New York State Route 198

NYS Route 198
Scajaquada Expressway

Map of Buffalo with NY 198 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length: 3.59 mi[3] (5.78 km)
Existed: 1962[1][2] – present
Major junctions
West end: I-190 / Thruway in Buffalo
East end: NY 33 in Buffalo
Location
Counties: Erie
Highway system

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

← NY 197 NY 199 →

New York State Route 198 (NY 198) is a state highway located entirely within the city of Buffalo, New York, in the United States. It is named the Scajaquada Expressway for Scajaquada Creek, which it parallels as it heads across northern Buffalo. NY 198 connects the Niagara Section of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 190) in the Black Rock neighborhood to the Kensington Expressway (NY 33) on Buffalo's east side. On average, the highway carries over 37,000 cars per day.[3]

Contents

Route description

NY 198, as well as the Scajaquada Expressway, begins at an interchange with I-190 on the bank of the Niagara River northwest of downtown Buffalo. The route heads to the northeast initially, connecting to NY 265 and NY 266 by way of a single interchange a meager distance east of I-190. At the Grant Street exit, NY 198 turns eastward, running along the northern edge of the Buffalo State College campus to an exit with Elmwood Avenue, which lines the eastern edge of the college.

Immediately after passing under Elmwood Avenue, NY 198 enters Delaware Park. In the western third of the park, a pair of on-ramps from Lincoln Parkway, which is separated into two segments by the park, merge with the expressway. It is not possible to travel directly from one segment to the other, however.

To the east of the parkway is an interchange with NY 384, Delaware Avenue, located entirely within the park. East of the interchange, NY 198 turns to the southeast for the first time as it circumvents the Forest Lawn Cemetery and proceeds to the only at-grade intersection on the Scajaquada with Parkside Avenue.

Directly southeast of Parkside Avenue, NY 198 reverts to a limited-access highway as it meets NY 5 (Main Street) by way of an interchange before arriving at its eastern terminus at NY 33, which is the limited-access Kensington Expressway in this area of Buffalo. Between Parkside Avenue and NY 33, a pair of frontage roads parallel NY 198.

The highway runs past several of Buffalo's best-known landmarks such as Medaille College, Delaware Park, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo State College and the Buffalo Historical Society Museum, the only structure still standing specifically built for the Pan-American Exposition in 1901.

History

The modern NY 198 corridor was originally served by Scajaquada Drive and Humboldt Parkway, two surface streets that linked Delaware Park to Humboldt Park (now Martin Luther King, Jr. Park). Scajaquada Drive began at Grant Street and went eastward through Delaware Park to Agassiz Circle. Here, it met Humboldt Parkway, which ran from NY 384 in Delaware Park to Fillmore Avenue at Humboldt Park by way of the modern Scajaquada and Kensington Expressway corridors.[4] Construction of the Scajaquada Expressway began in the early 1960s.[1][5] The first section of the freeway extended from Grant Street to NY 384 and was completed by 1961.[1] An extension west to the Niagara Thruway opened in 1962, at which time all of the expressway was designated as NY 198.[1][2] The portion of Humboldt Parkway between NY 384 and the Kensington Expressway was upgraded into a divided highway in the mid-1960s,[6][7] at which time it became part of NY 198.[8]

Community activists have proposed that the highway be downgraded to a pedestrian-friendly roadway more in harmony with the surrounding communities.[9] The New York State Department of Transportation is investigating the feasibility of the project, currently estimated to cost around $85 million. According to the state, no work will be performed until 2016 at the earliest.[10]

Exit list

The entire route is in Buffalo, Erie County. All exits are unnumbered.

Mile[3] Exit Destinations Notes
0.00 I-190 / Thruway Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
NY 265 / NY 266 Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; southern terminus of NY 265
0.75 Grant Street – Buffalo State College
1.42 Elmwood Avenue
2.02 NY 384 (Delaware Avenue)
Parkside Avenue At-grade intersection
2.93 NY 5 (Main Street) Access to/from NY 5 via Humboldt Parkway
3.59 NY 33 (Kensington Expressway) Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b c d Sunoco (1961). New York and Metropolitan New York (Map). Cartography by H.M. Gousha Company (1961–62 ed.). 
  2. ^ a b Esso (1962). New York with Sight-Seeing Guide (Map). Cartography by General Drafting (1962 ed.). 
  3. ^ a b c "2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. p. 183. https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT%20TVR%202008%20by%20Route.pdf. Retrieved January 30, 2010. 
  4. ^ Esso (1958). New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map). Cartography by General Drafting (1958 ed.). 
  5. ^ Gulf Oil Company (1960). New York and New Jersey Tourgide 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.). 
  8. ^ State of New York Department of Transportation (January 1, 1970) (PDF). Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State. http://www.greaternyroads.info/pdfs/state70.pdf. Retrieved June 25, 2010. 
  9. ^ "Scajaquada Corridor Study". City of Buffalo. http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/Home/City_Departments/Public_Works_Parks_Streets/Scajaquada_Corridor_Study. Retrieved June 25, 2010. 
  10. ^ "N.Y. Route 198 – Scajaquada Corridor". New York State Department of Transportation. https://www.nysdot.gov/scajaquadacorridor. Retrieved June 25, 2010. 

External links