U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a north–south

U.S. Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

that travels from

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

to the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

state line near

Cheraw The Cheraw people, also known as the Saraw or Saura, were a Siouan-speaking tribe of indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, in the Piedmont area of North Carolina near the Sauratown Mountains, east of Pilot Mountain and north of the Yad ...

. It serves as a strategic highway through the central part of the state. Though an even-numbered U.S. Highway, which are typically signed east–west, it is signed north–south in South Carolina. In some other states along its route, it is signed east–west. The South Carolina segment is signed such that US 52 north corresponds to the general westward direction of the highway, and vice versa.

Route description

US 52 begins at the intersection of Meeting and Line Streets, in

. Going northwest along Meeting Street, it connects with

I-26 I26 may refer to: * Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W ...

/ US 17, followed by Morrison Drive ( US 52 Spur hidden); US 52 signage begin to appear north of Morrison Drive. In

North Charleston North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...

, it is

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 78 for , splitting near Goose Creek. From

Moncks Corner Moncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-S ...

, US 52 is briefly concurrent with US 17 Alt as it enters the

Francis Marion National Forest The Francis Marion National Forest is located north of Charleston, South Carolina. It is named for revolutionary war hero Francis Marion, who was known to the British as the Swamp Fox. It lies entirely within the Middle Atlantic coastal forests ...

and crosses the Dennis C. Bishop Bridge over the Tail Race Canal of the Cooper River just below

Lake Moultrie Lake Moultrie is the third largest lake in South Carolina. Created in the 1940s by a state utility project to dam the Cooper River (South Carolina), Cooper River, it covers more than . It provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities, inc ...

. The route traverses the Francis Marion National Forest as it continues northward to

St. Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

. From there is proceeds to

Kingstree Kingstree is a city and the county seat of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,328 at the 2010 census. History The original town was laid out as Williamsburg by the Lords Proprietors in colonial times, but a ...

and Lake City, before another short concurrency with US 301 from Effingham to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

. Through downtown Florence, it goes northwest and bypasses

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

and joining another concurrency with US 401. At

Society Hill Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia, with a population of 6,215 . Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia.The Center City District dates the Free Soc ...

, it merges briefly with

US 15 U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Car ...

before continuing north again solo to

, where it overlaps briefly with US 1 and SC 9. US 52 crosses the

state line, after traveling through South Carolina, continuing on towards Wadesboro. US 52 is a major highway between Charleston and Florence, all of which is four-lane or more with some sections signed . North of Darlington, it becomes mostly a two-lane rural highway through the remainder of its route. Though the majority of its routing and signage is north-south, some sections will also be signed east-west at various parts of the state.

Dedicated and memorial names

US 52 in South Carolina feature a few dedicated or memorialized stretches of freeway. *

Blue Star Memorial Highway Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the program in 1945 after World W ...

– Official honorary name of US 52 in Berkeley County. Markers are located in

, Pineville, and

. * L. Lawson Rhodes Highway – Is a dedicated section of US 52 located in Chesterfield County. Dedicated in August, 2013, it is in honor of Patrolman L. Lawson Rhodes, who served as a trooper with the

South Carolina Highway Patrol The South Carolina Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for South Carolina, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state except for federal or military installations. The Highway Patrol was created in 1930 and is an organization with a rank ...

, who died on duty in 1938.

History

US 52 was established in 1935 as a renumbering of US 601 from the North Carolina state line to

and US 17 from Florence to

. In 1939, US 52 was rerouted into a concurrency with US 78 in

, leaving a section of Meeting Street. Also in the same year,

to the North Carolina state line was the last section to be paved; while the first section of US 52 was widen to four-lane from Charleston to Durant Avenue, in

. In 1940, US 52 was rerouted onto new alignment west of Lake City. In 1948, US 52 was taken off King Street and placed on Meeting Street to Lee Street, in Charleston. Around 1952-1969, US 52 was split during that period in Florence, with northbound along Irby Street and southbound along Coit Avenue; before and after it was solely on Irby Street. Also around 1952, US 52 was bypassed west of

on new primary routing; the old route through town remained part of SC 261 while Academy Street, Kelly Street and Third Avenue were downgraded to secondary roads (all three SC-45-8). In 1971, US 52 was moved onto new alignment south of

, leaving behind Old Highway 52 (S-8-791). By 1973, US 52 was placed on new primary routing bypassing west around

, leaving behind US 52 Bus.

Major intersections

References