New York State Route 208

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NY Route 208

Length:

34.81 mi^[1] (56.02 km)

South end:

NY 17M in Monroe

Major
junctions:

US 6/NY 17 in Monroe

I-84 in Montgomery

US 44/NY 55 in Gardiner

North end:

NY 32/NY 299 in New Paltz

Counties:

Orange, Ulster

Numbered highways in New York
< NY 207		US 209 >
Interstates - U.S. Routes - State Routes

New York State Route 208 is a New York state highway in southern New York, within Orange County and Ulster County. The southern terminus is at the intersection with NY-17M in Monroe, and the northern terminus is located at the intersection with NY-32 and NY-299 in New Paltz.

208 is a two-lane road for its entire length. While connecting two bustling villages and passing through three others, it is primarily a country road and offers a variety of scenery and points of interest, from fields and meadows to a riverside stretch and apple orchards. The northern third, between Wallkill and New Paltz, boasts a near-continuous view of the Shawangunk Ridge.

1 Route description
- 1.1 Orange County
- 1.2 Ulster County
2 History
3 Major intersections
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Route description

Communities
Monroe Washingtonville Rock Tavern Maybrook Walden Walkill Gardiner New Paltz

Round Hill Elementary School

[edit] Orange County

From its southern terminus at a busy traffic light in Monroe, Route 208 quickly crosses US 6 and NY 17 and then stays in the shade of the southwestern corner of Schunemunk Mountain as it heads north to Washingtonville, remaining relatively straight through mostly wooded, undeveloped country with some views of the mountain. Round Hill Elementary School heralds the approach of the village. Shortly after entering Washingtonville, it intersects with NY 94.

Again it crosses the village line rather quickly, going through some sharp curves as it enters more open farmland. Here 208 also deviates from its northward course, heading much more westward as it picks up the headwaters of Moodna Creek and passes its source, the confluence of Otter Kill and Cromline Creek. Shortly afterwards, it again turns northward at the Sarah Wells Trail junction. Eventually the land surrounding the highway once again becomes more wooded and it goes through a short tunnel under the railroad tracks shared by Norfolk Southern and Metro-North.

A mile or so past the tunnel, 208 abruptly reaches NY 207 outside the hamlet of Rock Tavern. 208 is multiplexed with 207 for a hundred yards as the two roads pass small Brown's Pond and a weir, then 208 once again turns left to go north alongside the pond, into some more open countryside. It passes the west boundary of Stewart State Forest, goes over a little-used rail spur, once part of the Wallkill Valley Railroad (WVRR) and then enters Maybrook, which it serves as the main street. A feature of this town is the large Yellow Freight terminal in its north end, continuing a tradition of importance in transportation that began with the village's origins as a major regional rail hub.

Caboose along 208 at Maybrook, celebrating the village's past importance as a rail hub

Shortly after leaving Maybrook, 208 reaches I-84. This exit, the only one for several miles in either direction on the interstate, has seen an increase in development in the last few years, with Hess and Mobil building new gas stations or refurbishing old ones recently, and Exxon sitting pretty in a desirable location. McDonald's, Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts and Subway are also present to attend to whatever alimentary needs motorists cannot address at the convenience stores attached to the gas stations. A large truck stop is located a short distance away on Neelytown Road. Here, for the only point on its entire length, 208 swells beyond two lanes with the addition of turn lanes for the interstate's onramps.

North of I-84, the road remains a two-lane even though growth in the Town of Montgomery in recent years has led to it becoming increasingly backed up at rush hour. Proposals to expand it are vigorously opposed by most local residents.

Much of this congestion is created by traffic waiting to turn at Scotts Corners, the intersection with NY 17K. This junction may appear relatively as it did a decade or so ago, but much development nearby has created a situation where motorists observe a de facto left turn lane for northbound traffic. The nearby presence of three of the Valley Central School District's buildings, including the middle and high schools, has swelled traffic so much the school board adopted a more staggered schedule before the 2004 academic year in an attempt to lighten the load. On weekends there are also many out-of-state visitors headed for the Orange County Choppers' retail outlet a short distance east on 17K (the weekend it opened, cars were parked on both sides of both roads for some distance from the intersection).

Statue of President William McKinley at junction of 208 and 52 in Walden

Continuing north, 208 goes around some mild bends past woods and fields. Here the highway offers its first view to the Shawangunks. In 2 miles (3.2 km) it reaches Walden, the largest community on 208 after Monroe. After crossing the old WVRR main line, now the north end of a lightly-used freight spur, it becomes Orange Avenue with a mix of residential and commercial properties. In the center of town NY 52 comes in from the east at an oblique angle more like a merger than a junction; traffic at rush hour there is made more difficult by vehicles attempting to cross 52 and enter the adjacent Hess station as well as a local one-way side street. Since 52 comes in at a slightly lower elevation, it has the right of way, guaranteed by the stop sign greeting drivers on 208.

The two roads make an unsigned multiplex for about two blocks of East Main Street before a traffic light separates them; traffic on 208 turns right, on Ulster Avenue, to continue north. This takes the traveler past some of Walden's older homes and Most Precious Blood Catholic school before finally leaving the village at the Tin Brook bridge, whereupon it almost immediately bends westward at the Lake Osiris Road junction for a short distance, curving north again when it reaches the Wallkill River.

[edit] Ulster County

The mile of highway along the Wallkill is at first wooded and curvy but then offers many pleasant riverside scenes. A burned-out former Borden Cheese factory is the last highlight before crossing the county line. This section of the river is popular with local fishermen and there are many informal parking spots available (In winters when it is cold enough for the river to freeze over, snowmobile trails can be seen on the ice). A Ulster County sheriff's substation is the first in a string of buildings that indicate the road has reached the hamlet of Wallkill.

Immediately east of the hamlet's business district, at Wallkill Library it turns right onto Main Street and takes a more easterly course out of town, past some rolling fields and Wallkill Middle School. At the only traffic light here, the northern terminus of NY 300, it regains its northward orientation, which it will keep for its final 11 miles (17.6 km) to New Paltz.

While remaining two-lane, the roadway itself is a little wider here, encouraging drivers to accelerate as the woodlots surrounding them give way to the cornfields of Wallkill and Shawangunk state prisons and the panoramic view of the Shawangunk Ridge across the river valley that continues most of the way to New Paltz (Sometimes the summit of Slide Mountain, the Catskill Mountains' highest peak, is visible over the ridge).

The Catskill Aqueduct and Route 208 between Wallkill and Gardiner

As the drive continues, the Catskill Aqueduct crosses and recrosses the road several times and orchards become the primary agricultural use of the adjoining land. This is one of the state's prime apple-growing regions, and several local apple farmers sell fresh-pressed cider at their stands along the road in the fall.

The only traffic light along this stretch is at Ireland Corners, the slightly-developed intersection with US 44 and NY 55 just east of Gardiner. It marks the midway point between Wallkill and New Paltz.

The Shawangunk Ridge as seen from Route 208 south of New Paltz

North of here, even better views of the Shawangunks open up with the observation tower at Mohonk Mountain House becoming prominent to the west. The Devil's Path in the Greene County Catskills appears to the north on clear enough days. Some vineyards join the orchards along the road, reflecting a developing local wine industry. The campus of SUNY New Paltz starts to form a distinct skyline to the north, and to the east the ridgeline of Illinois Mountain complements the Shawangunks.

The views reach their peak at the New Paltz town line, then 208 descends from the rise it has reached. After some tight curves and bends, SUNY's athletic fields to the east herald entry into the village of New Paltz, where 208 becomes Hasbrouck Street. A mile into the village, it reaches its northern terminus at a busy intersection at the edge of downtown with NY 299 and NY 32. Continuing north from here puts a driver on the latter.

[edit] History

In the 1940s, New Jersey's Department of Transportation planned to link a spur route then called Route S4B from Paramus up though Bergen County to connect with NY 208 at Monroe. The road never got any further than Oakland, but it was renumbered to Route 208 in 1953.

In 2006, much of the route was also designated as state bicycle Route 208.

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile^[2]	Road(s)	Notes
Orange	Town of Monroe	0.00	NY 17M
	Town of Monroe	0.88	US 6/NY 17	Exit 130 (US 6/NY 17).
	Washingtonville	7.42	NY 94
	Rock Tavern	11.10	NY 207	Western terminus of overlap.
	Rock Tavern	11.23	NY 207	Eastern terminus of overlap.
	N of Maybrook	15.72	I-84	Exit 5 (I-84).
	Scotts Corners	16.82	NY 17K
	Walden	19.43	NY 52	Eastern terminus of overlap.
	Walden	19.49	NY 52	Western terminus of overlap.
Ulster	Wallkill	23.75	NY 300	Northern terminus of NY 300.
	Gardiner	29.08	US 44/NY 55
	Village of New Paltz	34.81	NY 32 NY 299