highway runs 18.30 miles (29.45 km) from a dead end on Deal Island east to Mansion Avenue in Princess Anne. MD 363 connects Princess Anne and U.S. Route 13 (US 13) with the communities of Deal Island, Chance, and Dames Quarter on Tangier Sound in northwestern Somerset County. The state highway was constructed starting from Princess Anne around 1920, and reached Chance in the early 1930s. It was extended to Deal Island when a modern bridge to the island was constructed in 1940. MD 363 was extended to its present terminus on the island in the late 1950s.

MD 363 begins at a dead end in the community of Wenona at the southern end of Deal Island. The state highway heads north, sharply curving before crossing Middle Creek. The road runs through another series of sharp curves through marshland before straightening out and passing St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church and the old post office building, two examples of buildings on the island preserved as part of the Deal Island Historic District. The route passes a boat ramp accessed from Ralph Abbott Road before a high-level bridge carries it over Upper Thorofare, a strait between Laws Cove and Tangier Sound. On the north side of the bridge, MD 363 intersects MD 363A, the northern approach to the previous bridge to Deal Island, before passing through the community of Chance, the site of Rock Creek Methodist Episcopal Church. After passing Haines Point Road, which leads to a large public boat ramp, the state highway continues northeast across the two branches of Rock Creek and through more marshland before entering Dames Quarter. MD 363 traverses Dames Quarter Creek and passes through Deal Island Wildlife Management Area.