{{Short description|State highway in New Castle County, Delaware, United States}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Good article}} {{Infobox road |state=DE |type=DE |route=52 |alternate_name= |map={{maplink-road}} |map_custom=yes |length_mi=7.87 |length_round=2 |length_ref=<ref name=DelDOT>{{cite web |author= Staff |title= Traffic Count and Mileage Report: Interstate, Delaware, and US Routes |publisher= Delaware Department of Transportation |year= 2018 |url= https://deldot.gov/Publications/manuals/traffic_counts/pdfs/2018/2018Interstate_USRoutes_DelawareRoutes.pdf?cache=1585496964656 |format= PDF |access-date= March 29, 2020}}</ref> |maint=DelDOT |established=1936<ref name="DE 1936 map"/> |tourist=20px|alt=|link= Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway<br />20px|alt=|link= Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway |direction_a=South |terminus_a={{plainlist|*{{jct|state=DE|US-Bus|13|dab1=Wilmington}} in Wilmington}} |junction={{plainlist| *{{jct|state=DE|I|95|US|202}} in Wilmington *{{jct|state=DE|DE|2}} in Wilmington *{{jct|state=DE|DE|100|DE|141}} in Greenville *{{jct|state=DE|DE|82}} near Greenville }} |direction_b=North |terminus_b={{jct|state=PA|PA|52}} near Centerville |counties=New Castle |previous_type=DE |previous_route=48 |next_type=DE |next_route=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. The Kennett Pike was bought by Pierre S. du Pont in 1919 and was widened and paved before being sold to the State of Delaware for $1. The road received the DE 52 designation by 1936.
==Route description== thumb|left|DE 52 northbound at Harrison Street in Wilmington 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, in the downtown area of the city of Wilmington. From here, DE 52 follows the one-way pair of East 11th Street southbound and East 12th Street northbound to the northwest, forming the northern boundary of Rodney Square along East 11th Street between North King and North Market streets. The route becomes West 11th Street southbound and West 12th Street northbound at the North Market Street intersection. The one-way pair carries three lanes in each direction and heads northwest past downtown high-rise buildings, passing to the north of the DuPont Building along West 11th Street between North Market and North Orange streets and passing to the south of 1201 North Market Street along West 12th Street just west of North Market Street. The northbound direction passes south of Wilmington Hospital between North Washington and North Jefferson streets. 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 heads to the north of the Ursuline Academy and passes through urban areas of homes and businesses. The road intersects the eastern terminus of DE 2 in a commercial area on the northern edge of the Little Italy neighborhood and passes under CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision railroad line. 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.<ref name="DE 2017 map">{{Delaware road map|year=2017|access-date=August 18, 2019}}</ref><ref name="google">{{google maps |url=https://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|title=overview of Delaware Route 52|access-date=January 8, 2012}}</ref>
thumb|right|DE 52 northbound past DE 82 north of Greenville DE 52 leaves Wilmington and becomes Kennett Pike, heading through wooded areas of suburban homes. The road passes north of a park and ride lot at the North Dupont Road intersection before it comes to a junction with Montchanin Road, which heads north to provide access to DE 100/DE 141. The road continues into Greenville and widens into a divided highway as it comes to a partial cloverleaf interchange with DE 100/DE 141. This interchange has no access from DE 100/DE 141 southbound to DE 52 southbound or from DE 52 to DE 100/DE 141 northbound. Past this interchange, the route continues into business areas, crossing an East Penn Railroad line at-grade before passing to the east of Alexis I. duPont High School. DE 52 leaves Greenville and narrows to a two-lane undivided road as it heads into wooded areas then open fields, 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 Nature & Science. A park and ride lot located at a church is situated west of the roadway north of the Old Kennett Road intersection. The route passes to the west of the Winterthur Museum and Country Estate and heads into the community of Centerville. DE 52 heads northwest to its northern terminus at the Pennsylvania border, where the road continues into that state as PA 52 to Longwood Gardens and the borough of West Chester.<ref name="DE 2017 map"/><ref name="google"/>
The entire length of DE 52 is part of the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway and Delaware Byway.<ref name=nsbp>{{cite web|url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/57779|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005090817/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/57779|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 5, 2013|title=Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway|publisher=National Scenic Byways Program|access-date=July 28, 2015}}</ref><ref name=deldot2>{{cite web|url=https://www.deldot.gov/Programs/byways/index.shtml?dc=brandywine|title=Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway|publisher=Delaware Department of Transportation|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deldot.gov/Programs/byways/index.shtml?dc=railroad|title=Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway|publisher=Delaware Department of Transportation|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> DE 52 has an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 28,106 vehicles at the Jefferson Street intersection in Wilmington to a low of 7,122 vehicles at the southern terminus at US 13 Bus.<ref name=DelDOT/> All of DE 52 is part of the National Highway System.<ref name="NHS">{{cite map|publisher=Federal Highway Administration|title=National Highway System: Delaware|url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/delaware/de_delaware.pdf|year=2010|format=PDF|access-date=February 10, 2012}}</ref>
==History== thumb|left|DE 52 northbound in Greenville On January 21, 1811, the Wilmington and Kennett Turnpike Company was incorporated by the Delaware State Legislature to build a turnpike from Wilmington to the Pennsylvania border at Centerville.<ref name=images>{{cite book|last=Engel|first=Andrew D.|title=Along Route 52: Delaware's Historic Kennett Pike|series=Images of America|location=Charleston, SC|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|pages=7–9, 11|year=2014|isbn=9781467120944|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nf-aAwAAQBAJ&dq=kennett+pike+route+52&pg=PA119|access-date=December 29, 2016}}</ref><ref name="DE 1920 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1920|access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name=history>{{cite book|last=Scharf|first=John Thomas|access-date=January 6, 2012|title=History of Delaware : 1609-1888, Volume 1|year=1888|publisher=L.J. Richards & Co.|location=Philadelphia|page=418|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9wd5AAAAMAAJ&dq=concord+pike&pg=PA418}}</ref> The turnpike was intended to provide a connection between Wilmington, which was a growing industrial city, and nearby areas in southeastern Pennsylvania, where it would connect to other turnpikes leading to western Pennsylvania.<ref name=images/> The road was built between 1811 and 1813 at a cost of $30,000.<ref name=history/><ref name=guide>{{cite book|author=Delaware Federal Writers Project|access-date=January 8, 2012|title=Delaware: a guide to the first state|year=1955|publisher=The Viking Press|location=New York City|page=425|isbn=9781603540087|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJ5OeFvqWRAC&dq=kennett+turnpike+1919&pg=PA425}}</ref> The Kennett Pike was built with a {{convert|100|ft|m|adj=on}} wide right-of-way, with a {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=on}} travel surface.<ref name=images/> The charter of the turnpike gave Christiana Hundred the option to purchase the road in 1820 and remove the tolls.<ref name=history/> The Kennett Pike had two toll gates north of Wilmington.<ref name=guide/> Tolls along the turnpike were charged based on the type of carriage or vehicle and the amount and type of cargo being carried. People who used the roadway to travel between different parts of their property, along with people traveling to a house of worship or funeral, were not charged tolls.<ref name=images/>
thumb|right|DE 52 northbound north of Greenville In the 20th century, the automobile rose to prominence and travelers demanded better roads. The alignment of Kennett Pike became home to the estates of many executives from the DuPont Company and other corporations in the early part of the century. Among the executives was DuPont Company secretary and treasurer Pierre S. du Pont, who came up with a plan to modernize Kennett Pike. In 1916, du Pont's plan to modernize the road would widen the turnpike to the same width as Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington, eliminate hazards such as narrow bridges, widen culverts, build a bridge near Brecks Lane in Wilmington, widen it to an improved road between {{convert|18|ft|m}} and {{convert|25|ft|m}}, and grade the roadway to make it smooth and safe. Pierre S. du Pont's cousin, Colonel Henry A. du Pont, owned half the shares of the Wilmington and Kennett Turnpike Company and sold his shares to Pierre S. du Pont; he encouraged other shareholders to do so. Work on improving the highway would be delayed by World War I. By April 1919, Pierre S. du Pont owned nearly all the shares of the turnpike company.<ref name=images/> As a result of the acquisition of the road by du Pont, the toll gates were removed.<ref name=guide/><ref name=manuscripts>{{cite book|last=Riggs|first=John Beverley|access-date=January 8, 2012|title=A guide to the manuscripts in the Eleutherian Mills Historical Library: accessions through the year 1965, Volume 1|year=1970|publisher=Eleutherian Mills Historical Library|page=99|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojhmAAAAMAAJ&q=kennett+turnpike+1811}}</ref>
thumb|left|DE 52 northbound past DE 2 in Wilmington Following the acquisition of the turnpike company, du Pont began widening and resurfacing the road. The engineering department of the DuPont Company laid out and design the roadway while subcontractors constructed the road. Work on improving the Kennett Pike began just north of the Pyles Ford Road intersection near Winterthur. By July 1919, {{convert|2700|ft|m}} of concrete had been poured along the road while right-of-way acquisition took place in Centerville. Grading of the northern section of the roadway from Winterthur to Centerville occurred by August of that year. By the end of September, excavation was almost finished and homes began to be moved for paving along the northern portion of the Kennett Pike. Also at this time, plans were made for the bridge at Brecks Lane and land acquisition took place along the road in Greenville. In the later part of 1919, final grading occurred in Centerville while excavation commenced in Greenville. On December 13, 1919, construction paused for the winter. Work on improving the Kennett Pike resumed in April 1920, with the sides of the road between Greenville and the Pennsylvania border dressed. By the end of the spring, nearly all the right-of-way had been acquired and paving of the roadway was being finished. The Kennett Pike opened partially to vehicles on June 12, 1920; the road would be fully opened by the end of July. The widening and paving of Kennett Pike cost $764,000. The roadway was {{convert|24|ft|m}} wide and had a {{convert|3|ft|m|adj=on}} wide macadam shoulder. Following the completion of the project, du Pont sold the Kennett Pike to the Delaware State Highway Department for $1. In addition to improving Kennett Pike, du Pont also widened Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington, which connected the end of Kennett Pike at Greenhill Avenue to Delaware Avenue, which led to downtown Wilmington. Planning on improving the street began in 1917 and work began in 1919, starting near Riverview Avenue. Work on improving Pennsylvania Avenue progressed from north to south. Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington was widened during the 1920s.<ref name=images/>
When Delaware designated state highways by 1936, DE 52 was designated to run from US 13 (French Street) in Wilmington north to PA 52 at the Pennsylvania border in Centerville, following 11th Street, Delaware Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington and Kennett Pike between Wilmington and the state line.<ref name="DE 1936 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1936|access-date=November 24, 2015}}</ref> In 1939, the route was widened to four lanes between Rising Sun Lane and Barley Mill Road to alleviate traffic congestion during peak hours.<ref name="1939 report">{{cite journal|title=Annual Report of the State Highway Department|edition=1939|page=17|publisher=Delaware State Highway Department|location=Dover, Delaware|date=January 1, 1940|url=http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1939/annual_1939_chief.pdf|access-date=November 19, 2014|archive-date=May 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512202347/http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1939/annual_1939_chief.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The portion of DE 52 along Delaware Avenue was widened to four lanes in November 1940.<ref name="1940 report">{{cite journal|title=Annual Report of the State Highway Department|edition=1940|pages=12|publisher=Delaware State Highway Department|location=Dover, Delaware|date=January 1, 1941|url=http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1940/annual_1940_chief.pdf|access-date=November 15, 2014|archive-date=May 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512202418/http://www.deldot.gov/archaeology/historic_pres/annual_reports/pdf/1940/annual_1940_chief.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 1957, DE 52 was split into a one-way pair to reach its southern terminus at US 13 (now US 13 Bus.).<ref name="DE 1957 map">{{Delaware road map|year=1957|access-date=December 29, 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref name=nsbp2>{{cite web|url=http://byways.org/explore/byways/57779/designation.html|title=Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway - Official Designations|publisher=National Scenic Byways Program|access-date=January 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606230800/http://byways.org/explore/byways/57779/designation.html|archive-date=June 6, 2012}}</ref>
==Major intersections== Mileposts run from north to south. {{Jcttop|length_ref=<ref name=DelDOT/>|state=DE|county=New Castle}} {{DEint |location=Wilmington |lspan=5 |mile=7.87 |road={{jct|state=DE|US-Bus|13|dab1=Wilmington|dir1=north|name1=North Walnut Street}} |notes=Southern terminus }} {{DEint |mile=7.76 |road={{jct|state=DE|US-Bus|13|dab1=Wilmington|dir1=south|name1=North King Street}} |notes= }} {{DEint |mile=7.15 |road={{Jct|state=DE|I|95|name1={{jct|state=DE|US|202|noshield1=yes}} / Wilmington Expressway|location1=Baltimore|location2=Philadelphia}} |notes=I-95/US 202 exit 7 }} {{DEint |mile= |road={{Jct|state=DE|DE|2|dir1=east|name1=North Lincoln Street}} |notes=Eastern terminus of DE 2 |nspan=2 }} {{DEint |mile=6.38 |road={{Jct|state=DE|DE|2|dir1=west|name1=North Union Street}} |notes=none }} {{DEint |location=Greenville |lspan=3 |mile=4.93 |road={{Jct|state=DE|road|Montchanin Road|to2=to|DE|100|dir2=north|DE|141|dir3=north}} |notes= }} {{DEint |mile=4.62 |type=incomplete |road={{Jct|state=DE|DE|100|dir1=south|DE|141|dir2=south|name2=Barley Mill Road}} |notes=Interchange; no access from southbound DE 100/DE 141 to southbound DE 52 or from DE 52 to northbound DE 100/DE 141 }} {{DEint |mile=3.32 |road={{Jct|state=DE|DE|82|dir1=north|name1=Campbell Road|city1=Mt. Cuba|city2=Ashland|city3=Yorklyn}} |notes=Southern terminus of DE 82 }} {{DEint |location=Centerville |mile=0.00 |road={{Jct|state=PA|PA|52|dir1=north|name1=Kennett Pike}} |notes=Pennsylvania state line; northern terminus }} {{jctbtm|keys=incomplete}}
==See also== *{{Portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{AttachedKML|display=title,inline}} {{Commons category}} * [https://www.aaroads.com/guides/de-052/ DE 52 at AARoads.com] * [https://www.alpsroads.net/roads/de/de_52/ Delaware Roads - DE 52]
{{Authority control}}
052 Category:Transportation in New Castle County, Delaware Category:Turnpikes in Delaware