New York State Route 302
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 302 (NY 302) is a state highway
in northern Orange County, New York
, United States
. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 17M
north of the city of Middletown
. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 52
in the hamlet of Pine Bush
, located within the town of Crawford
.
just north of the hamlet of Rockville in the town of Wallkill
. It proceeds northward towards the hamlet of Circleville
, first crossing over the defunct O&W RR
. Although there are no longer any tracks, the railbed is visible in each direction, one direction going towards Middletown
and the other direction going towards Fair Oaks. After that, the road intersects with NY 17 at its interchange 119, with access to both direction of NY 17 being available. NY 302 crosses over NY 17 and proceeds towards Circleville.
In Circleville, the intersection with Goshen Turnpike is also controlled by a traffic signal. NY 302 then continues to Bullville
, intersecting there with NY 17K
. This intersection is also controlled by a traffic signal. NY 302 continues through the hamlet of Thompson Ridge
, with panoramic views of the nearby Shawangunk Ridge
along the way due to the many open meadows of surrounding horse farms. At Pine Bush
, it terminates at the intersection with NY 52, which is also controlled by a traffic signal, just east of the bridge coming in from Ulster County
over the Shawangunk Kill
.
In April 2006 the deaths of four teenagers at Pine Bush High School
in two separate accidents along the stretch of 302 between Roberson Avenue and Crans Mill Road just north of Bullville led the school district
to ask the state Department of Transportation
to do something about what residents considered a deadly stretch of highway. Since all seven of the district's schools are either on or close to the highway, its officials fear that a school bus
could be involved in the next fatal accident.
It has claimed other lives in recent years as well, as development has increased in the area. Residents have joined the district in pleading for safety improvements, such as a lower speed limit on the whole road (there are no less than six speed limit changes on a road that is just over ten miles (16 km) long), the removal of large trees close to the roadway, a double-yellow line banning passing
in the opposite lane (the driver in the April crash had just passed five cars when he was hit), a widening of the stretch (currently only two lanes with passing permitted in either direction) and traffic light
s at the intersections with Black Hawk Road and Orange County Route 48.
Within a week of the deaths, state troopers
had put up flashing warning signs at both ends of the segment. The district made available form letters on its website to DOT commissioner Thomas Madison and other elected officials in the region to request the more permanent improvements. However, many in the area said the road was not as much to blame for the accident as the teenaged drivers of the cars that crashed. A DOT study later endorsed that conclusion, although the state said it would make some safety improvements.
Town
police began to make their presence felt along the road, stopping traffic on a recent weekend at the spot of one of the crashes to check registration
and inspection
stickers for validity. While that has little to do directly with whatever caused the accidents, they expressed the hope that it would remind drivers the police were on the road and that they should thus be more careful.
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 northern Orange County, New York
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
, 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 17M
New York State Route 17M
New York State Route 17M is an east–west state highway in Orange County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from west of the city of Middletown to what is currently the north–south section of NY 17 just southeast of the village of Harriman...
north of the city of Middletown
Middletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 52
New York State Route 52
New York State Route 52 is a long state highway in the southeastern part of New York in the United States. It generally runs from west to east, beginning at the Pennsylvania state line in the Delaware River near Narrowsburg, crossing the Hudson River on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, and ending...
in the hamlet of Pine Bush
Pine Bush, New York
Pine Bush is a hamlet located in the Town of Crawford, and Shawangunk, New York, in Orange/Ulster Counties, New York, U.S., roughly coterminous with the 12566 ZIP code and 744 telephone exchange in the 845 area code Pine Bush is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the Town of...
, located within the town of Crawford
Crawford, New York
Crawford is a town in Orange County, New York, USA. The population was 7,875 at the 2000 census. The name comes a settler who gave his name to a community in the town now called Pine Bush....
.
Route description
NY 302 begins at a signalized intersection with NY 17MNew York State Route 17M
New York State Route 17M is an east–west state highway in Orange County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from west of the city of Middletown to what is currently the north–south section of NY 17 just southeast of the village of Harriman...
just north of the hamlet of Rockville in the town of Wallkill
Wallkill, Orange County, New York
Wallkill is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 24,659 at the 2000 census.The Town of Wallkill is centrally located in the county. Interstate 84 crosses New York State Route 17 in the southern part of the town. U.S...
. It proceeds northward towards the hamlet of Circleville
Circleville, New York
Circleville, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Wallkill, part of Orange County, New York, USA. It is located on NY 302 around the junction with the old Goshen Turnpike , a short distance north of NY 17 and two miles south of Bullville...
, first crossing over the defunct O&W RR
New York, Ontario and Western Railway
The New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidated by a US bankruptcy judge. The O&W holds the distinction of being the first major U.S...
. Although there are no longer any tracks, the railbed is visible in each direction, one direction going towards Middletown
Middletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
and the other direction going towards Fair Oaks. After that, the road intersects with NY 17 at its interchange 119, with access to both direction of NY 17 being available. NY 302 crosses over NY 17 and proceeds towards Circleville.
Bullville, New York
Bullville, New York is a hamlet in the Town of Crawford in Orange County, New York, USA. It is located at the junction of routes NY-17K and NY-302.Bullville was one of the original four important settlements in the Town of Crawford....
, intersecting there with NY 17K
New York State Route 17K
New York State Route 17K is an east–west state highway located within Orange County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with County Route 76 east of Bloomingburg to a junction with U.S. Route 9W midway across the city of Newburgh...
. This intersection is also controlled by a traffic signal. NY 302 continues through the hamlet of Thompson Ridge
Thompson Ridge, New York
Thompson Ridge, New York is a hamlet in the Town of Crawford, part of Orange County, New York, USA. It has the ZIP Code 10985, and is located along NY 302 south of Pine Bush, Crawford's main population center....
, with panoramic views of the nearby Shawangunk Ridge
Shawangunk Ridge
The Shawangunk Ridge , also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks, is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains.The ridgetop, which widens considerably at...
along the way due to the many open meadows of surrounding horse farms. At Pine Bush
Pine Bush, New York
Pine Bush is a hamlet located in the Town of Crawford, and Shawangunk, New York, in Orange/Ulster Counties, New York, U.S., roughly coterminous with the 12566 ZIP code and 744 telephone exchange in the 845 area code Pine Bush is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the Town of...
, it terminates at the intersection with NY 52, which is also controlled by a traffic signal, just east of the bridge coming in from Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
over the Shawangunk Kill
Shawangunk Kill
The Shawangunk Kill is a stream that flows northward through Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, New York, in the United States. It is the largest tributary of the Wallkill River....
.
History
NY 302 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York and has not been altered since.In April 2006 the deaths of four teenagers at Pine Bush High School
Pine Bush High School
Pine Bush High School is the central high school for the Pine Bush Central School District, located on NY 302 in the hamlet of Pine Bush, New York. Drawing over 2,000 students from northwestern Orange County and the adjacent portions of Sullivan and Ulster counties.The school no longer offers the...
in two separate accidents along the stretch of 302 between Roberson Avenue and Crans Mill Road just north of Bullville led the school district
Pine Bush Central School District
The Pine Bush Central School District is in Pine Bush, New York, United States, and spans all of the Town of Crawford and includes part of six other townships in Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster counties. The student enrollment for the district is over 6,200. The district was established in 1938...
to ask the 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 do something about what residents considered a deadly stretch of highway. Since all seven of the district's schools are either on or close to the highway, its officials fear that a school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
could be involved in the next fatal accident.
It has claimed other lives in recent years as well, as development has increased in the area. Residents have joined the district in pleading for safety improvements, such as a lower speed limit on the whole road (there are no less than six speed limit changes on a road that is just over ten miles (16 km) long), the removal of large trees close to the roadway, a double-yellow line banning passing
Overtaking
Overtaking or passing is the act of one vehicle going past another slower moving vehicle, travelling in the same direction, on a road. The lane used for overtaking another vehicle is almost always a lane further from the road shoulder — that is, to the left in places that drive on the right,...
in the opposite lane (the driver in the April crash had just passed five cars when he was hit), a widening of the stretch (currently only two lanes with passing permitted in either direction) and traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s at the intersections with Black Hawk Road and Orange County Route 48.
Within a week of the deaths, state troopers
New York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
had put up flashing warning signs at both ends of the segment. The district made available form letters on its website to DOT commissioner Thomas Madison and other elected officials in the region to request the more permanent improvements. However, many in the area said the road was not as much to blame for the accident as the teenaged drivers of the cars that crashed. A DOT study later endorsed that conclusion, although the state said it would make some safety improvements.
Town
Crawford, New York
Crawford is a town in Orange County, New York, USA. The population was 7,875 at the 2000 census. The name comes a settler who gave his name to a community in the town now called Pine Bush....
police began to make their presence felt along the road, stopping traffic on a recent weekend at the spot of one of the crashes to check registration
Vehicle registration
Vehicle registration is the compulsory registration of a vehicle with a government authority. Vehicle registration's purpose is to establish clear ownership and to tax motorists or vehicle owners....
and inspection
Inspection
An inspection is, most generally, an organized examination or formal evaluation exercise. In engineering activities inspection involves the measurements, tests, and gauges applied to certain characteristics in regard to an object or activity...
stickers for validity. While that has little to do directly with whatever caused the accidents, they expressed the hope that it would remind drivers the police were on the road and that they should thus be more careful.