Georgia State Route 52

Georgia State Route 52 in Whitfield County, with Grassy Mountain in the background

From its western terminus at exit 333 on I-75 in Dalton, SR 52 runs due east along Walnut Avenue into and through downtown Dalton in Whitfield County, curving northeast at Walnut Square Mall to come to its junction with US 76, where it becomes concurrent with US 76. The two routes continue east into Murray County and the northern parts of Chatsworth, where they briefly become co-signed with US 411/SR 2/SR 61, and all five routes travel south into downtown Chatsworth, where SR 52 and SR 2 depart and together continue east into and through Fort Mountain State Park, where the routes are also called Woody Glenn Highway. The routes climb from around 800 feet elevation to above 2,500 feet, before curving to the southeast, passing into and out of Gilmer County twice for very short portions, before finally crossing and staying in Gilmer County, and forming part of the southern border of the Chattahoochee National Forest, then descending into Ellijay. In Ellijay, the two routes cross the Ellijay River together, then SR 52 splits from SR 2 as the route first crosses the Cartecay River just north of where it and the Ellijay River combine to form the Coosawattee River. The route then crosses SR 5/SR 515 and continues southeast, still parallel with the southern reaches of the Chattahoochee National Forest, and runs through rural portions of Gilmer County and northern Dawson County.[1][2][3]

Just west of Amicalola Falls State Park, the route assumes an easterly routing at the junction with SR 183, and passes into Lumpkin County, soon thereafter leaving behind the Chattahoochee National Forest. To the west of Dahlonega, SR 52 becomes co-signed with SR 9, and the two routes continue east to Dahlonega, bypassing its downtown to the south and east. Shortly after a brief concurrence with US 19 and SR 60, SR 52 departs and continues east. After a brief concurrency with SR 115 southeast of Dahlonega, the route again assumes a southeasterly course and crosses into Hall County. After passing the community of Clermont to its south, and crossing US 129/SR 11, the route makes a brief turn to the northeast, then curves sharply southeast again, crosses US 23/SR 13, and passes through Lula into Banks County, forming part of the county line between Hall County and Banks County. SR 52 continues southeast through Gillsville, and heads to its eastern terminus in Maysville in Jackson County at its intersection with SR 98.[1][2][3]

The first portion of the roadway that is signed as SR 52 today makes its appearance on Georgia state road maps in 1920, when the 13.4 miles (21.6 km) portion of the current route from its western terminus to Chatsworth, which is concurrent with US 76, was already in existence, and signed as part of SR2.[6] In 1921, a roadway designated as SR 52 is mapped - covering what today is signed as SR 28 in the Augusta area in east-central Georgia (excluding the portion of SR 28 in northeastern Georgia today). In addition, the 15.6 miles (25.1 km) portion of the current route from Dahlonega, southeast to where it intersects today with US 129, was extant and signed as SR 43 at the time.[7] By the beginning of 1932, the western portion of the route was extended to now feature a new 22.6 miles (36.4 km) section from Chatsworth to Ellijay, also signed as SR 2. In addition, the part of the route between Dahlonega and US 129 was improved to be covered in hard surface, and the part of the route between Dalton and Chatsworth was partially improved at the time.[8] By mid-1932, another major addition had been graded, namely the portion of the route between Ellijay to southwest of Dahlonega. This section was also designated as SR 43, which meant that between the portions of SR 2 and SR 43 that correspond to today's routing, the entire stretch from its western terminus to US 129 in the vicinity of Clermonth was extant.[9]

The roadway around Augusta, which had carried the designation of SR 52, had been re-signed as SR 28 by the middle of 1938.[10] However, it was not until early in 1942 that the section of the route from Ellijay east to Dahlonega, and continuing to US 129, had been re-designated as SR 52, the first appearance of this designation in northwestern and northern Georgia. In addition, a 6.2 miles (10.0 km) portion of roadway had been graded and designated as part of SR 52, running southeast from US 23/SR 13 in Lula to Gillsville in Banks County. As far as road conditions were concerned, hard surface had been added to the portion of the route between Dalton and Chatsworth, and for portions of the route west of SR 183 and west of Dahlonega.[11] The remaining gaps in the route were closed in 1948, when the section of the route between US 129 near Clermont, and US 23/SR 13 in Lula, was graded, and the route was extended from Gillsville to Maysville. With the exception of the new portion between Clermonth and Lula, and small section of the route in Gilmer and Dawson counties, the route had been finished in hard surface at the time.[12] It was then just one more year before the portion of the route between Dalton and Ellijay was re-designated as SR 52, completing the routing and designation of this state highway.[13]

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