New York State Route 28A

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NY Route 28A

Length:

19.82 mi^[1] (31.90 km)

West end:

NY 28 near Boiceville

East end:

NY 28 in Kingston

Counties:

Ulster

Numbered highways in New York
< NY 28		NY 28N >
Spur of NY 28
Interstate - U.S. - N.Y. - Reference

New York State Route 28A is located in Ulster County, where it runs along the south side of Ashokan Reservoir in the Catskill Park. Many of the communities along its length, such as West Shokan and Olivebridge, are the remnants or recreations of those condemned for the reservoir's 1915 construction.

It has seen more traffic in the early 21st century as a result of the closure of the road across the reservoir's dam to automotive traffic in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The city of New York has had to provide the Onteora Central School District with extra money to purchase fuel for its buses as a result.

[edit] Route description

28A's western terminus is at NY 28 just past the hamlet of Boiceville. From there it crosses Esopus Creek and several other feeder streams to the reservoir before climbing slightly.

As it continues it never strays too far from the reservoir. It is frequently visible to some extent, and all the land on that side of the road is posted (and sometimes fenced) against trespassers by the city's Department of Environmental Protection for almost the entire length of 28A. NYCDEP police patrols in the area are also frequent.

About a third of the way along its length it passes West Shokan, the largest population center along its entire length. The modest center of today's West Shokan is but a shadow of the small town once located where the reservoir is today. Markers, funded by the Catskill Watershed Corporation denote the sites of other displaced villages, most of which no longer exist. Peekamoose Road, or Ulster County Route 42, which leaves the highway here, leads down past the headwaters of Rondout Creek to NY 55A and Sullivan County.

A few miles past it, NY 213, the only other state highway 28A encounters on its course, leaves to the south just slightly past the now-closed dam road in Olivebridge. Despite its heading, it is actually also signed as an east-west route, and ultimately reaches Kingston via a long loop through High Falls.

East of that junction, 28A also provides access to the city's watershed visitor center and SUNY New Paltz's outdoor environmental education center. The road begins to curve more, offering some trickey sections next to steep slopes, as it rounds the eastern end of the reservoir and passes areas that are a bit more developed, with some private property remaining on the reservoir side of the road.

It finally reaches its eastern end at 28 at Stony Hollow in Kingston, not too far from the city of the same name.