Montauk Highway

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Montauk Highway is one of the original through highways of Long Island, New York, extending from Jamaica, in the New York City borough of Queens to Montauk Point in Suffolk County, a distance of approximately 100 miles (~160 km).

Montauk Highway begins in Jamaica, the county seat of Queens County and an important railroad junction located in the east-central part of the county. Montauk Highway was routed in a southeasterly direction toward the Atlantic Ocean coastline of Long Island, turning in an east-northeasterly direction in current Nassau County to more or less parallel the shore through Suffolk County, ending at Montauk Point, the easternmost point of land on the South Fork of the island.

Montauk Highway was planned as the southernmost all-weather road on Long Island, and was the original route of New York State Route 27, until superseded for most of its length by Sunrise Highway; much is now Route 27A. Between Connetquot River State Park Preserve and the western border of Patchogue, the road is designated as Suffolk County Road 85. East of NY 112, the road is designated as Suffolk County Road 80. It is still the southernmost through route in most locations on Long Island, though its has been relocated in some places and the original route designated by another name or as Old Montauk Highway, notably west of Montauk, where new Montauk Highway passes through Montauk Point State Park while the Old Montauk Highway is a narrow hilly road next to the shoreline.

As an all-weather road, Montauk has rarely been breached by even serious storms, although portions were flooded out by the New England Hurricane of 1938 in the Hamptons.

The current road is no longer a single route-designated road. In Queens, it is a city street, known as Merrick Boulevard. Through Nassau County it is a two-to-four lane highway with traffic lights, known as Merrick Road, after the community of Merrick, through which it passes. In Suffolk County, the road generally narrows to two lanes in most places, especially through towns of which it forms the main street, such as Amityville, Babylon Village, Bay Shore, Islip, Oakdale, Sayville and Patchogue. In these places, Montauk Highway is often called Main Street, although old-timers in the more westerly communities also call it Merrick Road, though it is not signed that way. In addition to being called Montauk Highway and Main Street in Suffolk County, it is also known as South Country Road.

Proceeding east from Patchogue, Montauk Highway runs through less-densely populated communities until it passes Speonk and enters the Hamptons, the small-town, farming and summer resort communities especially popular with New York City summer vacationers. Montauk Highway forms the main street of most of these communities, such as Bridgehampton and Westhampton. At Southhampton, Montauk Highway resumes being New York Route 27 as the major (sometimes only) through road in the area, passing through East Hampton, Amagansett and Montauk.

[edit] Former segments

The following is a list of local streets on Long Island that used to be part of Montauk Highway, many of which are residential streets:

• Great River: ^[1]

Two former segments exist here, both of which are a result of construction and reconstruction of the Oakdale Merge and currently used as Department of Environmental Conservation Fishing Areas. One, Bubbles Falls, is on the Southeast corner of Sunrise & Montauk Highways near the entrance to Connetquot River State Park, while the other, Rattlesnake Brook, is on the Southwest corner.

• Sayville:

From Lowell Road through Old Broadway Avenue.

• East Patchogue-Brookhaven:

Now known as South Country Road(Suffolk CR 36) since July 19, 1932, this segment runs through the Bellport Village Historic District.^[2][3]

• Brookhaven:

In front of a private residence near Yaphank Avenue.

• Southhaven:

Now known as Old South Country Road.

• Mastic:

From Washington Avenue to a garage overlooking the West Lake of the Forge River.^[4]

• Moriches:

From Barnes Road on the East Lake of the Forge River to some undetermined location.

• Center Moriches:

Between Old Neck Road & Senix Road, currently a private road from Old Neck Road to houses along the Long Island Rail Road Montauk Line.^[5]

• Center Morices-East Moriches:

Camp Paquatuck to Mill Pond Lane, now a pedestrian bridge across the Terrell River.

• Eastport-Westhampton:

Now known as Old Country Road (Suffolk County Road 71). At some point in the 20th Century, Old Country Road (Suffolk CR 71) was only part of Montauk Highway between the current Montauk Highway to Eastport-Manor Road (Suffolk CR 55), and from there it turned south along Suffolk CR 55 to Main Street (Suffolk CR 80/Former New York State Route 27A.) in Eastport.^[6]

• Speonk:

Mill Road near the Speonk River.

• Cobb:

East of Head of the Pond Road.

• Wainscott:

From Georgica Drive to across the street from the Nature Conservancy on Georgica Pond, now the westbound Rest Area.^[7]

• Georgica:

Currently the eastbound Rest Area.

• Pantiago-Amagansett:

Skimhampton Road.

Further Lane from Skimhampton Road through Indian Well Plain Highway.

Abandoned section of Old Montauk Highway from Indian Well Plain Highway and Atlantic Avenue.

• Amagansett:

Atlantic Avenue between current & Old Montauk Highways.

Old Montauk Highway.

• Beach Hampton:

Part of Cranberry Hole Road (Suffolk CR 33), to Old Montauk Highway, northeast of the Long Island Rail Road Montauk Line crossing.

• Promised Land:

Between Cranberry Hole Road (Suffolk CR 33), and Napeauge Meadow Road, near East Hampton Beach.

• East Hampton Beach:

Part of Neapauge Meadow Road, to Old Montauk Highway, northwest of the Long Island Rail Road Montauk Branch crossing.

• Montauk Beach-Montauk:

From Hither Hills State Park to between South Dearborn Place and Second House Road.

• Montauk Point:

From Ranch Road to Montauk Point State Park U-Turn.

[edit] References