New York State Route 265 (NY 265) is a long state highway located in the western part of New York in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. NY 265 is a north–south route that roughly parallels the western parts of the Niagara River in Erie County and

Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niaga ...

. For much of its southern course, it is more frequently referred to by its longtime name, Military Road, which dates back to 1801 as a road to connect the city of Black Rock (now Buffalo) and

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

near

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

. The route begins at an intersection with NY 266 (Niagara Street) and ramps for the Scajaquada Expressway (NY 198) in the city of Buffalo. The route runs through the Black Rock and

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

sections of Buffalo, the

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

of Kenmore, the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and city of Tonawanda in Erie County; as well as

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 ...

, Wheatfield,

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

and Lewiston. The route ends at a junction with NY 104 in Lewiston.

Route description

Buffalo and the Tonawandas

NY 265 begins at an intersection with NY 266 (Niagara Street) and ramps to the Scajaquada Expressway (NY 198) in the Black Rock section of Buffalo in the shades of the NY 198 / Interstate 190 (I-190) interchange. NY 265 runs north along Tonawanda Street through Black Rock, passing the former

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...

freight depot in the area and tracks used by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

for their ''

Empire Service The ''Empire Service'' is an Inter-city rail service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. The brand name originated with the New York Central Railroad in 1967. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service ...

'' and ''

Maple Leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along th ...

'' trains. At the junction with Amherst Street, NY 265 turns east onto Amherst, crossing towards the intersection with Military Road. NY 265 shield error

Forking northeast onto Military Road, NY 265 continues through Black Rock as a two-lane city street. Crossing over some railroad tracks, the route descends into the Riverside section of Buffalo, reaching the

of Tonawanda and soon after, the

of Kenmore. Military Road runs along the west side of Kenmore, soon reaching an intersection with NY 324 (Sheridan Drive). The route continues north along Military, expanding to four lanes from two, continuing through the town of Tonawanda. After crossing under

I-290 Interstate 290 may refer to the following Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 290 (Illinois), a highway from Chicago, Illinois, to Rolling Meadows, Illinois * Interstate 290 (Massachusetts), a highway in Massachusetts that connects ...

(the Youngmann Expressway), NY 265 enters the city of Tonawanda. After passing the city cemetery, NY 265 runs north along Main Street, crossing under tracks once used by New York Central. At Fletcher Street, the route turns off Main and turns onto Seymour Street, running north until an intersection with the northern terminus of NY 266 (Niagara Street) in downtown Tonawanda. Crossing 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 t ...

, NY 265 enters

and the city of

Now known as River Road, NY 265 remains a four-lane boulevard through North Tonawanda, bypassing downtown to the west and paralleling the Niagara River. As the route begins to bend towards the riverside, NY 265 meets a junction with NY 384 (Main Street). NY 265 and NY 384 become concurrent through North Tonawanda, passing a junction with the western terminus of NY 429 (Wheatfield Street), following the riverside and the industrial area of the city. Continuing along the riverside, the routes start paralleling the Amtrak tracks and begin following along Gratwick Riverside Park.

Wheatfield, Niagara Falls and Lewiston

Entering the town of Wheatfield, NY 265 and NY 384 retains River Road, returning to two lanes. The tracks turn northward from the routes, which turn westward along the riverside section of Wheatfield, paralleling the Niagara. The route soon junction with Williams Road, unsigned NY 952V, a reference route. Williams Road serves as the eastern terminus of the

LaSalle Expressway The LaSalle Expressway (also known as the LaSalle Arterial) is a limited-access highway in Niagara County, New York, in the United States. It begins near the North Grand Island Bridge at an interchange with Interstate 190 (I-190) in Niagara ...

, which begins paralleling NY 265 and NY 384 as they enter the city of

. The routes soon enter the

Love Canal Love Canal is a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, United States, infamous as the location of a landfill that became the site of an enormous environmental disaster in the 1970s. Decades of dumping toxic chemicals harmed the health of hun ...

section of Niagara Falls at a junction with 102nd Street. Becoming a frontage road for the LaSalle, the routes fork at a junction with South Military Road. Now split from NY 384, NY 265 crosses under the LaSalle, turning northwest into a junction with Cayuga Drive. Dropping the South Military Road name, NY 265 runs northwest through Niagara Falls' east side as Cayuga Drive. Running along the west bank of Cayuga Creek, NY 265 soon reaches a fork with Military Road, which continues northwest as NY 265 while Cayuga Drive continues north along the creek. Military Road is a two-lane street through the east side of Niagara Falls, crossing an intersection with U.S. Route 62 (US 62; Niagara Falls Boulevard). NY 265 from NY 104 in Lewiston

The route expands to four lanes, passing the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls, crossing an intersection with Factory Outlet Boulevard (unsigned CR 115). NY 265 begins to parallel I-190 (the Niagara Expressway) and crossing an intersection with NY 182 (Packard Road). Crossing into the town of Niagara, NY 265 continues as Military Road, entering the hamlet of Pletchers Corners at a junction with Lockport Road ( CR 6). Passing Niagara Falls Memorial Park, the road crosses a junction with Old Military Road and begins bending northwest toward the town of Lewiston and a junction with

NY 31 New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is a state highway 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 in the city of Niagara Falls. Its ea ...

(Witmer Road). Reaching I-190, NY 265 and I-190 parallel onto a bridge over the Niagara Falls Power Reservoir, The routes fork as I-190 reaches exit 25A, which is a single northbound ramp to NY 265. Crossing Upper Mountain Road ( CR 11) which serves I-190 exit 25B and the

Niagara Scenic Parkway The Niagara Scenic Parkway (known as the Robert Moses State Parkway until 2016) is a long north–south highway in western Niagara County, New York, in the United States. Its southern terminus is at the LaSalle Expressway on the east bank of the ...

, the route crosses Fish Creek and through the Niagara Falls Country Club. At the club, NY 265 turns westward and reaches a junction with NY 104 (Lewiston Road), marking the northern terminus of NY 265.

History

Military Road, the road that would precede NY 265, was authorized in 1801 to be constructed between

to the area of Black Rock (future Buffalo) to General James Wilkinson to facilitate transportation. Construction began in 1802 through the town of Tonawanda. The new road, which went through settlements such as

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

, Lewiston,

, and Buffalo, due to concern about the new inhabitants of the area. The fatigue parties at the nearby

helped construct the new road, which went through Tonawanda from 1802–1809, helping to create a settlement called "Mohawk". Although Military Road was designed to defend the Niagara Frontier, it contributed to major commercial development through

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

and Niagara counties. The road, however, was muddy for the next two decades, and it was not until 1832 when the route became passable for adequate transportation all year round. During the 1890s, trolley service through the

of Kenmore was extended along Military Road, and commuters who lived in Kenmore could now easily access the Belt Line, which would take them to the city of Buffalo for work. A station was located along Military Road to permit this access. The surviving portions of that route are those that still carry the name. NY 265, meanwhile, was assigned to the portion of its modern alignment south of Tonawanda. That year, a stone was installed at the junction with NY 324 (Sheridan Drive) by the town of Tonawanda to honor the Military Road during the centennial of the city. It was extended northward along NY 384 and Military Road to its current northern terminus near Lewiston in the early 1940s.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{NYSR external links, type=N, nyroutes=yes, termini=yes, route=265, alps=yes

265 __NOTOC__ Year 265 ( CCLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Lucillus (or, less frequently, year 1018 ' ...

Transportation in Buffalo, New York Transportation in Erie County, New York Transportation in Niagara County, New York Military roads