DE 279 begins at the Maryland state line southwest of the city of Newark.

The road continues southwest into that state as MD 279, which heads toward the town of Elkton.

From the state line, the route heads northeast on Elkton Road, a four-lane divided highway.

[3][4] The route passes through flat to gently rolling terrain at an elevation of about 100 feet (30 m).

[14] When Delaware designated its state highways by 1936, the current alignment of DE 279 was designated as the westernmost part of DE 2, which ran from the Maryland state line through Newark and continued east to Wilmington.

[15] The portion of DE 2 along Elkton Road between the Maryland state line and Newark was widened into a divided highway in 1972.