The
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in ...
(NYSDOT) is responsible for the establishment and classification of a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
network which includes
Interstate Highways
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
,
U.S. Highways
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...
, and
state routes. U.S. and Interstate Highways are classified as state routes in New York; however, a letter ("U" or "I", respectively) is suffixed to the number of the route. As a result, there is apparent duplication between U.S. Routes, Interstate Highways and state routes.
The New York state highway system is supplemented by the state's county route system, which comprises a series of highways numbered and maintained by the individual county highway departments. While neighboring
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
employs a statewide numbering system, no such system exists in New York. Instead, each county numbers its highways independently of other counties. As a result, county routes typically change numbers when they cross county lines.
In some cases, the state highway and county highway systems overlap. More specifically, some portions of U.S. Routes and state routes in New York are signed as U.S. Routes or state routes but are maintained by the county that the route lies within. These county-maintained segments also carry a county route designation that may or may not be posted alongside the U.S. or state designation, depending on the signing practices of the county. Some state routes, such as
New York State Route 148 in
Niagara County, are entirely county-maintained.
History
Lists of routes
Thruway
Highways maintained by the
New York State Thruway Authority
The New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) is a public benefit corporation in New York State, United States. The NYSTA was formed in 1950 with the responsibility of constructing, maintaining, and operating the New York State Thruway, a syste ...
lack any signed numbers apart from Interstate Highway designations. While the vast majority of the Thruway system is part of the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
, some sections, such as the Berkshire Connector between
Interstate 87 and
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
, are unsigned
reference routes. There are no standard NYSDOT
reference marker
In New York, a reference marker is a small green sign mounted approximately every one-tenth mile on highways maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation. This was initiated in response to the Highway Safety Act of 1966 enacte ...
s on any of the highways; instead, the Thruway Authority posts their own mileposts, which (aside from the mainline) bear special Thruway codes.
See also
*
Transportation in New York
Transportation in New York is made up of some of the most extensive and one of the oldest transportation infrastructures in the country. Engineering difficulties because of the terrain of New York State and the unique issues of New York City br ...
*
List of New York State Bicycle Routes
Development of New York State Bicycle Route System
In the early 1990's the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) created the state's first full-time bicycle and pedestrian program. Utilizing funding provided by the federal Inter ...
External links
New York State Department of Transportation
{{US state highways
Numbered Highways