Delaware Route 16 (DE 16) is an east-west state highway in Delaware, mainly across northern Sussex County, with a small portion near the Maryland border in extreme southwestern Kent County. It runs from Maryland Route 16 (MD 16) at the Maryland border in Hickman east to the Delaware Bay at Broadkill Beach. The route passes through rural areas along with the towns of Greenwood, Ellendale, and Milton. DE 16 intersects DE 36 and U.S. Route 13 (US 13) in Greenwood, US 113 in Ellendale, DE 30 and DE 5 in the Milton area, and DE 1 between Milton and Broadkill Beach. West of DE 1, the route serves as part of a connection between the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area and the Delaware Beaches. DE 16 was built as a state highway during the 1920s and 1930s. By 1936, the route was designated onto its current alignment. Route description DE 16 begins at the Maryland border in the community of Hickman in Kent County, where the road continues west into that state as MD 16. From the state line, the route heads east on two-lane undivided Hickman Road, passing through a mix of farmland and woodland with some homes. The road crosses Marshyhope Creek in the community of Adamsville and enters Sussex County, curving to the southeast. DE 16 comes to an intersection with DE 36, at which point it turns east to form a concurrency with that route. The road enters the town of Greenwood and becomes Market Street, passing several homes along with a few businesses. The highway crosses the Delmarva Central Railroad's Delmarva Subdivision line at-grade before it intersects US 13 on the eastern edge of Greenwood. Past this intersection, DE 16/DE 36 leaves Greenwood and becomes Beach Highway, crossing the Nanticoke River. In Saint Johnstown, the road becomes a divided highway and DE 36 splits from DE 16 by heading to the northeast on Shawnee Road. DE 16 soon becomes undivided again and continues east through agricultural areas and woods with some residences, crossing Toms Dam Branch and running through the community of Owens. Farther east, the road passes through the community of Oakley and crosses West Branch Gum Branch and then Gum Branch. The route comes to an intersection with US 113 near a few businesses, where it is briefly a divided highway. Past this intersection, the name changes to Milton Ellendale Highway and the two-lane undivided