History
PA 652 was first assigned in 1928 to a series of local streets in the northwestern suburbs of Philadelphia. The southern terminus of the route was at the modern U.S. Route 30/Old Eagle School Road intersection on the Chester–Delaware county line near Devon to the west and Wayne to the east. PA 652 followed Old Eagle School Road north to King of Prussia, where the route turned east onto East Swedesford Road. At the location of the modern U.S. Route 422/U.S. Route 202 interchange, PA 652 turned north onto Guthrie Road, running alongside the right-of-way of what is now the US 422 expressway to North Gulph Road. PA 652 continued north on North Gulph Road to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, where it terminated at Pennsylvania Route 23.
In 1946, PA 652 was transferred to the control of the local suburbs along its entire length, and control of the roads went to local highway departments. The portion of the route between Guthrie Road and PA 23 returned to state control in 1967 when Pennsylvania Route 363 was routed onto North Gulph Road.
The current alignment of Route 652 was classified as a state highway as early as 1920, nine years after the Sproul Road Bill was passed by the Pennsylvania State Legislature. The Sproul Road Bill also assigned the first state highways in Pennsylvania. There was no designation given to the highway. From 1926 to 1972, the modern routing of PA 652 was part of U.S. Route 106. The road also carried a portion of Pennsylvania Route 19 from 1927 to 1930. In 1972, US 106 was decommissioned and replaced with the PA 652 designation between Indian Orchard and the Delaware River.
Route 652 has a consistent stretch of water crossings that helps put the highway together. The first bridge along the highway, built in 1925, was the U.S. Route 106 bridge spanning a tributary of the Delaware River. The concrete-paved span was reconstructed in 1980 and crosses the tributary into New York on a 50.85 feet (15.50 m) long span. The next bridge was the current Narrowsburg–Darbytown Bridge, built in 1954 over the Delaware. The bridge is structurally deficient according to the United States Department of Transportation, and is in need of replacement. The bridge is 425 feet (130 m) long and made of steel.
The final two bridges were constructed in 1964. The first was constructed for Route 106 over Indian Orchard Brook. It is located about 500 feet (150 m) east of State Route 2011 (Poor Farm Road). It is a structurally deficient, 20.99 feet (6.40 m) concrete bridge. There is no recorded estimate for replacement costs. The second bridge is also over Indian Orchard Brook, and is in Texas Township. The bridge is 41.99 feet (12.80 m) long and built out of concrete, which handles an average of 6,804 commuters a year.
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