New York State Route 8 (NY 8) 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 the central part of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in the United States. It runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction from the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York region of New York State, consisting of counties west of the Catskill Mountains in Delaware County and geographically situated along or very near the northern border ...

to the northern part of Lake George. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17, where it begins

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with

NY 10 New York State Route 10 (NY 10) is a north–south state highway in the Central New York and North Country regions of New York in the United States. It extends for from the Quickway ( NY 17) (Future Interstate 86) in Deposit ...

in the town of Deposit. Its northern terminus is at a junction with

NY 9N New York State Route 9N (NY 9N) is a north–south state highway in northeastern New York in the United States. It extends from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9), NY 29, and NY 50 in the city of Saratoga Sp ...

in the town of

Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. Roughly midway between the two endpoints, NY 8 passes through Utica, where it overlaps

NY 5 New York State Route 5 (NY 5) is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Sy ...

NY 12 New York State Route 12 (NY 12) is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York (state), New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in New York, U.S. Route 11 (US ...

, and Interstate 790 (I-790) along one segment of the North–South Arterial. NY 8 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York and originally extended north to a ferry across

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

at Putnam Station, where it connected to Vermont Route F-10 (VT F-10). The route was realigned slightly on its northern end by 1933 to connect to another ferry leading to VT F-9 east of Ticonderoga. By the following year, it was altered again to use the new Champlain Bridge at Crown Point to connect to VT 17. This was made possible by way of a long concurrency with

and

NY 22 New York State Route 22 (NY 22) is a north–south state highway that parallels the eastern border of the U.S. state of New York, from the outskirts of New York City to the hamlet of Mooers (CDP), New York, Mooers in Clinton County, ...

. NY 8 was truncated to its current northern terminus . In the 1960s and 1970s, NY 8 was moved onto new freeways around and through the city of Utica. The 2017 route log erroneously shows that NY 8's southern terminus is at what is the northern terminus of the overlap with NY 10.

Route description

Southern Tier

NY 8 begins at an interchange with NY 17 in Deposit that also serves as the southern terminus of

. NY 8 and NY 10 form a brief concurrency north along the West Branch of the Delaware River before separating at the southeastern edge of the

Cannonsville Reservoir The Cannonsville Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system in Delaware County, New York. It was formed by construction of the Cannonsville Dam on its west end, which impounded over half of the West Branch of the Delaware ...

northeast of Deposit. While NY 10 follows the southern edge of the reservoir to the east, NY 8 continues north, passing to the east of

Oquaga Creek State Park Oquaga Creek State Park is a state park in Broome, Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic O ...

(and connecting to the park via a pair of local roads) before meeting NY 206 in Masonville. From Masonville, NY 8 heads north to Sidney, where it meets

I-88 Interstate 88 may refer to either of two United States Interstate highways: * Interstate 88 (Illinois) Interstate 88 (I-88) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Illinois that runs from an interchange with I-80 near Silvis and ...

at an interchange, crosses the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

, and intersects NY 7 before leaving the village adjacent to the

Unadilla River The Unadilla River is a river in the Central New York Region of New York State. The river begins northeast of the hamlet of Millers Mills and flows generally south to the village of Sidney, where it converges with the Susquehanna River, which d ...

, a tributary of the Susquehanna. NY 8 and NY 10 north

NY 8 parallels the Unadilla River northward through Mount Upton to New Berlin, where it meets NY 80. The routes overlap for a short distance to the north before NY 80 separates to the northwest toward Sherburne. NY 8, however, continues along the Unadilla River through several small communities before separating from the river just south of the

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Oneida Oneida may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Oneida people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy * Oneida language * Oneida Indian Nation, based in New York * Oneida Na ...

County line.

Utica area

Shortly after crossing into Oneida County, NY 8 intersects U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in Bridgewater. The route continues northward, passing through Cassville and Clayville before becoming a

limited-access highway A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...

just north of Clayville. Near Sauquoit, NY 8 has exits for Pinnacle Road and Elm Street prior to entering the Utica suburbs. In New Hartford, the route has an exit with Genesee Street prior to meeting

and

at a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

southwest of downtown Utica. While the right-of-way of NY 8 continues to the northeast through the cloverleaf as NY 840, NY 8 joins NY 5 and NY 12 as the three routes enter downtown on the North–South Arterial. Utica Arterial - May 2015

Near the northern edge of downtown, NY 5, NY 8, and NY 12 interchange with NY 5A and NY 5S on the southern bank of the

Mohawk River The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk f ...

. At the exit, the three state routes are joined on the arterial by

I-790 Interstate 790 (I-790) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the city of Utica, New York, in the United States. It runs for from an interchange with New York State Route 5A (NY 5A) and NY 5S in downtown Utica to a pair of ...

, which follows NY 5, NY 8, and NY 12 across the Mohawk River and the neighboring

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

to a large interchange north of the canal. Here, I-790 and NY 5 separate from the concurrency while NY 8 and NY 12 remain concurrent into Deerfield as a limited-access highway. After an interchange with a former routing of NY 12, NY 8 separates from the highway and returns to an at-grade roadway as it heads northeast to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. Near the Oneida-

Herkimer County Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named af ...

line (here delimited by

West Canada Creek The West Canada Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in upstate New York, United States. West Canada Creek is an important water way in Hamilt ...

), NY 8 merges with

NY 28 New York State Route 28 (NY 28) is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major ...

and follows the route across the county line (as well as the creek) into Poland. In the center of the village, NY 8 splits from NY 28 and heads northeast into

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...

Adirondack Park

New York State Route 8 PICT0586 (2884039111)

Within Adirondack Park, NY 8 follows a northeast–southwest routing as it crosses the lower half of the park. Near

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, NY 8 intersects NY 365 due north of where it enters the park. Past NY 365, NY 8 heads east to Higgins Bay, where it intersects the northern terminus of NY 10. The route continues northeast to Speculator, where it meets

NY 30 New York State Route 30 (NY 30) is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 17 (Future Interstate 86) in the Southern Tier to the US–Canada border i ...

. NY 30 turns east onto NY 8, forming an overlap southeast to

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

, where NY 8 separates from NY 30 and heads to the northeast into

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

. Formerly, NY 8 became an east–west highway near Speculator, but was re-signed around 2010 to north–south to be consistent with the other sections of the highway. In Wevertown, NY 8 intersects NY 28 for the final time prior to meeting US 9 at Loon Lake. The two routes merge, forming an overlap east to Chestertown, where US 9 splits from NY 8 and continues south. NY 8, however, heads east, meeting

I-87 Interstate 87 may refer to either of two unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States: * Interstate 87 (New York), a highway running from New York City north to the Canadian border in Champlain, New York. * Interstate 87 (North Carolina) ...

shortly after departing US 9. Past I-87, NY 8 follows the southern edge of Brant Lake to the northeast before turning to the east toward

, where it terminates at

History

Origins and terminus changes

In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 8 was assigned to most of its current alignment from Deposit to Hague.''Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book'', 1930–31 and 1931–32 editions, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1930 and 1931). The 1930–31 edition shows New York state routes prior to the 1930 renumbering The route also extended eastward to Wright (southeast of Ticonderoga) on modern

, and County Route 2 (CR 2), where it connected to VT F-10 by way of a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

across

. From Clayville to Utica, NY 8 was originally routed along Oneida Street before overlapping with NY 5 and NY 12 along Genesee Street in downtown Utica. After crossing the

and the

, the three routes separated at the intersection of Herkimer Road, Trenton Road, and Coventry Avenue northeast of downtown. NY 8 then followed Coventry Avenue and Walker Road northeast to Deerfield, where NY 8 joined its modern alignment. Prior to 1930, what became NY 8 in the renumbering carried multiple designations along its routing. In 1924, the segment of Genesee Street in Utica that became NY 8 was designated as part of

and

. Additionally, the portion of NY 8 from Wevertown to Chestertown became part of

. The segment from the modern intersection of US 9 and NY 8 to Chestertown was also designated as part of NY 6. By 1926, what became NY 8 from Sidney to New Berlin and from Bridgewater to downtown Utica was designated as NY 44. Between New Berlin and Bridgewater, NY 44 followed what is now NY 80 through Edmeston to West Burlington and

NY 51 New York State Route 51 (NY 51) is a north–south state highway in the central part of the U.S. state of New York. The highway runs generally in a southwest to northeast direction from NY 8 in the hamlet of Mount Upton to ...

from West Burlington to US 20. It continued west to Bridgewater by way of an overlap with US 20. From Utica to

, the 1930 routing of NY 8 was part of NY 54, which continued south from Wells to Fonda via modern

and

NY 30A New York State Route 30A (NY 30A) is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. It serves as a westerly alternate route of NY 30 from near the Schoharie County village of Schoharie to the Fulton Cou ...

. Between Chestertown and Ticonderoga, NY 8 was designated NY 47. Until the renumbering, what became NY 8 was unbuilt from Deposit to Masonville and unnumbered from Masonville to Sidney. Additionally, the segments from New Berlin to Bridgewater and from Wells to Wevertown were unnumbered. NY 8 was rerouted by 1933 to exit Ticonderoga to the east, using what is now NY 74 to reach Lake Champlain instead. At the lake, NY 8 connected to VT F-9 via the

Fort Ticonderoga–Larrabees Point Ferry The Fort Ticonderoga Ferry is a cable ferry crossing Lake Champlain between Ticonderoga, New York, and Shoreham, Vermont. It connects the New York and Vermont segments of State Route 74 The ferry can carry up to 18 cars and has a weight limit o ...

. The route was realigned again to follow NY 9N and NY 22 north from Ticonderoga to south of

Port Henry Port Henry is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2010 census. Port Henry lies on the eastern side of the town of Moriah and is approximately one hour's drive (52 miles ...

, where NY 8 turned northeast to follow what is now NY 185 to the Champlain Bridge. The route became VT 17 on the opposite lakeshore. NY 8 was truncated to Hague , eliminating its overlaps with NY 9N and NY 22. The 2017 route log erroneously shows that NY 8's southern terminus at what is the northern terminus of the overlap with NY 10.

Relocations and realignments

In the early 1950s, construction began on a new arterial highway—known as the North–South Arterial—through downtown Utica. The first portion of the highway to open was the segment between River Road and Trenton Road, which was completed by 1956. It was extended southward to Oriskany Street ( NY 5A) by 1961 and completed entirely by 1964; however, NY 8 was not initially realigned to follow the highway. In the mid-1960s, plans were made to construct a new

along the NY 8 corridor from Clayville north to New Hartford, where it would connect with the North–South Arterial. The freeway was constructed and completed in the early 1970s. NY 8 was realigned to follow the highway to New Hartford, from where it continued through Utica on the Arterial and I-790. It rejoined its previous alignment at I-790's interchange with Genesee Street. During this same period, the section of NY 12 between Deerfield and South Trenton was moved onto a new freeway built adjacent to NY 12's original alignment. A connector between NY 12 and NY 8 by way of the Miller Road corridor was built at this time. NY 8 was rerouted in the mid-1970s to follow NY 12 north to its exit with the connector. Here, NY 8 left NY 12 and continued east on the connector to rejoin its original alignment at Walker Road. Ownership and maintenance of NY 8's former routing north of the Utica city limits was transferred to Oneida County, which designated the highway as CR 92. Originally NY 8 traveled through the village of Sidney and had a brief overlap with NY 7. In the 1970s a new alignment was built to the south of Sidney which connected to the new I-88 interchange. In April 2014 work began on a $68.3 million project to replace the viaduct over Columbia Street, Lafayette Streets, and Oriskany Boulevard (NY 5A and NY 5S) in Utica. The nearly one mile stretch had signalized at-grade intersections that had been causing safety concerns and some fatalities. In addition to the replacement of the viaduct, the alignment of the arterial was straightened, a new

single point urban interchange A single-point urban interchange (SPUI, or ), also called a single-point interchange (SPI) or single-point diamond interchange (SPDI), is a type of highway interchange. The design was created in order to help move large volumes of traffic thro ...

was built at Court Street, and a pedestrian bridge was built across the roadway. The pedestrian bridge was opened by December 2014, and the remainder of the project was completed by October 2017.

Memorial designation

On October 29, 2019 Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law that a portion of NY 8 was to be designated the "Sidney Veterans' Memorial Parkway" from I-88 to southern end of the bridge over the Susquehanna River in the village of Sidney.

Future

Long range plans by the

NYSDOT The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit systems ...

call for an expressway to be built along the NY 8 corridor from NY 17, east of

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

, to the St. Lawrence region via Utica.

Major intersections

References

External links

NY Route 8: Southern Adirondack Trail
{{DEFAULTSORT:New York State Route 008

008 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * The Streetwear Brand @008us , inspired by Ian Fleming & Virgil Abloh *"030", the fictional 030 Agent of MI6 * '' 038: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film * '' Explosivo 030'' a 1940 Argentine c ...

Transportation in Chenango County, New York Transportation in Delaware County, New York Transportation in Hamilton County, New York Transportation in Herkimer County, New York Transportation in Madison County, New York Transportation in Oneida County, New York Transportation in Otsego County, New York Transportation in Warren County, New York