New York State Route 17K
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| NY Route 17K |
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| Maintained by NYSDOT | |||||||||||||||||
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| Length: | 22.37 mi[1] (36.00 km) | ||||||||||||||||
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| Formed: | 1930s[2][3] | ||||||||||||||||
| West end: | CR 76 near Bloomingburg | ||||||||||||||||
| Major junctions: |
 I-84 in East Coldenham  I-87/Thruway in Newburgh |
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| East end: |   US 9W/NY 32 in Newburgh |
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| Counties: | Orange | ||||||||||||||||
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New York State Route 17K is a state highway in southern New York, entirely within Orange County. The western terminus is at the intersection with old Route 17 west of the intersection with modern NY 17 located near Bloomingburg, which is in Sullivan County, New York. In Newburgh it widens into the main thoroughfare, Broadway. Midway across the city, 17K ends at US 9W.
The road can be divided into a half west of Montgomery, where it runs through relatively undeveloped land; and an eastern half where it closely parallels Interstate 84, to the point that it too is signed at Exit 17 of the New York State Thruway. The eastern half has been suffering the growing pains of increasing development in the area, becoming more heavily trafficked yet remaining two-lane almost all the way to Newburgh. Two projects currently underway may alleviate this slightly.
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[edit] Route description
Route 17K's western terminus is at the intersection with the old, two-lane NY 17 (now designated as County Route 76) just short of the Orange-Sullivan county line, the bridge over the Shawangunk Kill near the center of Bloomingburg.[4]
From there it has an interchange with NY 17 then heads roughly eastward, going up and down some gentle hills, to the first traffic light, the six-way intersection with NY 302 (also the Long Path hiking trail) that passes for downtown Bullville.[5] The direction of the highway remains unchanged as it continues past several horse farms and Winding Hills Park. Shortly after crossing the flood-prone Muddy Kill, it reaches Ward's Bridge, where it crosses the Wallkill River and enters Montgomery.[6] It immediately passes the historic homes of Bridge Street.[7]
The portion within the village is rather short, although consequential enough to include the traffic light at the northern end of NY 211 (Union Street).[6] For the next two blocks, to Wallkill Avenue, the highway marks the northern boundary of Montgomery's other federally-designated historic district, Academy Hill. Just before the village's eastern boundary, it passes between two more Registered Historic Places, the Patchett House and Montgomery Water Works. The Orange County Choppers production facility is visible a short distance up Factory Street.[7]
After the village, it passes the combined building of Valley Central High School and Valley Central Middle School. The growing population of the area has added more traffic to the highway in recent years, forcing the school board to increase the stagger between the two schools' schedule, and hiring a police officer to direct traffic at the entrance.[8]
This has also complicated Scotts Corners, the intersection with NY 208 a mile past the schools.[6] Despite heavier rush-hour traffic due to the nearby I-84 exchange, both roads remain two-lane, with plans to expand any of them strongly resisted by local residents who fear the increase in development that might ensue. As of May 2007, however, work has commenced on repaving and widening the approaches in all four directions. Just past the intersection, the brand-new headquarters of Walden Federal bank sit atop a hill on the north and a strip mall opposite contains another traffic magnet, the Orange County Choppers retail store, which draws customers from a great distance.[6]
Shortly afterward, Berea Elementary School adds its traffic to the nearby intersection. Past it, 17K remains undeveloped, with the odd house, store or side street breaking the woods. Much of the land here is owned by the county as part of its Farmers' Museum, which surrounds the Nathaniel Hill Brick House, an early settler's home still occupied by his descendants.[6]
The next traffic light, Coldenham Road, was until recently a blinker, another testament to increasing development in northern Orange County. For traffic from the east, it provides a good shortcut to Walden.[6]
17K continues on toward its next light, Drury Lane.[6] As of 2007 the road is being widened through here to support increased traffic expected when Drury is upgraded from Orange County Route 54 into NY 747 to carry traffic from the interchange being constructed at I-84 to a new access road to Stewart International Airport. To avoid possible damage to the Catskill Aqueduct, which crosses 17K here, a new section of road was built from the existing Drury just north of the interstate to connect with Stone Castle Road, which was itself slightly relocated to the west to create a four-way intersection, part of the plan to protect the adjacent Colden Mansion Ruins. The current Drury now ends in a cul-de-sac.[9]
After Drury, 17K passes the last building of the Valley Central School District, East Coldenham Elementary School. In 1989, 16 students died here when a wall collapsed during a freak tornado.
Development along the highway begins to increase at this point as 17K itself intersects I-84 and runs along the northern boundary of the airport. The Newburgh Auto Auction's vast parking lots are visible to the north and commercial hangars to the south. The Air National Guard base can also be seen, with several large C-5 cargo planes usually parked on the tarmac in front of their hangars. The base's entrance road, secured with a series of concrete barriers since the September 11, 2001 attacks, marks the end of the airport property.
Next, 17K crosses over the Thruway.[10] Actual access will not come for about another half-mile, but the road widens to four lanes with a middle turn lane and becomes heavily developed as it reaches the busy intersection with the Newburgh area's main commercial strip, NY 300. A short distance past this light is the entrance ramp to the Thruway, a long loop back to the toll booth which also picks up traffic from 84 and 300 as well.[10]
The four-lane section continues until the Newburgh city limit, where it narrows to two lanes for several primarily residential blocks before widening into Broadway.[10] A few blocks later, NY 207 reaches its eastern terminus. Further on, NY 32 comes in from the south as Lake Street. The two make the only concurrency along 17K for several more blocks to the US 9W junction at Robinson Street. Here 17K ends while 32 joins 9W.[10]
[edit] History
Route 17K follows the route of the Newburgh-Cochecton Turnpike, one of the first in the state. Stone markers indicating the distance from Newburgh can still be seen by the roadside at several locations.
From 1924 to 1930, the section from Montgomery to Newburgh was part of old NY 8, a route that went from the New Jersey state line at Unionville via Middletown to Newburgh.[2][11] Old Route 8 from the New Jersey line to Montgomery was renumbered to 84 in the 1930 renumbering. The piece from Montgomery to Newburgh, plus the previously unnumbered segment from Bloomingburg to Montgomery was designated as New York State Route 215.[2] The 215 designation was short-lived as the change to the 17K designation took place sometime in the mid-1930s.[3]
The route may not retain 17K for much longer either. Once all of the existing NY 17 freeway has been redesignated as Interstate 86, 17K will no longer connect to its parent route. New York's Department of Transportation has not indicated what its plans are, but it has historically renumbered other letter-suffixed routes when they no longer connected to parent routes.
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile[1] | Roads intersected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | Bloomingburg | 0.00 | CR 76 (Bloomingburg Road / Old Route 17) | Official western terminus of NY 17K |
| Wallkill | 0.36 |  NY 17 |
Exit 116 (NY 17) | |
| Bullville | 3.72 |  NY 302 |
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| Village of Montgomery | 10.66 |  NY 211 |
Eastern terminus of NY 211 | |
| Scotts Corners | 12.59 |  NY 208 |
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| East Coldenham | ~16.1 |  NY 747 |
Northern terminus of NY 747 | |
| 17.39 | I-84 |
Exit 6 (I-84) | ||
| Town of Newburgh | 19.91 |  NY 300 (Union Avenue) |
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| 20.09 | I-87/Thruway |
Exit 17 (I-87/Thruway); entrance displaced almost a mile from actual Thruway crossing | ||
| City of Newburgh | 21.39 |  NY 207 (Little Britain Road/Wisner Avenue) |
Eastern terminus of NY 207 | |
| 22.14 | NY 32 south (Lake Street) |
Western terminus of overlap | ||
| 22.37 | US 9W / NY 32 north (Robinson Avenue) |
Eastern terminus of NY 17K/32 overlap; official eastern terminus of NY 17K |
[edit] References
- ^ a b 2006 Traffic Data Report for New York State (PDF) pp. 125–126. New York State Department of Transportation (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- ^ a b c Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book, 1930/31 and 1931/32 editions, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930 and 1931). The 1930/31 edition shows New York state routes prior to the 1930 renumbering
- ^ a b Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book, 1938/39 edition, (W.A. Thibodeau, 1938).
- ^ Google Maps. Overview Map of NY 17K in Bloomingburg [map]. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ Google Maps. Overview Map of Bullville, NY [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g Google Maps. Overview Map of NY 17K in Montgomery [map]. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ a b Google Maps. Ward Street, Montgomery, NY [map]. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Sausa, Bianca; January 10, 2003; "Steering clear of Rte. 17K trouble spot"; Times-Herald Record; retrieved May 26, 2007.
- ^ Rife, Judy; February 11, 2007; "Traveling through the new Route 747"; Times-Herald Record; retrieved February 12, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Google Maps. Overview Map of NY 17K in Newburgh [map]. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ "New York's Main Highways Designated by Numbers", New York Times, 1924-12-21, p. XX9.
