End of US highway 52 (original) (raw)

Summa	Summa

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Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 2077 miles for US 52... however, that included the mileage of US 52's associated business route. According to the state subtotals on AASHTO's 1989 spreadsheet, mainline US 52's actual end-to-end total at the time was 2072 miles. That closely matches our own 2020 measurement, which yielded 2075.7 miles. US 52's midway point is at Joliet, Illinois.

Note: US 52 is now signed east-west at both endpoints (although historically it was signed north-south in SC, and that made more sense). It is signed north-south in NC, VA, and WV*; then east-west in OH, IN, and IL; then north-south again in IA and MN; and finally east-west in ND.

*There are also two short segments where US 52 crosses the Tug Fork, briefly looping into Kentucky before returning back to West Virginia. However, these segments were built - and are maintained - by WVDOT.

US 52 was an original 1926 route, although it was much shorter back then. The west terminus was at its junction with US 41 in Indiana. This endpoint was always planned to be at an intersection between Fowler and Earl Park. However, for the first few months or so, that route was not yet complete, so US 52 traffic was temporarily routed due west to US 41 at Boswell:	c. 1926, INDoT

It appears that situation was very short-lived: a 1927 route log listed US 52's west terminus as "Fowler", and by 1928 maps were already showing the diagonal route was complete:	c. 1930, INDoT

The historic junction has long since been erased by a more recent grade-separated interchange. This first shot was looking south on US 41/east on US 52:	Sanderson, Oct. 2002

The road at that point is angled southeast, but it was here that US 41 split off to the right, heading due south towards Terre Haute. US 52 began straight ahead by continuing on the same southeasterly angle. Today both roads are 4-laned, so US 52 now exits right and then passes under US 41 before continuing southeast. (More about how the old junction was configured.)

In 1934, the west end of US 52 was extended to its present terminus at the Canada border in the aptly-named town of Portal:	c. 1939, Rand McNally

These photos show the last westbound trailblazer, with the border facilities visible a few blocks in the distance:	Mortell, Aug. 2016	Sanderson, Oct. 2021

There was no "End" sign, but this photo shows the port of entry at the terminus of US 52:	Taylor, 2000

To continue into Canada from there is to find oneself on Saskatchewan provincial highway 39, which picks up the same northwesterly angle as US 52. This shot shows the view to the south from the international boundary, at the west beginning of US 52:	Taylor, 2000

That road is known locally Railway Avenue. In the distance is the first eastbound confirming marker, which is shown more closely in these photos:	Taylor, 2000	Sanderson, Oct. 2021

US 52's original east terminus was in Ohio, at the state line across the river from Huntington, as shown on these maps:

c. 1927, ODoT	c. 1927, Rand McNally

​Both maps indicate that a bridge existed at the time, so apparently West Virginia was not ready to apply the US 52 designation in their state. US 52 probably followed today's OH 7 to the old bridge that leads across to downtown Huntington. Here we are looking south towards that bridge:	Elkins

That is as far east as US 52 went until 1931, which is when the route was extended south and east to Bluefield. There, I believe US 52 came into town via what is now CR 11, or Old Bramwell Road, ending at its junction with US 19 (Bluefield Avenue). This shot was taken looking southwest on US 19, just before it crosses into Virginia:	Summa, 1999

The east beginning of US 52 was probably to the right on Old Bramwell. That did not last long, though -- in 1934, the US 52 designation was extended south from Bluefield: through Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Its historic endpoints are discussed on the Charleston page. US 52's current endpoint was established in 1968; this photo was taken on southbound Meeting Street at US 17:	Prince, Oct. 2000

Those overpasses are gone now, because US 17 uses a newer bridge across the Cooper River. But before those elevated approaches to the old Cooper River bridges were built, that was the end of US 52. Straight ahead was southbound US 17, while northbound was to the left on Lee Street. Also to the left was the south beginning of US 701 for decades. Later, when these US 17 overpasses were built, US 52 was extended a couple blocks ahead to Line Street, which was the next surface street beyond the second viaduct. Here is what that intersection looks like:

Karners, Apr. 2014

​There was no "End" sign here, nor was there any US 52 signage anywhere in the vicinity. US 52 signage in Charleston has been poor for decades, but at least there were a couple signs historically; this next shot was from Lee at Meeting (to the left of the motorcycle above):	Dawson, Sep. 2001

Presumably there was formerly a right arrow, directing US 52 traffic to the right on Meeting. Here is another interesting photo:	Dawson, Sep. 2001

​That was northbound on Meeting at Line, at the beginning of US 52. That sign was gone by 2005, probably removed along with the old US 17 overpasses in the distance. Today there is no sign on Meeting for more than a mile...	attribution unknown	Karners, Apr. 2014

...and even that one is sometimes hidden among tree branches. That was just past the intersection with Mt. Pleasant Street and Morrison Drive (which carries the completely unsigned US 52 Spur). In fact, several signs in this area create the impression that SCDoT wants US 52's existence south of Mt. Pleasant to be kept a secret. This was looking east on Mt. Pleasant at King (approaching Meeting):	Street View, May 2013

​US 52 also continues to the right, but the sign indicates it only goes to the north on Meeting. Same thing looking west on Mt. Pleasant at Meeting:	Dawson, Sep. 2001

That sign (unchanged as of Jan. 2016) suggests that the beginning of US 52 is to the right. But what about the sign visible in the distance?	Google Maps Street View, May 2013 (same as of 2016)

US 78 is shown to go both ways on King. Is this snubbing of US 52 just a coincidence? There is more: heading north on I-26, there is an exit to Romney Street. Here is the signage at the bottom of that off-ramp:	Google Maps Street View, Feb. 2017 (since at least 2008, but gone as of 2019)

King is a couple blocks to the left, and US 78 traffic is directed that way. But, although US 52 is just one block to the right, it is not given any love. Before I-26 was reconfigured, southbound signage did not acknowledge US 52...	aaroads.com, Jan. 2004

​...and after the rebuild it still doesn't. Nor is US 52 signed from southbound US 17:	aaroads.com, Jul. 2005

Research and/or photo credits: David Dawson; H.B. Elkins; Karin and Martin Karner; Cameron Miller; Jeff Morrison; Robert Mortell; J.P. Nasiatka; Adam Prince; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Stephen Taylor

Page originally created 2000; last updated Dec. 16, 2023.