County Route 21 (Suffolk County, New York)
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| County Route 21 |
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| Yaphank Avenue, East Main Street, Middle Island-Yaphank Road, Rocky Point-Yaphank Road | |||||||||
| Length: | 11.75 mi (18.9 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1930 | ||||||||
| south end: |  Exit 57S in Brookhaven |
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| Major junctions: |
 Brookhaven Exit 67 Middle Island |
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| North end: |  NY 25A near Rocky Point |
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Suffolk County Road 21 is a county road in Suffolk County, New York. It runs north and south from County Route 16 at the interchange with New York State Route 27 in Brookhaven to New York State Route 25A in Rocky Point.
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[edit] Brookhaven
Though Yaphank Avenue begins at the Montauk Line of the Long Island Railroad, the segment between there and Horse Block Road is no longer considered part of Suffolk County Road 21. Yapahank Avenue runs north past Montauk Highway then toward two ramps connected to Exit 57 on Sunrise Highway. The interchange turns Yapahank Avenue into two dead end streets, but eastbound Exit 57S and one westbound on-ramp utilize both of those segments.
[edit] Yaphank
As the road leaves Brookhaven, it enters formerly rural Yaphank at a complex of Suffolk County Government Buildings. When Yaphank Avenue was widened in the mid-1970's, the railroad crossing near Yaphank Station was replaced with a bridge over the tracks, as well as some local streets. The road also passed by the former Suffolk County Alms House, as well as a Georgia-Pacific railroad lumber yard.
Interstate 495 (New York) was built beneath Yaphank Avenue at the intersection of Long Island Avenue in the late-1960's, but the interchange wasn't completetd until the year 2000, and wasn't desinged as originally planned either.
[edit] Historic Yaphank
North of the Long Island Expressway, Yaphank Avenue runs on top of the dam for Lower Yaphank Lake before it's terminus at East Main Street. Suffolk County Road 21 makes a left turn at the intersection and proceeds through historic Yaphank. To the right, East Main Street heads southeast towards the Moriches', however it was also proposed as the beginning of Suffolk CR 102.
Near Upper Yaphank Lake, Suffolk CR 21 intersects with West Main Street, at one of two former Yaphank triangles. The other former triangle was at Mill Road & Patchogue-Yaphank Road. Suffolk CR 21 returns northward running along the east side of the Carman's River. Diagonally across the street from and north of a building formerly owned by New York Telephone is a former section of the road that was swallowed by brush, and is now owned by the Suffolk County Parks Department.
[edit] Towards Middle Island
Motorists know they're getting closer to Middle Island, when the road curves slightly to the left and passes by the Middle Island Country Club. Between that and some farmland, the next site is Cathedral Pines County Park where the road runs closests to the Carman's River. This area has been notorious as one of the most deadly stretches of the road until it was realigned at East Bartlett Road and again north of Longwood Road. The triangle intersection with East Bartlett Road was also eliminated as part of the reconstruction. After running between Cathedral Pines and Prosser Pines County Parks, SCR 21 runs along some more old farmland, as well as the Longwood Junior High School, which was formerly known as the Middle Island Junior High School.
Another former section(Old Middle Island-Yaphank Road) breaks off to the left and drops down a hill at the site of an old Children's Museum near New York State Route 25. North of NY 25, the name of the road is changed from Yaphank-Middle Island Road, to Rocky Point-Yaphank Road, but Old Middle Island-Yaphank Road doesn't reunite with the current SCR 21 until south of the intersection of Bayliss(or Bailey) Road, just south of a major sand and gravel mine. Across the street from the Mid-Island Arena(a horse ranch), a former section of the road runs through some front yards, then across to some farmland on the opposite side of the street, and back again to the southeast corner of Whiskey Road.
[edit] Through the RCA Grounds
Between Middle Island and Rocky Point, much of Suffolk CR 21 runs through the Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area, a major conservation area on land once owned by the Radio Corporation of America. This land was once considered the world's largest radio transmitting field. Here, the road is given a second name of Marconi Boulevard. North of the former RCA Labs, Suffolk CR 21 runs between a high school and a housing project, before terminating at New York State Route 25A. North of NY 25A, the road turns into Hallock Landing Avenue as it heads towards the bluffs of the Long Island Sound.
[edit] Formerly Proposed crossings
For a county road in Cenral Long Island, Suffolk County Road 21 doesn't have many major roads intersecting with it. This has been due to a rash of public opposition to highway improvements motivated by a collective delusion of rural preservation. However the number of proposed highways that were intended to intersect with the road nearly enters the double digits.
- County Road 99 was supposed to be extended east of Suffolk CR 16 terminating at an interchange with SCR 21.
- County Road 90 was supposed to have an interchange near the Suffolk County Police Department Headquarters. This was to be part of the proposed Central Suffolk Highway designed to reconnect the two broken ends of New York State Route 24.
- County Road 102 was supposed to be a proposed upgrade on East Main Street east of SCR 21 extending to Exit 68 on the Long Island Expressway and William Floyd Parkway.
- County Road 101 was either supposed to cross over Lower Yaphank Lake and East Main Street or at the east triangle with West Main Street and Middle Island Yaphank Road. Both propsed extensions were to lead to William Floyd Parkway between Parr Meadows and Longwood Road.
- County Road 24 was supposed to intersect between East Bartlett Road and Longwood Road.
- County Road 8 the formerly proposed Yaphank Bypass was supposed to terminate between Bayliss Road and Miller Place-Yaphank Road.
- County Road 111 was supposed to have an interchange at the intersection of Whiskey Road.
- County Road 26 was supposed to have an interchange at the north end of the Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area. It was intended to be upgraded as part of New York State Route 347.
