Pennsylvania Route 252 (PA 252) is a north–south

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the U.S. state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

that connects PA 320 in Nether Providence Township at its southern terminus to PA 23 in

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

at its northern terminus. The route runs through the western suburbs of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, and Montgomery counties, including Nether Providence Township, the borough of

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

, Upper Providence Township, Marple Township, Newtown Township,

Easttown Township Easttown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,477 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History The land that eventually became Easttown Township was o ...

, Tredyffrin Township, and Upper Merion Township. The route intersects many roads including

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

(US 1) north of Media, PA 3 in

Newtown Square Newtown Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Prior to 1789 it was part of Chester County. The population was 12,216 as of the 2010 census, and was 19,705 as of 2017. History The first mention of the township was in 1684, ...

US 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

in Paoli, and

US 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Mass ...

near Berwyn. The southernmost part of PA 252 was originally built as part of the Providence Road in 1684. PA 252 was designated by 1928 to run from PA 320 north of

north to US 122/ PA 52 (now US 202) in

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

. By 1960, the northern terminus was moved to PA 23 in King of Prussia. PA 252 was realigned to head to its current northern terminus at Valley Forge by 1970, running along a concurrency with US 202 (removed by 1980) for a distance north of Paoli and replacing a part of PA 363 (formerly PA 83) in the Valley Forge area.

Route description

Delaware County

PA 252 NB shield past Possum Hollow Road

PA 252 begins at an intersection with PA 320 north of the city of

in Nether Providence Township, Delaware County, heading north-northwest on two-lane undivided Providence Road. The road passes through wooded suburban residential neighborhoods, running to the west of Springhaven Country Club. The route heads into the community of Wallingford, where it passes to the east of Strath Haven High School and comes to a bridge over

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

Media/Wawa Line The Media/Wawa Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service that runs from Center City Philadelphia west to Wawa in Delaware County. It uses the West Chester Branch, which connects with the SEPTA Main Line at 30th Street Station. Under the Pennsylva ...

west of Wallingford station. PA 252 continues north and enters the borough of

, where it heads into commercial areas and intersects

Baltimore Avenue The Baltimore Pike was an auto trail connecting Baltimore, Maryland, with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Today, parts of the road are signed as U.S. Route 1 (US 1), US 13, and a small portion of Pennsylvania Route 41 (PA 41). A section of the road ...

. A block further north, the route intersects State Street at the point SEPTA's Route 101 trolley line crosses the road at-grade west of the Providence Road station. The road continues through residential areas in the eastern part of Media. PA 252 leaves Media for Upper Providence Township and continues past homes with some businesses. The route widens to a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

as it comes to an interchange with the

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

freeway bypass of Media. Past this interchange, PA 252 becomes a four-lane undivided road with two northbound and southbound lanes, passing to the west of

Rose Tree Park Rose Tree Park is located on Providence Road in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania in the suburbs of Philadelphia and used to be used for steeplechase racing. The park is in size and is open to the public. There are benches, picnic table ...

The route splits from Providence Road by curving north onto two-lane Palmers Mill Road, running through wooded residential areas. The road crosses

Crum Creek Crum Creek (from the Dutch, meaning "crooked creek") is a creek in Delaware County and Chester County, Pennsylvania, flowing approximately , generally in a southward direction and draining into the Delaware River in Eddystone, Pennsylvania. I ...

on the dam that forms Springton Reservoir to the west, at which point it enters Marple Township. Past the reservoir, Palmers Mill Road turns to the east and PA 252 continues north on Newtown Street Road, running past more homes. The road passes to the west of the Marple Campus of

Delaware County Community College Delaware County Community College (DCCC) is a public community college with campuses and facilities throughout Delaware and Chester Counties in Pennsylvania. DCCC was founded in 1967 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher ...

before it heads into Newtown Township between the Media Line Road and Gradyville Road intersections. The route continues north through wooded suburban development. PA 252 turns northwest and heads through commercial areas as it comes to an intersection with PA 3 in the community of

. Past this intersection, the road widens into a four-lane divided highway and passes more businesses before heading between a business campus to the west and residential areas to the east. The route curves north before heading northwest past housing developments. PA 252 passes to the southwest of

Aronimink Golf Club Aronimink Golf Club is a private country club in the eastern United States, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, a suburb west of Philadelphia. Its championship layout is consistently rated among the nation's top golf courses. Aronimink is curr ...

before coming to an interchange with St. Davids Road and Newtown Street Road in the community of Wyola. Here, the name of the route changes to Darby Paoli Road and it narrows into a two-lane undivided road as it passes between wooded residential neighborhoods to the northeast and the

Episcopal Academy The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private, co-educational school for grades Pre-K through 12 based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Prior to 2008, the main campus was located in Merion Station and the satellite campus was located in D ...

to the southwest.

Chester and Montgomery counties

PA 252 NB past Darby Road-Sugartown Road

At the intersection with White Horse Road, PA 252 enters

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee Chester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, th ...

and continues northwest through wooded areas of homes. The road passes to the east of Waynesborough Country Club before it comes to an intersection with Darby Road/Sugartown Road. At this intersection, the name of the route becomes Leopard Road and it passes more wooded development, crossing into Tredyffrin Township. PA 252 curves north and becomes a four-lane road, heading into commercial areas and coming to an intersection with

in the community of Paoli. Past this intersection, the road becomes Bear Hill Road and immediately passes under

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Keystone Corridor The Keystone Corridor is a 349-mile (562 km) railroad corridor between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that consists of two rail lines: Amtrak and SEPTA's Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg main line, which hosts SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale ...

railroad line, briefly gaining a median as it passes under the railroad tracks. The route runs past homes and narrows back to two lanes before heading into forested areas. PA 252 widens back into a four-lane divided highway and comes to a bridge over

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway (U.S.), Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the ...

Dale Secondary The Trenton Cutoff (sometimes spelled Trenton Cut Off) is a rail corridor in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from Morrisville to Glenloch. Today used by Norfolk Southern, it consists of two rail lines: the Morrisville Line, which runs ...

railroad line, curving northeast. The road passes southeast of a residential neighborhood before it comes to an intersection with Swedesford Road/Howellville Road. At this point, the name of the route becomes Swedesford Road and it heads past business parks as a four-lane undivided road. The lanes of PA 252 split as it passes over the Chester Valley Trail and comes to a partial interchange with the

freeway to the north, with access between northbound PA 252 and northbound US 202 and southbound US 202 and southbound PA 252. Following this, the route heads east-northeast as a two-lane undivided road, passing between the US 202 freeway to the north and businesses to the south. PA 252 curves east and turns northwest onto Valley Forge Road, immediately reaching an interchange with US 202. The route continues through suburban neighborhoods in Chesterbrook before coming to a bridge over the

Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...

(

Interstate 76 Interstate 76 may refer to: Interstate Highways in the United States * Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska) * Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey), running through Pennsylvania Video gaming * ''Interstate '76 ''Interstate '76'' is a vehicular ...

, I-76). At this point, the road enters

Valley Forge National Historical Park Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, taking place from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site a ...

. PA 252 passes through fields within the park, turning west onto Valley Creek Road at the Baptist Road intersection. Upon intersecting Yellow Springs Road just east of the Knox Covered Bridge over the Valley Creek, the route turns north and enters Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County, winding north through forested areas along the east bank of the creek. PA 252 comes to its northern terminus at an intersection with PA 23 west of the community of

History

In 1683, the Court of Chester County (which then included present-day Delaware County) approved the construction of "Providence Great Road", which included the route of present-day PA 252 from the southern terminus to north of Media. The road was built to provide access to Chester from the north. The Providence Road was said to have been completed in 1684. When Pennsylvania first legislated routes in 1911, what would become PA 252 was designated as Legislative Route 144, running between Media and

. At this time, the entire route was unpaved. PA 252 was designated by 1928 to run from PA 320 north of Chester north to US 122/ PA 52 (now US 202) in King of Prussia, following its current alignment north to Wyola, where it turned northeast and intersected US 30 in Wayne before continuing north to King of Prussia. Between Wyola and King of Prussia, PA 252 followed what is now unnumbered portions of St. Davids Road, Brooke Road, Wayne Avenue, Radnor Road, Croton Road, and King of Prussia Road. At this time, the entire route was paved. By 1928, the current alignment of PA 252 was an unnumbered road between Wyola and Paoli, a part of US 122 between Paoli and Valley Forge Road, and a part of PA 83 north of there. The northern terminus of PA 252 was moved to PA 23 (Gulph Road) along Croton Road in King of Prussia by 1960 after the original alignment to US 202 along King of Prussia Road was severed by the construction of I-80S/PA 43 (

Schuylkill Expressway The Schuylkill Expressway , locally known as "the Schuylkill", is a Controlled-access highway, freeway through southern Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, Philade ...

, now I-76). By 1970, PA 252 was realigned to its current northern terminus at PA 23 near Valley Forge along its current alignment, running

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with US 202 between Paoli and the southern interchange with the US 202 freeway and replacing the PA 363 designation (which replaced PA 83 in 1961) along Valley Forge Road and Valley Creek Road. Also by this time, the route was widened into a divided highway between Newtown Square and Wyola. By 1980, the US 202 concurrency was removed from PA 252. Since 1980, PA 252 has undergone extensive improvement, particularly in and around the interchange with US 1. In 2013, PA 252 was widened to a four-lane highway between US 1 and Palmers Mill Road to improve traffic flow and increase traffic safety.

Major intersections

PA 252 Alternate Truck

Pennsylvania Route 252 Alternate Truck is a

truck route A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

around a weight-restricted bridge over the Crum Creek at the Springton Reservoir in Marple Township, on which trucks over 34 tons and combination loads over 40 tons are prohibited. The truck route follows Providence Road and PA 3 between Upper Providence Township and Newtown Square. It was signed in 2013.

References

External links

{{commons category
Pennsylvania Highways: PA 252Pennsylvania Roads - PA 252
252 Transportation in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Transportation in Chester County, Pennsylvania Transportation in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania U.S. Route 202