New York State Route 201
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 201 (NY 201) is a north–south state highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 located west of the city of Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...

 in Broome County
Broome County, New York
Broome County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 200,600. It was named in honor of John Broome, who was lieutenant governor in 1806 when Broome County was established. Its county seat is Binghamton, which is also its major city. The current...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. The southern terminus of the route is at NY 434
New York State Route 434
New York State Route 434 is a state highway located in the Southern Tier of the U.S. state of New York. The route extends for from an intersection with NY 96 in the village of Owego to an intersection with US 11 in the city of Binghamton. In between, NY 434 passes through the...

 in Vestal
Vestal, New York
Vestal is a town within Broome County in the Southern Tier of New York, and lies between the Susquehanna River and the Pennsylvania border. As of the 2000 census, the population was 26,535, estimated to have grown to 27,369 in 2009....

 while the northern terminus is at an interchange with NY 17
New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 is a state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States...

 (future Interstate 86
Interstate 86 (east)
Interstate 86 is an Interstate Highway that extends for through northwestern Pennsylvania and southern New York in the United States...

) in Johnson City
Johnson City, New York
Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,535 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area....

.

Route description

NY 201 begins in Vestal
Vestal, New York
Vestal is a town within Broome County in the Southern Tier of New York, and lies between the Susquehanna River and the Pennsylvania border. As of the 2000 census, the population was 26,535, estimated to have grown to 27,369 in 2009....

 just north of Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...

 at a trumpet interchange with NY 434
New York State Route 434
New York State Route 434 is a state highway located in the Southern Tier of the U.S. state of New York. The route extends for from an intersection with NY 96 in the village of Owego to an intersection with US 11 in the city of Binghamton. In between, NY 434 passes through the...

. After passing over Old Vestal Road (southbound offramp, northbound onramp), it crosses the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...

 on the C. Fred Johnson Bridge. In Johnson City
Johnson City, New York
Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,535 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, NY 201 passes over the Johnson City traffic circle, a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

 connecting the freeway to Floral Avenue and Riverside Drive. Farther north, it crosses over the Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...

 as well as a number of side streets (including NY 17C
New York State Route 17C
New York State Route 17C is a state highway in the Southern Tier of New York. Its western terminus is at an intersection with NY 34 in Waverly, Tioga County while its eastern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Binghamton, Broome County...

, with which it connects via a partial cloverleaf interchange
Cloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which left turns, reverse direction in left-driving regions, are handled by ramp roads...

). The NY 201 designation ends shortly afterward at a full cloverleaf interchange with NY 17
New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 is a state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States...

; however, the roadway continues northward to Harry L. Drive as NY 991C, an unsigned reference route. Beyond this point, the highway continues as the locally-maintained Reynolds Road.

History

In 1908, the New York State Legislature created Route 4, an unsigned legislative route
Legislative route
In United States, a legislative route or legislative highway is a highway defined by laws passed in a state legislature. The numbering of such highways may or may not correspond to the numbers familiar to the public as part of the state, U.S. highway, and Interstate highway systems...

 extending from Westfield
Westfield (village), New York
Westfield is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. USA. The population was 3,481 at the 2010 census.The Village of Westfield lies within the Town of Westfield in the northern part of the county...

 in the west to Highland Falls
Highland Falls, New York
Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,678 at the 2000 census. The village was founded in 1906...

 in the east. Route 4 entered the Binghamton area on modern NY 17C
New York State Route 17C
New York State Route 17C is a state highway in the Southern Tier of New York. Its western terminus is at an intersection with NY 34 in Waverly, Tioga County while its eastern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Binghamton, Broome County...

 and followed Riverside Drive, Washington Street, Susquehanna Street, and Court Street into and through downtown before leaving the city on what is now U.S. Route 11. The Riverside Drive segment of old Route 4 was designated as NY 17H by 1940. NY 17H began at NY 17C in Johnson City
Johnson City, New York
Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,535 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 and ended at NY 17
New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 is a state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States...

, then routed on Washington Street, in downtown Binghamton. NY 17 was rerouted slightly by 1947 to cross the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...

 on Exchange Street, resulting in a short extension of NY 17H along Washington and Susquehanna Streets.

A new highway crossing the Susquehanna River from Vestal
Vestal, New York
Vestal is a town within Broome County in the Southern Tier of New York, and lies between the Susquehanna River and the Pennsylvania border. As of the 2000 census, the population was 26,535, estimated to have grown to 27,369 in 2009....

 to Johnson City opened to traffic in 1954. It began at NY 17 and continued northeast across the river to a terminus at NY 17H. In the 1970s, the Vestal – Johnson City arterial and the portion of Riverside Drive north of that highway was redesignated as NY 201. The remainder of NY 17H west of the Binghamton city limits became NY 990D, an unsigned reference route.

Originally, traffic along NY 201 emptied into a traffic circle
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...

 located in Johnson City
Johnson City, New York
Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,535 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 near the Susquehanna's north bank. This hazardous situation was rectified in 2004 when the size of the traffic circle was reduced to allow for a flyover to be built northwest of the circle. With the flyover in place, traffic on NY 201 can continue on the road without entering the traffic circle. The circle is still accessible via exits from the NY 201 bypass.

Exit list

|-
|rowspan=2|Vestal
Vestal, New York
Vestal is a town within Broome County in the Southern Tier of New York, and lies between the Susquehanna River and the Pennsylvania border. As of the 2000 census, the population was 26,535, estimated to have grown to 27,369 in 2009....


|0.00
|
|Trumpet interchange
|-
|0.45
|Vestal Road / Bunn Hill Road
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=3|Johnson City
Johnson City, New York
Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,535 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area....


|1.02
|Riverside Drive / Floral Avenue
|
|-
|1.75
|
|Folded diamond interchange
|-
|2.08
|
|Cloverleaf interchange
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