Delaware Route 52
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| DE Route 52 |
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| Delaware Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Kennett Pike | |||||||||
| Length: | 8.88 mi[1] (14.29 km) | ||||||||
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| South end: |   BUS US 13 in Wilmington |
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| Major junctions: |
  I-95/US 202 in Wilmington DE 2 in Wilmington  DE 100/DE 141 in Greenville DE 82 near Greenville |
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| North end: |  PA 52 near Centerville |
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Delaware Route 52 is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from U.S. Route 13 Business in Wilmington, Delaware north to Pennsylvania Route 52 at the Pennsylvania border near Centerville, Delaware.
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[edit] Route description
Delaware Route 52 begins at US 13 Business in Downtown Wilmington, following the one-way pair of 11th Street eastbound and 12th Street westbound. It then merges onto two-way Delaware Avenue and features an interchange with Interstate 95. A short distance past I-95, the route bears to the left onto Pennsylvania Avenue. It then continues through the western residential areas of the city, intersecting the eastern terminus of Delaware Route 2. The route then leaves the city annd the name changes to Kennett Pike, which remains with the route until the state line. The route interchanges with Delaware Route 100 and Delaware Route 141 and then proceeds north through the wealthy community of Greenville. In the northern part of the Greenville area, the route intersects Delaware Route 82. The route then heads north, passing by the Winterthur Museum, before passing through the community of Centerville, just south of the Pennsylvania border where the route becomes Pennsylvania Route 52.
[edit] History
The Kennett Pike, which composes Delaware Route 52 between Wilmington and the Pennsylvania border, was built as a toll road between 1811 and 1813 at a cost of $30,000. The construction was authorized by a charter from the Delaware government issued to Christiana Hundred. In 1919, Pierre S. du Pont bought the road and toll collection was ceased. The road was paved following the sale and eventually sold back to the state. In recent times, local residents have managed to have the rural character of Delaware Route 52 preserved by controlling development. [2]
[edit] Rumors
It is rumored that the road was paved so that Pierre S. duPont could travel between his estate at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania and the DuPont headquarters in Wilmington.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.deldot.gov/static/pubs_forms/traffic_counts/2006/rpt_pgs1_38_rev.pdf DelDOT 2006 Traffic Count and Mileage Report
- ^ a b Delaware 52 @ AARoads URL accessed 7 September 2007
