New York State Route 203 (NY 203) 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 Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in the

Capital District A capital district, capital region, or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politic ...

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

in the United States. It begins at an intersection with

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 in Clinton County near the Canadian border ...

in the Columbia County hamlet of Austerlitz and ends at a junction with U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in the

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...

village of Nassau. NY 203 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. Prior to that time, the section of NY 203 east of

Valatie Valatie (; ) is a village with several waterfalls in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,785 at the 2020 census. The village is at the center of the town of Kinderhook on US 9. History Valatie was first named ''Pac ...

was part of NY 22. The road runs northwest-southeast, and is signed east-west east of Valatie and north-south north of Valatie.

Route description

NY 203 begins at an intersection with

in the town of Austerlitz. NY 203 proceeds northwest and downtown into the hamlet of Spencertown. Spencertown consists of several homes situated around the intersection of NY 203 and Fire Hill Road. The two-lane route winds its way west through the town of Austerlitz, passing through woods and residences for several miles. At the intersection with Jugway Road, NY 203 bends northwest, entering a large hamlet at the intersection with County Route 7 (CR 7; South Street). Residences surround NY 203 as it heads northeast, before starting to space north of Goodrich Lane. The route winds its way to the northwest, becoming more rural as it enters an intersection with CR 9 in the hamlet of Moorhouse Corner. NY 203 NY 66

Still in the town of Austerlitz, NY 203 bends northwest from CR 9 and enters a

partial cloverleaf interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...

with the

Taconic State Parkway The Taconic State Parkway (often called the Taconic or the TSP) is a limited-access parkway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally north–south route midway between the Hudson River ...

before intersecting with CR 61 (Hogel Hill Road) nearby. After CR 61, NY 203 makes a dart to the southwest into the town of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, running around a hillside before turning northwest into the village of Chatham. In Chatham, NY 203 gains the moniker of Coleman Street, intersecting with NY 66 (Hudson Avenue), where it changes names to Church Street. Proceeding west through Chatham, the route becomes a two-lane commercial and residential strip before leaving the village for Ghent once again. Out of Chatham, NY 203 drops the Church Street moniker, winding its way northwest along a freight line into the town of Chatham. In the town of Chatham, NY 203 bends northwest then west as it becomes more rural. A short distance later, NY 203 intersects with CR 21B in the town of Kinderhook. At CR 21B, NY 203 winds northward through Kinderhook as a two-lane rural roadway, bending northwest at a junction with Merwin Road. NY 203 proceeds west, passing north of Winding Brook Country Club and soon into the village of

. In Valatie, NY 203 gains the moniker of Chatham Street, proceeding north as a two-lane residential street. After crossing

Kinderhook Creek Kinderhook Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 tributary to Stockport Creek, an inlet of the Hudson River in the United States. From its source i ...

in the middle of the village, NY 203 enters downtown Valatie, intersecting with Main Street, which proceeds westward to connect with US 9. NY 203 however proceeds eastward along Main, crossing an intersection that leads to CR 28A (Upper Main Street). NY 203 proceeds north on Mechanic Street, a two-lane commercial street in the northeastern corner of the village. At Church Street, the route bends northeast, leaving downtown Valatie and soon back into the town of Kinderhook. In Kinderhook, NY 203 becomes a two-lane residential street, passing southeast of the hamlet of Valatie Corner and into a junction with CR 28 (Main Street / Newton Hill Road). NY 203 at US 20

After CR 28, NY 203 bends northeast, crossing under the freight line and running along the eastern side of Niverville. After Niverville, NY 203 crosses back into the town of Chatham, passing along the eastern shore of Kinderhook Lake as a two-lane residential street. The route bends away from the lake, soon bending northeast into a junction with CR 17. At CR 17, NY 203 bends northward into the hamlet of North Chatham. In North Chatham, NY 203 is a two-lane residential strip, intersecting with CR 32 at the north end of the hamlet. At CR 32, NY 203 darts northeast, intersecting with another segment of CR 32 before turning north and crossing the county line into

. After crossing the county line, NY 203 crosses under the Berkshire Spur of the

New York State Thruway The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...

(

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 states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

) in the town of Nassau. Beyond the Thruway, NY 203 continues northward, crossing and re-crossing the Valatie Kill. The route passes the Nassau-Schodack Cemetery and several residences as it bends northeast, eventually entering the village of Nassau. In Nassau, NY 203 has the moniker of Chatham Street, becoming a two-lane residential strip before intersecting with US 20 (Albany Avenue / Church Street). This junction serves as the northern terminus of NY 203.

History

In 1908, the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

created Route 1, an unsigned

legislative route In the United States, a legislative route (LR) or legislative highway is a highway defined by law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise d ...

extending from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to Albany along the eastern fringe of

. Route 1 mostly followed what is now

from New York City to Austerlitz, where it turned west and continued to

on modern NY 203. The route left NY 203 at Main Street and continued to Albany on current US 9. When the first set of posted routes in New York were assigned in 1924, most of legislative Route 1 south of

NY 23 New York State Route 23 (NY 23) is an east–west state highway in the eastern portion of New York (state), New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with New York State Route 26, NY 26 in the Central Ne ...

in Hillsdale became NY 22. The remainder of old Route 1 between Hillsdale and Valatie became part of an extended NY 22 in the late 1920s. NY 22 was realigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York to continue north from Austerlitz to the

Canadian border The borders of Canada include: * To the south and west: An international boundary with the United States, forming the Canada–United States border, longest shared border in the world, ; (Informally referred as the 49th parallel north which make ...

near Mooers by way of the eastern edge of the state. Most of NY 22's former routing between Valatie and Austerlitz became part of NY 203, a new route extending from Austerlitz to Nassau via Valatie. The short segment of former NY 22 along Main Street in Valatie from Kinderhook Street (US 9) to Chatham Street (NY 203) did not receive a designation and is now NY 980B, an unsigned reference route.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{NYSR external links, type=N, nyroutes=yes, termini=yes, route=203, alps=yes

203 Year 203 ( CCIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Plautianus and Geta (or, less frequently, year 956 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 203 for this ye ...

Transportation in Rensselaer County, New York Transportation in Columbia County, New York

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links