Delaware Route 52

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Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
Major junctions
South end
Major intersections
North end PA 52 near Centerville
Location
CountryUnited States
StateDelaware
CountiesNew Castle
Highway system
←
DE 54

Delaware Route 52 (DE 52) is a state highway in

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

DE 52 northbound at Harrison Street in Wilmington

DE 52 begins at

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.[3][4]

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

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.[3][4]

The entire length of DE 52 is part of the

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway of the Delaware Byways system.[7] 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.[1] All of DE 52 is part of the National Highway System.[8]

History

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.[9][10][11] 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.[9] The road was built between 1811 and 1813 at a cost of $30,000.[11][12] The Kennett Pike was built with a 100-foot (30 m) wide right-of-way, with a 20-foot (6.1 m) travel surface.[9] The charter of the turnpike gave Christiana Hundred the option to purchase the road in 1820 and remove the tolls.[11] The Kennett Pike had two toll gates north of Wilmington.[12] 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.[9]

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 18 feet (5.5 m) and 25 feet (7.6 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.[9] As a result of the acquisition of the road by du Pont, the toll gates were removed.[12][13]

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, 2,700 feet (820 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 24 feet (7.3 m) wide and had a 3-foot (0.91 m) 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.[9]

When Delaware designated state highways by 1936, DE 52 was designated to run from

Delaware Scenic and Historic Highways system; it was designated a National Scenic Byway in 2005.[17]

Major intersections

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

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Wilmington7.8712.67

 US 13 Bus. north (North Walnut Street)		Southern terminus
7.7612.49

 US 13 Bus. south (North King Street)
7.1511.51
I-95 (US 202 / Wilmington Expressway) – Baltimore, Philadelphia
I-95/US 202 exit 7

 DE 2 east (North Lincoln Street)		Eastern terminus of DE 2
6.3810.27
 DE 2 west (North Union Street)
Greenville4.937.93



 Montchanin Road to DE 100 north / DE 141 north
4.627.44

 DE 100 south / DE 141 south (Barley Mill Road)		Interchange; no access from southbound DE 100/DE 141 to southbound DE 52 or from DE 52 to northbound DE 100/DE 141
3.325.34
Mt. Cuba, Ashland, Yorklyn
Southern 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

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References

  1. ^ a b c Staff (2018). "Traffic Count and Mileage Report: Interstate, Delaware, and US Routes" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Delaware State Highway Department; The National Survey Co. (1936). Official Road Map of the State of Delaware (PDF) (Map) (1936–1937 ed.). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Delaware Department of Transportation (2017). Official Travel & Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Google (January 8, 2012). "overview of Delaware Route 52" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  5. National Scenic Byways Program
    . Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  6. ^ "Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway". Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  7. ^ "Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway". Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  8. ^ National Highway System: Delaware (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  9. ^
    ISBN 9781467120944
    . Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  10. ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1920). Official Road Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Scharf, John Thomas (1888). History of Delaware : 1609-1888, Volume 1. Philadelphia: L.J. Richards & Co. p. 418. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  12. ^
    ISBN 9781603540087
    . Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  13. ^ Riggs, John Beverley (1970). 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.
  14. ^ "Annual Report of the State Highway Department" (PDF) (1939 ed.). Dover, Delaware: Delaware State Highway Department. January 1, 1940: 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ^ "Annual Report of the State Highway Department" (PDF) (1940 ed.). Dover, Delaware: Delaware State Highway Department. January 1, 1941: 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ^ Delaware State Highway Department (1957). Official Highway Map of Delaware (PDF) (Map) (1957–1958 ed.). Dover: Delaware State Highway Department. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  17. National Scenic Byways Program. Archived from the original
    on June 6, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012.

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