New York State Route 37B
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 37B (NY 37B) is an east–west state highway
located in St. Lawrence County, New York
, United States
. It serves as a business route
of NY 37
through the village of Massena
. While NY 37B enters the village, NY 37 bypasses it to the south. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 37 in the town of Louisville
. Its eastern terminus is at a junction with NY 37 just east of the village limits in the town of Massena
. NY 37B intersects North Main Street, a state-maintained northward extension of NY 420
, in Massena's central district.
The origins of NY 37B date back to the early 20th century when the New York State Legislature created Route 32, an unsigned legislative route
extending from North Lawrence to Ogdensburg
via Massena. From Waddington
to Massena, Route 32 followed River Road and Town Line Road. This portion of the route became part of NY 3
in 1924. In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, the Waddington–Massena segment of NY 3 became NY 37B. The route was extended east into Massena in the 1950s after NY 37 was realigned to follow a new bypass around the village.
Most of NY 37B west of Massena ran through a low-lying area along the St. Lawrence River. In 1958, this area was permanently indundated as part of the St. Lawrence Seaway's construction. As a result, NY 37B was rerouted to follow a new roadway along the fringe of Lake St. Lawrence to meet NY 37 in Louisville Corner. A connector between NY 37 and NY 37B in Louisville was designated as NY 131
by 1960. The alignments of NY 37B and NY 131 west of Massena were swapped ca. 1962, placing NY 37B on its modern alignment.
, in the town of Louisville
. The route heads to the northeast, paralleling the Grasse River
as it passes a small number of homes and businesses located in the otherwise rural town. There are small patches of forested areas along the way to the Massena village
line, where it intersects with Town Line Road (County Route 43). Once in Massena, the amount of development along the highway begins to increase. NY 37B, now known as Maple Street, continues northeast through Massena for three blocks before veering eastward upon passing Massena Memorial Hospital.
In the center of Massena, NY 37B intersects North Main Street, which connects to NY 420
south of the village. The portion of Main Street between NY 420 and NY 37B is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation
as NY 970B, an unsigned reference route. Past North Main Street, NY 37B follows Maple Street southeast to Center Street. The route merges with Center Street and becomes a divided highway
as it connects to Willow Street by way of an interchange and intersects an eastward extension of Center Street.
NY 37B turns south at the interchange, becoming Parker Avenue and crossing over the Grasse River to meet East Orvis Street on the southern riverbank. Here, the route turns east to follow East Orvis Street northeastward through the residential and commercial areas that comprise southeastern Massena. At the Massena town
line, East Orvis Street becomes Highland Road, a name NY 37B retains for a short distance eastward to a junction with NY 37 (St. Regis Boulevard). Although Highland Road continues through the intersection, NY 37B ends at the junction.
extending from North Lawrence to Ogdensburg
via Winthrop and Massena
. It entered Massena on what is now NY 420
and followed Main Street and Maple Street through the village. West of Massena, the highway was routed on Town Line Road and River Road to a junction east of Waddington
, where Route 32 continued west on modern NY 37
to Waddington. When state highways in New York
were first posted in 1924, the portion of Route 32 between Waddington and Massena became part of NY 3
, a highway extending across the width of the state.
The segment of NY 3 east of Watertown
was rerouted as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York to largely follow its modern alignment between Watertown and Plattsburgh
. Most of NY 3's former alignment along the St. Lawrence River from Alexandria Bay
to Hogansburg
became part of the new NY 37
; however, from Waddington to Massena, NY 37 used a more inland routing. As a result, the former routing of NY 3 between the two villages became NY 37B instead. In the mid-to-late 1950s, NY 37 was rerouted to follow a new bypass around the southern edge of Massena. Following its completion, NY 37B was extended eastward along NY 37's former routing on Maple Street, Parker Avenue, and Orvis Street to meet the bypass east of the village.
In the 1950s, construction began on the St. Lawrence Seaway, a system of canals and locks that would make the St. Lawrence River suitable for shipping. As part of the seaway's construction, a low-lying area in Ontario
and New York between Waddington, New York, and Cornwall, Ontario
, would be inundated with water in order to create a navigable channel through the Long Sault
rapids and to allow hydroelectric stations to be established immediately upriver from Massena and Cornwall. Much of NY 37B was located within the flood-prone region due to its proximity to the river. On July 1, 1958, the intentional flooding was carried out via the destruction of a cofferdam
upstream, creating what is now known as Lake St. Lawrence and inundating the majority of NY 37B west of Massena.
Following the destruction of the majority of NY 37B, the route was realigned west of Massena to follow a new riverside roadway to the hamlet of Louisville Corner, where it came to an end at NY 37. The remainder of NY 37B along the Massena–Louisville
town line road and in Massena was unchanged. By 1960, a connector between NY 37 in Louisville and NY 37B and Massena utilizing NY 37's former routing west of the village was designated as NY 131
. The alignments of NY 37B and NY 131 west of the Maple Street / Town Line Road intersection were flipped ca. 1962, placing NY 131 on the riverside and town line roads and NY 37B on NY 37's former routing into Massena.
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 in St. Lawrence County, New York
St. Lawrence County, New York
St. Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 111,944. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Catholic saint on whose Feast day the river was discovered by...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It serves as a business route
Business route
A business route in the United States and Canada is a short special route connected to a parent numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or town, and finally reconnecting with the same parent numbered highway again at its...
of NY 37
New York State Route 37
New York State Route 37 is a state highway in the North Country of New York in the United States, extending for on a west–east axis. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Watertown, Jefferson County...
through the village of Massena
Massena (village), New York
Massena is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Andre Massena, one of Napoleon's generals....
. While NY 37B enters the village, NY 37 bypasses it to the south. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 37 in the town of Louisville
Louisville, New York
Louisville is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 3,195 at the 2000 census. The town is reportedly named after a French king, but it is pronounced as "Lewis-ville."...
. Its eastern terminus is at a junction with NY 37 just east of the village limits in the town of Massena
Massena (town), New York
Massena is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town is on the northern border of the county and is nicknamed "The Gateway to the Fourth Coast". The population was 13,121 at the 2000 census. The town of Massena contains a village also called Massena...
. NY 37B intersects North Main Street, a state-maintained northward extension of NY 420
New York State Route 420
New York State Route 420 is a north–south state highway in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in the town of Stockholm. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 37 in the village of...
, in Massena's central district.
The origins of NY 37B date back to the early 20th century when the New York State Legislature created Route 32, 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 North Lawrence to Ogdensburg
Ogdensburg, New York
Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,128 at the 2010 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden....
via Massena. From Waddington
Waddington (village), New York
Waddington is a village located in the Town of Waddington in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 923 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Joshua Waddington....
to Massena, Route 32 followed River Road and Town Line Road. This portion of the route became part of NY 3
New York State Route 3
New York State Route 3 is a major east–west state highway in New York, United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canadian border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for between its western terminus at an intersection with NY 104A in the Cayuga...
in 1924. In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, the Waddington–Massena segment of NY 3 became NY 37B. The route was extended east into Massena in the 1950s after NY 37 was realigned to follow a new bypass around the village.
Most of NY 37B west of Massena ran through a low-lying area along the St. Lawrence River. In 1958, this area was permanently indundated as part of the St. Lawrence Seaway's construction. As a result, NY 37B was rerouted to follow a new roadway along the fringe of Lake St. Lawrence to meet NY 37 in Louisville Corner. A connector between NY 37 and NY 37B in Louisville was designated as NY 131
New York State Route 131
New York State Route 131 is a long state highway in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. It serves as a coastal alternate route to NY 37, going around the village of Massena instead of through it. NY 131 leaves NY 37 in the town of Louisville and rejoins it in the...
by 1960. The alignments of NY 37B and NY 131 west of Massena were swapped ca. 1962, placing NY 37B on its modern alignment.
Route description
NY 37B begins at an intersection with its parent route, NY 37New York State Route 37
New York State Route 37 is a state highway in the North Country of New York in the United States, extending for on a west–east axis. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Watertown, Jefferson County...
, in the town of Louisville
Louisville, New York
Louisville is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 3,195 at the 2000 census. The town is reportedly named after a French king, but it is pronounced as "Lewis-ville."...
. The route heads to the northeast, paralleling the Grasse River
Grasse River
The Grasse River or Grass River is a river in northern New York, in the United States...
as it passes a small number of homes and businesses located in the otherwise rural town. There are small patches of forested areas along the way to the Massena village
Massena (village), New York
Massena is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Andre Massena, one of Napoleon's generals....
line, where it intersects with Town Line Road (County Route 43). Once in Massena, the amount of development along the highway begins to increase. NY 37B, now known as Maple Street, continues northeast through Massena for three blocks before veering eastward upon passing Massena Memorial Hospital.
In the center of Massena, NY 37B intersects North Main Street, which connects to NY 420
New York State Route 420
New York State Route 420 is a north–south state highway in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in the town of Stockholm. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 37 in the village of...
south of the village. The portion of Main Street between NY 420 and NY 37B 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...
as NY 970B, an unsigned reference route. Past North Main Street, NY 37B follows Maple Street southeast to Center Street. The route merges with Center Street and becomes a divided highway
Divided Highway
Divided Highway is a compilation album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2003. . All tracks are taken from the albums Cycles and Brotherhood .-Track listing:...
as it connects to Willow Street by way of an interchange and intersects an eastward extension of Center Street.
NY 37B turns south at the interchange, becoming Parker Avenue and crossing over the Grasse River to meet East Orvis Street on the southern riverbank. Here, the route turns east to follow East Orvis Street northeastward through the residential and commercial areas that comprise southeastern Massena. At the Massena town
Massena (town), New York
Massena is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town is on the northern border of the county and is nicknamed "The Gateway to the Fourth Coast". The population was 13,121 at the 2000 census. The town of Massena contains a village also called Massena...
line, East Orvis Street becomes Highland Road, a name NY 37B retains for a short distance eastward to a junction with NY 37 (St. Regis Boulevard). Although Highland Road continues through the intersection, NY 37B ends at the junction.
History
In 1908, the New York State Legislature created Route 32, an unsigned legislative routeLegislative 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 North Lawrence to Ogdensburg
Ogdensburg, New York
Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,128 at the 2010 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden....
via Winthrop and Massena
Massena (village), New York
Massena is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Andre Massena, one of Napoleon's generals....
. It entered Massena on what is now NY 420
New York State Route 420
New York State Route 420 is a north–south state highway in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in the town of Stockholm. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 37 in the village of...
and followed Main Street and Maple Street through the village. West of Massena, the highway was routed on Town Line Road and River Road to a junction east of Waddington
Waddington (village), New York
Waddington is a village located in the Town of Waddington in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 923 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Joshua Waddington....
, where Route 32 continued west on modern NY 37
New York State Route 37
New York State Route 37 is a state highway in the North Country of New York in the United States, extending for on a west–east axis. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Watertown, Jefferson County...
to Waddington. When state highways in 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...
were first posted in 1924, the portion of Route 32 between Waddington and Massena became part of NY 3
New York State Route 3
New York State Route 3 is a major east–west state highway in New York, United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canadian border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for between its western terminus at an intersection with NY 104A in the Cayuga...
, a highway extending across the width of the state.
The segment of NY 3 east of Watertown
Watertown (city), New York
Watertown is a city in the state of New York and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is situated approximately south of the Thousand Islands. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 27,023, an increase of 1.2% since 2000. The U.S...
was rerouted as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York to largely follow its modern alignment between Watertown and Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh (city), New York
Plattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
. Most of NY 3's former alignment along the St. Lawrence River from Alexandria Bay
Alexandria Bay, New York
Alexandria Bay is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2010 census.The Village of Alexandria Bay is in the Town of Alexandria.Keewaydin State Park is southeast of the village...
to Hogansburg
Hogansburg, New York
Hogansburg is a hamlet in the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, in Franklin County, in the town of Bombay in New York state, USA. It lies on NY 37 near the Canadian-US border at the confluence of the St. Regis River with the Saint Lawrence Seaway.-History:...
became part of the new NY 37
New York State Route 37
New York State Route 37 is a state highway in the North Country of New York in the United States, extending for on a west–east axis. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Watertown, Jefferson County...
; however, from Waddington to Massena, NY 37 used a more inland routing. As a result, the former routing of NY 3 between the two villages became NY 37B instead. In the mid-to-late 1950s, NY 37 was rerouted to follow a new bypass around the southern edge of Massena. Following its completion, NY 37B was extended eastward along NY 37's former routing on Maple Street, Parker Avenue, and Orvis Street to meet the bypass east of the village.
In the 1950s, construction began on the St. Lawrence Seaway, a system of canals and locks that would make the St. Lawrence River suitable for shipping. As part of the seaway's construction, a low-lying area in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and New York between Waddington, New York, and Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
, would be inundated with water in order to create a navigable channel through the Long Sault
Long Sault
This article refers to the rapid on the St. Lawrence River, for the once named Long Sault Rapids on the Ottawa River which was involved in the Battle of Long Sault and the Beaver War, please see Carillon, Quebec or Carillon Canal...
rapids and to allow hydroelectric stations to be established immediately upriver from Massena and Cornwall. Much of NY 37B was located within the flood-prone region due to its proximity to the river. On July 1, 1958, the intentional flooding was carried out via the destruction of a cofferdam
Cofferdam
A cofferdam is a temporary enclosure built within, or in pairs across, a body of water and constructed to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out, creating a dry work environment for the major work to proceed...
upstream, creating what is now known as Lake St. Lawrence and inundating the majority of NY 37B west of Massena.
Following the destruction of the majority of NY 37B, the route was realigned west of Massena to follow a new riverside roadway to the hamlet of Louisville Corner, where it came to an end at NY 37. The remainder of NY 37B along the Massena–Louisville
Louisville, New York
Louisville is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 3,195 at the 2000 census. The town is reportedly named after a French king, but it is pronounced as "Lewis-ville."...
town line road and in Massena was unchanged. By 1960, a connector between NY 37 in Louisville and NY 37B and Massena utilizing NY 37's former routing west of the village was designated as NY 131
New York State Route 131
New York State Route 131 is a long state highway in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. It serves as a coastal alternate route to NY 37, going around the village of Massena instead of through it. NY 131 leaves NY 37 in the town of Louisville and rejoins it in the...
. The alignments of NY 37B and NY 131 west of the Maple Street / Town Line Road intersection were flipped ca. 1962, placing NY 131 on the riverside and town line roads and NY 37B on NY 37's former routing into Massena.