New York State Route 281 (NY 281) is a north–south
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 ...
in
central New York
Central New York is the central region of New York State, including the following counties and cities:
With a population of about 773,606 (2009) and an area of , the region includes the Syracuse metropolitan area.
Definitions
The New York ...
in the United States. It extends for across
Cortland and
Onondaga Onondaga may refer to:
Native American/First Nations
* Onondaga people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois League
* Onondaga (village), Onondaga settlement and traditional Iroquois capita ...
counties. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with
NY 13 in the town of
Cortlandville. Its northern terminus is at a junction with
U.S. Route 11 and
NY 80
New York State Route 80 (NY 80) is a west–east New York State Route located within Onondaga, Madison, Chenango, Otsego, Herkimer, and Montgomery counties in New York. Its western terminus is located at a junction with NY&nb ...
near the
village of Tully. NY 281 meets
NY 90 in the
village of Homer and connects to
Interstate 81 twice. The route parallels I-81 for all but the southernmost of its routing.
Route description
Cortlandville to Homer
NY 281 begins at an intersection with
NY 13 (Tompkins Street) in the town of
Cortlandville next to the Walden Oaks Country Club. NY 281 proceeds north on West Road, a four-lane commercial street through Cortlandville, soon intersecting with
County Route 120 (CR 120; McLean Road). Retaining the commercial design, NY 281 crosses over a railroad line, passing west of
State University of New York at Cortland
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
. The route continues northeast, passing east of Cortland County–Chase Field Airport. At Luker Road, NY 281 becomes a four-lane commercial boulevard again, entering an at-grade interchange with
NY 222
New York State Route 222 (NY 222) is a east–west state highway in central New York in the United States. It runs from an intersection with NY 38 in the village of Groton in northeastern Tompkins County to a junction with the ...
and soon an intersection with
CR 111 (Kinney Gulf Road).
After CR 111, NY 281 continues northeast as a two-lane boulevard through Cortlandville, crossing into the city of
Cortland for a short distance near St. Mary's Cemetery. Through Cortland, NY 281 is a two-lane residential road, bending north at Wheeler Avenue. Near Harmony Circle, NY 281 crosses out of Cortland and returns to Cortlandville, changing names from West Road to West Homer Road. A short distance after the city line, NY 281 intersects with
CR 115 (Fisher Avenue). The route remains residential for a distance, passing west of Cortland Country Club and soon crossing into the town of
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
. Just after that change, the route enters an at-grade interchange with
unsigned NY 930Q, which connects to
I-81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...
.
NY 281 proceeds northward through Homer, now with the name of South West Street, entering the village of
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
. The route passes east of Glenwood Cemetery, intersecting with
NY 90 (Cayuga Street). NY 281 continues north through Homer, remaining a two-lane residential road. Near Grove Street, the route changes monikers to North West Street, crossing through a dense stretch of residences. After turning northeast, NY 281 intersects at-grade with
NY 41 (Clinton Street), before continuing to Stanford Drive, which marks the end of the village of Homer. Back in the town of Homer, the route proceeds northeast through a rural stretch of Cortland County, winding northeast into a parallel with I-81.
Homer to Tully
NY 281 continues north through Homer, passing a stretch of residences before an intersection with
CR 102 (Cold Brook Road). Passing west of Lower Little York Lake, NY 281 enters the hamlet of Pratts Corners, where it becomes a two-lane residential street, intersecting with
CR 109 (Little York Crossing Road). After CR 109, the route runs west of Upper Little York Lake, passing multiple homes and fields near the lakeside before intersecting with
CR 109A (Little York Lake Road). After several blocks of paralleling, CR 109A bends back and terminates at NY 281 to the north. At that point, the route crosses into the town of
Preble.
In Preble, NY 281 proceeds northeast at a fork that serves as the southern terminus of
CR 108A (Steger Road). NY 281 and CR 108A parallel, with the route coming within a mile (1.6 km) of I-81. A short distance to the north, the route enters the hamlet of Preble, with NY 281 becoming a two-lane residential street. Intersecting
CR 108B (Preble Road), NY 281 bends northeast at another fork, this time with
CR 104 (Song Lake Road). On this northeastern stretch, the route enters a
diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road.
Design
The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...
with I-81 (exit 13). After I-81, NY 281 continues northeast for a short distance through Preble, turning north on a parallel of the northbound lanes of I-81.
Now paralleling a railroad line, NY 281 intersects with
CR 106 (Song Lake Crossing Road). Soon after intersecting with
CR 106A (Tully Center Road), NY 281 turns northwest, crossing the county line into
Onondaga County
Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse.
Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA.
History
The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...
. Right at the county line, NY 281 intersects with
CR 257 (Marybelle Road), now in the town of
Tully. The route bends northward, intersecting with
CR 134 (Meeting House Road) as a two-lane rural road. A short distance to the north, I-81's exit 14 intersects with NY 281, which serves as a
frontage road
A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private drivew ...
to an intersection with
NY 80
New York State Route 80 (NY 80) is a west–east New York State Route located within Onondaga, Madison, Chenango, Otsego, Herkimer, and Montgomery counties in New York. Its western terminus is located at a junction with NY&nb ...
and
US 11. This intersection serves as the northern terminus of NY 281, while the right-of-way continues north as US 11.
History
NY 281 was assigned to the portion of its alignment between
NY 90 in the
village of Homer and the
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of
Preble. In the vicinity of Preble, it initially used modern County Routes 108A and 108B to reach
U.S. Route 11.
The route was extended northward along the western edge of Tully Lake , following Song Lake and Long Roads to a junction with
NY 80
New York State Route 80 (NY 80) is a west–east New York State Route located within Onondaga, Madison, Chenango, Otsego, Herkimer, and Montgomery counties in New York. Its western terminus is located at a junction with NY&nb ...
west of Tully Center. It was extended southward to
NY 13 in the town of
Cortlandville at some point between 1934 and 1940. In the late 1940s, construction began on a new highway between Preble and Tully Center that bypassed Preble and Tully Lake to the east. It was completed by 1949, at which time it became part of a realigned NY 281.
In February 1965, the New York State Department of Public Works proposed to renumber NY 281 as NY 357 to eliminate confusion between
I-81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...
,
NY 80
New York State Route 80 (NY 80) is a west–east New York State Route located within Onondaga, Madison, Chenango, Otsego, Herkimer, and Montgomery counties in New York. Its western terminus is located at a junction with NY&nb ...
,
NY 181 and
US 11, aside of
Interstate 281. The state would be asking communities along NY 281 for their approval to make the change. On March 8, 1965, the Board of Directors of the Cortland County Chamber of Commerce voted unanimously to oppose the renumbering, following actions of the Cortland County Motel Association, who mounted an even larger opposition. On March 30, it was announced that the decision to renumber NY 281 was withdrawn citing massive opposition.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
External links
{{NYSR external links, type=N, nyroutes=yes, termini=yes, route=281
281
Transportation in Onondaga County, New York
Transportation in Cortland County, New York