Route Description
State Route 52 begins just west of I-5 at the eastern end of La Jolla Parkway. Before entering San Clemente Canyon, the road becomes a freeway as it intersects I-5. The canyon is designated as Marian Bear Natural Park. The freeway runs just north of the Rose Canyon Fault, which is composed of Late Cretaceous rock that is estimated to be 90 million years old, and Mount Soledad. Following exits with Clairemont Mesa Boulevard / Regents Road and Genessee Avenue, SR 52 intersects I-805 before exiting the canyon and traveling along the southern edge of MCAS Miramar.
From I-805 to SR 163, the highway passes through an area with Pliocene sedimentary rocks estimated to be 10 million years old that are visible from the freeway. After passing the Miramar Recycling Center and an interchange with Convoy Street, SR 52 intersects SR 163, a freeway heading towards downtown San Diego. SR 52 intersects Kearny Villa Road before an interchange with I-15, traveling through open areas in MCAS Miramar. A collector-distributor road serves these three interchanges.
After this interchange, the freeway leaves the military base and enters the San Diego neighborhood of Tierrasanta, where there is a junction with Santo Road, before traversing Mission Trails Regional Park, an open space preserve, for a few miles. The freeway ascends to Mission Trails Pass, north of the 1,230-foot (370 m) summit of Fortuna Mountain. This is part of the Peninsular Range, among Eocene rocks estimated to be 50 million years old and marine fossils. The road on the eastern side of the mountain is carved out of "igneous granitic rocks" that are estimated to be 150 million years old, an unusual transformation as compared to the Eocene layer. A dedicated two-way bicycle path exists on the northern side of the roadway between Santo Road and Mast Boulevard. Access is from Santo Road and from Mast Boulevard beside the westbound entrance ramps. East of the Mast Boulevard interchange, SR 52 crosses and begins to parallel the San Diego River. The freeway enters the city of Santee, where SR 52 parallels Mission Gorge Road. SR 52 intersects with the northern end of SR 125, where SR 125 traffic can continue south onto SR 125 or north onto Mission Gorge Road. The freeway continues east through Santee, with exits at Fanita Drive, Cuyamaca Street, and Magnolia Avenue, before it comes to an end at SR 67.
SR 52 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System. However, it is not a scenic highway as designated by Caltrans because it has not successfully been through the nomination process. SR 52 is not part of the National Highway System (NHS), a network of roadways important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. Today, the entire route is known as both the Soledad Freeway and the San Clemente Canyon Freeway.
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