The Kennett Pike was bought by Pierre S. du Pont in 1919 and was widened and paved before being sold to the State of Delaware for $1.

Both directions of DE 52 merge onto Delaware Avenue, an eight-lane divided highway, and the route reaches an interchange with I-95/US 202.

The road intersects the eastern terminus of DE 2 in a commercial area on the northern edge of the Little Italy neighborhood and passes under CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision railroad line.

The route runs through more residential areas north of the Wawaset Park neighborhood, passing to the northeast of the Wilmington Campus of the University of Delaware.

The road continues into Greenville and widens into a divided highway as it comes to a partial cloverleaf interchange with DE 100/DE 141.

The road continues through more forested suburban areas, passing to the west of the Wilmington Country Club and to the east of the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science.

A park and ride lot located at a church is situated west of the roadway north of the Old Kennett Road intersection.

DE 52 heads northwest to its northern terminus at the Pennsylvania border, where the road continues into that state as PA 52 to Longwood Gardens and the borough of West Chester.

The alignment of Kennett Pike became home to the estates of many executives from the DuPont Company and other corporations in the early part of the century.

Among the executives was DuPont Company secretary and treasurer Pierre S. du Pont, who came up with a plan to modernize Kennett Pike.

Work on improving the Kennett Pike began just north of the Pyles Ford Road intersection near Winterthur.

By the end of September, excavation was almost finished and homes began to be moved for paving along the northern portion of the Kennett Pike.

Also at this time, plans were made for the bridge at Brecks Lane and land acquisition took place along the road in Greenville.

Work on improving the Kennett Pike resumed in April 1920, with the sides of the road between Greenville and the Pennsylvania border dressed.

Following the completion of the project, du Pont sold the Kennett Pike to the Delaware State Highway Department for $1.