New York State Route 96

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NY Route 96
Length: 124.91 mi[1] (201.02 km)
Formed: 1946
South end: NY 17 in Owego
Major
junctions:		 NY 5/US 20 in Waterloo
I-90/Thwy/I-490 in Victor
I-490 in Perinton
Inner Loop in Rochester
North end: East Main Street in Rochester
Counties: Tioga, Tompkins, Seneca, Ontario, Monroe
Numbered highways in New York
< NY 95 NY 96A >
Interstates - U.S. Routes - State Routes

New York State Route 96 is a major northwest-southeast highway, signed north-south, in New York that runs from Owego, Tioga County in the Southern Tier north to downtown Rochester, Monroe County in western New York, passing through Waterloo and Ithaca along the way.

Contents

[edit] Route description

[edit] Tioga County

Though unsigned at this point, NY 96 begins at the eastbound onramp to New York State Route 17 at exit 64 on Southside Drive across the Susquehanna River from Owego.[2] The route remains unsigned until the intersection of Court Street and Southside Drive, the western terminus of New York State Route 434. NY 434 continues east along Southside Drive while NY 96, now fully signed, turns north onto Court Street and crosses the Susquehanna.

On the opposite side of the river, NY 96 intersects the appropriately-named Front Street. The configuration of NY 96 between Front Street and East Main Street is unorthodox in that NY 96 splits at Front Street to follow a pair of one way streets to Main, where both streets terminate. NY 96 then follows Main for a short distance to North Avenue, where it resumes its northward path. The route shares the parallel one way streets with New York State Route 17C, which enters Owego from the west via Main Street and leaves via Front Street to the east.

Now on North Avenue, NY 96 passes through the heart of Owego before leaving the village and entering a long stretch of rural country. Just over a mile north of Owego, NY 96 meets the current southern terminus of New York State Route 38.

The route continues northeast to Candor, where NY 96 meets New York State Route 96B. West of Candor, NY 96 takes on an east-west alignment to Spencer, where the road joins New York State Route 34 north into Tompkins County.

[edit] Tompkins County

The two routes remain concurrent as they snake to the northwest through Tompkins County. Southeast of Ithaca, NY 34 and NY 96 meet New York State Route 13. The three routes continue north into Ithaca, intersecting New York State Route 327, New York State Route 13A and New York State Route 96B before coming to the intersection known locally as "The Octopus". NY 96 runs through half of the intersection along with NY 13 and NY 34 on a one-way street before turning west onto State Street, a two-way street bordered by a pair of east-west one-way streets carrying New York State Route 79 through Ithaca. After crossing southbound NY 13 and NY 34, NY 96 is met by eastbound NY 79, creating an odd concurrency for a short distance before NY 96 turns north onto Taughannock Blvd., joining with New York State Route 89 for a small stretch across Seneca Street, holding NY 79 westbound, to Buffalo Street, where NY 96 turns to the west while NY 89 continues north. After crossing the southernmost extent of Cayuga Lake, NY 96 sharply turns north, becoming Cliff Street, then Trumansburg Road.

Unlike NY 89, which parallels the west shore of Cayuga Lake, NY 96 heads away from the lake, increasing the distance between itself and the water body as it proceeds to the northwest.

In the village of Trumansburg, NY 96, now Main Street, meets the northern terminus of New York State Route 227 before entering Seneca County a half-mile to the northwest.

[edit] Seneca County

NY 96 proceeds northwest through Seneca County before turning to the north in Interlaken, where NY 96 meets the southern terminus of New York State Route 96A. North of the town, NY 96 turns back to the northwest. At County Route 138, NY 96 joins the road and heads west to the village of Ovid.

At the four corners of Ovid, NY 96 meets NY 96A and New York State Route 414. NY 96A, which enters the village from the south overlapped with NY 414, exits to the west. NY 96 and NY 414, however, proceed north out of the village together.

Midway between Ovid and Romulus, they split, allowing NY 414 to continue due north to Seneca Falls. NY 96, meanwhile, turns to the northwest, following the eastern edge of the Seneca Army Depot for most of the distance to Romulus. Just south of the village center, NY 96 separates from the depot and continues north to the village.

To the north of the village, NY 96, now on a predominantly northward alignment, crosses New York State Route 336 before passing over the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and entering the village of Waterloo. Just north of the village center, NY 96 intersects New York State Route 5 and U.S. Route 20. Past Routes 5 and 20, NY 96 continues north to the village line, where the route turns to the west with a slight trend to the north. At this point, the scenery surrounding NY 96 shifts from house-lined streets to rural countryside, an appearance that follows NY 96 to the northwest across the county line.

[edit] Ontario County

Less than a mile into Ontario County, NY 96 becomes a limited-access expressway for a short distance and interchanges with New York State Route 14 by way of a complete cloverleaf, an oddity considering the rural location of the interchange. West of NY 14, NY 96 reverts back to an at-grade road and begins to parallel the path of the New York State Thruway to the north.

In Phelps, NY 96 meets the southern terminus of New York State Route 88. Just west of the village, NY 96 intersects the northern terminus of New York State Route 488, formerly part of NY 88. West of the intersection, a northward reverse S-curve cuts the distance between NY 96 and the Thruway by 75% as NY 96 enters Clifton Springs.

Now in Manchester, NY 96 has a junction with New York State Route 21 north of the village center and south of NY 21's interchange with the Thruway at exit 43. West of NY 21, NY 96 curves gently to the south, crossing the Ontario Central Railroad before resuming its westward alignment near the grade crossing. At this point, NY 96 enters the town of Farmington and begins to parallel the Thruway once more.

The route passes by Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track, a popular attraction in the Rochester area, between County Route 8 and New York State Route 332 prior to intersecting NY 332 a half-mile west of the race track.

Outside of the village of Victor, NY 96 crosses the Ontario Central again, this time by way of an overpass. In the village itself, the route meets the northern termini of County Route 3 and New York State Route 444, which share the same right-of-way between Victor and Bloomfield.

West of the village, in the town of Victor, NY 96 intersects the eastern terminus of New York State Route 251 before turning to the north and passing under the Thruway near exit 45. Interstate 490, which interchanges with the Thruway at exit 45, is accessible from NY 96 by way of exit 29, the eastern-most exit on I-490. North of exit 29, NY 96 runs along the eastern edge of Eastview Mall, one of the largest malls in the Greater Rochester area and the largest east of the city. At the northernmost entrance to Eastview Mall leading to Eastview Commons, a plaza separated from the mall by high-voltage power lines and a large ditch, NY 96 crosses into Monroe County. Due to the placement of the intersection, precisely half of the intersection is in Ontario County, with the latter half located in Monroe County.

[edit] Monroe County

Roughly a quarter of a mile from the county line, NY 96 intersects the southern terminus of New York State Route 250 in Perinton. Three-quarters of a mile to the northwest, NY 96 meets Interstate 490 once again, this time at exit 28. West of the exit, NY 96 parallels I-490 for roughly a mile and a quarter to I-490 exit 27, located on the southern edge of Bushnell's Basin, a small community located directly on NY 96. North of the exit, NY 96 breaks from I-490 and parallels the Erie Canal between Bushnell's Basin and Mitchell Road in Pittsford.

West of Mitchell Road, NY 96 takes a more southerly alignment than the canal as it enters the village and meets the northern and eastern termini of New York State Route 64 and New York State Route 252, respectively, at the intersection of Jefferson Road (which NY 96 enters Pittsford from the east on) and South Main Street. NY 64 heads to the south along South Main Street. NY 252 continues along Jefferson Road to the west, keeping the maintenance of Jefferson in the hands of the state. NY 96 turns north, proceeding into the heart of the village along South Main.

In the village center, NY 96 intersects Monroe Avenue and State Street, which carry New York State Route 31 east-west through Pittsford, and becomes North Main Street. After crossing the Erie Canal and passing under the CSX West Shore Subdivision, NY 96 intersects the southern terminus of New York State Route 153. Just north of NY 153, NY 96 exits the village of Pittsford and enters the town of the same name, becoming East Avenue in the process, a name the route retains to its terminus in downtown Rochester. Less than a half-mile from the town line, NY 96 passes by Nazareth College.

To the north of Nazareth College and west of St. John Fisher College, NY 96 meets the western terminus of New York State Route 31F, better known locally as Fairport Road. East Avenue, and likewise NY 96, takes on the northwesterly alignment set by Fairport Road and parallels the routing of I-490 to its north for a short distance between NY 31F and Allens Creek Road in Brighton. A quarter-mile northwest of Allens Creek, NY 96 meets Elmwood and Linden Avenues, the latter carrying New York State Route 441.

Eight-tenths of a mile to the northwest, NY 96 intersects Penfield Road, the former alignment of NY 441 prior to its realignment to its present routing in the 1970s. A small distance from this point is Clover Street, which carries New York State Route 65 south of East Avenue.

On the Brighton/Rochester town line, NY 96 passes through the Can of Worms, a complex interchange that links I-490 to Interstate 590, to enter the city of Rochester. At North Winton Road, NY 96 is signed for the last time by way of a "North 96" reassurance assembly directing traffic to stay on East Avenue. Despite this fact, state maintenance continues to East Main Street, where NY 96 terminates.[3]

[edit] Communities along the route

Notable locations along NY 96:

[edit] Major intersections

County Location Mile Road(s) Notes
Tioga Waverly 0.0
Future I-86/NY 17		 Exit 64 (NY 17/I-86). Southern terminus.
0.6 NY 434 Western terminus of NY 434.
Village of Owego 0.9 NY 17C  
Town of Owego 2.7 NY 38 Southern terminus of NY 38.
Village of Candor 12.6 NY 96B Southern terminus of NY 96B.
Village of Spencer 21.6 NY 34 Southern terminus of concurrency.
Tompkins Town of Ithaca 35.6 NY 13
Elmira Rd.		 NY 13 joins the concurrency.
36.1 NY 327
Enfield Falls Rd.		 Southern terminus of NY 327.
37.2 NY 13A
Five Mile Dr.		 Southern terminus of NY 13A.
City of Ithaca 37.2 NY 96B
West Clinton St.		 Northern terminus of NY 96B.
37.3
NY 79
East Green St.		 NY 79 joins the concurrency.
37.4
NY 79
West Seneca St.		 Northern terminus of NY 13/NY 34/NY 79/NY 96 concurrency.
37.5 NY 13
NY 34
North Fulton St.		 Northern terminus of NY 34/NY 96 concurrency. Northern terminus of NY 13/NY 34/NY 96 concurrency.
Town of Ithaca 37.5 NY 89
West Buffalo Rd.		 Southern terminus of NY 89.
City of Ithaca 37.6 NY 89
Taughannock Rd.		 Southern terminus of concurrency.
Trumansburg 47.3 NY 227 Northern terminus of NY 227.
Seneca Interlaken 53.7 NY 96A Eastern terminus of NY 96A.
Village of Ovid 61.4 NY 96A  
61.4 NY 414 Southern terminus of concurrency.
Romulus 63.9 NY 414 Northern terminus of concurrency.
Varick 70.5 NY 336  
Village of Waterloo 77.4 US 20
NY 5		  
Ontario Town of Phelps 84.5 NY 14 Interchange. NY 96 passes under NY 14.
89.7 NY 88 Southern terminus of NY 88.
90.7 NY 488 Northern terminus of NY 488.
Town of Manchester 97.8 NY 21  
Farmington 104.4 NY 332  
Village of Victor 107.3 NY 444 Northern terminus of NY 444.
Town of Victor 108.7 NY 251 Eastern terminus of NY 251.
110.0 I-90/Thruway Exit 45 (I-90/Thruway).
110.5 I-490 Exit 29 (I-490).
Monroe Perinton 112.1 NY 250 Southern terminus of NY 250.
112.8 I-490 Exit 28 (I-490).
114.1 I-490 Exit 27 (I-490).
Village of Pittsford 117.2 NY 64
NY 252		 Northern terminus of NY 64. Eastern terminus of NY 252.
Jefferson Rd. comes in from west on NY 252, leaves east on NY 96.
S. Main St. comes in from north on NY 96, leaves south on NY 64.
117.5 NY 31  
117.8 NY 153 Southern terminus of NY 153.
Town of Pittsford 119.3 NY 31F Western terminus of NY 31F.
Brighton 120.3 NY 441
Elmwood Ave./Linden Ave.		 Western terminus of NY 441.
121.1 NY 441 Western terminus of former NY 441.
Western terminus of Penfield Rd.
121.2 NY 65 Northern terminus of NY 65.
Rochester/Brighton line 121.7 I-490
I-590		 NY 96 passes beneath I-490 and above I-590 at almost the exact same point.
Access to I-490 is via Winton Rd. (Exit 20) or Penfield Rd. (Exit 22).
Rochester 124.4 Inner Loop  
125.0 East Main St. Northern terminus.
Legend
Crossing, no access Concurrency termini Decommissioned Unconstructed Closed

[edit] History

[edit] Renumbering

Prior to 1935, present-day NY 96 between Owego and Victor was known as New York State Route 15. In 1935, U.S. Route 15 was extended into New York, taking over what was then New York State Route 2. To eliminate duplication, NY 15 was numbered NY 2.

The NY 96 designation was created around 1939 when present-day NY 2, then merely a route connecting New York State Route 7 in Troy to Route 2 at the Massachusetts state line, was given the NY 96 designation. Both NY 2 and NY 96 arrived at their present alignments when the designations were swapped around 1946.

[edit] Former alignments

Between Ithaca and Candor, the original alignment of NY 96 followed what is now New York State Route 96B.

[edit] References

  1. ^ New York Routes - New York State Route 96
  2. ^ NYSDOT Traffic Counts - Tioga CountyPDF
  3. ^ NYSDOT Traffic Counts - Monroe CountyPDF
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