Known for most of its length as Joseph Biggs Memorial Highway, the state highway runs 7.35 miles (11.83 km) from MD 273 in Rising Sun east to MD 272 in Bay View.

The highway follows two-lane undivided Queen Street south to the town limit, where the route intersects the Octoraro Rail Trail.

The highway passes south of the Chesapeake Bay Golf Club at Rising Sun and then intersects Old Farmington Road and Old Bayview Road in Bay View.

[1][3] A section of present-day MD 274 was constructed as a macadam road by Cecil County with state aid from Farmington north to Pierce Road south of Rising Sun by 1910.

[10] MD 274 was reconstructed from Post Road through Farmington to the town limit of Rising Sun between 1978 and 1980.

[11] Queen Street in Rising Sun was maintained by the town until the town's section of the state highway was transferred to state maintenance in a January 5, 1979, road transfer agreement.