 U.S. Route 52 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 52 highlighted in red | ||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||
| Length | 2,072 mi[citation needed] (3,335 km) | |||||||||
| Existed | 1926[1]–present | |||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| West end |  Highway 39 at theCanadian border inPortal, ND | |||||||||
| Major intersections | ||||||||||
| East end | Line Street inCharleston, SC | |||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||
| States | North Dakota,Minnesota,Iowa,Illinois,Indiana,Ohio,West Virginia,Kentucky,Virginia,North Carolina,South Carolina | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
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U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a majorU.S. Highway in theCentral United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of theUnited States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a northwest–southeast route, and it is signed north–south or east–west depending on the local orientation of the route. The highway's northwestern terminus is inPortal, North Dakota, at theCanadian border, where it continues asSaskatchewan Highway 39. Its southeastern terminus is inCharleston, South Carolina, at Number 2 Meeting Street andWhite Point Garden along the Charleston Harbor.
| mi | km | |
|---|---|---|
| ND | 361 | 581 |
| MN | 377 | 607 |
| IA | 164 | 264 |
| IL | 216 | 348 |
| IN | 198 | 319 |
| OH | 190 | 310 |
| WV/KY | 186 | 299 |
| VA | 85 | 137 |
| NC | 150 | 240 |
| SC | 161 | 259 |
| Total | 2,072 | 3,335 |
InNorth Dakota, US 52 continues fromHighway 39 from theCanadian border atNorth Portal, Saskatchewan, andPortal, North Dakota, to theRed River inFargo, a distance of 361 miles (581 km). US 52 isco-signed withUS 2 nearMinot, where it also intersects withUS 83. US 52 is also co-signed withUS 281 for 44 miles (71 km) betweenJamestown andCarrington. US 52 is concurrent withInterstate 94 (I-94) between Jamestown and theMinnesota state line, co-signed between Jamestown andFargo; however, all of the interchanges for the Fargo–West Fargo portion of the route areunsigned.
In the state ofMinnesota, US 52 enters the state with I-94 atMoorhead and follows I-94 southeasterly all the way to theTwin Cities. The portion of the highway which overlaps I-94 is unsigned. From Downtown St. Paul, US 52 continues on its own southeast over theLafayette Bridge in St. Paul, continuing as an expressway toRochester and the Iowa state line. TheMinnesota Department of Transportation has a long-term goal of making US 52 a freeway with limited-access interchanges between St. Paul andI-90 south of Rochester. South from I-94 in St. Paul there is a freeway segment to just south of Concord Boulevard inInver Grove Heights. The portion of the highway between Inver Grove Heights andPine Island is built toexpressway standards. Another freeway segment begins from Pine Island, through Rochester reaching its largest single capacity in Minnesota through Rochester as a six- to eight-lane freeway, toward I-90 where it converts to a rural two-lane highway. The highway then proceeds to the Iowa state line.
US 52 entersIowa north of the unincorporated community ofBurr Oak. It passes byLuther College on the west side ofDecorah. AtCalmar the road turns to a southwest–northeast orientation. It joins withUS 18 just to the west ofPostville. The two highways overlap until a point east of the unincorporated community of Froelich. US 52 roughly parallels theMississippi River for the rest of its path through Iowa toDyersville, where it intersects and joinsUS 20 and turns eastward towardsDubuque.
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West of Dubuque, US 52 merges south onto theSouthwest Arterial, a four-lane expressway directing traffic around the southern edge of the city. US 52 heads southeast to a junction with US 61 and US 151. All three routes travel northbound (even US 52, which is signed as southbound) as an expressway, until US 52 departs inKey West to remain close to the Mississippi River. After passing through a hilly and scenic region, including the small river city ofBellevue, the highway turns to an east–west orientation nearSabula at the junction ofIowa 64 and the northern terminus ofUS 67. In Sabula, the highway becomes a wrong-way road; northbound traffic travels south, and vice versa, from Sabula to theDale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge, where US 52 crosses over theMississippi River intoIllinois.
North of Dubuque, US 52 was formerly routed onto a narrow and winding road, concurrently withIowa 3. While scenic, the road has been the scene of numerous accidents over the years owing to this nature. Between 1964 and 1967, this segment of the route was designatedAlternate US 52 and US 52 was rerouted south from Luxemburg to Dyersville along Iowa Highway 136, and east from Dyersville to Dubuque along US 20; however in 1967, US 52 was restored to the Iowa Highway 3 alignment.[2] After the completion of the Southwest Arterial in 2020, a similar change took place as US 52 was once again removed from the Iowa Highway 3 alignment and again routed from Luxemburg to Dyersville to Dubuque, then onto the Southwest Arterial, to US 61/US 151, finally reaching its former routing at Key West.
The majority of US 52 in Iowa is located within the unglaciatedDriftless Area.
InIllinois, US 52 runs southeast from theDale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge at the terminus ofIowa Highway 64 andIllinois Route 64 inSavanna, passing through the cities ofDixon,Amboy andMendota. US 52 then turns due south and then east, crossingI-39 nearTroy Grove. It continues east, passing throughShorewood and then through the southern portion ofJoliet, where it is a major thoroughfare in the city of Joliet (Jefferson Street), avoiding the city ofChicago proper. It joins withUS 45 throughKankakee, thereafter running concurrently withUS 24, east ofWatseka to theIndiana state line.
InIndiana, US 52 runs in a northwest–southeast direction. It passes throughLafayette where it used to be on Sagamore Parkway, but was later rerouted onto theUS 231 bypass and Teal Road. Northwest of Indianapolis, US 52 runs along the same general area as, and is considered an alternative route to,I-65. In the Indianapolis area, it is overlapped withI-865,I-465, andI-69. East of Indianapolis, it is considered an alternative toI-74 before joining it near the Ohio state line.
When US 52 went through Downtown Indianapolis, it went onto Brookville Road, then turned left onto English Avenue. It then joinedUS 421 when it turned onto Southeastern Avenue. US 52/US 421 joinedUS 40 when it turned onto Washington Street. It then split into Washington Street (westbound) and Maryland Street (eastbound). US 52 then turned onto West Street (from West Street, it turned onto Maryland Street). US 52 turned on 16th Street, where it would overlapUS 136. It then turned onto Lafayette Road, which became Indianapolis Road when reachingZionsville. When I-65 was completed through Downtown Indianapolis, US 52 got on I-65 from the Lafayette Road interchange, and traveled on I-65 the rest of the way. In 1970, the route was re-routed onto the south belt of I-465 from Brookville Road to I-65. It was re-routed again on its current route around Indianapolis in either 2000 or 2001.
US 52 entersOhio concurrently with I-74 in northwesternHamilton County. US 52 then merges withI-75 from I-74's terminus and exits onto Hopple Street inCincinnati. It runs along Central Parkway and Central Avenue through downtown and then skirts the Cincinnati riverfront along Mehring Way pastPaycor Stadium (formerly Paul Brown Stadium),Great American Ball Park, andHeritage Bank Center (formerly U.S. Bank Arena), onto Pete Rose Way and Riverside Drive. From Cincinnati eastward, US 52 generally follows theOhio River. There is a brief concurrency withI-275 nearCalifornia, a neighborhood on the far eastern edge of the city of Cincinnati. Towns along its path includeNew Richmond,Aberdeen,Ripley andManchester. The section between I-275 and New Richmond was modernized in the 1960s; parts of the old route run parallel to the newer highway. AroundPortsmouth andIronton US 52 has severalfreeway orexpressway sections. In Portsmouth, US 52 intersects withUS 23. AtChesapeake, US 52 crosses the Ohio River intoHuntington, West Virginia.
The sections of US 52 that follow the Ohio River are known as the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which is part of theNational Scenic Byway Project. The section betweenState Route 125 (SR 125) andSR 73 (near Portsmouth) is also designated asScenic Scioto Heritage Trail. This portion of US 52, along the Ohio between Cincinnati and Huntington, is the only part where it falls in geographical sequence, south of US 50 and north of US 60.
US 52 passes bythe birthplace of PresidentUlysses S. Grant inPoint Pleasant.
US 52 serves western and southern portions ofWest Virginia, running fromHuntington toBluefield. The highway is undergoing a major expansion project which began in 2007 and at current funding levels is likely to take many years to finish.
During its run through West Virginia, US 52 twice entersKentucky briefly, along theWilliamson, West Virginia, bypass, in order to prevent the blasting of several hillsides in West Virginia. These stretches were completed in 1996 as part of the Corridor G (US 119) project. The speed limit in West Virginia is 65 mph (105 km/h), but drops to 55 mph (89 km/h) along the Kentucky portions, as Kentucky law states that any non-freeway (as is US 52) must not have a higher speed limit. In each instance, however, US 52 re-enters West Virginia.
US 52 enters Virginia from West Virginia, and in Virginia closely followsI-77. It enters southwestern Virginia nearBluefield and passes throughWytheville andHillsville before leaving the state south ofCana.
US 52 entersNorth Carolina just northwest ofMount Airy. It passesPilot Mountain, one of the most distinctive natural features in North Carolina. Through thePiedmont Triad region, US 52 is mostly a controlled-accessfreeway. The route joinsI-85 Business intoLexington and overlapsI-85 aroundSalisbury. The segment of US 52 fromI-40 inWinston-Salem to Lexington has been upgraded toInterstate Highway standards;I-285 is co-signed along this segment. The segment from northern Winston-Salem to just south of Mount Airy is expected to form part of theI-74 corridor through North Carolina.
South of the Triad area, after splitting from I-85 inSalisbury, US 52 is typically a two-lane route linking some of the state's smaller cities and towns.Albemarle is the largest municipality along this segment of US 52 to the South Carolina state line.
US 52 entersSouth Carolina northeast ofCheraw. FromDarlington southward it is a multilane highway andfreeway, passing throughFlorence,Lake City,Kingstree,Moncks Corner andNorth Charleston before US 52's terminus at the intersection of Meeting and Line Streets inCharleston.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(August 2010) |
Historically, US 52 was routed alongUniversity Avenue betweenMinneapolis andSt. Paul. In the 1980s and 1990s, the highway was gradually shifted onto its present route alongI-94. However, there was a gap in the definition of the highway for a few years until 1995. Since then, it has been routed along the Interstate between theTwin Cities, although as of 2007, there was still a sign on University Avenue enteringHennepin County telling motorists to follow County Highways 36 and 37 to reach US 52—which kept them on University, then on 4th St. for historic westbound US 52. Historic westbound US 52 then crossed the Central Avenue bridge (currentMinnesota State Highway 65) and turned onto the current routing of County Highway 81 northwest toOsseo. It then followed the current route ofUS 169 north toAnoka.
InRochester, Minnesota, US 52 was recently expanded to six lanes. Long-term plans have US 52 from St. Paul toI-90 becoming a freeway, and some have suggested that when the conversion is complete, the freeway should become a spur route for I-90. Currently, I-90 has no spur routes in Minnesota.
On April 10, 2015, arockslide dropped a boulder the size of a house onto the westbound lanes of US 52 inLawrence County just east of the bridge over theOhio River toAshland, Kentucky, leading to closures and detours while two days of cleanup took place.[3]
Established in 1926, US 121 traversed fromLexington, North Carolina, toMax Meadows, Virginia, estimated to be 107 miles (172 km). InNorth Carolina it overlapped withNC 66; inVirginia it was overlapped withSR 15. In 1934, US 52 was extended southeast into Virginia and North Carolina, and replaced all of US 121.[4][5]
Long-term plans call forI-74 to be expanded eastward along the current US 52 corridor from its current eastern terminus ofI-75 inCincinnati toUS 23, which has been proposed to be upgraded toInterstate Highway standards and be signed asI-73 inPortsmouth. Lack of sufficient funding has hindered construction upgrades for both freeways in Ohio.
Highway 39 at theCanadian border inPortal
US 2 northwest ofBurlington. The highways travel concurrently to southeast ofMinot.
US 83 in Minot
US 281 inCarrington. The highways travel concurrently toJamestown.
I-94 in Jamestown. The highways travel concurrently toSaint Paul, Minnesota.
US 10 inWest Fargo
I-29 /US 81 inFargo
US 75 inMoorhead
US 59 inFergus Falls Township. The highways travel concurrently to theBuse–Dane Prairie township line.
US 71 inSauk Centre
I-494 /I-694 inMaple Grove. I-694/US 52 travels concurrently toBrooklyn Center.
US 169 on the Maple Grove–Brooklyn Park city line
I-394 /US 12 inMinneapolis. US 12/US 52 travels concurrently to St. Paul.
I-35W in Minneapolis. The highways travel concurrently, but on separate lanes, through the city.
I-35E in St. Paul. The highways travel concurrently, but on separate lanes, through the city.I-35E /US 10 in St. Paul. US 10/US 52 travels concurrently through the city.I-494 inInver Grove Heights
US 63 inRochester. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 14 in Rochester. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-90 inMarion Township
US 18 inPost Township. The highways travel concurrently toGiard Township.
US 20 inDyersville The highways travel concurrently to theSouthwest Arterial in Dubuque.
US 61 /US 151 nearDubuque. The highways travel concurrently south of the city.
US 67 inUnion Township
US 30 on theAmboy–Franklin Grove township line
US 34 inMendota
I-39 /US 51 on theTroy Grove–Ophir township line
I-55 inShorewood
US 6 inJoliet. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-80 in Joliet
US 45 inPeotone Township. The highways travel concurrently toAshkum Township.
I-57 inKankakee
US 24 inConcord Township. The highways travel concurrently toKentland, Indiana.
US 24 /US 41 in Kentland. US 41/US 52 travels concurrently toRichland Township.
US 231 inMontmorenci. The highways travel concurrently toWabash Township.
I-65 inCenter Township. The highways travel concurrently toEagle Township.
I-65 /I-865 in Eagle Township. I-865/US 52 travels concurrently through the township.
I-465 /I-865 in Eagle Township. I-465/US 52 travels concurrently toIndianapolis.
US 421 in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 31 inCarmel. The highways travel concurrently to Indianapolis.
I-69 in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 36 inLawrence. The highways travel concurrently to Indianapolis.
I-70 in Indianapolis
US 40 in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city.I-465 /I-69 /US 31 /US 36 /US 40 /US 421 in Indianapolis
I-74 inHarrison Township. The highways travel concurrently toCincinnati, Ohio.
I-275 inWhitewater Township. The highways travel concurrently toTaylor Creek.
US 27 in Cincinnati. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 27 /US 127 in Cincinnati
I-74 /I-75 in Cincinnati. I-75/US 52 travels concurrently through the city.US 27 in Cincinnati. The highways travel concurrently through the city.US 27 /US 127 in Cincinnati. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 42 in Cincinnati. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 22 in Cincinnati
US 27 /US 50 in Cincinnati. US 27/US 52 travels concurrently through the city.I-275 in Cincinnati. The highways travel concurrently toAnderson Township.
US 62 /US 68 inRipley. US 52/US 62 travels concurrently toAberdeen. US 52/US 68 travels concurrently toHuntington Township.
US 23 inPortsmouth
SR 823 inSciotodale
US 60 inHuntington
I-64 in Huntington. The highways travel concurrently toKenova.
US 119 northeast ofNolan. The highways travel concurrently toWilliamson.
US 19 inBluefield. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 460 in Bluefield. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-77 in Bluefield. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest ofRocky Gap, Virginia.I-77 in Rocky GapI-77 west ofBland
I-81 /US 21 inWytheville. I-81/US 52 travel concurrently toFort Chiswell.I-77 in Wytheville. The highways travel concurrently to Fort Chiswell.
US 11 in Wytheville. The highways travel concurrently to Fort Chiswell.
US 221 inHillsville
US 58 in Hillsville
US 601 inMount AiryI-74 southeast of Mount Airy
Future I-74 inWinston-Salem
US 311 in Winston-Salem.
US 158 /US 421 in Winston-Salem
I-40 /I-285 in Winston-Salem. I-285/US 52 travel concurrently toLexington.
US 64 in Lexington
US 29 /US 70 in Lexington. The highways travel concurrently to northeast ofSpencer.
I-85 /I-285 in Lexington. I-85/US 52 travel concurrently toSalisbury.
US 74 inWadesboro. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 1 inCheraw. The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest of Cheraw.
US 15 /US 401 inSociety Hill. US 15/US 52 travels concurrently to southwest of Society Hill. US 52/US 401 travels concurrently toDarlington.
I-95 northwest ofFlorence
US 76 in Florence
US 301 in Florence. The highways travel concurrently toEffingham.
US 378 north ofLake City
US 521 east ofGreeleyville
US 176 inGoose Creek
US 78 inNorth Charleston. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-26 in North Charleston
I-526 in North CharlestonI-26 inCharleston
I-26 /US 17 in Charleston
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system. |
