New York State Route 431

NYS Route 431
Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway

Map of northeastern New York with NY 431 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDEC
Length: 7.96 mi[3] (12.81 km)
Existed: by 1932[1] – present
History: Completed in 1935[2]
Major junctions
South end: NY 86 in Wilmington
North end: Peak of Whiteface Mountain
Location
Counties: Essex
Highway system

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

← NY 430 NY 432 →

New York State Route 431 (NY 431) is a state highway in Essex County, New York, United States. The highway, also known as the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, begins at an intersection with NY 86 in Wilmington and climbs Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation maintains the highway, which is 7.96 miles (12.81 km) long.

Marcellus Leonard, a merchant from nearby Saranac Lake, originally proposed the highway in the late 19th century. However, serious plans for the highway did not develop until the 1920s. Construction of the route began in 1929 and was completed in 1935; Leonard died six months before the opening. The 25-mile-per-hour (40 km/h) highway varies in elevation from over 2,000 feet (610 m) to over 4,500 feet (1,372 m) and increases in elevation by about 450 feet (137 m) per mile as it heads away from NY 86. The Whiteface Highway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Contents

Route description

The Whiteface Highway, also known as NY 431, begins at an intersection with NY 86 in Wilmington. The highway heads to the west, ascending in elevation as it approaches Whiteface Mountain. It heads through a pass between Morgan and Esther Mountains, two smaller mountains adjacent to Whiteface Mountain, on its way to an intersection with County Route 72 (CR 72), the last highway that NY 431 intersects. Just west of CR 72, NY 431 passes through a toll booth and becomes a toll road.[4] The NY 431 designation continues along the highway to the Union Falls Overlook, a scenic view 2,700 feet (820 m) in elevation about one mile (1.6 km) into the scenic drive. This overlook also allows viewing of Taylor Pond.[3][5]

At this point, NY 431 curves to the south, climbing up the western side of both Esther Mountain and Whiteface Mountain.[4] Upon reaching 3,300 feet (1,000 m) in elevation, a large building at the top of Whiteface Mountain called "The Castle" becomes visible, and Taylor Pond can be seen more clearly below.[5] The scenic drive continues up Whiteface Mountain to its summit, which NY 431 ascends toward by way of a pair of hairpin turns just north of the peak.[6] At the first of the turns, the highway reaches an overlook 3,700 feet (1,100 m) in elevation that provides views of parts of Lake Placid and the Olympic Village.[5] The road and the NY 431 designation both terminate at a parking lot about 300 feet (91 m) below the summit of Whiteface Mountain,[3][6] where "The Castle" is located.[5]

History

The idea of constructing a road up Whiteface Mountain was first conceived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Marcellus Leonard, an entrepreneur from Saranac Lake.[7][8] The plans for the highway began to take shape in the 1920s when the land for the road was given by its owner to the state of New York on the condition that it would be named after America's Great War veterans.[5] The road was later renamed to honor veterans from all wars. Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the dedication for the highway in 1929.[9] There were plans to place a memorial tower at the top of Whiteface Mountain; however, the bill calling for its construction was vetoed in 1932 by Governor Herbert Henry Lehman.

Construction on the Whiteface Mountain Highway began in 1929.[5] The road was to open in mid-1934, but was delayed a year.[7][10] It finally opened to traffic on July 20, 1935.[2] On September 14, 1935, it was formally dedicated by Roosevelt, now President of the United States, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.[11] In all, the road cost $1.2 million to construct. President Roosevelt also requested that an elevator be constructed to help visitors from the parking lot to the summit of Whiteface Mountain.[5] Unfortunately, Marcellus Leonard, the person considered to be the "father" of the highway, did not live to see the highway open as he died at 90 years old on February 23, 1935, a few months before the road opened.[8][12] The completed highway was assigned NY 431,[13] a designation which had been reserved for the road as early as 1932.[1]

The road was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in October 2008 as the "Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway Complex". The National Park Service, which keeps the Register, announced the listing nine months later.[14]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Wilmington, Essex County.

Mile[3] Destinations Notes
0.00 NY 86
2.55 CR 72
7.96 Summit of Whiteface Mountain
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Texas Oil Company (1932). Texaco Road Map – New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. 
  2. ^ a b "Road Up Whiteface Opened To Traffic". The New York Times: p. 3. July 21, 1935. 
  3. ^ a b c d "2008 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. p. 314. https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT_Traffic_Data_Report_2008.pdf. Retrieved December 9, 2009. 
  4. ^ a b United States Geological Survey (1978). Wilmington, New York (Map). 1:25,000. 7.5x15 Minute Series (Topographic). http://www.nysgis.state.ny.us/gisdata/quads/drg24/usgspreview/index.cfm?code=k44073d7. Retrieved December 24, 2009. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Manchester, Lee. "A 5-mile drive to the top of the world" (PDF). Adirondack Architectural Heritage. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070812103749/http://www.aarch.org/archives/leeman/020531+VLP+Whiteface+highway.pdf. Retrieved March 7, 2008. 
  6. ^ a b United States Geological Survey (1979). Lake Placid, New York – Essex County (Map). 1:25,000. 7.5x15 Minute Series (Topographic). http://www.nysgis.state.ny.us/gisdata/quads/drg24/usgspreview/index.cfm?code=k44073d7. Retrieved December 24, 2009. 
  7. ^ a b "Road Up Mountain Is Nearly Finished". The New York Times: p. E6. October 15, 1933. 
  8. ^ a b "Father of Whiteface Road Not Here For Dedication". Lake Placid News: p. 4. September 20, 1935. 
  9. ^ "Roosevelt Dedicates Whiteface Highway". The New York Times: p. 14. September 12, 1929. 
  10. ^ "New Scenic State Road". The New York Times: p. 11. February 23, 1935. 
  11. ^ Hurd, Charles W. (September 15, 1935). "Roosevelt Takes 'It Can Be Done' As Today's Motto". The New York Times: p. 1. 
  12. ^ Gockeler, Edward L. (July 14, 1935). "M.A. Leonard Dead; Owned Store Chain". The New York Times: p. XX10. 
  13. ^ Sun Oil Company (1935). Road Map & Historical Guide – New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. 
  14. ^ "National Register of Historic Places listings, July 31, 2009". National Park Service. July 31, 2009. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20090731.htm. Retrieved August 1, 2009. 

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