New York State Route 279
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 279 (NY 279) is a north–south state highway
in Orleans County, New York
, in the United States
. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 98
north of the village of Albion in the town of Gaines
. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 18
in Carlton
near where NY 18 meets the western end of the Lake Ontario State Parkway
. The entirety of NY 279 north of NY 104
is maintained by Orleans County; south of NY 104, the route is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation
. NY 279 is a rural connector highway that serves only one community, the hamlet of Waterport on the banks of Oak Orchard Creek in Carlton.
The origins of NY 279 date back to the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York when all of modern NY 279 was designated as part of New York State Route 209, which continued south through Albion and west through West Barre to Shelby
. NY 209 was cut back to West Barre ca. 1931 and renumbered to NY 279 ca. 1935 to eliminate numerical duplication with U.S. Route 209, which was extended into New York at that time. NY 279 was truncated to its current southern terminus north of Albion in the early 1950s. NY 98
, which originally followed Oak Orchard Road through Barre
, was realigned to follow the easternmost segment of NY 279's former routing on Quaker Hill Road.
just north of the village of Albion
at the hamlet of Five Corners. The route heads northwest as Gaines Road through the town of Gaines
to the hamlet of the same name, where it intersects NY 104
(Ridge Road
). Here, maintenance of the route shifts from the New York State Department of Transportation
to Orleans County
. NY 279 continues on, now concurrent with the unsigned County Route 101, into the town of Carlton
, where NY 279's county route designation becomes CR 102 upon crossing the Gaines–Carlton
town line.
In Carlton, NY 279 deviates from its northwesterly routing and heads due west to serve the hamlet of Waterport situated on the Oak Orchard River
. It intersects Eagle Harbor – Waterport Road (CR 31) south of the community, then turns north toward the creek, becoming overlapped with CR 103 at CR 31. NY 279 heads through Waterport and crosses the river at Waterport Pond (also known as Lake Alice), a widewaters formed by a dam along Oak Orchard River northeast of Waterport. On the northern bank of the pond, NY 279 meets Oak Orchard River Road (CR 49). The CR 103 designation ends here and is replaced with CR 104 as NY 279 turns eastward onto Waterport Road.
The route briefly follows the northern bank of the river, then veers north to serve Waterport Station, a small community centered around the former grade crossing between NY 279 and the Hojack Line. Past Waterport Station, NY 279 continues north through forested areas and cultivated fields to its northern terminus at a junction with NY 18
near the Lake Ontario
shoreline and south of Lakeside Beach State Park
. Not far to the east, NY 18 intersects the Lake Ontario State Parkway
.
(now NY 63
) in Shelby
and followed Fletcher Chapel, Hemlock Ridge, and West Barre Roads to Quaker Hill Road, where it turned north to meet NY 98
at Oak Orchard Road. The two routes then embarked on an overlap through Albion to Gaines Road, at which point NY 209 split off to the northwest toward the hamlet of Waterport. NY 209 was truncated eastward to West Barre ca. 1931. When U.S. Route 209 was extended into New York ca. 1935, NY 209 was renumbered to NY 279 to eliminate numerical duplication with the new U.S. Highway.
In the early 1950s, NY 279 was cut back to its junction with NY 98 north of Albion. At the same time, NY 98 was realigned in Barre
to use NY 279's former routing along Quaker Hill Road. The shift was part of a larger realignment of NY 98 through the towns of Barre and Elba
. The remainder of NY 279's former routing to West Barre is now maintained by Orleans County
as County Route 99.
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...
in Orleans County, New York
Orleans County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,171 people, 15,363 households, and 10,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 17,347 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 98
New York State Route 98
New York State Route 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 in the town of Great Valley in Cattaraugus County...
north of the village of Albion in the town of Gaines
Gaines, New York
Gaines is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 3,740 at the 2000 census. The town is named after General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, who defended the area during the War of 1812....
. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 18
New York State Route 18
New York State Route 18 is an east–west state highway in western New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the south shore of Lake Ontario for most of its length between Niagara County and Monroe County...
in Carlton
Carlton, New York
Carlton is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Carleton, a shipbuilding district near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada....
near where NY 18 meets the western end of the Lake Ontario State Parkway
Lake Ontario State Parkway
The Lake Ontario State Parkway is a parkway along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in western New York in the United States. The western end of the highway is at a partial interchange within Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton, Orleans County. Its eastern terminus is at an intersection with...
. The entirety of NY 279 north of NY 104
New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104 is a long east–west state highway in Upstate New York, United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to that of the southern shoreline of Lake...
is maintained by Orleans County; south of NY 104, the route is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
. NY 279 is a rural connector highway that serves only one community, the hamlet of Waterport on the banks of Oak Orchard Creek in Carlton.
The origins of NY 279 date back to the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York when all of modern NY 279 was designated as part of New York State Route 209, which continued south through Albion and west through West Barre to Shelby
Shelby, New York
Shelby, New York is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 5,420 at the 2000 census.The Town of Shelby is located in southwest corner of Orleans County.- History :...
. NY 209 was cut back to West Barre ca. 1931 and renumbered to NY 279 ca. 1935 to eliminate numerical duplication with U.S. Route 209, which was extended into New York at that time. NY 279 was truncated to its current southern terminus north of Albion in the early 1950s. NY 98
New York State Route 98
New York State Route 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 in the town of Great Valley in Cattaraugus County...
, which originally followed Oak Orchard Road through Barre
Barre, New York
Barre is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 2,124 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Barre, Massachusetts.The Town of Barre is on the south border of the county.- History :...
, was realigned to follow the easternmost segment of NY 279's former routing on Quaker Hill Road.
Route description
NY 279 begins at NY 98New York State Route 98
New York State Route 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 in the town of Great Valley in Cattaraugus County...
just north of the village of Albion
Albion (village), Orleans County, New York
Albion is a village in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 7,438 at the 2000 census. The village is centrally located in the county and is partly in both the towns of Albion and Gaines. It is the county seat of Orleans County and is about west north-west of the City of...
at the hamlet of Five Corners. The route heads northwest as Gaines Road through the town of Gaines
Gaines, New York
Gaines is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 3,740 at the 2000 census. The town is named after General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, who defended the area during the War of 1812....
to the hamlet of the same name, where it intersects NY 104
New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104 is a long east–west state highway in Upstate New York, United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to that of the southern shoreline of Lake...
(Ridge Road
Ridge Road (Western New York)
Ridge Road is a east–west road that traverses four counties in Upstate New York in the United States. It is named for the rise atop which the road was built, a mound of sand and gravel that was formed when it was the shoreline of ancient Glacial Lake Iroquois...
). Here, maintenance of the route shifts from the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
to Orleans County
Orleans County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,171 people, 15,363 households, and 10,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 17,347 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...
. NY 279 continues on, now concurrent with the unsigned County Route 101, into the town of Carlton
Carlton, New York
Carlton is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Carleton, a shipbuilding district near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada....
, where NY 279's county route designation becomes CR 102 upon crossing the Gaines–Carlton
Carlton, New York
Carlton is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Carleton, a shipbuilding district near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada....
town line.
In Carlton, NY 279 deviates from its northwesterly routing and heads due west to serve the hamlet of Waterport situated on the Oak Orchard River
Oak Orchard River
Oak Orchard Creek is a tributary of Lake Ontario in Orleans County, New York in the United States.Oak Orchard Creek rises south of Oak Orchard Creek Marsh at the border of Orleans and Genesee Counties...
. It intersects Eagle Harbor – Waterport Road (CR 31) south of the community, then turns north toward the creek, becoming overlapped with CR 103 at CR 31. NY 279 heads through Waterport and crosses the river at Waterport Pond (also known as Lake Alice), a widewaters formed by a dam along Oak Orchard River northeast of Waterport. On the northern bank of the pond, NY 279 meets Oak Orchard River Road (CR 49). The CR 103 designation ends here and is replaced with CR 104 as NY 279 turns eastward onto Waterport Road.
The route briefly follows the northern bank of the river, then veers north to serve Waterport Station, a small community centered around the former grade crossing between NY 279 and the Hojack Line. Past Waterport Station, NY 279 continues north through forested areas and cultivated fields to its northern terminus at a junction with NY 18
New York State Route 18
New York State Route 18 is an east–west state highway in western New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the south shore of Lake Ontario for most of its length between Niagara County and Monroe County...
near the Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
shoreline and south of Lakeside Beach State Park
Lakeside Beach State Park
Lakeside Beach State Park is a New York state park, located in western New York in the Town of Carlton in Orleans County on the shore of Lake Ontario. The park may be accessed from Route 18. The park includes over one hundred campsites with electrical hook-ups, as well as a campground store...
. Not far to the east, NY 18 intersects the Lake Ontario State Parkway
Lake Ontario State Parkway
The Lake Ontario State Parkway is a parkway along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in western New York in the United States. The western end of the highway is at a partial interchange within Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton, Orleans County. Its eastern terminus is at an intersection with...
.
History
All of modern NY 279 was originally designated as part of NY 209, a route assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. NY 209 began at NY 19New York State Route 19
New York State Route 19 is a north–south state highway in Western New York in the United States. It is the longest state highway in that region, and the only other one besides NY 14 to completely transect the state from the Pennsylvania state line to the shore of Lake Ontario...
(now NY 63
New York State Route 63
New York State Route 63 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 NY 15 and NY 21 in the village of Wayland in Steuben County. Its northern end is at a junction with NY 18 in the town...
) in Shelby
Shelby, New York
Shelby, New York is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 5,420 at the 2000 census.The Town of Shelby is located in southwest corner of Orleans County.- History :...
and followed Fletcher Chapel, Hemlock Ridge, and West Barre Roads to Quaker Hill Road, where it turned north to meet NY 98
New York State Route 98
New York State Route 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 in the town of Great Valley in Cattaraugus County...
at Oak Orchard Road. The two routes then embarked on an overlap through Albion to Gaines Road, at which point NY 209 split off to the northwest toward the hamlet of Waterport. NY 209 was truncated eastward to West Barre ca. 1931. When U.S. Route 209 was extended into New York ca. 1935, NY 209 was renumbered to NY 279 to eliminate numerical duplication with the new U.S. Highway.
In the early 1950s, NY 279 was cut back to its junction with NY 98 north of Albion. At the same time, NY 98 was realigned in Barre
Barre, New York
Barre is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 2,124 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Barre, Massachusetts.The Town of Barre is on the south border of the county.- History :...
to use NY 279's former routing along Quaker Hill Road. The shift was part of a larger realignment of NY 98 through the towns of Barre and Elba
Elba (town), New York
Elba is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 2,439 at the 2000 census.The Town of Elba is at the north border of the county. The town is north of the City of Batavia.The Village of Elba is near the town's center....
. The remainder of NY 279's former routing to West Barre is now maintained by Orleans County
Orleans County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,171 people, 15,363 households, and 10,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 17,347 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...
as County Route 99.