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Delaware Route 52

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Delaware Route 52 marker

Delaware Route 52
290x172px
Route information
Maintained by DelDOT
Length: 7.87 mi[1] (12.67 km)
Existed: 1936 – present
Tourist
routes:		 Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
Major junctions
South end:
US 13 Bus. in Wilmington
  I‑95 / US 202 in Wilmington
DE 2 in Wilmington
DE 100 / DE 141 in Greenville
DE 82 near Greenville
North end: PA 52 near Centerville
Location
Counties: New Castle
Highway system
← DE 48 DE 54 →

Delaware Route 52 (DE 52) is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from U.S. Route 13 Business (US 13 Bus.) in downtown Wilmington north to Pennsylvania Route 52 (PA 52) at the Pennsylvania border near Centerville. DE 52 runs through the city of Wilmington and passes through areas of the Brandywine Valley north of Wilmington. DE 52 intersects Interstate 95 (I-95)/US 202 and DE 2 in Wilmington and DE 100/DE 141 and DE 82 in Greenville. The entire route is designated as part of the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway and Delaware Byway while most of the route is also designated as part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway of the Delaware Byways system. The road was built as the Kennett Pike, a turnpike, between 1811 and 1813 at a cost of $30,000. The Kennett Pike was bought by Pierre S. du Pont, II in 1919 and upgraded to a state highway; which he paved at a cost of $85,000 per mile. Pierre S. du Pont, II later sold it to the State of Delaware for $1. The road received the DE 52 designation by 1936.

Route description

Delaware Route 52 in the Brandywine Valley

DE 52 begins at US 13 Bus., which is routed on the one-way pair of North Walnut Street northbound and North King Street southbound near Rodney Square in downtown Wilmington. From here, DE 52 follows the one-way pair of East 11th Street eastbound and East 12th Street westbound to the northwest, becoming West 11th Street and West 12th Street at the North Market Street intersection. The one-way pair heads northwest past downtown high-rise buildings, carrying three lanes in each direction. Both directions of DE 52 merge onto Delaware Avenue, an eight-lane divided highway, and the route reaches an interchange with I-95/US 202. Past this interchange, the route narrows to six lanes and leaves downtown Wilmington. DE 52 splits from Delaware Avenue by continuing northwest on Pennsylvania Avenue, a four-lane undivided road that passes through urban areas of homes and businesses. The road intersects the eastern terminus of DE 2 in a commercial area and passes under CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision. The route runs through more residential areas north of the Wawaset Park neighborhood, passing to the northeast of the Wilmington Campus of the University of Delaware.[2][3]

DE 52 leaves Wilmington and becomes Kennett Pike, heading through wooded areas of suburban homes. The road heads into Greenville and widens into a divided highway as it comes to an interchange with the DE 100/DE 141 freeway. Past this interchange, the route continues into business areas, crossing an East Penn Railroad line. DE 52 leaves Greenville and narrows to a two-lane undivided road as it heads into wooded areas then open fields to the west and Twin Lakes Farm and Twin Lakes Brewing Company, intersecting the southern terminus of DE 82. The road continues through more forested suburban areas, passing to the west of the Wilmington Country Club and to the east of the Delaware Museum of Natural History. The route passes to the west of the Winterthur Museum and Country Estate and heads into the community of Centerville. DE 52 continues northwest to its northern terminus at the Pennsylvania border, where it continues into that state as PA 52 to Longwood Gardens and West Chester.[2][3]

The entire length of DE 52 is part of the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway and Delaware Byway.[4][5] The route between Washington and West streets in Wilmington and the Pennsylvania border is also part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway of the Delaware Byways system.[6] DE 52 has an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 37,694 vehicles at the Dupont Road intersection to a low of 5,654 vehicles at the southern terminus at US 13 Bus.[1] All of DE 52 is part of the National Highway System.[7]

History

On January 21, 1811, the Wilmington and Kennett Turnpike Company was incorporated to build a turnpike from Wilmington to the Pennsylvania border at Centreville.[8] The road was built between 1811 and 1813 at a cost of $30,000.[8][9] The charter of the turnpike gave Christiana Hundred the option to purchase the road in 1820 and remove the tolls.[8] The Kennett Pike had two toll gates north of Wilmington.[9] In 1919, Pierre S. du Pont bought the road and the toll gates were removed. The road was widened and paved following the sale and eventually sold to the Delaware State Highway Department.[9][10] When Delaware designated state highways by 1936, DE 52 was designated onto its current alignment.[11] In 1939, the route was widened to four lanes between Rising Sun Lane and Barley Mill Road to alleviate traffic congestion during peak hours.[12] The portion of DE 52 along Delaware Avenue was widened to four lanes in November 1940.[13] In 2002, DE 52 was designated as part of the Brandywine Valley Scenic Highway in the Delaware Scenic and Historic Highways system; it was designated a National Scenic Byway in 2005.[14]

Major intersections

Mileposts run from north to south. The entire route is in New Castle County.

Location mi[1] km Destinations Notes
Wilmington 7.87 12.67
US 13 Bus. north (North Walnut Street)		 Southern terminus
7.76 12.49
US 13 Bus. south (North King Street)
7.15 11.51 I‑95 / US 202 – Baltimore, Philadelphia I-95/US 202 exit 7
DE 2 east (North Lincoln Street) Eastern terminus of DE 2
6.38 10.27 DE 2 west (North Union Street)
Greenville 4.62 7.44 DE 100 / DE 141 (Barley Mill Road) Interchange
3.32 5.34 DE 82 north (Campbell Road) – Mt. Cuba, Ashland, Yorklyn Southern terminus of DE 82
Centerville 0.00 0.00 PA 52 north (Kennett Pike) Pennsylvania state line, northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

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