Question: When was U.S. Route 17 first constructed?

New York State Route 17



New York State Route17 (NY17) is a major state highway that extends for 397 miles (638.91km) through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Southern Tier Expressway and Quickway east through Corning and Binghamton to Woodbury, where it turns south to follow the Orange Turnpike to the New Jersey state line near Suffern, where it connects to  New Jersey Route 17. From the Pennsylvania border to the city of Elmira and from Binghamton to Windsor, NY17 is concurrent with Interstate86 (I-86). Eventually, the entire east–west portion of NY17 from the Pennsylvania border to Woodbury will become I-86 as projects to upgrade the route to Interstate Highway standards are completed.
At 397miles, NY17 is the longest state route in New York, and its second-longest highway of any kind besides the Thruway. It serves 11 counties (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Steuben, Chemung, Tioga, Broome, Delaware, Sullivan, Orange, and Rockland), passes through the cities of Salamanca, Olean, Corning, Elmira, and Binghamton, and enters the vicinity of several others, including Jamestown and Middletown. As it proceeds across the state, it intersects many of New York's Interstate and U.S. Highways, including U.S. Route219 (US219) in Salamanca, I-99 and U.S. Route15 (US15) near Corning, I-81 in Binghamton, and I-84 near Middletown. The portion of NY17 in the vicinity of Waverly is actually located in Pennsylvania; however, it is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation.
The route was assigned in 1924, extending from Westfield to Suffern via at-grade highways. It was moved onto the Quickway and the Southern Tier Expressway as sections of both were completed from the 1950s to the 1980s. Two of NY17's suffixed routes, NY17C and NY17M, follow substantial portions of NY17's pre-freeway alignment. In 1998, all of NY17 between the Pennsylvania state line and Harriman was designated as "Future I-86". The westernmost 177 miles (285km) of the route was designated as I-86 one year later, and the designation has been gradually extended eastward as sections of NY17 are improved to Interstate Highway standards. Prior to the I-86 designation, NY-17 was part of a 3-state Route 17, with PA-17 existing on today's I-86 in Pennsylvania, and it continues into New Jersey.
Route description
Pennsylvania to Elmira

NY17 begins at the point where Interstate86 (I-86) crosses the New York–Pennsylvania border in Mina, Chautauqua County. I-86 heads westward from there to its western terminus at I-90. I-86 and NY17 continue eastward through the Southern Tier, encountering NY426 (exit4) a short distance from the state line prior to meeting NY76 (exit6) south of Sherman. East of exit8 (NY394), I-86 and NY17 cross Chautauqua Lake and follow the lake shore eastward to Jamestown, where it connects to NY60 at exit12 due north of the city. East of the city, the expressway meets U.S. Route62 (US62) at exit14 and is joined by the old Erie Railroad line, which parallels the expressway as it heads across southern New York.

Between exits17 and18 (NY280), I-86 and NY17 cross the Allegheny Reservoir near its northernmost extent. Past NY280, the freeway runs adjacent to the northern extent of the Allegany State Park and follows the reservoir and the connecting Allegheny River eastward to Salamanca. Near downtown Salamanca, I-86 and NY17 meet US219 (exit21). US219 joins the expressway east to exit23 near Carrollton, where it splits from I-86 and NY17 and heads toward Bradford, Pennsylvania, forming the eastern edge of the state park as it heads south. Meanwhile, the expressway continues east to Olean, where it meets NY417 (a previous alignment of NY17) at exit24 west of town and NY16 (exit27) north of the area.
Past Olean, the route drifts northward away from Pennsylvania toward Hornell, where I-86 and NY17 intersect NY36 (exit34). To the east in Avoca, the Southern Tier Expressway meets I-390 at exit36. I-86 and NY17 southeast from the junction, passing through Bath on its way an interchange with I-99 and US15 in Painted Post (exit44). Here, I-99 and US15 begin and head south toward Pennsylvania, while I-86 and NY17 continue east through Corning to the city of Elmira. At exit56 (NY352), I-86 temporarily terminates as NY17 continues eastward toward Binghamton.
Elmira to Harriman

From Elmira to Binghamton, NY17, the Erie Railroad (now operated by Norfolk Southern as the Southern Tier Line), and its old alignments generally stay close together. They follow the Chemung River to exit60 (US220 in South Waverly, Pennsylvania) and the Susquehanna River from east of exit61 (Waverly, New York) to Binghamton; on the latter section, both NY17C and NY434 are old NY17. Between the two rivers, which intersect in Pennsylvania, the general corridor runs just north of the state line in New York. However, NY17 itself crosses into Pennsylvania for approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) between a point west of exit60 and a point west of exit61; additionally, all the ramps at exit60 and portions of the eastbound ramps at exits59A and61 are in Pennsylvania. Despite being in Pennsylvania, it is still signed as NY-17, and these roadways are still maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation.[3][4]
Near downtown Binghamton, NY17 goes around the side of Prospect Mountain at what is locally known as "Kamikaze Curve". Heading eastbound, the freeway curves sharply left around the hillside, splits into ramps to I-81 north and south, and curves right to merge into I-81 south as it passes over the Chenango River. From that point east and southeast about 5 miles (8km), I-81 and NY17 run concurrently. NY17 splits from I-81, the Erie Railroad and the Susquehanna River to the east into Stilson Hollow; from this split (exit75) to its end, most of NY17 does not follow the Erie Railroad, which crosses into Pennsylvania several times.

At the end of Stilson Hollow, NY17 heads over a summit and into the valley formed by the Occanum Creek. The creek empties into the Susquehanna River at Windsor (exit79), which NY17 follows southeast to Damascus (exit80) before turning northeast along Tuscarora Creek. It soon turns east and southeast over a summit, rejoining the Erie Railroad just north of Gulf Summit. The highway and railroad head east along Oquaga Creek to Deposit (exit84), where they turn southeast along the West Branch Delaware River. A gap in the freeway stretches from here to just short of Hancock (exit87), the place the West Branch joins with the East Branch Delaware River. The Erie Railroad continues southeast along the combined Delaware River, while NY17 turns east along the valley formed by the East Branch, either closely following or built directly over the abandoned New York, Ontario and Western Railway[5] to Liberty.
At East Branch (exit90), the East Branch Delaware River turns north, and NY17 continues east with the Beaver Kill to Roscoe (exit94), Willowemoc Creek to Livingston Manor (exit96), and Little Beaver Kill to Parksville (exit98). The highway and parallel NYO&W pass south over a summit to Liberty (exits99–100), and continue along the Middle Mongaup River to Ferndale (exit101). The NYO&W turned east there, but NY17 continues south over a summit and into the Spring Brook and East Mongaup River valleys past Harris (exit102). NY17 then cuts southeast cross-country to Monticello (exit104; passing Monticello Raceway) and beyond, following the old Newburgh and Cochecton Turnpike (old NY17) to Bloomingburg (exit116). The old Middletown and Wurtsboro Turnpike, also old NY17, and partially NY17M, runs south to Middletown, which NY17 cuts cross-country to bypass to the east, rejoining NY17M– and the main line of the Erie Railroad– at Goshen (exit123). NY17, its old former alignment (NY17M) and the Erie run generally east-southeast, partly cross-country and partly through small stream valleys, to the end of the freeway, the directional change in NY17 from east–west to north–south, and the junction of the Erie with its branch to Newburgh.
Harriman to New Jersey

NY17 heads southwest from the Quickway as an at-grade roadway, passing through the village of Woodbury before entering the village of Harriman, where it intersects with the eastern terminus of NY17M.[6] As the route heads southward from this junction, its signage changes from being east or west to north or south. The route parallels the Thruway as it proceeds through a disjointed piece of Harriman State Park and enters the town of Tuxedo. While inside the park, NY17 intersects Arden Valley Road, a highway that connects to Seven Lakes Drive deep inside the park.[7] South of Arden Valley Road, NY17 briefly exits Harriman State Park and enters the hamlet of Southfields, where it intersects with County Route19 (CR19) and passes by the Red Apple Rest, a former restaurant and roadside attraction.[8]

Past the hamlet, the route heads back into the park and intersects with NY17A and CR106 near the park's western boundary. South of the junction, NY17 leaves the Park and proceeds through a lightly populated area to the Village of Tuxedo Park. At the Tuxedo Park train station is access to some hiking trails in Harriman State Park.[8] The route continues on, paralleling the Thruway into Rockland County. On the other side of the county line, NY17 enters the village of Sloatsburg, where it meets Seven Lakes Drive and connects to CR72 by way of a modified trumpet interchange.[6]
Outside of Sloatsburg, NY17 winds its way southeasterly along the Ramapo River and the Thruway through the town of Ramapo to the hamlet of the same name, based just north of NY17's junction with NY59. Here, NY17 turns to the southwest, meeting the Thruway at exit15A before traversing a sparsely developed area of the village of Hillburn. About 0.75 miles (1.21km) south of the Thruway, NY17 curves to the east, passing to the south of the village center as it approaches I-287. At Suffern Road, NY17 becomes southbound only as it merges onto I-287 and proceeds to the New Jersey state line, where it connects to New Jersey's Route17.[6]
History
Origins

The route of NY17 was the main portion of an auto trail called the Liberty Highway, which connected New York City to Cleveland via Hackensack, Liberty, the Southern Tier, and Erie.[9] The alignment of the Liberty Highway from Westfield to Harriman was largely designated as Route4, an unsigned legislative route, by the New York State Legislature in 1908. Legislative Route4 began at legislative Route18 (current U.S. Route20 or US20) in Westfield and proceeded southeast through Mayville to Jamestown on what is now NY394 and NY430. From there, the route headed generally eastward to Salamanca over modern NY394, NY242, and NY353, and southeast to Olean via NY417. At Olean, the route shifted northward, passing through Hinsdale, Friendship, and Belvidere on current NY16, NY446 and Allegany County's CR20 before returning southward on what is now NY19 to access the village of Wellsville.[10][11]

From Wellsville to Andover and from Jasper to Corning, Route4 followed modern NY417. In between Andover and Jasper, however, Route4 veered north on current NY21 and NY36 to serve Hornell. East of Corning, the alignment of legislative Route4 more closely resembled the modern alignments of the Southern Tier Expressway and the Quickway. Route4 exited Corning on what is now NY352 and followed it to Big Flats, where it broke from NY352 and proceeded to Horseheads on Chemung CR64 and to Elmira on what is now Lake Road, Madison Avenue and the east end of NY352. Between Elmira and Binghamton, Route4 followed either local roads that were bypassed or upgraded into the Southern Tier Expressway, namely modern NY17 and Chemung and Tioga CR60 from Elmira to Waverly, NY17C between Waverly and Owego, NY434 from Owego to Vestal, and NY17C and Riverside Drive (via NY26) from Vestal to Binghamton.[10][11]
Route4 exited the city on US11 and followed it to Kirkwood Center, a hamlet adjacent to the eastern junction of NY17 and I-81. From this point to Harriman, except for one section near Middletown, the path Route4 followed became the basis for the Quickway several decades later. Between Kirkwood Center and Hancock, Route4 utilized what was later upgraded into the Quickway (via Broome CR28 from Windsor to Deposit). East of here, it used parallel roads instead: modern "Old Route17" (Delaware CR17 and Sullivan CRs179A to174) from Deposit to Monticello, Sullivan CRs173 to171 between Monticello and Bloomingburg, and Orange CR76 and NY17M from Bloomingburg to Harriman. At Harriman, Route4 broke from the Liberty Highway and proceeded northeast over current US6 and NY293 to Highland Falls, where it ended at legislative Route3 (modern US9W).[10][11] The portion of the Liberty Highway between Suffern and Harriman became part of legislative Route39-b in 1911;[11][12] however, this designation was removed on March1, 1921.[13]
Designation and early changes

When New York first signed its state highways with route numbers in 1924, much of legislative Route4 was designated as NY17.[2] From Randolph to Salamanca, NY17 followed a more southerly routing than Route4, bypassing Little Valley to the south in favor of a direct connection between Randolph and Salamanca (current NY394 and NY951T).[14] In Vestal, NY17 was routed along the south bank of the Susquehanna River, bypassing Endicott and Johnson City on what is now NY434 and Broome CR44.[15] Lastly, NY17 broke from the path of legislative Route4 in Harriman and followed the former Route39-b south to the New Jersey state line at Suffern.[14] As originally laid out, NY17 was 434 miles (698km) long.[16] In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY17 basically remained intact. The only changes made at this time were the straightening out of the Olean–Wellsville segment (now via Ceres) and the Andover–Jasper segment (now via Greenwood).[17]
NY17 initially reached New Jersey by way of Suffern's Orange Avenue (now US202) and connected to New Jersey's Route2 at the state line. By 1932, an alternate route of NY17 between the New Jersey state line at Hillburn and the hamlet of Ramapo on the western bank of the Ramapo River was designated as NY339. The route largely followed the path of modern I-287 and the New York State Thruway between the two locations. It initially became a local road upon crossing into New Jersey;[18] however, Route2 was realigned c.1933 to connect to NY339 instead of NY17.[19] In the mid-1930s, the alignments of NY17 and NY339 south of Ramapo were flipped, placing NY17 on the western route.[20][21] By 1938, NY17 was relocated onto a new highway through the Hillburn village limits. While the southern half of the new road utilized the old highway, the northern half veered to the west of both Hillburn and old NY17, bypassing the village before rejoining the old road south of Ramapo.[22]
Conversion to expressway

The explosive growth of the tourism industry in the Catskill Mountains region, which began in the 1930s and intensified after World War II, stretched the rural road to its limits. Scores of hotels, resorts and bungalow colonies attracted hundreds of thousands of vacationing New Yorkers, whose cars left the two-lane NY17 hopelessly jammed in summer. Many towns, especially the fairly large city of Middletown, were paralyzed on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons in the summertime, as traffic passed through local downtowns and their traffic lights.[23] In addition, the tight turns and steep inclines along the route led to numerous fatal crashes, including two milk tanker truck crashes in the mid-1950s. In response, New York State officials planned a four-lane replacement, the first free long-distance expressway in the state and one of the earliest in the United States. It would replace intersections with well-spaced access ramps, separate grades with flyovers, and allow safe travel at up to 65 miles per hour (105km/h).[24]

The first segment of the new highway extended from Fair Oaks to Goshen, bypassing the city of Middletown to the northeast. It opened to traffic in July 1951 as a realignment of NY17.[24][25] As more sections of the freeway—known as the Quickway—opened up during the 1950s and 1960s, NY17 was moved onto them. The Quickway was completed by 1968, connecting Binghamton to Harriman by way of a continuous, mostly limited-access highway.[24][26] Farther west, plans were also in the works to build an expressway across the Southern Tier. The highway was first proposed by New York Governor Thomas Dewey in 1953,[27] and the first sections of the Southern Tier Expressway were completed in the mid-1960s. At the time, NY17 followed the entirety of two of the four open sections (Steamburg to Salamanca and Owego to the Broome County line) and part of a third (Corning to Lowman via Elmira).[26][28]

As more continuous pieces of the expressway opened during the 1970s, NY17 was realigned onto them, with much of NY17's old alignment becoming NY394, NY417, or NY17C. By 1980, the expressway was complete from Bemus Point to Binghamton except for two areas near Salamanca and Corning. Although NY17 continued to extend northwestward along its original alignment from Bemus Point to Westfield, both highways were also designated as parts of NY430 and NY394 in anticipation of the completion of the Southern Tier Expressway west of Chautauqua Lake, which NY17 would be rerouted to follow.[29][30] This segment was built in stages during the 1980s as a super two highway;[31][32] it was widened to four lanes in 1997.[33] The portions of the freeway in and around Salamanca and Corning were completed in the late 1980s[31][32] and mid-1990s, completing the conversion of NY17 into a continuous, mostly limited-access highway from the Pennsylvania state line to Harriman.[34][35]
On December3, 1999, the westernmost 177 miles (284.85km) of NY17 were designated as part of I-86,[36] a new route that had been written into law a year earlier. As legislated, I-86 will eventually extend eastward along the length of both the Southern Tier Expressway and the Quickway to the New York State Thruway in Harriman once both highways are brought up to Interstate Highway standards.[37] I-86 was extended east to Horseheads in 2004[36] and Elmira in 2008;[38] additionally, a 10-mile (16km) stretch of NY17 in central Broome County was designated as I-86 in 2006.[36] In September2013, the Federal Highway Administration approved the extension of the I-86 designation from exit56 in Elmira to the Tioga county line in , a 15.8-mile (25.4km) extension of the designation.[39]The remainder of NY17 west of I-87 will be designated as I-86 after the remaining at-grade sections are eliminated and the highway is brought up to Interstate Highway standards.[40]

Suffixed routes

NY17 has had 13 suffixed routes bearing 11 different designations. Five are still assigned to their routes, while eight have been removed or renumbered. A fourteenth, NY 17L, was proposed in 1939 as part of current NY97, but canceled.[41]
The NY17A designation has been used for two distinct highways:
The first NY17A was an alternate route of NY17 between Randolph and Salamanca via Little Valley. It was assigned in the mid-1920s[2][14] and renumbered to NY17H in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.[17]
The current NY17A (24.76 miles or 39.85 kilometres) is an alternate route of NY17 between Goshen and Southfields that connects NY17 to Warwick in Orange County.[1] It was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering.[17]
NY17B (21.90 miles or 35.24 kilometres) is a spur of NY17 connecting Monticello to NY97 in Callicoon.[1] When it was originally assigned in 1930, it also extended northward to Hancock via modern NY97.[17]
NY17C (40.34 miles or 64.92 kilometres) is an alternate route of NY17 between Waverly and Binghamton in Tioga and Broome counties.[1] The western terminus of the route was initially located in Owego upon being assigned in 1930.[42]
NY17D was a spur of NY17 in the vicinity of Elmira, Chemung County that ran from downtown Elmira to the Pennsylvania border east of Wellsburg. The route, assigned in 1930,[42] was renumbered to NY427 in the early 1940s.[43][44]
NY17E was an alternate route of NY17 between Big Flats and Elmira in Chemung County. The route, assigned in 1930,[42] was renumbered to NY352 in October1966 after local community pressure.[45]
NY17F was an alternate route of NY17 between Andover, Allegany County, and Addison, Steuben County. The route, assigned in 1930, was a northerly alternate route of NY17 that served Hornell and Canisteo.[46] NY17F was removed in the early 1940s and is now NY21, NY36 and Steuben County's CR119.[43][44]
NY17G was a spur assigned in 1930 to what is now NY248 south of NY417.[17] It became part of an extended NY248 in the early 1940s.[43][44]
The NY17H designation has been used for two distinct highways:
The first NY17H was an alternate route of NY17 between Randolph and Salamanca via Little Valley in Cattaraugus County. It was assigned in 1930[17] and removed c.1937. The route became part of an extended NY242 west of Little Valley and remained part of NY18 (which NY17H overlapped) east of the village (that portion of NY18 became NY353 in 1962).[47][48]
The second NY17H was a spur route of NY17 in the vicinity of Binghamton. The route began at NY17 in Binghamton and followed Riverside Drive west and north to Johnson City, where it ended at NY17C. It was assigned by 1940[43][49] and partially replaced with NY201 in September1971.[50]
NY17J was a westerly alternate route of NY17 between Mayville and Jamestown along the western edge of Chautauqua Lake. It was assigned in 1930[17] and supplanted by NY394 in November1973.[51]
NY17K (22.37 miles or 36.00 kilometres) is a spur linking NY17 in Bloomingburg to US9W and NY32 in Newburgh, Orange County.[1] It was assigned c.1939.[52][53]
NY17M (26.63 miles or 42.86 kilometres) is the former routing of NY17 in Orange County. The route begins north of Middletown in Fair Oaks and rejoins NY17 in Harriman.[1] It was assigned in 1951.[24][25]
Major intersections

See also

New York State Bicycle Route 17
Former alignments
New York State Route 352
New York State Route 394
New York State Route 417
New York State Route 430
New York State Route 434
New York State Route 951T
The entire 170 series of county routes in Sullivan County except 174A
County route systems containing a former alignment
List of county routes in Chemung County, New York
List of county routes in Delaware County, New York
List of county routes in Orange County, New York
List of county routes in Tioga County, New York




Template:Attached KML/Main PageKML is not from Wikidata
New York State Route 17 at ••

Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No.NY-312, "", 12photos, 8data pages, 3photo caption pages