New York State Route 408
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| NY Route 408 |
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| Length: | 15.95 mi[1] (25.67 km) | ||||||||||||||||
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| Formed: | 1940s[2][3] | ||||||||||||||||
| South end: |  NY 70 in Nunda |
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| Major junctions: |
 I-390 in Mt. Morris |
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| North end: |  NY 63 in Mt. Morris |
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| Counties: | Livingston | ||||||||||||||||
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New York State Route 408 is a short but important state highway located entirely within Livingston County, New York. It runs north-south from a junction with NY 70 near the hamlet of Oakland in the Town of Portage to a junction with NY 63 near 408's exit with Interstate 390.
The last two miles of the highway, where it runs in a due east-west direction, are the most heavily trafficked as 408 becomes a key connector road in both directions.
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[edit] Route description
Route 408, also known in the area as Nunda-Dalton Road, begins at a quiet intersection with NY 70 at the hamlet of Dalton in the southern portion of Portage. It follows a straight road, northward but trending slightly eastward, several miles north to Nunda, where it takes the name State Street intersects another minor regional route, NY 436.[4]
From Nunda, it continues as Mt. Morris-Nunda Road in the same direction for the next 10 miles (16 km) through open farmland and meadows. Midway along this stretch, County Route 3, formerly part of NY 258, leaves to the east. Shortly after the northeast entrance to Letchworth State Park, it curves to the east to enter Mount Morris. It joins the village's main street, NY 36, for two wide blocks and then leaves in a more easterly direction. A slight descent starts a straight route across the low-lying wetlands next to the Genesee River, and Interstate 390 is visible in the distance. There is almost no development on this portion due to the wetlands.[4]
Immediately after the river crossing, 408 has its interchange with I-390 and then ends at NY 63.[4] This portion of the road receives much traffic from the interstate in both directions. Southbound traffic from 390 is typically headed for the Buffalo area, following a popular shortcut via 36 at Mount Morris and 63 at Greigsville that avoids the New York State Thruway and its tolls. 408 has been widened and heavily maintained in recent years to accommodate this traffic (Trucks are not encouraged to follow this route, but frequently do so anyway).
Traffic following the brief remaining northern stretch of 408 to 63 is, by contrast, looking for a nearer destination: the village of Geneseo to the north. Route 63, the primary route to Geneseo from here, does not itself have an exit where it crosses I-390 a couple of miles to the north, so 408 is intended as the interchange of choice for that traffic.
[edit] History
(1940s - 1948)
When NY 63 was originally assigned in the 1930 renumbering, it broke from its modern alignment northeast of Mount Morris and followed the entirety of modern NY 408 south to the Nunda hamlet of Dalton.[5] From there, it continued to NY 16 in Hinsdale by way of Old State Road, what is now Allegany County Routes 15, 16,[6] and 20 (with a brief concurrency with NY 19 separating CRs 16 and 20), and modern NY 446. An alternate route of NY 63 from Angelica to Dalton along current CR 16, CR 15B, and NY 70 was also designated as New York State Route 63A as part of the renumbering. Prior to 1930, the Hinsdale-Amity (Belvidere) segment of NY 63 was part of NY 17 while the portion of NY 63A south of what is now NY 70 was the westernmost portion of NY 58.[5]
In the 1940s, NY 63 was rerouted south of Mount Morris to follow its current alignment through Dansville to Wayland. The former routing of the route from Hinsdale to Mount Morris was then renumbered to NY 408. NY 63A was also redesignated as New York State Route 408A as part of the change.[2][3] The NY 408A designation was short-lived, however, as NY 408 was realigned c. 1948 to follow NY 408A from Angelica to Dalton.[3][7] NY 408 was truncated to its current southern terminus in Dalton in 1975.[8][9][10]
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile[1] | Roads intersected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston | Town of Nunda | 0.00 | NY 70 |
Hamlet of Dalton |
| Village of Nunda | 2.57 |  NY 436 |
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| Town of Mount Morris | 6.72 |  CR 3 |
Former western terminus of  NY 258 |
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| Village of Mount Morris | 13.69 |  NY 36 south |
Southern terminus of overlap | |
| 13.74 | NY 36 north |
Northern terminus of overlap | ||
| 15.70 | I-390 |
Exit 7 (I-390) | ||
| 15.95 | NY 63 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Traffic Data Report - NY 305 to NY 427 (PDF). NYSDOT (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
- ^ a b Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Official Road Map of Pennsylvania [map]. (1940) Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ a b c State of New York Department of Public Works. Official Highway Map of New York State [map], 1947-48 edition. Cartography by General Drafting.
- ^ a b c Google Maps. Overview map of NY 408 [map]. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
- ^ a b Leon A. Dickinson. "New Signs for State Highways", New York Times, 1930-01-12, p. 136.
- ^ Sun Oil Company. Road Map & Historical Guide - New York [map]. Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. (1935)
- ^ Army Map Service. Elmira, United States [map], 1 : 250,000, Eastern United States 1 : 250,000. (1948) Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ Gulf. New York and New Jersey Tourgide Map [map]. Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. (1974)
- ^ New York State Department of Transportation. Hinsdale Quadrangle - New York - Cattaraugus Co. [map]. (1975) Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ Exxon. New York [map], 1977-78 edition. Cartography by General Drafting. (1977)
