New York State Route 17B

NYS Route 17B
Route information
Auxiliary route of NY 17
Maintained by NYSDOT and Sullivan County
Length: 21.90 mi[2] (35.24 km)
Existed: 1930[1] – present
Major junctions
West end: NY 97 in Delaware
East end: NY 17 in Monticello
Location
Counties: Sullivan
Highway system

Numbered highways in New York
Interstate • U.S. • N.Y. (former) • Reference • County

← NY 17A NY 17C →

New York State Route 17B (NY 17B) is a state highway located entirely within Sullivan County, New York. It connects the hamlet of Callicoon at its western end with the Monticello area in the east (ending at an interchange with NY 17 just to the north of Monticello).

Contents

Route description

From its terminus at NY 97 in the hamlet of Callicoon (located within the town of Delaware), NY 17B makes its way up out of the Delaware River valley on a winding path, much like the other state roads in this thinly populated corner of New York. NY 52A, the first other state highway 17B encounters, leaves in a northerly direction five miles (8 km) from the start. Not too long afterward, NY 52 meets NY 17B and joins it.

A half-mile afterwards, 52 continues its southward course to Narrowsburg while 17B splits off to the east on a good, wide road that passes through mostly open farming country. Seven miles along, NY 55 comes in from the north to create another concurrency through White Lake of 0.75-mile (1.21 km) before splitting off again, this time to Barryville. After this minimally built-up junction that constitutes the center of White Lake, the vacation cottage community of Smallwood to the south of the road is responsible for increased traffic in the summertime.

17B continues eastward for another seven miles (11 km) before reaching Monticello Raceway and its western end at NY 17 in Monticello.

For most of the 20th century, the road was the major thoroughfare that each June took thousands of kids to the many sleepaway camps along the 17B corridor: Camp Ta-Go-La, Camp Kennybook, Camp Ma-Ho-Ge, Camp Chipinaw, Camp Ranger and the Wel-Met Camps, to name a few. It also took many more to and from the hotels and bungalow colonies such as The Esther Manor,owned by the Goldstein family (where singer Neil Sedaka met his future wife,the daughter of the owners and launched his celebrity career and comedian Jackie Mason got his start), and the Bradstan Country Hotel in White Lake.

History

Between Fosterdale and Monticello, 17B follows the route of the old Newburgh-Cochecton Turnpike, elsewhere followed by the main NY 17 and, closer to Newburgh, NY 17K. This accounts for the straight, wide route much more amenable to modern vehicular use than the other inland state highways in this half of the county.

NY 17B was assigned in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York to its current alignment between Monticello and Callicoon and to modern NY 97 from Callicoon to Hancock.[1] The Callicoon–Hancock portion of the route was co-designated as part of NY 97 in 1939 following the completion of that route south of Callicoon.[3][4][5] The concurrency was eliminated in the mid-1960s when NY 17B was cut back to its current western terminus in Callicoon.[6][7]

Woodstock

The normally lightly trafficked road became the most-used in the state in the middle of August 1969, when the legendary Woodstock Festival was held in one of local dairy farmer Max Yasgur's alfalfa fields at the junction of Hurd and West Shore roads just off the highway in the Town of Bethel. Nearby sections of 17B between the site and Monticello became cluttered with abandoned vehicles as concertgoers raced to catch the three-day show.

Bethel now proudly refers to it on its signage welcoming visitors, and it has become its major attraction. Stores along 17B near the site sell relevant souvenirs, such as tie-dyed T-shirts and recordings by the artists who performed.

Recent events

In July 2006, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened for business, giving the 17B corridor more activity than it had seen in 37 years as the New York Philharmonic played the inaugural concert at the state-of-the-art music venue. And on August 13, 2006, some 16,000 fans attended Crosby Stills Nash & Young at Bethel Woods. Their encore song was appropriately, "Woodstock."

Major intersections

The entire route is in Sullivan County.

Location Mile[2] Destinations Notes
Delaware 0.00 NY 97 Hamlet of Callicoon
5.23 NY 52A Western terminus of NY 52A
Cochecton 6.47 NY 52 east Western terminus of NY 17B / NY 52 overlap
6.93 NY 52 west Hamlet of Fosterdale; eastern terminus of NY 17B / NY 52 overlap
Bethel 14.12 NY 55 west Western terminus of NY 17B / NY 55 overlap
14.86 NY 55 east Hamlet of White Lake; eastern terminus of NY 17B / NY 55 overlap
Monticello 21.90 NY 17 Exit 104 (NY 17)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b Dickinson, Leon A. (January 12, 1930). "New Signs for State Highways". The New York Times: p. 136. 
  2. ^ a b "2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. pp. 54–55. https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT%20TVR%202008%20by%20Route.pdf. Retrieved January 31, 2010. 
  3. ^ "Open New Highway on the Delaware". The New York Times: p. 24. August 31, 1939. 
  4. ^ Thibodeau, William A. (1938). The ALA Green Book (1938–39 ed.). Automobile Legal Association. 
  5. ^ Gulf Oil Company (1940). New York Info-Map (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. 
  6. ^ Mobil (1965). New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. 
  7. ^ Esso (1968). New York (Map). Cartography by General Drafting (1969–70 ed.). 

External links