New York State Route 265
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|||||||||
| NY Route 265 |
|||||||||
| Military Road | |||||||||
| Length: | 19.75 mi[1] (31.78 km) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South end: |   NY 198/NY 266 in Buffalo |
||||||||
| Major junctions: |
 US 62 in Niagara Falls |
||||||||
| North end: |  NY 104 in Niagara Falls |
||||||||
| Counties: | Erie, Niagara | ||||||||
|
|||||||||
New York State Route 265 is a state highway located in the western part of New York in the USA. NYS 265 is a north-south route that roughly parallels the western parts of Niagara River in Erie County and Niagara County. For much of its southern course, it is more frequently referred to by its longtime name, Military Road.
In its middle sections, it is Main Street in North Tonawanda and when multiplexed with NY 384, it takes over River Road from NY 266.
Contents |
[edit] Route description
[edit] Erie County
Route 265 begins in eastern Buffalo near a complicated exit off I-190 that also involves NY 198 (the Scajaquada Expressway), and NY 266 (Niagara Street). After following Amherst and Tonawanda streets northeast for about 0.6 mile around a slight curve, 265 finds the south end of Military Road which runs from there in a straight north-northeast line through the industrial neighborhoods of northeastern Buffalo into the suburbs, where it forms for a time the western border of the village of Kenmore.
At the intersection with busy Sheridan Drive, (NY 324), are the Olympic and the Royal, two of the northern Buffalo area's most popular Greek family restaurants, both of which not only survive but thrive despite competing ownership. Next, 265 crosses under the Youngmann Expressway (I-290) without an interchange; traffic going to the highway is directed along Ensminger Road to the exit at Delaware Avenue (NY 384).
Beyond the expressway, 265 enters the city of Tonawanda as Main Street and becomes mainly residential with a few small businesses here and there. Just before crossing Tonawanda Creek and leaving Erie County, it absorbs NY 266 from the east.
[edit] Niagara County
A few blocks into North Tonawanda's business district, 265 and 384 merge and eventually assume the name River Road, which belongs to 266 in Erie County. The joined routes accordingly run alongside the Niagara River for several miles, just before splitting before crossing Cayuga Creek in the eastern projection of Niagara Falls.
Once again Military Road, 265 runs straight almost due northwest out of the city into the Town of Niagara towards the Fashion Outlets at Niagara Falls, a super-regional outlet mall located on the road near the junction with New York State Route 182. Continuing northwest, NY 265 makes its way to the reservoir at the Niagara Power Project, a joint U.S.-Canadian hydroelectric venture that provides a significant portion of New York's electricity. The highway runs along I-190 as the two cross over the reservoir's dramatic outlet and into Town of Lewiston.
Shortly past that, access to the interstate and Canada is provided through the proximity of the last exit before the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and the border. From there it is an equally short distance to 265's northern terminus, at NY-104.
[edit] Communities along the route
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile | Road(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | Buffalo | 0.0 | NY 198 NY 266 |
|
| Kenmore | 3.7 |  NY 324 |
||
| Tonawanda | 4.6 |    I-290 |
Exit 1 (I-290). | |
| Tonawanda | 6.4 | NY 266 |
Northern terminus of NY 266. | |
| 6.4 |  NY 356 |
Former western terminus of NY 356. NY 356 decomissioned January 7, 1988. |
||
| Niagara | North Tonawanda | 7.1 |  NY 384 |
Southern terminus of multiplex. |
| 7.5 |  NY 429 |
Southern terminus of NY 429. | ||
| Niagara Falls | 12.6 | NY 384 |
Northern terminus of multiplex. | |
| 13.6 | US 62 |
|||
| 15.1 |  NY 182 |
|||
| Niagara | 17.0 |  NY 31 |
||
| 19.0 |    I-190/Thruway RMSP |
Exit 25 (I-190). | ||
| 19.8 | NY 104 |
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossing, no access | Concurrency termini | Decommissioned | Unconstructed | Closed | |
[edit] History
Military Road was, unsurprisingly, built by the Army during the War of 1812 to connect Buffalo with the encampments up at Fort Niagara. The surviving portions of that route are those that still carry the name.
