Delaware Route 52

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Delaware Route 52 marker

Delaware Route 52
Route information
Maintained by DelDOT
Length: 8.88 mi[1] (14.29 km)
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

Routes in Delaware

← 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. Even though the southern terminus is at US 13 Bus., DelDOT has DE 52 continuing east on 12th Street past US 13. 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 Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway and Delaware Byway. The road was built as the Kennett Pike, a toll road, between 1811 and 1813 at a cost of $30,000. The Kennett Pike was bought by Pierre S. du Pont in 1919 and upgraded to a state highway. 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. DelDOT officially has DE 52 continuing east on East 12th Street past US 13 to a plant entrance to the west of an interchange with I-495. 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, 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 with fields and homes, 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.[2][3]

The entire length of DE 52 is part of the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway and Delaware Byway.[4][5] 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] None of DE 52 is part of the National Highway System.[6]

History

On January 21, 1811, the Wilmington and Kennett Turnpike Company was incorporated to build a toll road from Wilmington to the Pennsylvania border at Centreville.[7] The road was built between 1811 and 1813 at a cost of $30,000.[7][8] The charter of the turnpike gave Christiana Hundred the option to purchase the road in 1820 and remove the tolls.[7] The Kennett Pike had two toll gates north of Wilmington.[8] In 1919, Pierre S. du Pont bought the road and the toll gates were removed. The road widened and paved following the sale and eventually sold to the Delaware State Highway Department.[8][9] When Delaware designated state highways by 1936, DE 52 was designated onto its current alignment.[10] 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.[11]

Major intersections

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

LocationMile[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Wilmington8.8814.29Entrance to plantOfficial southern terminus on East 12th Street west of I-495
7.8712.67
US 13 Bus. north (North Walnut Street)		Signed southern terminus
7.7612.49
US 13 Bus. south (North King Street)
7.1511.51 I-95 / US 202 – Baltimore, PhiladelphiaInterchange
DE 2 east (North Lincoln Street)Eastern terminus of DE 2
6.3810.27 DE 2 west (North Union Street)
Greenville4.627.44 DE 100 / DE 141 (Barley Mill Road)Interchange
3.325.34 DE 82 north (Campbell Road) – Mt. Cuba, Ashland, YorklynSouthern terminus of DE 82
Centerville0.000.00 PA 52 north (Kennett Pike)Pennsylvania state line, northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

  • Portal icon U.S. Roads portal
  • Portal icon Delaware portal

References

Route map: Google / Bing
KML file (edit)
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Staff (2011). "Traffic Count and Mileage Report: Interstate, Delaware, and US Routes" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 17, 2012. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Delaware Department of Transportation (2008) (PDF). Delaware Official Transportation Map (Map) (2008 ed.). http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/historic_highway_maps/pdf/cd_083.pdf. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Google Inc. "overview of Delaware Route 52". Google Maps (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=N+Market+St+%26+W+12th+St,+Wilmington,+New+Castle,+Delaware&daddr=DE+52+and+PA+52&hl=en&sll=37.034333,-76.740236&sspn=8.502281,21.643066&geocode=FQJ_XgIdF0B_-yn9QJZCP_3GiTHmoMYtAYk6aw%3BFR7KXwIdVwZ--ynfbx78W_nGiTEMlz0RL-aTCQ&vpsrc=0&mra=pd&t=h&z=12. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway". National Scenic Byways Program. Retrieved January 7, 2012. 
  5. ↑ "Brandywine Valley Byway". Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 8, 2012. 
  6. ↑ Federal Highway Administration (2010) (PDF). National Highway System: Delaware (Map). http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/maps/de/de_delaware.pdf. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Scharf, John Thomas. History of Delaware : 1609-1888, Volume 1. Philadelphia: L.J. Richards & Co. p. 418. Retrieved January 6, 2012. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Delaware Federal Writers Project. Delaware: a guide to the first state. New York City: The Viking Press. p. 425. Retrieved January 8, 2012. 
  9. ↑ Riggs, John Beverley. A guide to the manuscripts in the Eleutherian Mills Historical Library: accessions through the year 1965, Volume 1. Eleutherian Mills Historical Library. p. 99. Retrieved January 8, 2012. 
  10. ↑ Delaware State Highway Department (1936) (PDF). Official Road Map of the State of Delaware (Map). Cartography by The National Survey Co. (1936–37 ed.). http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/historic_highway_maps/pdf/cd_008.pdf. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway - Official Designations". National Scenic Byways Program. Retrieved January 8, 2012. 
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