U.S. Route 209

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U.S. Route 209
Length:	211.74 mi[1][2] (340.76 km)
Formed:	1926[3]
South end:	PA 147 in Millersburg, PA
Major junctions:	I-81 near Tremont, PA I-476/PA Tpk near Weissport, PA PA 33 west of Stroudsburg, PA I-80 in Stroudsburg, PA US 206 near Milford, PA US 6 in Milford, PA I-84 at Matamoras, PA US 6 in Port Jervis, NY NY 17 near Wurtsboro, NY US 44/NY 55 in Kerhonkson, NY
North end:	US 9W/NY 199 in Lake Katrine, NY
United States Numbered Highways Spur of US 9 List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: U.S. Route 209

U.S. Route 209 is a 211.74-mile (340.76 km) long U.S. highway in the states of Pennsylvania and New York. Although the route is a spur of U.S. Route 9, US 209 never intersects US 9, making the connection via U.S. Route 9W. The southern terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 147 in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. The northern terminus is at US 9W north of Kingston in Lake Katrine, New York, where the road continues east as New York State Route 199. US 209 is one of the original highways in the 1926 U.S. Highway System plan.^[3]

In Pennsylvania, the highway travels through the length of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. For part of its route in New York, US 209 runs alongside the defunct Delaware and Hudson Canal, which ran from Port Jervis to Kingston.^[4]

Contents 1 Route description 1.1 Pennsylvania 1.2 New York 2 History 2.1 Pennsylvania 2.2 New York 3 Future 4 Major intersections 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Route description

Lengths
	mi	km
PA	150.60[1]	242.37
NY	61.14[2]	98.40
Total	211.74	340.76

Although signed as a north-south route in both states for its entire length, 209 actually runs closer to east-west along its southern sections in Pennsylvania, only gently trending northward. Only at Stroudsburg does it begin to turn more to the north as it begins to follow the Delaware River. In New York it runs almost due northeast for its entire length.

Much of the highway in both states is a two-lane road, running through narrow mountain valleys, but there are expressway portions. In Pennsylvania, one near Stroudsburg connects concurrencies with PA 33 and Interstate 80; in New York, the north end is an expressway, the remnants of a failed project to make the whole state portion one.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Pennsylvania

Main article: U.S. Route 209 in Pennsylvania

From Millersburg, 209 runs alongside the Berry Mountain ridge into Schuylkill County, finally climbing a valley headwall near Tower City to intersect Interstate 81 on the other side, then continue on to Tremont. Beyond that, the generally straight route starts to curve a little more frequently into Pottsville, after which it follows the upper Schuylkill as it heads into lightly populated coal mining regions on its way to Tamaqua.

Major cities

Millersburg, Pennsylvania Elizabethville, Pennsylvania Lykens, Pennsylvania Tower City, Pennsylvania Tremont, Pennsylvania Pottsville, Pennsylvania Port Carbon, Pennsylvania Tamaqua, Pennsylvania Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Lehighton, Pennsylvania Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Milford, Pennsylvania Matamoras, Pennsylvania Port Jervis, New York Wurtsboro, New York Ellenville, New York Lake Katrine, New York

Several miles beyond, it crosses into Carbon County, where it nestles between Nesquehoning and Pisgah mountains until it finally turns slightly to the north just before Nesquehoning. From there it follows the Nesquehoning Creek valley down to the Lehigh River, which 209 follows southeasterly through Jim Thorpe to Lehighton, the largest community along the route so far. At the south end of the town, it crosses the river and resumes its north-trending eastward course, which brings it presently to an interchange at Interstate 476, the Pennsylvania Turnpike's northeast extension.

Once again, there are no major settlements along 209 as it heads through isolated valleys, this time with more agricultural use evident, into Monroe County and eventually to its absorption into Route 33. Business 209 leaves the road at Sciota for travelers wishing to bypass the expressway.

At the next exit, 209 takes its own short branch of expressway several miles to I-80 just outside Stroudsburg. It stays with the interstate through the city and neighboring East Stroudsburg, leaving to the north at one of the last exits before the state line.

From this point on, 209 runs much more northerly, reconnecting with Business 209 after several miles and taking its more firmly northeast bearing to eventually run along the Delaware River shortly after entering Pike County, its last in the state. This 20-mile segment provides access to New Jersey via toll bridges at Dingman's Bridge and Milford Crossing, where US 206 comes to its northern end. Just beyond the latter bridge, the road reaches the eponymous community, where US 6 joins it.

The two highways eventually start to run alongside Interstate 84, and development picks up as they approach Matamoras, the easternmost town in the state. After crossing under the interstate at its final Pennsylvania interchange, they form the borough's Main Street and cross into New York via the Mid-Delaware Bridge.

[edit] New York

Main article: U.S. Route 209 in New York

6 and 209 remain concurrent as they enter Port Jervis, but after less than a mile 209 strikes out to the northeast again on its own. After leaving the city, it enters the valley between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Plateau to its west, following the Neversink River until crossing it just prior to the hamlet of Cuddebackville. While the scenery is often spectacular, the settlements along the road are few, with only one blinker between Port Jervis and the Sullivan County line. At Wurtsboro, shortly after the NY 17 (future Interstate 86) interchange, the first light is finally reached.

The road follows along some of the old Delaware and Hudson Canal, a National Historic Landmark, out of the county into Ulster County, and eventually reaches another village, more bustling Ellenville. Just past it, in the hamlet of Napanoch, it picks up its first concurrency partner since route 6, NY 55. These two routes run together as Rondout Creek crosses and eventually runs alongside the road.

At another small hamlet, Kerhonkson, 55 leaves to join US 44 at the latter's western terminus. 44 and 55 offer access ultimately to Poughkeepsie, 30 miles to the east. The valley begins to widen as another road, NY 213, joins for a mile before leaving at a blinker in downtown Stone Ridge. To the north, the road eventually widens into four lanes, then four divided lanes as the freeway begins just short of NY 28 just west of Kingston, just inside the Catskill Park.

After turning to the east again, 209 crosses the New York State Thruway but does not have an exit. The eastbound highway remains an expressway to the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Route 209, however, does not make it that far, becoming NY 199 where it crosses over US 9W.

[edit] History

[edit] Pennsylvania

Before the advent of the U.S. Highway System, the alignment of US 209 in Pennsylvania carried several designations. On May 31, 1911, as part of the Sproul Road Bill,^[5] the highway was assigned several Legislative Route numbers, each corresponding to a specific section of what would become US 209. The segment of the route from Duncannon north to Millersburg was part of Legislative Route 1. From Millersburg east to Pottsville, the highway was referenced as LR 199. Between Pottsville and Lehighton, the road carried LR 162. The section connecting Lehighton to Stroudsburg was given LR 164. Lastly, the segment from Stroudsburg to Milford was designated LR 167. The future US 6/US 209 concurrency between Milford and the state line carried LR 8.^[6]

The Pennsylvania portion of US 209 dates back to the formation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926. At the time, US 209 terminated at U.S. Route 11 (today US 22/US 322) east of Duncannon. The route was routed along the eastern banks of the Susquehanna River on what is now Pennsylvania Route 147. In Millersburg, 209 turned east onto its current routing, while, by 1930, Pennsylvania Route 14 ran north along the Susquehanna (modern PA 147). In the Poconos, US 209 ran along the modern U.S. Route 209 Business. Northeast of the Poconos, US 209 followed its current routing to Milford, where the route terminated at U.S. Route 6. US 6 continued northeastward along the modern US 6/209 concurrency in Matamoras and into New York.^[3][7]

By 1940, US 209 was truncated on its southern end to terminate at U.S. Route 15, formerly PA 14, in Millersburg. On its northern end, US 209 was extended to the state line and into New York, running concurrent to US 6 between Milford and Port Jervis, New York.^[8] Within the next decade, in Millersburg, U.S. Route 15 was moved to the opposite side of the Susquehanna River while the existing US 15 roadway became PA 14 once more.^[9]

In 1956, the Mahoning Valley interchange (then exit 34; now numbered 74) on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, connecting the toll road with US 209, opened east of Lehighton.^[10][11]

By 1970, the highway at the western terminus was re-designated once again, changing from PA 14 to Pennsylvania Route 147, its current designation. Additionally, in The Poconos, the routing of US 209 was altered in the Stroudsburg area. At what is now the interchange between US 209 and U.S. Route 209 Business, US 209 broke from its previous alignment and continued east to a newly-built freeway (now Pennsylvania Route 33). Pennsylvania Route 115, concurrent with US 209 from the current southern terminus of PA 115 near Brodheadsville to the modern US 209/PA 33 interchange, continued south along the freeway while US 209 proceeded north.^[12]

At the present-day split between PA 33 and US 209, US 209 followed the east fork, leaving the west fork with no designation. US 209 then followed its current alignment around Stroudsburg, running concurrent to Interstate 80 from exit 46A to exit 52 (now exits 304 and 309, respectively), then departing the interstate and rejoining its previous alignment northeast of the borough. The old alignment through the borough was redesignated as US 209 Business.^[12]

By 1972, PA 115 was truncated to Brodheadsville and the length of the north-south freeway near Stroudsburg was designated PA 33, overlapping US 209 for roughly two miles.^[13]

The National Park Service began the rule of no trucks along the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on 209 in August 1983. The bill was passed by President Ronald Reagan on the 1st of the month.^[14] It was projected to begin in April, but the bill was delayed 180 days.^[15]

[edit] New York

Prior to the creation of the U.S. Highway System, the portion of US 209 in New York (Port Jervis to Kingston via Ellenville) was first numbered as New York State Route 50 in 1925.^[16] In 1927, the first official route log published by AASHO included the NY 50 alignment as part of U.S. Route 6. A year later, AASHO modified the definition of US 6, placing the route along a new alignment further south in the state. In turn, the Port Jervis-Kingston highway was redesignated U.S. Route 6N. The designation remained in place until 1933, when it was removed due to a conflict with another U.S. Route 6N in Pennsylvania.^[17] By 1934, the former US 6N had been designated New York State Route 279.^[18] Within two years, the road changed designations for the final time, rejoining the U.S. Highway System and becoming part of an extended US 209.^[19]

From US 6 in Port Jervis to Ulster County Road 29 south of Hurley, US 209 follows its mid-1930s alignment with only minor realignments (as roads were straightened out). Old US 209 also went through the centers of the hamlets of Spring Glen (Phillipsport Road) and Napanoch (Main Street) where they are bypassed now.^[16] From south of Hurley, old US 209 continued north on modern-day CR 29 through Hurley and into Kingston, entering the city on Hurley Avenue.^[20] At Washington Avenue, US 209 continued east on North Front Street, Clinton Avenue, and Albany Avenue, meeting New York State Route 32 at Broadway. NY 32 ran concurrent to US 209 along Albany Avenue for roughly a half-mile before separating from US 209 at Flatbush Avenue. From Flatbush, US 209 continued north along Albany and Ulster Avenues to its then-northern terminus at US 9W.^[21] The portion of the route north of CR 29 was later rerouted onto its present alignment northwest of downtown Kingston.

[edit] Future

The area where 209 intersects Pennsylvania Route 402 has been plagued by traffic issues for over a decade. In 1990, studies to investigate the possibility of constructing a bypass of the intersection, located in the hamlet of Marshalls Creek in Middle Smithfield Township, began. Traffic at the junction had become large enough to cause the town to consider constructing a bypass in the area. The proposal for a bypass was passed in October 2004 and was projected to cost $70 million.^[22] The bypass will be 3.5 miles in length and will have an asphalt surface. There will be nine new signalized intersections: seven on US 209, one on PA 402, and one on River Road (SR 2028). The constructors expect that during the six-year project, traffic will remain the same on 209, and no detours of 402 and 209 are planned.^[23] The first of three phases of construction was completed in the summer of 2007 and cost $14.2 million. Phase two, projected to start in fall of 2007, is projected to cost $17 million.^[23]

[edit] Major intersections

• Interstate 81 near Tremont, Pennsylvania
• Interstate 476/Pennsylvania Turnpike near Weissport, Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania Route 33 near Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
• Interstate 80 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
• U.S. Route 206 near Milford, Pennsylvania
• U.S. Route 6 in Milford, Pennsylvania (southern terminus of concurrency)
• Interstate 84 in Matamoras, Pennsylvania
• U.S. Route 6 in Port Jervis, New York (northern terminus of concurrency)
• New York State Route 17 near Wurtsboro, New York
• U.S. Route 44/New York State Route 55 in Kerhonkson, New York
• New York State Route 28 in Kingston, New York
• U.S. Route 9W/New York State Route 199 in Lake Katrine, New York

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Unbuilt Catskill Expressway @ NYCROADS.com

Browse numbered routes
< PA 208	PA		PA 210 >
< NY 208	NY		NY 210 >