Tennessee State Route 52

State Route 52 (SR 52) is an east–west state highway that crosses eight counties in northern and northeastern Tennessee. The 144.5-mile-long (232.6 km) route originates in Orlinda along SR 49 and ends in Elgin along U.S. Route 27 (US 27).

State Route 52
Rugby Pike
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length	144.5 mi[1] (232.6 km)
Major junctions
West end	SR 49 in Orlinda
	I-65 in Orlinda US 31W on Orlinda-Portland city line SR 109 in Portland US 31E / US 231 in Westmoreland SR 10 in Lafayette SR 56 in Red Boiling Springs SR 53 in Celina SR 85 / SR 111 in Livingston US 127 in Jamestown
East end	US 27 in Elgin
Location
Counties	Robertson, Sumner, Macon, Clay, Overton, Pickett, Fentress, Morgan, Scott
Highway system
Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State ← SR 51 SR 53 →

SR 52 is mostly a primary route, but becomes secondary west of I-65. Between Celina and Livingston it is part of Corridor J of the Appalachian Development Highway System.

Route description

[2][3]

Buildings along State Route 52 in the Moss community of Clay County.

In the border counties

SR 52 begins as a secondary state route in Orlinda at SR 49 in Robertson County. It begins an eastward trek and junctions with I-65 (Exit 117) west of Portland. A short distance later, it junctions with US 31W (SR 41) and enters Sumner County. Once it does so, it becomes a primary route. SR 52 then enters Portland and has an Intersection with SR 109. Continuing east, SR 52 enters Westmoreland, bypassing the downtown area to the south, and comes to an intersection with US 31E/231 (SR 6). It then crosses into Macon County and passes through Siloam. SR 52 continues into Lafayette to intersect with SR 10. It then exits Lafayette and intersects with SR 262 at Webbtown. It continues to Red Boiling Springs, where it has a junction with SR 56. It then has an interchange with SR 151 a short distance later.[4]

The intersection of State Route 52 and State Route 53 in Celina, Tennessee.

It continues eastward into Clay County, and goes through the communities of Hermitage Springs and Moss, the latter of which SR 51 intersects SR 52, and SR 135 intersects SR 52 in the former. SR 53 intersects SR 52 at Celina.

Road cut along State Route 52 in Celina, Tennessee.

[5]

For SR 52’s first 75.9 miles (122.1 km), it parallels the Tennessee-Kentucky state line.[6][7]

Celina to Elgin

Post office and other buildings along Celina Highway (State Route 52) in Allons, Tennessee.

After exiting Celina, SR 52 turns southeast to cross into Overton County. A short distance from the county line, it comes to a junction with SR 136 just north of Standing Stone State Park. It continues east and passes through Allons. SR 52 then enters Livingston and intersects with SR 111. It continues into downtown and becomes concurrent with SR 85. It continues east and goes through Alpine and separates from SR 85 to the east.[8]

Buildings at the intersection of Central Avenue (State Route 52) and Main Street (Former US 127) in downtown Jamestown.

SR 52 then continues eastward into far southern Pickett County, and then crosses into Fentress County shortly thereafter. It winds to the east to Jamestown, where it has an intersection with SR 154. It then goes straight through downtown, crosses Main St. (Old US 127), and has an interchange with US 127 (SR 28) just outside of town. SR 52 then goes southeast, and enters Allardt to intersect SR 296. It then continues on known as "Rugby Pike", which is the name it keeps all the way to its eastern end. It continues through rural Fentress county to a tall bridge over the Clear Fork River and crosses into Morgan County and the Eastern Time Zone.

The NRHP-listed R. M. Brooks General Store, located along what is now Rugby Parkway (Old State Highway 52) in Rugby.

A short distance past the river, SR 52 intersects Rugby Parkway, which until December 2013 was the actual route of SR 52, which runs a loop through the historic community of Rugby, while the current route runs along a new bypass to the south. SR 52 then becomes very narrow and curvy and straddles Morgan County's eastern boundary line for several miles before finally entering Scott County to end in the community of Elgin at an intersection with US 27 (SR 29).

SR 52 in Elgin, Tennessee. A junction shield for US 27 can be seen in the bottom left corner.

[9]

History

Sometime between 2010 and 2013, SR 52 in Red Boiling Springs was rerouted onto a bypass route to the south of that city. Most of the old alignment, however, still retains its SR 56 designation through the town. Several other older alignments of SR 52 still remain in Macon and northern Sumner Counties, including Church Street in Lafayette, and Austin Peay Highway near Westmoreland.

In December 2013, the town of Rugby was bypassed by the rerouting of SR 52, with the old alignment now being known as Rugby Parkway.

SR 52 in eastern Clay County was rerouted onto a straighter alignment from Celina to the Overton County line. After that project was finished in the 2010s, SR 52 no longer runs concurrently with SR 53 on the south side of town. The old alignment is now known as Old Livingston Highway. Parts of an even older alignment of State Route 52 in Clay County still remains intact also. All re-routings shortened the route by an estimated total of 4.4 miles (7.1 km) from the previously listed 148.88 miles (239.60 km).

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Robertson	Orlinda	0.0	0.0	SR 49 (Main Street) – Springfield, Franklin (KY)	Western terminus
		6.7– 6.9	10.8– 11.1	I-65 – Nashville, Louisville	I-65 exit 117
Robertson–Sumner county line	Orlinda–Portland line	7.2	11.6	US 31W (SR 41) – White House, Mitchellville, Franklin (KY)
Sumner	Portland	11.7	18.8	SR 109 (S Broadway) – Mitchellville, Gallatin
	Oak Grove			SR 259 west – Mitchellville	Eastern terminus of SR 259
				SR 174 (Dobbins Pike/Fairfield Road) – Gallatin, Fairfield
	Westmoreland			US 31E / US 231 (SR 6) – Scottsville (KY), Gallatin
Macon	Eulia			SR 141 south (Green Grove Road) – Hartsville	Western (signed northern) terminus of SR 141
	Lafayette			SR 10 (Hartsville Road/College Street) – Hartsville, Business District
				SR 261 north (Church Street)	Southern terminus of SR 261
	Webbtown			SR 262 east (Browns Road)	Western terminus of SR 262
	Red Boiling Springs			SR 56 (Carthage Road/Lafayette Road) – Gamaliel (KY), Cyclemos Motorcycle Museum, Carthage
	​			SR 151 – Red Boiling Springs, North Springs, Cyclemos Motorcycle Museum	Interchange
Clay	Oak Grove			SR 135 south (McCormick Ridge Road) – Gainesboro	Northern terminus of SR 135
	Moss			SR 51 north (Tompkinsville Highway) – Tompkinsville (KY)	Southern terminus of SR 51
	Celina			SR 52 Truck east (Dow Avenue)	Western terminus of SR 52 Truck
				SR 52 Truck west (Brown Street)	Eastern terminus of SR 52 Truck
				SR 53 (Gainesboro Highway/Burkesville Highway) – Gainesboro, Burkesville (KY), Dale Hollow Dam
Overton	Timothy			SR 136 south (Timothy Road) – Standing Stone State Rustic Park	Northern terminus of SR 136
	Livingston			SR 111 (Bradford Hicks Drive) to SR 84 – Byrdstown, Cookeville
				SR 85 west (Broad Street) – Cookeville, Nashville	Western end of SR 85 overlap
				SR 294 north (East Main Street) to SR 111 – Byrdstown	Southern terminus of SR 294
	​			SR 85 east (Wilder Highway) – Grimsley	Eastern end of SR 85 overlap
Pickett	No major junctions
Fentress	​			SR 154 north (West Cove Road) – Pickett State Park	Southern terminus of SR 154
	Jamestown			Old US 127 (Main Street)
				US 127 (SR 28) – Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park, Static, Grimsley, Crossville	Interchange
	Allardt			SR 296 west (Taylor Place Road)	Eastern terminus of SR 296
Clear Fork River				Bridge over the Clear Fork River
Morgan	​			Rugby Parkway – Rugby	Old SR 52
	Rugby			Rugby Parkway – Rugby	Old SR 52
Scott	Elgin	144.5	232.6	US 27 (Scott Highway/SR 29) – Oneida, Huntsville, Wartburg	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Related route

State Route 52 Truck
Location	Celina
Length	0.049 mi (0.079 km)

State Route 52 Truck Route (SR 52 Truck) is a truck route in downtown Celina, in Clay County. With a total length of 261 feet (80 m), the truck route includes the following streets:

• Dow Avenue from SR 52 (Main St./Dow Ave.) to Brown Street, and
• Brown Street from Dow Avenue to Lake Avenue.

The route folds back into SR 52 at the corner of Brown Street and Lake Avenue.

References

1. Total length as of January 2017
2. Rand McNally (2016). "Tennessee" (Map). The Road Atlas (2016 Walmart ed.). 1 in≈30 mi. Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 94–95. ISBN 0-528-00626-6.
3. DeLorme (2010). Tennessee Atlas & Gazetteer (Map). Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme.
4. Tennessee Department of Transportation (2017). Tennessee's Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map) (2017 ed.). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. §§ A8–A9. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
5. Tennessee Department of Transportation (2017). Tennessee's Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map) (2017 ed.). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. §§ A9–A10. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
6. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (2016). Kentucky Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Frankfort: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. §§ F6–F9.
7. DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map). Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme. pp. 80–83. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
8. Tennessee Department of Transportation (2017). Tennessee's Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map) (2017 ed.). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. §§ A10, B10. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
9. Tennessee Department of Transportation (2017). Tennessee's Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map) (2017 ed.). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. §§ B10–B12, A11. Retrieved February 28, 2017.