New York State Route 96

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NY Route 96
Length:	126.01 mi[1] (202.79 km)
Formed:	By 1946 (current alignment)[2]
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 > Interstate - U.S. - N.Y. - Reference

New York State Route 96 is a 126.01-mile (202.79 km) long northwest-southeast state highway in New York. The southern terminus of the route is at New York State Route 17 in the Southern Tier village of Owego, Tioga County. The northern terminus is at East Main Street in downtown Rochester in Monroe County. Between the two endpoints, NY 96 passes through Ithaca, Waterloo, Victor, and Pittsford.

NY 96 is signed north-south for its entire length.

Contents 1 Route description 1.1 Tioga County 1.2 Tompkins County 1.3 Seneca County 1.4 Ontario County 1.5 Monroe County 2 History 2.1 Original designation and renumbering 2.2 Former alignments 3 Suffixed routes 4 Major intersections 5 References 6 External links

[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.^[3] 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

Communities
Owego Ithaca Waterloo Victor Pittsford Rochester

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

Although NY 96 travels mostly in an east-west direction throughout Ontario County, it is still signed north-south.

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 New York State Route 444 (formerly County Route 3 until 1997), which travels 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.^[4]

[edit] History

[edit] Original designation and renumbering

In 1924, present-day NY 96 between Owego and Victor, as well as between Pittsford and Rochester, was signed as New York State Route 15. Between Victor and Pittsford, NY 15 followed modern NY 251 west to Mendon, then NY 64 north to Pittsford.^[5] Six years later, the Pittsford-Rochester segment became the northernmost portion of NY 64 as part of the 1930 renumbering.^[6] In 1935, U.S. Route 15 was extended into New York, taking over what was then NY 2.^[6][7] To eliminate duplication, NY 15 was numbered NY 2.^[8]

The NY 96 designation was created in the 1930 renumbering 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.^[6] Both NY 2 and NY 96 arrived at their present alignments when the designations were swapped around 1946.^[2] The segment of modern NY 96 from NY 251 in Victor to NY 64 in Pittsford was formerly unnumbered.^[6]

[edit] Former alignments

Between Ithaca and Candor, the original alignment of NY 96 (and the alignments of NY 15 and NY 2 before it) followed what is now NY 96B.^[8][9][10] NY 96 was rerouted onto its current alignment between the two locales by 1967.^[11]

[edit] Suffixed routes

• NY 96A (26.94 miles (43.36 km)^[12]) is an alternate route of NY 96 in Seneca County. The route splits from NY 96 in Interlaken and terminates at U.S. Route 20 and NY 5 east of Geneva in Waterloo.
• NY 96B (19.56 miles (31.48 km)^[12]) is an alternate route of NY 96 between Candor, Tioga County, and Ithaca, Tompkins County.

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile[1]	Roads intersected	Notes
Tioga	Village of Owego	0.00	NY 17	Exit 64 (NY 17)
		0.58	NY 434	Western terminus of NY 434
		0.86	NY 17C east	Southern terminus of overlap
		0.98	NY 17C west	Northern terminus of overlap
	Town of Owego	2.72	NY 38	Southern terminus of NY 38
	Village of Candor	10.62	NY 96B	Southern terminus of NY 96B
	Village of Spencer	19.58	NY 34 south	Southern terminus of overlap
Tompkins	Town of Ithaca	33.53	NY 13 south (Elmira Road)	Southern terminus of overlap
		34.03	NY 327 (Enfield Falls Road)	Southern terminus of NY 327
		35.10	NY 13A (Five Mile Drive)	Southern terminus of NY 13A
	City of Ithaca	37.21	NY 96B (West Clinton Street)	Northern terminus of NY 96B
		37.31	NY 79 east (West Green Street)	Southern terminus of overlap (southbound)
		37.43	NY 79 west (West Seneca Street)	Northern terminus of overlap (southbound)
		37.51	NY 13 north/NY 34 north NY 89 (West Buffalo Street)	Northern terminus of NY 13/34/96 overlap; eastern terminus of NY 89/96 overlap Southern terminus of NY 89
		37.71	NY 89 north (Taughannock Road)	Western terminus of overlap
	Trumansburg	48.51	NY 227	Northern terminus of NY 227
Seneca	Interlaken	55.05	NY 96A	Eastern terminus of NY 96A
	Village of Ovid	62.61	NY 96A/NY 414 south	Southern terminus of NY 96/414 overlap
	Romulus	65.11	NY 414 north	Northern terminus of overlap
	Varick	71.71	NY 336
	Village of Waterloo	78.59	US 20/NY 5
Ontario	Town of Phelps	85.69	NY 14	Interchange
		90.85	NY 88	Southern terminus of NY 88
		91.88	NY 488	Northern terminus of NY 488
	Town of Manchester	98.98	NY 21
	Farmington	105.62	NY 332
	Village of Victor	108.56	NY 444	Northern terminus of NY 444
	Town of Victor	109.92	NY 251	Eastern terminus of NY 251
		111.22	I-90/Thruway	Exit 45 (I-90/Thruway)
		111.75	I-490	Exit 29 (I-490)
Monroe	Perinton	113.32	NY 250	Southern terminus of NY 250
		114.03	I-490 west	Exit 28 (I-490)
		115.32	I-490	Exit 27 (I-490)
	Village of Pittsford	118.44	NY 64 NY 252	Northern terminus of NY 64; eastern terminus of NY 252
		118.77	NY 31
		119.09	NY 153	Southern terminus of NY 153
	Town of Pittsford	120.61	NY 31F	Western terminus of NY 31F
	Brighton	121.62	NY 441 (Elmwood Avenue/Linden Avenue)	Western terminus of NY 441
			Penfield Road	Former western terminus of NY 441
		122.52	NY 65	Northern terminus of NY 65
	Rochester/Brighton line	122.94	I-490 east	Can of Worms; access to I-490 west via Winton Road
	Rochester	125.62	Inner Loop
		126.01	East Main Street

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• New York Routes - New York State Route 96