RIPLEY, Ohio — When you drive through Brown County, you rarely think about the highway you are on.
US 52 has seen a lot of changes in the United States over the past 100 years. When you hit a pothole, the driver might think that US 52 is more like 500 years old.
Construction began in 1926 and finished in the early 1930’s, it was a massive achievement at the time. Many of the new routes had straight stretches were cars could achieve faster speeds than on the A and P which had many curves. US 52 is a total of 190 miles in Ohio just alone. Parts of US 52 used the Atlantic and Pacific Highway, better known as the Old A and P.
The Atlantic and Pacific Highway was a route in the United States, essentially eliminated by the U.S. Highway system in the late 1920s. It connected New York City on the Atlantic Ocean with Los Angeles on the Pacific Ocean. The “Old A and P” is a road in Brown County that goes around Straight Creek, then runs parallel to US 52 until it goes into State Route 221. This was part of the Atlantic and Pacific Highway.
Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a northwest–southeast route. Most even numbered highways go east to west. The highway goes from South Carolina to Canada. The highway goes to Portal, North Dakota, on the Canadian border, where it continues as Saskatchewan Highway 39. The highway goes southeast to Charleston, South Carolina.
US 52 is also called Second Street within the village limits of Ripley. US Route 62 runs with US 52 from the Simon Kenton Bridge to breaking off in Ripley. US Route 68 come off the William Harsha Bridge and also runs with US 52 and US 62 until breaks off in Ripley to go north.
From Cincinnati eastward, US 52 generally follows the Ohio River. Towns along its path include New Richmond, Aberdeen, Ripley. US 52 passes by the birthplace of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant in Point Pleasant. US 52 enters Ohio with Interstate 74 in northwestern Hamilton County. US 52 then merges with Interstate 75 from Interstate 74 and exits onto Hopple Street in Cincinnati. It runs along Central Parkway and through downtown and then skirts the Cincinnati riverfront past Paul Brown Stadium, Great American Ball Park, and Heritage Bank Center, onto Pete Rose Way and Riverside Drive.
The section between Interstate 275 and New Richmond was modernized in the 1960s. Around Portsmouth and Ironton US 52 has several freeway or expressway sections. At Chesapeake, Ohio, US 52 crosses the Ohio River into Huntington, West Virginia.
The sections of US 52 that follow the Ohio River are known as the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which is part of the National Scenic Byway Project.
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