Springfield, MO to Port Jervis, NY

[WaMu]

I'm taking a road trip to go see a family member in Port Jervis, NY. I'm going to take the 44 from Springfield all the way up until I get to STL, and take the 70 all the way until I get to Columbus, OH. Go 71 NB until I get to Akron then it changes to 76. Staying on that for the next few miles or so until it changes to 80. 80 all the way through PA until I get to Stroudsburg, taking the 209 Highway Exit before I get to NJ.

I've never actually drove that way before, is there places to see while I'm on my way there?

I'm a noob. Help. 

[Alps]

I hope you don't call it "the 80" by the time you get out here (: There is nothing at all to see in Pennsylvania. You'll be desperately bored.

So, um, something to note - I think US 209 is still closed north of I-80. You'll want to take I-81 north to I-84 east (maps may make it look like I-380 for the first few miles, but they're co-signed) and then exit at US 6/209. Scranton might possibly have something of interest - Central Scranton Expressway is neat for a roadgeek, and you can see PA TURNPIKE 476 shields if you head a short distance north to Clarks Summit (along with a really high I-476 viaduct). There are definitely more things to see in that area, like the old turnpike overlaid by I-380/84 just east of 81, depending on how in-depth you want to get. You could also mosey up the Delaware River and check out some very cool old bridges as you go, like Pond Eddy (seemingly falling apart, yet still there) and Roebling (former canal bridge converted to road use). There's the PA/NY/NJ tripoint marker in a cemetery at the border, accessed off of US 6 in NY - make sure to walk down to river level for a more accurate marker than the one by the parking lot (you have to drive all the way into the cemetery to get there, allow 5 minutes for that). If you like geography, NJ's high point is a short distance from Port Jervis, plus you can fill up for cheap at the border (NJ is very nicely priced right now). That would also let you see the old S-curves of NJ 23, as long as you go in daylight, half-hidden behind the guiderails of the current S-curves. There are some old turnpikes to the east in NY and NJ, still one old button copy sign on the NJ side of US 206 (tolled NB only, not SB, to help you plan), and the old stub of the former US 206 bridge on the PA side, just east of current 206. There's a PA 209 error on US 6/209 EB/NB.

That's for starters, and that's just within a few minutes of your endpoint. On the way back, check out I-180 and/or US 220 in the Williamsport area, maybe. "Do 6" for a little while for a change of pace from the Interstates. If you enjoy driving, check out some curvy state routes in Pennsylvania's north country. Detour up to NY and take NY 17/I-86 west through the mountains, and have a spiedie for lunch in Binghamton. There's too much in Bingo and along old 2-lane NY 17 to list here, so if you like the idea, ask and I'll throw together a second post.

[hbelkins]

So, um, something to note - I think US 209 is still closed north of I-80.

Nope. I drove from Stroudsburg to Milton on 209 when I went up to the Monticello meet last month. All the flood damage has been repaired and the road is open.

[signalman]

So, um, something to note - I think US 209 is still closed north of I-80.

Nope. I drove from Stroudsburg to Milton on 209 when I went up to the Monticello meet last month. All the flood damage has been repaired and the road is open.

Milton?  Did you mean Milford?

[hbelkins]

So, um, something to note - I think US 209 is still closed north of I-80.

Nope. I drove from Stroudsburg to Milton on 209 when I went up to the Monticello meet last month. All the flood damage has been repaired and the road is open.

Milton?  Did you mean Milford?

Yeah. I had just heard something about the Milton-Madison bridge across the Ohio River and had a momentary episode of brain flatulence.

[oscar]

I hope you don't call it "the 80" by the time you get out here (:

Yeah, let's leave that stuff for southern California and other non-eastern places.  (I'm not trying to run down California, which is where I grew up -- just that "the NNN", as applied to route numbers, has its place and it ain't out here.)

[signalman]

So, um, something to note - I think US 209 is still closed north of I-80.

Nope. I drove from Stroudsburg to Milton on 209 when I went up to the Monticello meet last month. All the flood damage has been repaired and the road is open.

Milton?  Did you mean Milford?

Yeah. I had just heard something about the Milton-Madison bridge across the Ohio River and had a momentary episode of brain flatulence.

No problem.  Just making sure there wasn't some town that I was unaware of in PA or NY.  I was really hoping that you meant Milford  :-)

[WaMu]

I hope you don't call it "the 80" by the time you get out here (: There is nothing at all to see in Pennsylvania. You'll be desperately bored.

So, um, something to note - I think US 209 is still closed north of I-80. You'll want to take I-81 north to I-84 east (maps may make it look like I-380 for the first few miles, but they're co-signed) and then exit at US 6/209. Scranton might possibly have something of interest - Central Scranton Expressway is neat for a roadgeek, and you can see PA TURNPIKE 476 shields if you head a short distance north to Clarks Summit (along with a really high I-476 viaduct). There are definitely more things to see in that area, like the old turnpike overlaid by I-380/84 just east of 81, depending on how in-depth you want to get. You could also mosey up the Delaware River and check out some very cool old bridges as you go, like Pond Eddy (seemingly falling apart, yet still there) and Roebling (former canal bridge converted to road use). There's the PA/NY/NJ tripoint marker in a cemetery at the border, accessed off of US 6 in NY - make sure to walk down to river level for a more accurate marker than the one by the parking lot (you have to drive all the way into the cemetery to get there, allow 5 minutes for that). If you like geography, NJ's high point is a short distance from Port Jervis, plus you can fill up for cheap at the border (NJ is very nicely priced right now). That would also let you see the old S-curves of NJ 23, as long as you go in daylight, half-hidden behind the guiderails of the current S-curves. There are some old turnpikes to the east in NY and NJ, still one old button copy sign on the NJ side of US 206 (tolled NB only, not SB, to help you plan), and the old stub of the former US 206 bridge on the PA side, just east of current 206. There's a PA 209 error on US 6/209 EB/NB.

That's for starters, and that's just within a few minutes of your endpoint. On the way back, check out I-180 and/or US 220 in the Williamsport area, maybe. "Do 6" for a little while for a change of pace from the Interstates. If you enjoy driving, check out some curvy state routes in Pennsylvania's north country. Detour up to NY and take NY 17/I-86 west through the mountains, and have a spiedie for lunch in Binghamton. There's too much in Bingo and along old 2-lane NY 17 to list here, so if you like the idea, ask and I'll throw together a second post.

I like that idea, please do.

Sorry about using "the XXX" haha. Lived in Southern California for couple years of my life, it just kind of "stuck" with me.

[Alps]

Binghamton:

I-81/86 (NY 17) interchange and bridge construction northwest of downtown
NY 363: Neat freeway with a wrong-way ramp (traffic is on the left) as you get to the western end. Unfortunately, button copy mostly gone
NY 434: Old NY 17 (Vestal Pkwy.) with even older alignments branching off of it
NY 201: Now a freeway, used to run through the roundabout halfway through
NY 17C: Johnson City concrete gates, old button copy toward the western end

You can check out my New York page for more, but a lot of the old signs have been replaced.

[djsinco]

Even though it is near the terminus of your journey, the Old Mine Road is well worth a ride. The stretch from near Montague, NJ to Columbia, NJ goes through one of the most beautiful and unspoiled parts of NJ. You could do it as a day trip or even a half a day trip from Port Jervis easily.

Lots of info on the web, start at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Mine_Road