New York State Route 344
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| NY Route 344 |
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| Maintained by NYSDOT | |||||||||||||
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| Length: | 1.90 mi[1] (3.06 km) | ||||||||||||
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| Formed: | 1930s[2] | ||||||||||||
| West end: |  NY 22 in Copake |
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| East end: | Massachusetts state line at Copake | ||||||||||||
| Counties: | Columbia | ||||||||||||
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New York State Route 344 (NY 344) is a state highway located entirely within the town of Copake in Columbia County, New York. It runs from NY 22 to the Massachusetts state line a short distance to the east. It primarily allows for access to the Bash Bish Falls state parks on both sides of the border. Unlike most state highways, however, there is no corresponding route when it enters Massachusetts, becoming an unnumbered road upon crossing the state line. The local road continues through Bash Bish Falls State Park, terminating at an intersection with a local road (West Street) just outside the park.
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[edit] Route description
Route 344 begins at an intersection with NY 22 in the hamlet of Copake Falls. The road heads to the southeast, turning eastward into Taconic State Park. The route intersects with a few local roads at the border of the park, where Route 344 runs along the base of Sunset Rock, an 1,800 feet (550 m) high, dual state mountain. The route continues eastward, along the base of Cedar Mountain before beginning to head up the mountain. While climbing Cedar Mountain, Route 344 crosses into Massachusetts and becomes the unnumbered Falls Road, a local roadway providing access to Bash Bish Falls State Park.[3]
Falls Road heads eastward, passing the waterfalls and crossing the base of Mount Washington. Falls Road terminates soon after at West Street at a junction 1,400 feet (430 m) above sea level.[3]
[edit] History
NY 344 was assigned in the early to mid-1930s to an alignment extending from Copake Falls in the west to the Massachusetts state line in the east. At the time, the portion of modern NY 344 north of Copake Falls was part of NY 22.[2] NY 344 was extended to its current length between 1947 and 1953 when NY 22 was rerouted to bypass Copake Falls on a new roadway to the west.[4][5] The entirety of NY 22's former alignment through the hamlet remains state-maintained to this day as the signed NY 344 (north approach) and the unsigned NY 980F (south approach).[6]
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile[1] | Roads intersected | Notes |
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| Columbia | Copake | 0.00 | NY 22 |
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| 1.90 | Falls Road | Continuation into Massachusetts |
[edit] References
- ^ a b 2006 Traffic Data Report for New York State (PDF) p. 284. New York State Department of Transportation (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
- ^ a b Sun Oil Company. Road Map & Historical Guide - New York [map]. Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. (1935)
- ^ a b Google Maps. Overview map of NY 344 and Falls Road [map]. Cartography by NAVTEQ. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
- ^ Army Map Service. Albany, United States Quadrangle [map], 1 : 250,000, Eastern United States 1 : 250,000. (1947) Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
- ^ United States Geological Survey. Copake Quadrangle - New York-Massachusetts [map], 1 : 24,000, 7.5 Minute Series (Topographic). (1953) Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
- ^ New York State Department of Transportation (October 2007). Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycling Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
