Any DE state route number that does not fit the grid (aligned the same as the US Highway system: odds N-S with 1 to the east, evens E-W with 2 to the north) borrows its number from another state; 273 is from Maryland, and fits with the other MD 27x routes in the northeast corner of the state.


DE 273/former Business DE 2 westbound at the former 896, S. College Ave. DE 896 now uses part of the Newark bypass that was built as part of DE 2 - DE 2 was recently truncated east of Newark, so now the bypass is just 896 and DE 4 - west to original DE 2 and former Business 2, then north to the intersection of the roads on this sign. No part of old 896 is now signed, but this sign certainly dates from when it was.


Two different problems here, on S. College Ave. NB (old 896, remember?). In the first two photos, Business DE 2 is being signed as regular DE 2, and then in the last photo, DE 896 is signed as if it's coming off of College Ave. (to dispel that rumor, the 2 and 273 shields should also be here). Actually, both directions of 896 can be reached to the left, although DE 896 South can also be reached via U-turn. Ahead, and behind, and around, is the University of Delaware. If these shields are still here, there would be a third problem in that this is no longer Business 2.


Now I'm on DE 273 EB at College Ave., which is no longer Business DE 2.


WB at a bank driveway in downtown Newark. There's a more common sign for this.


Old signs on Academy St. NB at Delaware Ave. (DE 273 EB) and Main St. (DE 273 WB) in Newark. Click on the shields for a closeup of the 273s, which somehow predate the 2s although the latter are no longer relevant.


East by twilight to a U-turn jughandle at Ruthar Dr. Proving that only NJ does jughandles correctly, there is also a left turn lane here. The "truck" banner is unwieldy and unnecessary, since there are no U-turns from the left turn lane.


The east stub end of Ogletown Rd., former DE 273, at DE 4.


Back west from there on Ogletown Rd. across Cool Run and under the Northeast Corridor.


NJ 273 EB... no. And the TOLL should be yellow, but given my exacting standards, I can't find much else to conclusively fault (I find a lot to sort of point at, though, like the non-centered arrows). Oh, and the corners on the signs are rounded differently, and the spacing of the letters in the directions is different...

7!
Eastbound. Why isn't DE 7 signed to also go north of here, and why is there no US 13 shield?


Eastbound; the holes are for the wind (and the caption is recycled). US 40 should have been represented in the junction signage, and should be an old shield to match the 13 because I say so.


Continuing east toward Traders Lane.

Onto current DE 896

Onto DE 2
Onto I-95
Onto DE 7
Onto US 13
Onto US 40
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