New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is 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 ...
that extends for across western and central
New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with
NY 104
New York State Route 104 (NY 104) is a east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follow ...
in the city of
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...
. Its eastern terminus is at a
traffic circle
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...
with
NY 26
New York State Route 26 (NY 26) is a north–south state highway that runs for through Central New York in the United States. Its southern terminus is located at the Pennsylvania state line south of the town of Vestal in Broom ...
in Vernon Center, a
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 ...
within the
town of Vernon. Over its routing, NY 31 spans 10 counties and indirectly connects three major urban areas in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...
:
Buffalo–Niagara Falls,
Rochester, and
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
* Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
* Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
** North Syracuse, New York
* Syracuse, Indiana
*Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, M ...
. The route is one of the longest routes in New York State, paralleling two similarly lengthy routes,
NY 104
New York State Route 104 (NY 104) is a east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follow ...
to the north and
NY 5 to the south, as well as the
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 ...
, as it proceeds east.
Much of NY 31 west of
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
was originally designated as part of a
legislative route from the late 1900s to the early 1920s. NY 31 itself was assigned in the mid-1920s, utilizing all of legislative Route 30 (modern NY 31,
NY 429, and NY 104) west of Rochester and much of its current alignment from Rochester to
Lenox. At Lenox, NY 31 turned southeast to follow what is now
NY 316 and
NY 46 to
NY 5 in
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 ...
. It was realigned by 1929 to continue west to
Lewiston on
Ridge Road and altered in the
1930 renumbering of state highways in New York to continue east to
Utica via
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...
. With the advent of
U.S. Route 104 (US 104) , NY 31 was realigned west of Rochester to follow most of its modern routing.
NY 31 was truncated westward to
NY 365 in Verona in the early 1940s, moving the eastern terminus of NY 31 to the same junction that also had served as the northern terminus of New York State Route 234, a north–south route that extended southeastward to Vernon Center, since the early 1930s. The two routes continued to share a terminus until 1981, when ownership and maintenance of part of NY 234 was transferred from the state of New York to
Oneida County as part of a highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. In return, the state acquired a pair of county roads that followed a routing parallel to that of the transferred section of NY 234. The new state highways and the remainder of NY 234 became an extension of NY 31.
Route description
Most of NY 31 is owned by the state of New York and maintained by the
New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT); however, some sections of the route—mostly within cities—are locally owned and maintained. In the cities of
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...
and
Rochester, NY 31 is completely city-owned.
Another city-maintained section exists in the
city of Lockport from Washburn Street (five blocks east of
NY 78) to the eastern city line.
Two villages—
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
and
Newark—also maintain parts of NY 31. In Medina, the locally owned section begins at the
Falls Road Railroad
The Falls Road Railroad is a Class III short line railroad owned by Genesee Valley Transportation (GVT). The railroad operates in Niagara, Orleans, and Monroe counties in New York.
Operations
The railroad's right-of-way consists of of ...
crossing in the village center and ends at Center Street (
NY 31E).
The portion in Newark, meanwhile, extends from Mason Street (one block west of
NY 88
New York State Route 88 (NY 88) is a north–south state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 96 in the Ontario County village of Phelps to a junction ...
) to the eastern village line.
As of 2009, the most heavily trafficked segments of NY 31 lie in and around the city of Rochester. The busiest of these, from
Interstate 590 (I-590) to
NY 65 in the eastern suburb of
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, carries in excess of 40,000 vehicles
per day on average. Two other segments—between South and Woodbury Avenues in downtown Rochester and from NY 65 to French Road in Brighton and
Pittsford—have traffic volumes in excess of 30,000 vehicles. On the other hand, the portion of NY 31 in the
Oneida County town of
Vernon between the
Vernon Downs
Vernon Downs is a horse racing track, racino and entertainment facility located in the town of Vernon in central New York. The track was established in 1953 and in 1955 was the location that Adios Harry ran his "Miracle Mile". As tastes change ...
racetrack and Youngs Road handles just 910 cars per day on average, making it the least-traveled segment of the route.
Western New York
NY 31 begins at an intersection with
NY 104
New York State Route 104 (NY 104) is a east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follow ...
in northern Niagara Falls. After a short distance eastward through the northern fringe of the city as College Avenue, the road encounters
NY 61 at the northeastern city line. NY 31 continues northeastward into the town of
Niagara, following Witmer Road to an interchange with
I-190 Interstate 190 may refer to the following Interstate Highways in the United States related to Interstate 90:
* Interstate 190 (Illinois), a spur into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport
*Interstate 190 (Massachusetts), a spur from Worcester to Le ...
at exit 24. Past I-190, NY 31 meets
NY 265 south of the
Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant
The Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station is a hydroelectric power station in Lewiston, New York, near Niagara Falls. Owned and operated by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the plant diverts water from the Niagara River above Nia ...
reservoir. At the intersection, NY 31 becomes Saunders Settlement Road, a name it retains for almost . Continuing through
Niagara County, NY 31 passes the south end of the
Tuscarora Indian Reservation ahead of a brief
overlap with
NY 429. Past the east end of the concurrency, NY 429 travels north toward NY 104 while NY 31 continues east past
Niagara County Community College
Niagara County Community College (NCCC) is a public community college in Sanborn, New York, in Niagara County. NCCC offers associate degrees and was founded on November 8, 1962 and is sponsored by Niagara County. It is part of the State Universi ...
to an intersection with
NY 425, the final state route that NY 31 intersects before entering the
Lockport area.
West of Lockport, NY 31 crosses
NY 270 and
NY 93. Continuing into the city, NY 31 meets
NY 78 (Transit Road) at an intersection partially located over the
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 ...
. NY 31 heads eastward through Lockport, intersecting the northern terminus of
NY 77 at the eastern edge of the city. While NY 77 continues along the right-of-way of NY 31, NY 31 exits, following a northeasterly alignment through
Gasport to
Middleport, where it acts as the western and southern terminus of
NY 31E and
NY 271, respectively. Just east of town, NY 31 crosses the first of nine county lines along its routing, entering
Orleans County.
At an intersection south of
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
,
NY 31A branches off, continuing straight from NY 31 while NY 31 turns north to overlap
NY 63 for a short distance between NY 31A and NY 31E in Medina. At NY 31E, NY 31 separates from NY 63, following the path of NY 31E east out of the village. to the east, NY 31 crosses
NY 98
New York State Route 98 (NY 98) is a state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 219 (US 219) in the town of Great Valley in C ...
in
Albion
Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...
. Midway between Albion and
Holley, NY 31 intersects the southern end of
NY 387. NY 31 continues to the southeast, entering Holley and intersecting
NY 237 in the village center. The route quickly leaves Holley soon after, crossing into
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
*Monroe County, Alabama
* Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
*Monroe County, Georgia
* Monroe County, Illinois
* Monroe County, Indi ...
just over a mile (about 1.6 km) from the village line.
Rochester area
Western suburbs and downtown
Just inside the Monroe County line, the road traverses the
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 ...
before intersecting Redman Road about west of the village of
Brockport. NY 31 turns south here, following Redman Road back across the Erie Canal and past the western fringe of the
SUNY Brockport
State University of New York Brockport (also known as SUNY Brockport or Brockport State, and previously The College at Brockport) is a public university in Brockport, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY).
History
...
campus to a junction with Fourth Section Road. NY 31A enters the intersection from the west and ends at NY 31 while the latter turns east onto Fourth Section Road. NY 31 progresses eastward, intersecting
NY 19 in a commercialized area directly south of Brockport and becoming Brockport–Spencerport Road. East of the village in the surrounding town of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
, NY 31 meets the southern terminus of
NY 260. The route continues eastward, paralleling the Erie Canal as it enters
Ogden, where NY 31 comes to the current western terminus of
NY 531, the Spencerport Expressway, and, shortly after, the northern terminus of
NY 36. NY 31, now sandwiched by the canal to the north and NY 531 to the south, heads eastward into the village of
Spencerport, where it becomes Nichols Street and meets
NY 259 in the center of the community.
Outside of Spencerport, NY 31 becomes Spencerport Road as it heads eastward into the town of
Gates. The route heads past residential neighborhoods to the north and mostly undeveloped land to the south as it enters 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 Elmgrove, built up around NY 31's junction with
NY 386.
Not far to the east, NY 31 enters
North Gates, a densely populated residential community near the northern town line of Gates. In the southeastern outskirts of the community, NY 31 intersects Lyell and Howard Roads at a junction that once served as the western terminus of
NY 47.
NY 31 continues east from here as Lyell Avenue, meeting
NY 390 at an interchange immediately north of the route's larger interchange with
I-490. Not far to the east is the
Rochester city line, which NY 31 crosses upon traversing the Erie Canal once again.
NY 31 follows Lyell Avenue through the city to West Broad Street, where it turns to follow Broad Street southeastward past
Marina Auto Stadium. It heads onward toward a pair of overpasses, one carrying I-490 and another holding the
CSX Transportation-owned
Rochester Subdivision. NY 31 continues under both, following the former path of the Erie Canal southeast through the city to the eastern terminus of
NY 33 at West Main Street. NY 31 follows West Main Street to the east, passing under I-490 once again before breaking from Main Street and occupying East Broad Street. The street proceeds to the east, passing through the commercial heart of the city. Just east of Exchange Boulevard, the northern terminus of
NY 383, the route crosses the
Genesee River on the
Broad Street Aqueduct.
East of the waterway, NY 31 follows East Broad Street to South Avenue, where it turns south for two blocks to a junction with Woodbury Boulevard. It turns east here, following Woodbury Boulevard for two blocks to Chestnut Street, at which point NY 31 turns southward to follow Chestnut Street. Westbound NY 31 in the area, however, follows one block of Woodbury Boulevard and two blocks of South Clinton Avenue to reach East Broad Street. At the
Inner Loop, Chestnut Street becomes Monroe Avenue, the name NY 31 retains to
Pittsford.
Over this stretch, NY 31 maintains a constant southeasterly progression as it passes through southeastern Rochester and the town of
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
. As the route exits downtown Rochester, it intersects I-490 at exit 18. The route continues onward, passing Cobbs Hill Park and entering Brighton, where it traverses areas more commercial in nature
and meets the former routing of NY 47 a second time in an area of town known as Twelve Corners.
Eastern suburbs and Wayne County
In the eastern portion of Brighton, NY 31 meets
I-590 by way of an interchange and intersects
NY 65. From NY 65, NY 31 continues southeast into the
town of Pittsford, passing along the southern fringe of
Oak Hill Country Club
Oak Hill Country Club is a country club in the northeastern United States, located in Pittsford, New York, a suburb southeast of Rochester. Founded in 1901 and best known for its East golf course, the club has hosted multiple major champions ...
and paralleling the former right-of-way of the
Auburn Road railroad line to the
village of Pittsford. Just inside the village limits, NY 31 crosses the Erie Canal once more and intersects the
West Shore Subdivision
The West Shore Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of New York. The line runs from Fairport, CP-359, west to Churchville, CP-382, along the former West Shore Railroad mainline. Both of its ends are at the ...
at-grade. In the village center, NY 31 intersects
NY 96
New York State Route 96 (NY 96) is a northwest–southeast state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 (Future I-86) in the Sout ...
. East of NY 96, the route crosses over the Erie Canal once again and exits the village. Outside of the village, NY 31 parallels I-490 for a short distance across slightly open areas before connecting to the freeway near the
Perinton town line at exit 26. The route continues east into Perinton, where it traverses the Erie Canal for one final time within the county and crosses
NY 250 near Perinton Square Mall.
East of the mall, the route passes through increasingly rural areas, with the exception of the hamlet of Egypt midway between NY 250 and the
Wayne County line.
NY 31 progresses onward into Wayne County, where the Rochester suburbs end as the route heads eastward through the mostly rural
town of Macedon to the
village of Macedon. Prior to exiting the village, NY 31 meets the southern terminus of
NY 350 and the eastern terminus of
NY 31F. The highway continues on, exiting the village and proceeding eastward through the town of Macedon, bordered by the Erie Canal to the north and Ganargua Creek to the south. In
Palmyra, NY 31 joins
NY 21
New York State Route 21 (NY 21) is a state highway extending for about through the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 417 in the village of Andover, ...
through the center of the village.
From Palmyra east, the route parallels the Erie Canal for a considerable distance. Between Palmyra and
Newark, NY 31 dips into
Ontario County for less than a mile (about 1.6 km) before reentering Wayne County. In
Newark, NY 31 intersects
NY 88
New York State Route 88 (NY 88) is a north–south state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 96 in the Ontario County village of Phelps to a junction ...
. Farther east, in
Lyons
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
, it crosses
NY 14 and the Erie Canal. At
Clyde, NY 31 briefly overlaps
NY 414
New York State Route 414 (NY 414) is a north–south state highway in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 352 in the Steuben County city of ...
in the center of the village. Outside of Clyde, the Erie Canal veers off to the southeast while NY 31 continues east alongside the Rochester Subdivision to 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
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
, the final centralized community within Wayne County. Here, NY 31 intersects
NY 89 and follows it southward toward the
Seneca County line. At the county line, NY 89 turns west to follow the county line while NY 31 heads southeast into Seneca County. The route proceeds across the northeasternmost corner of the county before crossing into
Cayuga County via a bridge over the Erie Canal after just .
Central New York
Shortly after entering Cayuga County, NY 31 crosses and begins to parallel the
New York State Thruway
, direction_a = South
, terminus_a = {{Jct, state=NY, I, 95 at the The Bronx, Bronx–Yonkers, New York City line
, junction = {{plainlist,
* {{jct, state=NY, I, 287, Parkway, Saw Mill, NY, 119 in Elmsford, New York, Elmsford
* {{jct, state=NY, ...
(
I-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, an ...
), which NY 31 does for most of its routing west of the outer
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
* Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
* Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
** North Syracuse, New York
* Syracuse, Indiana
*Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, M ...
suburbs. In
Port Byron, NY 31 intersects
NY 38 in the center of the village. The routes embark on an overlap through the village before separating near the eastern edge of Port Byron. NY 31 continues alone to
Weedsport, where the route meets
NY 34 and
County Route 31B (CR 31B, formerly
NY 31B) north of the village. East of Weedsport, NY 31 and the Thruway are joined by the CSX Rochester Subdivision mainline, which runs down the center of the strip of land created by the Thruway to the north and NY 31 to the south.
Continuing into
Onondaga County and the village of
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
, NY 31 begins to make a turn northward while connecting to the northern end of
NY 317 (the former northern terminus of
NY 31C) a short distance north of the village center. With the turn complete, NY 31 traverses the CSX mainline and the Thruway via successive overpasses before returning to level ground and resuming an eastward alignment in the shadow of the Thruway. Once inside the limits of
Van Buren, NY 31 separates from the Thruway, curving north and intersecting the western terminus of
NY 173 in quick succession. The alignment remains fairly straight to the outskirts of
Baldwinsville, where NY 31 turns to the right onto Downer Street to avoid the
Seneca River to the immediate north. The eastward progression is limited, however, as NY 31 merges with
NY 690 northward, traversing the Seneca River and straddling the western edge of Baldwinsville.
On the north bank of the river, NY 31 exits NY 690 but joins
NY 370 at the end of the exit ramp. Together, NY 31 and 370 enter Baldwinsville, intersecting
NY 48 in the village center. Three blocks from NY 48, NY 370 splits from NY 31. As NY 370 heads for downtown
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
* Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
* Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
** North Syracuse, New York
* Syracuse, Indiana
*Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, M ...
, NY 31 continues east, overlapping
NY 631 for a short distance before passing through
Lysander New Community and crossing the Seneca River again. Now in the town of
Clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...
, NY 31 meets
NY 481
New York State Route 481 (NY 481) is a state highway in Central New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with Interstate 81 (I-81) in North Syracuse, where the highway continues southe ...
at an interchange in the shadow of the
Great Northern Mall. NY 31 continues eastward through the town to
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
, where it meets
US 11 and
I-81 at exit 30. As NY 31 heads away from I-81,
Oneida Lake
Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York state, with a surface area of .
The lake is located northeast of Syracuse and near the Great Lakes. It feeds the Oneida River, a tributary of the Oswego River, which flows into Lake Ontario ...
slowly becomes visible to the north. NY 31 comes within a mile (about 1.6 km) of the lakeshore before turning slightly to parallel the shoreline. Near the
Madison County line, here delimited by
Chittenango Creek, NY 31 enters the western half of
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonn ...
and meets the eastern terminus of
NY 298 at a roundabout near the banks of the creek. NY 31 continues eastward, crossing the creek and entering Madison County and the remaining portion of Bridgeport.
East of Bridgeport, NY 31 moves closer to Oneida Lake, eventually coming to within of the lakeshore at points. Near the eastern edge of Oneida Lake, NY 31 intersects
NY 13 at a roundabout in the hamlet of
South Bay. To the east, NY 31 meets the northern terminus of
NY 316 at a junction adjacent to the
Oneida County line, again marked by a body of water, the
Oneida Creek. NY 31 traverses the creek and proceeds eastward through the Oneida County town of
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...
. Northeast of
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 ...
, NY 31 intersects
NY 46 adjacent to the path of the old routing of the
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 ...
. Farther east, NY 31 intersects
NY 365 just north of its interchange with the Thruway. The
Turning Stone Resort & Casino, located south of the intersection, is accessible via NY 365.
Past NY 365, NY 31 passes over the Thruway (I-90) for the final time. The route continues southeast into the
town of Vernon and the
village of the same name within, where NY 31 intersects
NY 5. NY 31 joins NY 5, following the route eastward for about out of the village to Stuhlman Road. Here, NY 31 splits from NY 5 and follows Stuhlman Road southward, passing to the east of
Vernon Downs
Vernon Downs is a horse racing track, racino and entertainment facility located in the town of Vernon in central New York. The track was established in 1953 and in 1955 was the location that Adios Harry ran his "Miracle Mile". As tastes change ...
before intersecting Youngs Road. Stuhlman Road ends here; however, NY 31 turns eastward onto Youngs Road, following it into the hamlet of Vernon Center. The route continues eastward into the center of the community, where it ends at a large
traffic circle
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...
with
NY 26
New York State Route 26 (NY 26) is a north–south state highway that runs for through Central New York in the United States. Its southern terminus is located at the Pennsylvania state line south of the town of Vestal in Broom ...
.
History
Early designations
In 1908, the
New York State Legislature
The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...
established a statewide
legislative route system that initially consisted of 37
unsigned routes. Much of what is now NY 31 west of
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
became part of one of three routes, namely Route 14, Route 20, and Route 30. Route 30 began at the
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...
city line (delimited by modern
NY 61) and followed current NY 31 east to
Sanborn, where it turned north onto modern
NY 429. The route followed current NY 429 to
Ridge Road in
Porter, at which point it turned to follow Ridge Road eastward to what is now
NY 63 in
Ridgeway. Route 30 went south here, utilizing modern NY 63 between Ridgeway and Medina. It rejoined what is now NY 31 in the latter location and proceeded eastward on roughly current NY 31 to the
Rochester city line. In the vicinity of
Brockport, however, Route 30 was routed on West Avenue and modern
NY 19 instead. From the southeastern city line to
NY 96
New York State Route 96 (NY 96) is a northwest–southeast state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 (Future I-86) in the Sout ...
in the
village of Pittsford, Monroe Avenue (modern NY 31) was part of Route 14, which turned south onto South Main Street in the center of Pittsford. Lastly, the segment what is now NY 31 between current
NY 31F and
NY 350 in the
village of Macedon and
NY 317 in Jordan was part of Route 20.
Two spur routes were added to the definition of Route 30 in 1914.
One of these, a route connecting
Lockport to Medina, utilized what is now NY 31 from the Lockport city line to
NY 77 and from Gasport Road in
Gasport to Medina (via modern
NY 31E).
On March 1, 1921, several routes were altered or eliminated as part of a partial renumbering of the legislative route system. Among these was Route 30, which was modified to follow Ridge Road instead between Ridgeway and Rochester. Its former routing from Medina eastward and the Lockport spur of Route 30 mostly became part of an extended Route 20, which now began in
North Tonawanda
North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south bo ...
and followed modern NY 425 and Lower Mountain, Gothic Hill, and Upper Mountain Roads north and east through Cambria Center to Lockport. From
Middleport to Medina, however, Route 20 was routed on modern NY 31 instead. East of Rochester, the section of Route 20 between
Fairport and Macedon was reconfigured to utilize what is now
NY 250 and NY 31.
Assignment
The first set of posted routes in New York were assigned in 1924. At this time, all of legislative Route 20 west of Rochester became part of
NY 3, a cross-state route that began in North Tonawanda and ended in
Plattsburgh.
By 1926, NY 31 was assigned to an alignment extending from Niagara Falls to
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 ...
. The route began at
NY 34 (now
NY 104
New York State Route 104 (NY 104) is a east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follow ...
) in Niagara Falls and followed College Avenue east to the city line, from where it continued eastward to Rochester on the alignment of legislative Route 30.
Within the city of
Rochester, NY 31 continued east on Ridge Road to Lake Avenue, where it turned south to enter downtown Rochester, becoming State Street at Lyell Avenue. At East Main Street, NY 31 resumed its eastward alignment, crossing the
Genesee River and continuing on Main Street to Monroe Avenue, which, at the time, connected directly with Main Street. NY 31 turned right on Monroe Avenue, rejoining its present alignment of NY 31 near Union Street.
East of Rochester, NY 31 continued eastward to Jordan, utilizing the Rochester–Pittsford portion of legislative Route 14, the
Perinton–Jordan segment of Route 20, and its current alignment between Pittsford and Perinton. From
Weedsport to Jordan, NY 31 used a slightly different routing. It initially exited the village on Clinton Road and followed that road to Jordan, where NY 31 turned north and followed modern
NY 317 and NY 31 north and east to modern CR 84. NY 31 turned north here, using what is now Old Route 31, current NY 31, and Downer Street to reach
Baldwinsville. Within the village, NY 31 followed Downer Street and what is now
NY 48 along Syracuse Street between Downer and Genesee Streets. Outside of Baldwinsville, NY 31 remained on its current routing to
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
, where it followed a more northerly alignment along Lakeshore Road. It rejoined its modern alignment near the eastern town line, and followed it east to what is now
NY 316 in
Lenox. From here, NY 31 went southeastward to
NY 5 in Oneida by way of modern NY 316 and
NY 46.
Truncations and extensions
In the late 1920s, NY 31 was rerouted west of what is now NY 429 to follow Ridge Road to
Lewiston, where it ended at then-NY 34. The former routing of NY 31 into downtown Niagara Falls was redesignated as
NY 31A.
In the
1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 31 was realigned east of Oneida Valley to continue east to
Utica by way of its modern alignment plus Spring and Lowell Roads and several city streets. At the same time, NY 3 was realigned to continue west to Niagara Falls over modern NY 31,
overlapping NY 31A west of Sanborn. Two other portions of NY 3—from the modern junction of NY 31 and
NY 77 east of Lockport to Gasport and between Middleport and Medina—were also realigned at this time to use modern NY 31 and the old routing of legislative Route 30 Spur along modern NY 31E, respectively.
What is now NY 31 from
NY 365 in
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...
to NY 5 in
Vernon became part of NY 234 . The new north–south highway continued south to
NY 26
New York State Route 26 (NY 26) is a north–south state highway that runs for through Central New York in the United States. Its southern terminus is located at the Pennsylvania state line south of the town of Vestal in Broom ...
in Vernon Center by way of NY 5 and Churton and Youngs Roads. Also around this time, NY 3 was realigned between Shawnee and Lockport to use Saunders Settlement Road.
US 104, meanwhile, was assigned , following Ridge Road from Niagara Falls east to
Maple View in
Oswego County. The assignment of the highway led to the reconfiguration of several state highways in
western and
central New York, including NY 3 and NY 31. The latter route was rerouted west of Rochester to follow the former alignment of NY 3 to Niagara Falls while NY 3 was truncated to a location in northern
Cayuga County. At the same time, NY 31A was reassigned to
a new alignment extending from Middleport to Knowlesville via Medina.
NY 31 was truncated to NY 365 in Verona in the early 1940s; as a result, NY 31 and NY 234 now had a common terminus. Despite this fact, the two routes continued to co-exist for the next 40 years.
On April 1, 1981, ownership and maintenance of the Churton Road portion of NY 234 was transferred from the state of
New York to
Oneida County as part of a highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. Two of highways that the state received in return were Stuhlman Road (CR 81) and the segment of Youngs Road (
CR 13) between Stuhlman Road and Churton Road (NY 234).
The two new state highways did not become a rerouting of NY 234, however, as the NY 234 designation was eliminated at this time.
Instead, NY 31 was extended southeastward over NY 234's former routing to Vernon, from where it continued to Vernon Center by way of NY 5, Stuhlman and Youngs Roads.
Churton Road was redesignated as CR 94.
Realignments
Several small-scale realignments of NY 31 have occurred over the years. NY 31 was altered to follow its modern alignment through Cicero, bypassing Lakeshore Road to the south.
In the late 1930s, NY 31 was moved onto a new, more northern highway between Weedsport and Jordan. The section of the route between Middleport and Medina was shifted southward on January 1, 1949, to follow what had been NY 31A between the two villages. NY 31's old northerly routing became
NY 31E.
The portion of NY 31 northeast of Jordan was straightened at some point in the late 1970s or early 1980s to bypass 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 Jacks Reef to the south and east.
In the early 1980s, NY 31 was rerouted near Baldwinsville to follow
NY 690 and
NY 370 into the village.
Around the same time as the Baldwinsville realignment, NY 31 was moved onto its current alignment southwest of Brockport, bypassing the village on Redman and Fourth Section Roads and eliminating an overlap with
NY 19. The new alignment of NY 31 utilized part of
NY 31A, which was truncated westward to the junction of Redman and Fourth Section Roads.
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 enacted ...
s along the Fourth Section Road segment still read "31A".
The former routing of NY 31 into Brockport became
NY 943B, an unsigned
reference route, and later also became part of
NY 19 Truck. The Redman Road portion of NY 31, meanwhile, was initially maintained by
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
*Monroe County, Alabama
* Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
*Monroe County, Georgia
* Monroe County, Illinois
* Monroe County, Indi ...
as part of
CR 236.
In 2007, ownership and maintenance of the Redman Road segment of NY 31 was transferred from Monroe County to the state of New York as part of a highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. A bill (S4856, 2007) to enact the swap was introduced in the
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate.
Partisan comp ...
on April 23 and passed by both the Senate and the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
on June 20. The act was signed into law by Governor
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 54th governor of New York from 2007 until his resignation in 2008.
Spitzer was born in New York City, attended P ...
on August 28. Under the terms of the act, it took effect 90 days after it was signed into law; thus, the maintenance swap officially took place on November 26, 2007.
Rochester
The portion of NY 31 in downtown Rochester between Brown Street and South Avenue runs along the old path of the
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 ...
through the city. When the canal was diverted to bypass the city to the south in 1920, the canal bed became part of the
Rochester Subway while a bridge was built over the bed to carry a new street named Broad Street.
None of Broad Street was initially part of NY 31, however; when NY 31 replaced NY 3 west of Rochester , it entered the city by way of NY 3's old routing on Lyell Avenue and rejoined its original alignment at State Street.
In the late 1930s, NY 31 was realigned through downtown to follow Smith and Bausch Streets east across the Genesee River and St. Paul Street and South Avenue south to Woodbury Boulevard, which at the time connected to Monroe Avenue one block to the east at South Clinton Avenue.
NY 31 was altered once again to leave Lyell Avenue at Broad Street and follow West and East Broad Streets through downtown to South Avenue.
From West Main Street to South Avenue, the bridge supports were largely built with concrete while the supports on the section between Brown Street and West Main Street were mostly built with steel. Unlike the concrete supports, the steel supports flexed throughout the year, creating holes and gaps in the pavement on the deck above.
The city of Rochester, which owns and maintains the section of NY 31 within the city,
closed the outer northbound lane of West Broad Street (westbound NY 31) between Brown and Main Streets in June 2008 for this reason.
In February 2010, work began on a $17.5 million project to either demolish or rehabilitate the Broad Street bridge between Brown Street and Exchange Boulevard (
NY 383).
As part of the project, the section of the bridge between Brown and West Main Streets would be removed—allowing for the canal bed to be filled in and the road to be rebuilt—while the segment between West Main Street and Exchange Boulevard would be rehabilitated.
The portion of Broad Street between Allen and Main Streets was closed to all traffic in February
and was originally scheduled to open on October 30.
It finally reopened to traffic on December 3.
Farther north, work on the segment between Brown and Allen Streets was performed on one side at a time, keeping one side of Broad Street open at all times. The northbound lanes of this segment were closed on April 7,
and one direction of the segment was closed until November.
It fully reopened on December 3 along with the West Main Street–Allen Street segment. Rehabilitation of Broad Street from West Main Street to Exchange Boulevard was expected to be completed in mid-to-late 2011.
The entire project, which also calls for landscape improvements to the area surrounding West Broad Street, was tentatively scheduled to be finished in February 2012.
Spencerport
On June 8, 2017,
Governor of New York
The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor h ...
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...
announced that they would upgrade the intersection of NY 531 and NY 36. This would improve the connection between NY 531 and NY 31 for safety purposes. Instead of the abrupt end at NY 36, a new road would be constructed to connect NY 531 and NY 31. NY 31 would be widened from Gallup Road to NY 531; a center median would be added and a portion of NY 31 between NY 531 and NY 36 would become a cul-de-sac for the residences in the area. NYSDOT projects that the job would be completed by the end of 2018.
Suffixed routes
NY 31 has had as many as eight suffixed routes using six different designations; all but three have been eliminated or renumbered.
*The NY 31A designation has been used for three distinct highways, two of which briefly co-existed:
**The
first NY 31A was a connector between NY 31 in
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
and
NY 5 in the
village of Elbridge. It was assigned in the mid-1920s
and absorbed by
NY 41 in the
1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.
**The
second NY 31A was an alternate route of NY 31 between
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...
and
Cambria
Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity). It emerged later, in the medieval period ...
via
Sanborn. It was assigned in the late 1920s
and mostly supplanted by a realigned NY 31 .
**The
current NY 31A () is an alternate route of NY 31 between the villages of
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
and
Brockport. The route bypasses Medina,
Albion
Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...
, and
Holley to the south via
Clarendon.
It was assigned .
*The NY 31B designation has been used for two distinct highways:
**The first NY 31B was a short-lived connector in
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
that linked Lakeshore Road (at the time NY 31) to
US 11 by way of Mud Mill Road. It was assigned
and removed .
**The
second NY 31B was a connector linking NY 31 in
Weedsport to NY 5 in the
town of Elbridge.
The designation was assigned
and removed in 1980.
It was replaced with
CR 31B in Cayuga County and
CR 99 in Onondaga County.
*
NY 31C was a connector between NY 31 in Jordan to NY 5 in Elbridge. It was assigned
and partially replaced by
NY 317 in 2003.
*
NY 31D was a spur that extended from the
Orleans County line to NY 31 south of Brockport in Monroe County. The route was assigned
and became the easternmost portion of NY 31A .
*
NY 31E () is an alternate route of NY 31 between the villages of
Middleport and Medina.
It was assigned in 1949.
*
NY 31F () is an alternate route of NY 31 that extends from
NY 96
New York State Route 96 (NY 96) is a northwest–southeast state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 (Future I-86) in the Sout ...
in
Pittsford to NY 31 in
Macedon
Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled ...
. The route bypasses
Pittsford and southern
Perinton to serve
East Rochester and
Fairport.
It was assigned in 1949.
Major intersections
See also
*
List of county routes in Oneida County, New York
County routes in Oneida County, New York, are generally signed with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices-standard yellow-on-blue pentagon route marker. County Route 840 (CR 840) was once the only signed county route within One ...
*
List of county routes in Onondaga County, New York
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:New York State Route 031
031
Transportation in Niagara County, New York
Transportation in Onondaga County, New York
Transportation in Cayuga County, New York
Transportation in Madison County, New York
Transportation in Monroe County, New York
Transportation in Ontario County, New York
Transportation in Orleans County, New York
Transportation in Oneida County, New York
Transportation in Seneca County, New York
Transportation in Wayne County, New York