U.S. Route 6 in New York
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 6 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Bishop, California
, to Provincetown, Massachusetts
. In New York, US 6 extends 78.09 miles (125.67 km) from the Pennsylvania state line at Port Jervis
to the Connecticut
state line east of Brewster
. Near both ends, it runs in close proximity to Interstate 84
(I-84), which otherwise takes a more northerly route through Downstate New York
. US 6, meanwhile, skirts the northern fringe of the New York Metropolitan Area
.
Except for a section concurrent
with the expressway portion of New York State Route 17 (NY 17, the future I-86
) and another brief, similar stretch in Peekskill
, the portion of US 6 in New York is a two-lane road. Two stretches are shared with US 202
. It goes through three of New York's traffic circle
s, more than any other highway in the state, and is part of the only concurrency of three U.S. routes in the state.
US 6 is not as important a transportation artery in New York as it in some other states. The route does, however, pass through some of the region's more memorable scenery, particularly the Hudson Highlands
in the form of Harriman and Bear Mountain
state parks. It crosses the Hudson River
at the historic Bear Mountain Bridge
. Other highlights include the Shawangunk Ridge
in the west and New York City
's reservoirs in the east.
The Hudson River
roughly bisects New York's section of US 6, although more of it is on the river's western side. Despite its many curves and turns, the road stays in a generally east–west direction.
into New York concurrent
with US 209, Matamoras
via the Mid-Delaware Bridge
, becoming Port Jervis
almost seamlessly, becoming Pike Street. Two blocks from the bridge, the highways cross under the wide grassy strip that once carried the Erie Railroad
's Main Line and pass the city's Metro-North station
, the most remote from New York on the extensive commuter rail network. A few blocks further north, at the Park Avenue traffic light
, NY 42
and NY 97
begin to the left while US 6 and US 209 turn right, now West Main Street.
Two blocks later, the highways having not even come a mile from the state line, US 209 splits to the left at Kingston Avenue. US 6 continues to follow West Main past Port Jervis Middle School and Bon Secours Hospital
, veering south to cross under the railroad tracks and then over the Neversink River
. At three-way junction with short Orange County Route 15, US 6 reaches the Port Jervis city limit. Signs point to New Jersey Route 23, which begins a few hundred feet to the south, just past the I-84 overpass.
From here traffic on US 6 grows lighter as it parallels I-84 for the next 17 miles (27 km). Trucks going through this stretch are limited to 10 tons (9.1 tonnes). It slowly traverses up the Shawangunk Ridge
alongside the Interstate Highway and then down again. Just before exit 3, it crosses under I-84 again. After putting at least a mile between the two, US 6 starts to run a long straight course, as Grand Army of the Republic Highway, through the wetland
s of Greenville
, then through gently rolling hills taking it to South Centreville, where Minisink Valley High School
and the district's other schools are concentrated. At the hamlet of Slate Hill
, NY 284
, another route down to New Jersey, comes in from the south.
US 6 continues through very rural countryside through here. Shortly before Middletown
, it crosses over I-84 and turns left onto NY 17M
, crossing over the Interstate Highway yet again. This is US 6's last crossing of I-84 west of the Hudson River.
The overlap between US 6 and NY 17M continues for another 5 miles (9 km), crossing the Wallkill River
, through slightly more developed countryside to Goshen
, where the two routes join the NY 17
freeway (future I-86
) at exit 123. NY 17M leaves the freeway several exits to the east, but US 6 stays with it for 13 miles (21 km), connecting to NY 17A
, NY 207
, NY 94
and NY 208
in the villages of Goshen
, Chester
, and Monroe
respectively. It breaks from the freeway outside of Harriman
by way of a long overpass that leaves just before the Quickway ends at the junction with the north–south portion of NY 17, NY 32
and the New York State Thruway
, an area often jammed with traffic from nearby Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
on busy weekends. Another portion of traffic is bound for the United States Military Academy
at West Point
, per the signs on the Thruway directing drivers to use eastbound US 6 for that purpose.
leaves to the north to West Point's upper gates and the road widens briefly to include a middle turn lane. After dropping past a lake and then rising again, the Long Path
long-distance hiking trail crosses the road on its way to the feature that gives this section of the highway its name. Driveways to the south lead to private camps that have housed various area hiking clubs since the 1920s.
A long descent leads to Long Mountain Circle, where Seven Lakes Drive
crosses and US 6 joins Palisades Interstate Parkway
, descending slowly through a very scenic three miles (5 km) through Bear Mountain State Park
between Bear Mountain
to the south and Popolopen
Torne to the north into another roundabout, the busy Bear Mountain Circle, where the parkway ends and US 6 intersects US 9W
and US 202
. The latter joins US 6 to cross the Hudson River
via the Bear Mountain Bridge
. The rocky slopes of Anthony's Nose
loom ahead. A $1 toll is charged in this direction. The white blazes
of the Appalachian Trail
(AT) are also visible on the lampposts; this quarter-mile (200 m) stretch also passes through the northernmost part of Rockland County
.
, which begins here. Routes 6 and 202 turn right and begin a four-mile (6.4-km) descent via Bear Mountain Bridge Road
along the edge of the mountain to Peekskill
. Pulloffs along this winding stretch allow drivers to take in sweeping views of that city, Haverstraw Bay
and Dunderberg Mountain
across the river at the southern end of the Hudson Highlands
. The road finally reaches US 6's third traffic circle
just north of the city limit. Here US 9 joins the two highways for an 0.7-mile (1.2 km) concurrency, the only combination of three U.S. highways in the state. At a traffic light south of the circle, Bear Mountain Parkway goes off to the east while the concurrency becomes the upper end of the Croton Expressway
.
US 6 and US 202 separate from US 9 at the first interchange and pick up NY 35
, which begins here. The three routes follow Main Street for 0.8 mile (1.4 km) to Division Street, where US 202 and NY 35 turn south while US 6 continues east out of the city.
Northeast of Peekskill, US 6 works its way north, through the hamlet of Mohegan Lake and Shrub Oak
, where it meets the Taconic State Parkway
by way of an interchange. It continues east, just south of the county line, into Jefferson Valley
and past Oceola Lake, where NY 6N, the lone spur of US 6 in New York, begins a northerly loop. At Baldwin Place, it veers north again and enters Putnam County.
Just past the county line, NY 118
comes to its northern end. US 6 runs ever more northerly, meeting NY 6N's other end as it follows the south shore of Lake Mahopac through the eponymous village
.
The combined influence of the New York City water supply system
's Croton Watershed, which includes most of the bodies of water along this stretch of US 6, and affluent residents who build on very large lots
, keeps this area lightly developed. Leaving Mahopac, US 6 curves past the south end of West Branch Reservoir
and controlled Lake Gleneida
to its next highway junction, the east end of NY 52
at Reed Memorial Library
just south of the county seat
, Carmel
. The highway immediately turns toward the south again, curving around Middle Branch Reservoir
at Tilly Foster to the west terminus of NY 312
. At this junction, signs for the Southeast station
on the Harlem Line
of the Metro-North Railroad
are a reminder that this is still commute
r country. Also appearing are the first signs for I-84, whose interchange with NY 312 is a short distance away, since Middletown.
A long bend through countryside increasingly anticipating New England
brings US 6 over the Metro-North tracks and to a right turn along them takes US 6 into Brewster
. At that village's Metro-North station
, the highway again turns left, bringing it to an intersection just outside the village where it is reunited with US 202, here concurrent with NY 22
. After crossing under the interstate, the road encounters a half-cloverleaf
. NY 22 turns left and leaves for Pawling
and points north. I-684
is a short distance to the south, accessed by way of NY 981B, a short reference route occupying the I-684 right-of-way between I-84 and NY 22. US 6 and US 202 remain parallel with I-84, following the southern shore of one of the lakes of East Branch Reservoir
. After one last highway terminus, NY 121
's northern end, both cross into Danbury, Connecticut
, right next to the Interstate Highway's Mill Plain Road exit.
was originally designated as part of NY 37 in the mid-1920s. NY 37 began at NY 17
(now NY 17M
) in Monroe
and followed what is now County Route 105 and NY 32
east to Central Valley
. From there, it continued to Fort Montgomery via Estrada Road and modern NY 293
, NY 218
, and US 9W
. When the U.S. Highway System was created on November 11, 1926, there was a gap in US 6
between the New York – Pennsylvania border at Port Jervis
and the Connecticut
state line east of Brewster
. The gap remained in the first official route log published by AASHO in 1927; however, US 6 now entered New York at Port Jervis and followed what is now US 209 northeast to Kingston, where the west half of US 6 ended at US 9W
. The eastern half of US 6 still began at the Connecticut state line east of Brewster.
In 1928, AASHO modified the definition of US 6, placing the route along a new alignment further south in the state in order to eliminate the gap in the designation. It now followed a previously unnumbered highway from Port Jervis to Slate Hill and overlapped with the pre-existing NY 8 from Slate Hill to Middletown
and NY 17 (modern NY 17M) between Middletown and Monroe. From Monroe to Brewster, US 6 replaced NY 37. The former routing of US 6 between Port Jervis and Kingston became US 6N. US 6 was realigned again ca. 1934 to bypass the West Point Military Academy to the south. Its former alignment through the grounds became NY 293.
that took the route through Mahopac Falls. In the mid-1930s, US 6 was realigned to follow a new highway to the south that went directly between the two locations. The route's former alignment via Mahopac Falls was redesignated as NY 6N ca. 1938. In the early 1950s, construction began on the portion of the Quickway east of Goshen
. The Goshen–Chester
and Chester–Harriman
segments of the Quickway were completed in October 1954 and August 1955, respectively. The two segments of highway became part of a realigned US 6 and NY 17 upon opening. The original surface alignment of US 6 became part of NY 17M
. Plans to construct a highway directly linking Harriman to the south end of NY 293 in Harriman State Park were proposed as early as 1954; however, construction on the road did not begin until the mid-1960s. The highway opened to traffic by 1968 as part of a rerouted US 6.
In the town of Yorktown
, US 6 was originally routed along East Main Street in the areas around the hamlets of Shrub Oak and Jefferson Valley. At some point between 1968 and 1973, the portion of US 6 between the Taconic State Parkway
and Curry Street was moved onto a new two-lane roadway bypassing Jefferson Valley to the south. The segment between Strawberry Road and the parkway was moved onto a new highway bypassing Shrub Oak to the north sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s. The old alignment of US 6 west of NY 6N is now a town-maintained road designated as County Route 1309 by Westchester County
for planning purposes. The segment east of NY 6N became an extension of that route and was realigned slightly to meet US 6 at a 90-degree angle. Around 1993, which was also when the interchange with the Taconic State Parkway
was reconstructed, the expressway was widened to a four-lane divided highway
from just west of the intersection with NY 132
to just west of the intersection with NY 6N. Around 2000, the remainder of the expressway, except for a short section between the East Main Street split and Strawberry Road, was expanded into a four-lane divided highway.
NY 6N (5.14 miles or 8.27 km) is an alternate route of US 6 through the towns of Yorktown
, Westchester County
, and Carmel, Putnam County
. NY 6N leaves US 6 in the hamlet of Jefferson Valley and rejoins it in the hamlet of Mahopac
. The route follows a more northerly routing than US 6 between the two locations to serve Mahopac Falls. It was assigned ca. 1938.
U.S. Route 6/202 Alternate is a 10.5 miles (16.9 km) alternate route
of US 6 and US 202
in southern Putnam County
and northern Westchester County
. It begins where US 6 and US 202 meet NY 9D
at the eastern foot of the Bear Mountain Bridge
, and follows NY 9D north to NY 403
in Garrison
. From there, it heads south on NY 403 and US 9 to rejoin US 6 and US 202 at the traffic circle north of Peekskill
. The route serves as a bypass of the segment of US 6 and US 202 known as Bear Mountain Bridge Road
, a sharply winding route along the Hudson River
. This bypass is an important route for commercial vehicles which cannot traverse Bear Mountain Bridge Road, though they are permitted to do so.
|rowspan=22|Orange
|rowspan=5|Port Jervis
|0.00
|
|Pennsylvania state line at the Delaware River
|-
|0.61
|
|Southern terminus of NY 42 and NY 97
|-
|0.86
|
|Eastern terminus of US 6 / US 209 overlap
|-
|1.72
|colspan=2 align="center"|Neversink River
|-
|2.32
| via CR 15
|
|-
|Deerpark
|
|
|Exit 1 (I-84)
|-
|rowspan=3|Wawayanda
|14.25
|
|Northern terminus of NY 284
|-
|17.76
|
|Western terminus of US 6 / NY 17M overlap
|-
|18.14
|
|Exit 3 (I-84)
|-
|Town of Goshen
|22.32
|colspan=2 align="center"|Wallkill River
|-
|rowspan=3|Village of Goshen
|22.92
|
|Exit 123 (NY 17); western terminus of US 6 / NY 17 overlap
|-
|23.31
|
|Exit 124 (NY 17); western terminus of NY 17A and NY 207
|-
|23.89
|
|Exit 125 (NY 17); eastern terminus of US 6 / NY 17M overlap
|-
|rowspan=2|Town of Chester
|27.38
|
|Exit 126 (NY 17)
|-
|29.21
|
|Exit 127 (NY 17)
|-
|Town of Monroe
|32.71
|
|Exit 130 (NY 17)
|-
|rowspan=3|Woodbury
|35.67
|
|Exit 130A (NY 17); eastern terminus of US 6 / NY 17 overlap
|-
|36.26
|
|Interchange
|-
|39.31
|
|Southern terminus of NY 293
|-
|rowspan=3|Highlands
|43.37
|
|Long Mountain Circle; western terminus of US 6 / Palisades Parkway overlap
|-
|45.77
|
|Eastern terminus of US 6 / Palisades Parkway overlap; western terminus of US 6 / US 202 overlap; northern terminus of Palisades Parkway
|-
|rowspan=2|46.33
|rowspan=2 colspan=2 align="center"|Bear Mountain Circle
|-
|rowspan=2|Rockland
|rowspan=2|Stony Point
|-
|rowspan=2|46.58
|rowspan=2 colspan=2 align="center"|Bear Mountain Bridge
over the Hudson River
|-
|rowspan=10|Westchester
|rowspan=3|Cortlandt
|-
|46.82
|
|Southern terminus of NY 9D
|-
|49.99
|
|Annsville Circle; northern terminus of US 6 / US 9 overlap
|-
|rowspan=3|Peekskill
|
|
|Western terminus of Bear Mountain Parkway
|-
|50.72
|
|Western terminus of NY 35; southern terminus of US 6 / US 9 overlap; western terminus of US 6 / NY 35 overlap
|-
|51.57
|
|Eastern terminus of US 6 / US 202 and US 6 / NY 35 overlaps
|-
|Cortlandt
|53.25
|
|Interchange
|-
|rowspan=3|Yorktown
|57.49
|
|Northern terminus of NY 132
|-
|57.70
|
|Interchange
|-
|59.54
|
|Western terminus of NY 6N
|-
|rowspan=8|Putnam
|rowspan=3|Carmel
|61.22
|
|Northern terminus of NY 118
|-
|63.66
|
|Hamlet of Mahopac
; eastern terminus of NY 6N
|-
|68.95
|
|Eastern terminus of NY 52
|-
|Southeast
|71.18
|
|Western terminus of NY 312
|-
|Brewster
|73.93
|
|Western terminus of US 6 / US 202 and US 6 / NY 22 overlaps
|-
|rowspan=3|Southeast
|74.84
|
|Exit 10 (I-684); eastern terminus of US 6 / NY 22 overlap
|-
|75.79
|
|Northern terminus of NY 121
|-
|78.09
|
|Connecticut
state line
Bishop, California
Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...
, to Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
. In New York, US 6 extends 78.09 miles (125.67 km) from the Pennsylvania state line at Port Jervis
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...
to the Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
state line east of Brewster
Brewster, New York
Brewster is a village within the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York, United States. Its population was 2,162 at the 2000 census. The village is the most densely populated portion of the town...
. Near both ends, it runs in close proximity to Interstate 84
Interstate 84 in New York
Interstate 84 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Dunmore, Pennsylvania, to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, in the Eastern United States. In New York, I-84 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Port Jervis to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster...
(I-84), which otherwise takes a more northerly route through Downstate New York
Downstate New York
Downstate New York is a term denoting the southeastern portion of New York State, United States, in contrast to Upstate New York. The term "Downstate New York" has significantly less currency than its counterpart term "Upstate New York", and the Downstate region is often not regarded as one...
. US 6, meanwhile, skirts the northern fringe of the New York Metropolitan Area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
.
Except for a section concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with the expressway portion of New York State Route 17 (NY 17, the future I-86
Interstate 86 (east)
Interstate 86 is an Interstate Highway that extends for through northwestern Pennsylvania and southern New York in the United States...
) and another brief, similar stretch in Peekskill
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
, the portion of US 6 in New York is a two-lane road. Two stretches are shared with US 202
U.S. Route 202 in New York
U.S. Route 202 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from New Castle, Delaware, to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, US 202 extends from the New Jersey state line near Suffern to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster. While most of US 202 is signed...
. It goes through three of New York's 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...
s, more than any other highway in the state, and is part of the only concurrency of three U.S. routes in the state.
US 6 is not as important a transportation artery in New York as it in some other states. The route does, however, pass through some of the region's more memorable scenery, particularly the Hudson Highlands
Hudson Highlands
The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York, between Newburgh Bay and Haverstraw Bay, which form the northern region of the New York - New Jersey Highlands....
in the form of Harriman and Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain State Park
Bear Mountain State Park is located on the west side of the Hudson River in Orange and Rockland counties of New York. The park offers biking, hiking, boating, picnicking, swimming, cross-country skiing, cross-country running, sledding and ice skating...
state parks. It crosses the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
at the historic Bear Mountain Bridge
Bear Mountain Bridge
The Bear Mountain Bridge is a toll suspension bridge in New York State, carrying U.S. Highways 202 and 6 across the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester counties...
. Other highlights include the 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...
in the west and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's reservoirs in the east.
Route description
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
roughly bisects New York's section of US 6, although more of it is on the river's western side. Despite its many curves and turns, the road stays in a generally east–west direction.
West of Hudson
US 6 crosses the Delaware RiverDelaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
into New York concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with US 209, Matamoras
Matamoras, Pennsylvania
Matamoras is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,469 at the 2010 census. It is the easternmost town in Pennsylvania.-History:...
via the Mid-Delaware Bridge
Mid-Delaware Bridge
The Mid-Delaware Bridge, sometimes known as the Port Jervis-Matamoras Bridge or the Fourth Barrett Bridge, is a continuous truss bridge which carries U.S. Routes 6 and 209 across that river between those two communities and thus the states of New York and Pennsylvania...
, becoming Port Jervis
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...
almost seamlessly, becoming Pike Street. Two blocks from the bridge, the highways cross under the wide grassy strip that once carried the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
's Main Line and pass the city's Metro-North station
Port Jervis (Metro-North station)
The Port Jervis Metro-North station serves the residents of that city and surrounding communities. It is the western terminus of the Port Jervis Line, with trains taking New York City-bound passengers there via Hoboken and Secaucus Junction...
, the most remote from New York on the extensive commuter rail network. A few blocks further north, at the Park Avenue 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...
, NY 42
New York State Route 42
New York State Route 42 is a north–south, discontinuous state highway in the Catskill Mountains region of New York in the United States. The southernmost of the highway's two segments begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 6 and US 209 in Port Jervis and ends at a junction with...
and NY 97
New York State Route 97
New York State Route 97 is a north–south scenic route in southern New York, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 6 and US 209 in Port Jervis to NY 17 in Hancock. Its most famous feature is the Hawk's Nest, a tightly winding section of the road along the Delaware River,...
begin to the left while US 6 and US 209 turn right, now West Main Street.
Two blocks later, the highways having not even come a mile from the state line, US 209 splits to the left at Kingston Avenue. US 6 continues to follow West Main past Port Jervis Middle School and Bon Secours Hospital
Bon Secours Hospital
Bon Secours Hospital is a hospital in Baltimore. The hospital has the largest renal dialysis center in the city of Baltimore.The name Bon Secours is French for "good help." The hospital is part of the Marriottsville, Maryland-based Bon Secours Health System, a $2.9 billion not-for-profit Catholic...
, veering south to cross under the railroad tracks and then over the Neversink River
Neversink River
The Neversink River is a tributary of the Delaware River in southeastern New York in the United States...
. At three-way junction with short Orange County Route 15, US 6 reaches the Port Jervis city limit. Signs point to New Jersey Route 23, which begins a few hundred feet to the south, just past the I-84 overpass.
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...
alongside the Interstate Highway and then down again. Just before exit 3, it crosses under I-84 again. After putting at least a mile between the two, US 6 starts to run a long straight course, as Grand Army of the Republic Highway, through the wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s of Greenville
Greenville, Orange County, New York
Greenville is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 4,616 at the 2010 census.The town of Greenville is located along the south county line, which is also the state line....
, then through gently rolling hills taking it to South Centreville, where Minisink Valley High School
Minisink Valley High School
Minisink Valley High School is a secondary school located in Slate Hill, New York. It contains an enrollment of approximately 1500 students, making it one of the larger high schools in Orange County, New York....
and the district's other schools are concentrated. At the hamlet of Slate Hill
Slate Hill, New York
Slate Hill is one of the eight hamlets found in the town of Wawayanda, New York. It is home to the Minisink Valley Central School District. Slate Hill is found in Orange County, New York, one of the fastest growing counties in the state...
, NY 284
New York State Route 284
New York State Route 284 is a short state highway located entirely in Orange County in New York, United States. It is the continuation of New Jersey Route 284 northbound from the state line at Minisink to U.S. Route 6 in Wawayanda...
, another route down to New Jersey, comes in from the south.
US 6 continues through very rural countryside through here. Shortly before 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...
, it crosses over I-84 and turns left onto 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...
, crossing over the Interstate Highway yet again. This is US 6's last crossing of I-84 west of the Hudson River.
Wallkill River
The Wallkill River, a tributary of the Hudson, drains Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey, flowing from there generally northeasterly to Rondout Creek in New York, near Rosendale, with the combined flows reaching the Hudson at Kingston....
, through slightly more developed countryside to Goshen
Goshen (village), New York
Goshen is a village in and the county seat of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
, where the two routes join the 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...
freeway (future I-86
Interstate 86 (east)
Interstate 86 is an Interstate Highway that extends for through northwestern Pennsylvania and southern New York in the United States...
) at exit 123. NY 17M leaves the freeway several exits to the east, but US 6 stays with it for 13 miles (21 km), connecting to NY 17A
New York State Route 17A
New York State Route 17A is a state highway in southern New York, United States, entirely within Orange County. Its western terminus is located at Goshen at a junction with NY 17, and its eastern terminus is at another intersection with NY 17 located in Southfields. It runs...
, NY 207
New York State Route 207
New York State Route 207 is a state highway located entirely within Orange County, New York, in the United States. It serves as a connector between the village of Goshen and the city of Newburgh. It has for a long time provided the main access to Stewart International Airport...
, NY 94
New York State Route 94
New York State Route 94 is a state highway entirely within Orange County in southern New York. The western terminus is at the New York-New Jersey state line, where it continues as NJ 94 for another to Columbia, New Jersey. Its eastern terminus is located at U.S. Route 9W in New Windsor....
and NY 208
New York State Route 208
New York State Route 208 is a state highway located in southern New York in the United States. The southern terminus is at an intersection with NY 17M in the Orange County village of Monroe...
in the villages of Goshen
Goshen (village), New York
Goshen is a village in and the county seat of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
, Chester
Chester (village), New York
Chester is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,445 at the 2000 census. It was named after the City of Chester in England...
, and Monroe
Monroe (village), New York
Monroe is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,780 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical...
respectively. It breaks from the freeway outside of Harriman
Harriman, New York
Harriman is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 2,252 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
by way of a long overpass that leaves just before the Quickway ends at the junction with the north–south portion of NY 17, NY 32
New York State Route 32
New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
and the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
, an area often jammed with traffic from nearby Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
Woodbury Common Premium Outlets is an outlet center located in Central Valley, New York. The center is part of the Chelsea Premium Outlets group and takes its name from the town in which it is located...
on busy weekends. Another portion of traffic is bound for the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, per the signs on the Thruway directing drivers to use eastbound US 6 for that purpose.
Long Mountain Parkway
With the Thruway behind, US 6 climbs the side of a mountain, just as it does after Port Jervis. A small pullout area reveals beautiful views of the mall and the area around the exit. At the top lies Harriman State Park, where US 6 becomes Long Mountain Parkway, a 7-mile (11 km) stretch with no development. NY 293New York State Route 293
New York State Route 293 is a state highway located entirely within eastern Orange County, New York, in the United States. The highway starts at U.S. Route 6 in Woodbury, and heads to the northeast, ending at an intersection with US 9W and NY 218 in the community of Highlands...
leaves to the north to West Point's upper gates and the road widens briefly to include a middle turn lane. After dropping past a lake and then rising again, the Long Path
Long Path
The Long Path is a long-distance hiking trail beginning at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey and currently ending at Altamont, New York, in the Albany area...
long-distance hiking trail crosses the road on its way to the feature that gives this section of the highway its name. Driveways to the south lead to private camps that have housed various area hiking clubs since the 1920s.
Seven Lakes Drive
Seven Lakes Drive is a 17.91 mile long parkway in the U.S. state of New York. The southern terminus of the route is at New York State Route 17 in Sloatsburg. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 9W and U.S. Route 202 a mile south of Fort Montgomery in Bear Mountain State Park...
crosses and US 6 joins Palisades Interstate Parkway
Palisades Interstate Parkway
The Palisades Interstate Parkway is a long limited-access highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey...
, descending slowly through a very scenic three miles (5 km) through Bear Mountain State Park
Bear Mountain State Park
Bear Mountain State Park is located on the west side of the Hudson River in Orange and Rockland counties of New York. The park offers biking, hiking, boating, picnicking, swimming, cross-country skiing, cross-country running, sledding and ice skating...
between Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain (Hudson Highlands)
Bear Mountain is one of the best-known peaks of New York's Hudson Highlands. Located mostly in Orange County's Town of Highlands, it lends its name to a nearby bridge and the state park that contains it....
to the south and Popolopen
Popolopen
Popolopen is the name of several related landmarks mainly within the Hudson Highlands of Orange County, New York. These include a mountain, Popolopen Torne—or simply "The Torne" and a short and steep-sided nearby valley officially called Hell Hole, but often Popolopen Gorge...
Torne to the north into another roundabout, the busy Bear Mountain Circle, where the parkway ends and US 6 intersects US 9W
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
and US 202
U.S. Route 202 in New York
U.S. Route 202 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from New Castle, Delaware, to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, US 202 extends from the New Jersey state line near Suffern to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster. While most of US 202 is signed...
. The latter joins US 6 to cross the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
via the Bear Mountain Bridge
Bear Mountain Bridge
The Bear Mountain Bridge is a toll suspension bridge in New York State, carrying U.S. Highways 202 and 6 across the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester counties...
. The rocky slopes of Anthony's Nose
Anthony's Nose (Westchester)
Anthony's Nose is a peak along the Hudson River at the north end of Westchester County, New York.- Topography :Anthony's Nose, together with Dunderberg Mountain, comprises the South Gate of the Hudson Highlands...
loom ahead. A $1 toll is charged in this direction. The white blazes
Trail blazing
Trail blazing, or trailblazing, is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with blazes, markings that follow each other at certain — though not necessarily exactly defined — distances and mark the direction of the trail...
of the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
(AT) are also visible on the lampposts; this quarter-mile (200 m) stretch also passes through the northernmost part of Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
.
East of Hudson
At the east end of the bridge, the AT turns north along NY 9DNew York State Route 9D
New York State Route 9D , also known as the Bear Mountain – Beacon Highway, is a north–south state highway that runs along the eastern shore of the Hudson River in New York in the United States. It starts at the eastern end of the Bear Mountain Bridge at U.S...
, which begins here. Routes 6 and 202 turn right and begin a four-mile (6.4-km) descent via Bear Mountain Bridge Road
Bear Mountain Bridge Road
Bear Mountain Bridge Road is a three-mile , two-lane section of US 6/202 from the west approach to Bear Mountain Bridge to a former toll house in the Town of Cortlandt, New York, United States. It winds around the steep, rocky slopes of Anthony's Nose, the southernmost peak of the Hudson Highlands...
along the edge of the mountain to Peekskill
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
. Pulloffs along this winding stretch allow drivers to take in sweeping views of that city, Haverstraw Bay
Haverstraw Bay
Haverstraw Bay, located in New York, is the widest portion of the Hudson River. The width of Haverstraw Bay is approximately 3.4 miles . The length approximately 5 miles from river kilometer 58 at Croton Point to river kilometer 66 at Stony Point...
and Dunderberg Mountain
Dunderberg Mountain
Dunderberg Mountain stands at the so-called southern gate of the Hudson Highlands where the region's namesake Hudson River enters a dramatic gorge...
across the river at the southern end of the Hudson Highlands
Hudson Highlands
The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York, between Newburgh Bay and Haverstraw Bay, which form the northern region of the New York - New Jersey Highlands....
. The road finally reaches US 6's third 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...
just north of the city limit. Here US 9 joins the two highways for an 0.7-mile (1.2 km) concurrency, the only combination of three U.S. highways in the state. At a traffic light south of the circle, Bear Mountain Parkway goes off to the east while the concurrency becomes the upper end of the Croton Expressway
Croton Expressway
U.S. Route 9 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Laurel, Delaware, to Champlain, New York. In New York, US 9 extends from the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan to an interchange with Interstate 87 just south of the Canada – United States border in the town...
.
New York State Route 35
New York State Route 35 is the principal east–west highway in the northern part of Westchester County, New York, carrying average daily volumes of around 16,500 vehicles...
, which begins here. The three routes follow Main Street for 0.8 mile (1.4 km) to Division Street, where US 202 and NY 35 turn south while US 6 continues east out of the city.
Northeast of Peekskill, US 6 works its way north, through the hamlet of Mohegan Lake and Shrub Oak
Shrub Oak, New York
Shrub Oak is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place located in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York. The population was 2,011 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Shrub Oak is located at ....
, where it meets the Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
by way of an interchange. It continues east, just south of the county line, into Jefferson Valley
Jefferson Valley, New York
Jefferson Valley-Yorktown is a census-designated place located in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 14,142 at the 2010 census...
and past Oceola Lake, where NY 6N, the lone spur of US 6 in New York, begins a northerly loop. At Baldwin Place, it veers north again and enters Putnam County.
Just past the county line, NY 118
New York State Route 118
New York State Route 118 is a north–south state highway that extends for in Downstate New York in the United States. Much of the highway is located within Westchester County; however, a small portion of the route near the northern terminus is situated in Putnam County...
comes to its northern end. US 6 runs ever more northerly, meeting NY 6N's other end as it follows the south shore of Lake Mahopac through the eponymous village
Mahopac, New York
Mahopac, New York, is a hamlet in the Town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York. An exurb of New York City some to the south, Mahopac is located on US Route 6 on the County's southern central border with Westchester County...
.
Water supply network
A water supply system or water supply network is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components which provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes:# A drainage basin ;...
's Croton Watershed, which includes most of the bodies of water along this stretch of US 6, and affluent residents who build on very large lots
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
, keeps this area lightly developed. Leaving Mahopac, US 6 curves past the south end of West Branch Reservoir
West Branch Reservoir
The West Branch Reservoir, formed by impounding about one quarter of the West Branch of the Croton River, is located in Putnam County, New York, United States, in the towns of Kent, New York, and Carmel, New York, and is only about north of New York City's Central Park Reservoir.The West Branch is...
and controlled Lake Gleneida
Lake Gleneida
Lake Gleneida is a controlled lake in Carmel, New York, United States. It is part of New York City's water supply system, created when an original pond was dammed in 1870.-Geography:...
to its next highway junction, the east end of 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...
at Reed Memorial Library
Reed Memorial Library
Reed Memorial Library is located at the junction of US 6 and NY 52 in Carmel, New York, United States. It is the oldest library building in Putnam County, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980....
just south of the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
, Carmel
Carmel, New York
Carmel is a town located in Putnam County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 36,465.There are no incorporated villages in the town, although the hamlets of Carmel and Mahopac each have populations sizable enough to be thought of as villages.The Town of Carmel...
. The highway immediately turns toward the south again, curving around Middle Branch Reservoir
Middle Branch Reservoir
Middle Branch Reservoir is among the 12 reservoirs in New York City's Croton watershed. It is located in the Town of Southeast in Putnam County, 35 miles north of the city....
at Tilly Foster to the west terminus of NY 312
New York State Route 312
New York State Route 312 is a short but important state highway located entirely within the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York in the United States...
. At this junction, signs for the Southeast station
Southeast (Metro-North station)
Southeast is a Metro-North Railroad station serving the residents of Southeast, New York via the Harlem Line. Trains leave for New York City every hour, and about every 30 minutes during rush hour. It is the terminus of the Harlem Line electrified service. For travel farther north to Wassaic,...
on the Harlem Line
Harlem Line (Metro-North)
Metro-North's Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York & Harlem Railroad, is an 82-mile commuter rail line running north from New York City into eastern Dutchess County...
of the Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
are a reminder that this is still commute
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
r country. Also appearing are the first signs for I-84, whose interchange with NY 312 is a short distance away, since Middletown.
A long bend through countryside increasingly anticipating New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
brings US 6 over the Metro-North tracks and to a right turn along them takes US 6 into Brewster
Brewster, New York
Brewster is a village within the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York, United States. Its population was 2,162 at the 2000 census. The village is the most densely populated portion of the town...
. At that village's Metro-North station
Brewster (Metro-North station)
The Brewster Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of Brewster, New York via the Harlem Line. It is the southernmost station in Putnam County. Trains leave for New York City every hour, and about every 25 minutes during rush hour...
, the highway again turns left, bringing it to an intersection just outside the village where it is reunited with US 202, here concurrent with NY 22
New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...
. After crossing under the interstate, the road encounters a half-cloverleaf
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...
. NY 22 turns left and leaves for Pawling
Pawling (village), New York
Pawling is a village in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 2,233 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area...
and points north. I-684
Interstate 684
Interstate 684 is a 28.4 mile-long north–south Interstate Highway in the states of New York and Connecticut. The highway connects I-84 with I-287 and the Hutchinson River Parkway, primarily serving commuter traffic to and from the northern suburbs of the New York metropolitan area...
is a short distance to the south, accessed by way of NY 981B, a short reference route occupying the I-684 right-of-way between I-84 and NY 22. US 6 and US 202 remain parallel with I-84, following the southern shore of one of the lakes of East Branch Reservoir
East Branch Reservoir
East Branch Reservoir, formed by impounding the eponymous branch of the Croton River, is part of New York City's water supply network. It is located in the Putnam County town of Southeast, near the village of Brewster 35 miles north of the city....
. After one last highway terminus, NY 121
New York State Route 121
New York State Route 121 is a north–south state highway in New York, going from northern Westchester County to the village of Brewster in Putnam County.-Route description:...
's northern end, both cross into Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
, right next to the Interstate Highway's Mill Plain Road exit.
Origins and designation
The portion of US 6 in New York east of Fort MontgomeryFort Montgomery, New York
Fort Montgomery is a hamlet in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 1,418 at the 2000 census...
was originally designated as part of NY 37 in the mid-1920s. NY 37 began 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...
(now 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...
) in Monroe
Monroe (village), New York
Monroe is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,780 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical...
and followed what is now County Route 105 and NY 32
New York State Route 32
New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
east to Central Valley
Central Valley, New York
Central Valley is a hamlet in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 1,857 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a census-designated place...
. From there, it continued to Fort Montgomery via Estrada Road and modern NY 293
New York State Route 293
New York State Route 293 is a state highway located entirely within eastern Orange County, New York, in the United States. The highway starts at U.S. Route 6 in Woodbury, and heads to the northeast, ending at an intersection with US 9W and NY 218 in the community of Highlands...
, NY 218
New York State Route 218
New York State Route 218 is a state highway located within Orange County, New York, in the United States. It loops off U.S. Route 9W to run closer to the Hudson River between Highland Falls and Cornwall-on-Hudson. North of Highland Falls, it is briefly concurrent with...
, and US 9W
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
. When the U.S. Highway System was created on November 11, 1926, there was a gap in US 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
between the New York – Pennsylvania border at Port Jervis
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...
and the Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
state line east of Brewster
Brewster, New York
Brewster is a village within the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York, United States. Its population was 2,162 at the 2000 census. The village is the most densely populated portion of the town...
. The gap remained in the first official route log published by AASHO in 1927; however, US 6 now entered New York at Port Jervis and followed what is now US 209 northeast to Kingston, where the west half of US 6 ended at US 9W
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
. The eastern half of US 6 still began at the Connecticut state line east of Brewster.
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 NY 17 (modern NY 17M) between Middletown and Monroe. From Monroe to Brewster, US 6 replaced NY 37. The former routing of US 6 between Port Jervis and Kingston became US 6N. US 6 was realigned again ca. 1934 to bypass the West Point Military Academy to the south. Its former alignment through the grounds became NY 293.
Realignments
US 6 originally followed a more northerly alignment between Shrub Oak and MahopacMahopac, New York
Mahopac, New York, is a hamlet in the Town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York. An exurb of New York City some to the south, Mahopac is located on US Route 6 on the County's southern central border with Westchester County...
that took the route through Mahopac Falls. In the mid-1930s, US 6 was realigned to follow a new highway to the south that went directly between the two locations. The route's former alignment via Mahopac Falls was redesignated as NY 6N ca. 1938. In the early 1950s, construction began on the portion of the Quickway east of Goshen
Goshen (village), New York
Goshen is a village in and the county seat of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
. The Goshen–Chester
Chester (village), New York
Chester is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,445 at the 2000 census. It was named after the City of Chester in England...
and Chester–Harriman
Harriman, New York
Harriman is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 2,252 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
segments of the Quickway were completed in October 1954 and August 1955, respectively. The two segments of highway became part of a realigned US 6 and NY 17 upon opening. The original surface alignment of US 6 became part of 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...
. Plans to construct a highway directly linking Harriman to the south end of NY 293 in Harriman State Park were proposed as early as 1954; however, construction on the road did not begin until the mid-1960s. The highway opened to traffic by 1968 as part of a rerouted US 6.
In the town of Yorktown
Yorktown, New York
Yorktown is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the suburbs of New York about north of midtown Manhattan. The town lies on the north border of Westchester County...
, US 6 was originally routed along East Main Street in the areas around the hamlets of Shrub Oak and Jefferson Valley. At some point between 1968 and 1973, the portion of US 6 between the Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
and Curry Street was moved onto a new two-lane roadway bypassing Jefferson Valley to the south. The segment between Strawberry Road and the parkway was moved onto a new highway bypassing Shrub Oak to the north sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s. The old alignment of US 6 west of NY 6N is now a town-maintained road designated as County Route 1309 by Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
for planning purposes. The segment east of NY 6N became an extension of that route and was realigned slightly to meet US 6 at a 90-degree angle. Around 1993, which was also when the interchange with the Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
was reconstructed, the expressway was widened to a four-lane 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:...
from just west of the intersection with NY 132
New York State Route 132
New York State Route 132 is a long state highway located entirely within the Town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York. The route acts as a connector between U.S. Route 202 and NY 35 in the south and U.S. Route 6 in the north...
to just west of the intersection with NY 6N. Around 2000, the remainder of the expressway, except for a short section between the East Main Street split and Strawberry Road, was expanded into a four-lane divided highway.
NY 6N
Yorktown, New York
Yorktown is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the suburbs of New York about north of midtown Manhattan. The town lies on the north border of Westchester County...
, Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, and Carmel, Putnam County
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
. NY 6N leaves US 6 in the hamlet of Jefferson Valley and rejoins it in the hamlet of Mahopac
Mahopac, New York
Mahopac, New York, is a hamlet in the Town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York. An exurb of New York City some to the south, Mahopac is located on US Route 6 on the County's southern central border with Westchester County...
. The route follows a more northerly routing than US 6 between the two locations to serve Mahopac Falls. It was assigned ca. 1938.
US 6/202 Alternate
Alternate route
An official alternate route is a special route in the United States that provides an alternate alignment for a highway. They are loop roads and found in many road systems in the United States including the U.S. Route system and various state route systems...
of US 6 and US 202
U.S. Route 202 in New York
U.S. Route 202 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from New Castle, Delaware, to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, US 202 extends from the New Jersey state line near Suffern to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster. While most of US 202 is signed...
in southern Putnam County
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
and northern Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. It begins where US 6 and US 202 meet NY 9D
New York State Route 9D
New York State Route 9D , also known as the Bear Mountain – Beacon Highway, is a north–south state highway that runs along the eastern shore of the Hudson River in New York in the United States. It starts at the eastern end of the Bear Mountain Bridge at U.S...
at the eastern foot of the Bear Mountain Bridge
Bear Mountain Bridge
The Bear Mountain Bridge is a toll suspension bridge in New York State, carrying U.S. Highways 202 and 6 across the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester counties...
, and follows NY 9D north to NY 403
New York State Route 403
New York State Route 403 is a short state highway located entirely within Putnam County. It connects NY 9D in Philipstown at its northern/western end to US 9 in Graymoor, where the Appalachian Trail crosses both highways...
in Garrison
Garrison, New York
Garrison is a hamlet in Putnam County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown and is on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the United States Military Academy at West Point...
. From there, it heads south on NY 403 and US 9 to rejoin US 6 and US 202 at the traffic circle north of Peekskill
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
. The route serves as a bypass of the segment of US 6 and US 202 known as Bear Mountain Bridge Road
Bear Mountain Bridge Road
Bear Mountain Bridge Road is a three-mile , two-lane section of US 6/202 from the west approach to Bear Mountain Bridge to a former toll house in the Town of Cortlandt, New York, United States. It winds around the steep, rocky slopes of Anthony's Nose, the southernmost peak of the Hudson Highlands...
, a sharply winding route along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. This bypass is an important route for commercial vehicles which cannot traverse Bear Mountain Bridge Road, though they are permitted to do so.
Major intersections
|-|rowspan=22|Orange
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...
|rowspan=5|Port Jervis
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...
|0.00
|
|Pennsylvania state line at the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
|-
|0.61
|
|Southern terminus of NY 42 and NY 97
|-
|0.86
|
|Eastern terminus of US 6 / US 209 overlap
|-
|1.72
|colspan=2 align="center"|Neversink River
Neversink River
The Neversink River is a tributary of the Delaware River in southeastern New York in the United States...
|-
|2.32
| via CR 15
|
|-
|Deerpark
Deerpark, New York
Deerpark is a town in the western part of Orange County, New York. The population was 7,858 at the 2000 census. As of July 2009, population at 8,524. The center of population of New York is located in Cuddebackville, a hamlet in Deerpark.__toc__...
|
|
|Exit 1 (I-84)
|-
|rowspan=3|Wawayanda
Wawayanda, New York
Wawayanda is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,024 as recorded by the 2006 census.The Town of Wawayanda is in the western part of the county, south of Middletown.-History:...
|14.25
|
|Northern terminus of NY 284
|-
|17.76
|
|Western terminus of US 6 / NY 17M overlap
|-
|18.14
|
|Exit 3 (I-84)
|-
|Town of Goshen
Goshen (town), New York
Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,913 at the 2000 census.The Town of Goshen contains a village also called Goshen, the county seat of Orange County. The town is centrally located in the county....
|22.32
|colspan=2 align="center"|Wallkill River
Wallkill River
The Wallkill River, a tributary of the Hudson, drains Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey, flowing from there generally northeasterly to Rondout Creek in New York, near Rosendale, with the combined flows reaching the Hudson at Kingston....
|-
|rowspan=3|Village of Goshen
Goshen (village), New York
Goshen is a village in and the county seat of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
|22.92
|
|Exit 123 (NY 17); western terminus of US 6 / NY 17 overlap
|-
|23.31
|
|Exit 124 (NY 17); western terminus of NY 17A and NY 207
|-
|23.89
|
|Exit 125 (NY 17); eastern terminus of US 6 / NY 17M overlap
|-
|rowspan=2|Town of Chester
Chester (town), New York
Chester is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,140 at the 2000 census. The town is named after another city in Great Britain...
|27.38
|
|Exit 126 (NY 17)
|-
|29.21
|
|Exit 127 (NY 17)
|-
|Town of Monroe
Monroe (town), New York
Monroe is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 31,407 at the 2000 census. The town is named after President James Monroe....
|32.71
|
|Exit 130 (NY 17)
|-
|rowspan=3|Woodbury
Woodbury, Orange County, New York
Woodbury is a town and village in Orange County, New York, United States. The town population was 9,460 at the 2000 census. The village was incorporated in 2006 and comprises all of the town that is not part of the village of Harriman. The region was once called Woodbury Clove...
|35.67
|
|Exit 130A (NY 17); eastern terminus of US 6 / NY 17 overlap
|-
|36.26
|
|Interchange
|-
|39.31
|
|Southern terminus of NY 293
|-
|rowspan=3|Highlands
Highlands, New York
Highlands is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,484 at the 2000 census.The Town of Highlands is on the eastern border of the county....
|43.37
|
|Long Mountain Circle; western terminus of US 6 / Palisades Parkway overlap
|-
|45.77
|
|Eastern terminus of US 6 / Palisades Parkway overlap; western terminus of US 6 / US 202 overlap; northern terminus of Palisades Parkway
|-
|rowspan=2|46.33
|rowspan=2 colspan=2 align="center"|Bear Mountain Circle
|-
|rowspan=2|Rockland
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
|rowspan=2|Stony Point
Stony Point, New York
Stony Point is a triangle-shaped town in Rockland County, United States. Rockland County is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The town is located north of the town of Haverstraw, east and south of Orange County, New York, and west of the Hudson River and Westchester County. The population...
|-
|rowspan=2|46.58
|rowspan=2 colspan=2 align="center"|Bear Mountain Bridge
Bear Mountain Bridge
The Bear Mountain Bridge is a toll suspension bridge in New York State, carrying U.S. Highways 202 and 6 across the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester counties...
over the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
|-
|rowspan=10|Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
|rowspan=3|Cortlandt
Cortlandt, New York
Cortlandt is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census.The Town of Cortlandt is in the northwest part of the county...
|-
|46.82
|
|Southern terminus of NY 9D
|-
|49.99
|
|Annsville Circle; northern terminus of US 6 / US 9 overlap
|-
|rowspan=3|Peekskill
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
|
|
|Western terminus of Bear Mountain Parkway
|-
|50.72
|
|Western terminus of NY 35; southern terminus of US 6 / US 9 overlap; western terminus of US 6 / NY 35 overlap
|-
|51.57
|
|Eastern terminus of US 6 / US 202 and US 6 / NY 35 overlaps
|-
|Cortlandt
Cortlandt, New York
Cortlandt is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census.The Town of Cortlandt is in the northwest part of the county...
|53.25
|
|Interchange
|-
|rowspan=3|Yorktown
Yorktown, New York
Yorktown is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the suburbs of New York about north of midtown Manhattan. The town lies on the north border of Westchester County...
|57.49
|
|Northern terminus of NY 132
|-
|57.70
|
|Interchange
|-
|59.54
|
|Western terminus of NY 6N
|-
|rowspan=8|Putnam
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
|rowspan=3|Carmel
Carmel, New York
Carmel is a town located in Putnam County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 36,465.There are no incorporated villages in the town, although the hamlets of Carmel and Mahopac each have populations sizable enough to be thought of as villages.The Town of Carmel...
|61.22
|
|Northern terminus of NY 118
|-
|63.66
|
|Hamlet of Mahopac
Mahopac, New York
Mahopac, New York, is a hamlet in the Town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York. An exurb of New York City some to the south, Mahopac is located on US Route 6 on the County's southern central border with Westchester County...
; eastern terminus of NY 6N
|-
|68.95
|
|Eastern terminus of NY 52
|-
|Southeast
Southeast, New York
Southeast is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 17,316 at the 2000 census. The town is in the southeast part of the county. Interstate 84, Interstate 684, US Route 202, and US Route 6 pass through the town.- History :...
|71.18
|
|Western terminus of NY 312
|-
|Brewster
Brewster, New York
Brewster is a village within the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York, United States. Its population was 2,162 at the 2000 census. The village is the most densely populated portion of the town...
|73.93
|
|Western terminus of US 6 / US 202 and US 6 / NY 22 overlaps
|-
|rowspan=3|Southeast
Southeast, New York
Southeast is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 17,316 at the 2000 census. The town is in the southeast part of the county. Interstate 84, Interstate 684, US Route 202, and US Route 6 pass through the town.- History :...
|74.84
|
|Exit 10 (I-684); eastern terminus of US 6 / NY 22 overlap
|-
|75.79
|
|Northern terminus of NY 121
|-
|78.09
|
|Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
state line