Upstate New York routes with letter suffixes

[dgolub]

Upstate New York must be the world capital of state routes with letter suffixes.  I was up in Poughkeepsie and the surrounding areas yesterday (photos to come on GNYR) and was on NY 17K and NY 9G.  There's a whole batch of others up there, NY 17M, NY 9J, NY 9P, etc.  These are some pretty exotic suffixes, as compared to back on Long Island where we just have NY 25A, NY 25B, NY 25C (sort of--it's unsigned), and NY 27A.  I assume that there must be some history behind where these suffixes came from.  Does anyone know anything about them?

[Roadgeek Adam]

Aside of the fact NYSDOT will not use suffixed routes anymore, it is was much more insane at one point, especially due to NY 3 being truncated from WNY.

17: A-M except for I & L (most renumbered)
9: A-X, except for I, O, Q, S, T and U (several decommissioned)
3: A-G, two sets of them for B-G. Three sets for 3A.
31: A-F, most, if not all came to life when 3 was truncated and replaced with 31.
18: A-F, most renumbered at this point.

Those are the main examples, a ton with As and Bs or Ns and Ss.

[vdeane]

They used to be NYSDOT's system of "spur routes".  A is sometimes used as "alternate".  The others are used on a mostly alphabetical basis.  I like them, but NYSDOT figured out that spur routes are kinda weird when there's no route numbering system and 899 numbers available.

[dgolub]

I wondered if it might be something like that.  Do you have a source for this information?  I'd love to document it.  The earliest list I was able to get from NYSDOT was from 1970, which doesn't go far enough back.

[vdeane]

Wikipedia has very good histories of route numbering in NY, including the 1930s renumbering that was the grandfather of the current system.  My notes are just general observation.  The New York Routes sit on Gribblenation has a lot of the old routes as well.

[machias]

US 20SY would probably really blow your mind.

[hotdogPi]

Not quite as much as New York, but New Hampshire has 11 A-D and 101E.

And THREE 111A: Why couldn't they just be 111A, 111B, and 111C?



Is this post in binary?

[xcellntbuy]

Some of the NY 9-x suffix routes are partly associated with the areas or histories of the area.  NY 9D would be "Dutchess" County or "downstate" relative to Albany.  NY 9D does stretch into Putnam and Westchester Counties and is a stunning ride between Cold Spring and the Bear Mountain Bridge.

NY 9G would be associated with the settlement of large numbers of German immigrants who first inhabited the area that became the Town of Germantown in Columbia County as early as 1714, if I remember by New York State blue and yellow historical sign correctly, posted at Sharp's Landing.

NY 9H would be a "Hudson" bypass to the "Hudson Valley."  NY 9H is a VERY old road, as it was the original Albany-New York Post Road from colonial times.

NY 9J is another very old road, dating from the days when it was called the Farmers' Turnpike in 1802.  It is a toughy, but it may have to do with the shape of the letter "J" driving through the old Hudson River stop of Newton Hook or, Nutten Hoek, in the old Dutch colonial days.

NY 9L is associated with eastern side scenic route from Lake George to Glens Falls.

NY 9N is for "North Country" where the Adirondack Mountains predominate and many of the roads sparkle like diamonds in the sunshine, especially on new pavement.  NY 28N could mean the same thing being in the North Country.

NY 9P may be associated with its proximity to Saratoga Springs parks, spas and its famous horse-racing track.

NY 9R is so short a route, I cannot imagine any possibilities at this time.

[NE2]

Some of the NY 9-x suffix routes are partly associated with the areas or histories of the area.

This is snark, right? 9A to 9N were pretty obviously assigned in 1930 in alphabetical order from south to north. (Except 9B - I don't know where that was originally.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_9_in_New_York#Suffixed_routes

[vdeane]

NY 9N starts significantly south of the North Country; NY 28N probably just means "north", since it's essentially a northern alignment of NY 28.

[Alps]

Some of the NY 9-x suffix routes are partly associated with the areas or histories of the area.

This is snark, right? 9A to 9N were pretty obviously assigned in 1930 in alphabetical order from south to north. (Except 9B - I don't know where that was originally.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_9_in_New_York#Suffixed_routes

ISTR that 9B was absorbed into an extended 9A.

[Dougtone]

NY 9R is the Pirate's Highway, or even the German Pirate's Highway.  No, I can't take credit for either.

[empirestate]

NY 9N starts significantly south of the North Country; NY 28N probably just means "north", since it's essentially a northern alignment of NY 28.

9N absorbed an older route, 9K if I recall correctly, with now forms its southern half.

Some of the NY 9-x suffix routes are partly associated with the areas or histories of the area.

This is snark, right? 9A to 9N were pretty obviously assigned in 1930 in alphabetical order from south to north. (Except 9B - I don't know where that was originally.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_9_in_New_York#Suffixed_routes

No question they were assigned geographically, but the mnemonic associations with the letters are a nice added touch. Now let's see someone tackle NY 17's suffixes from that perspective!

[machias]

I always thought that some of the NY 17 suffixed routes were based on destination... NY 17E to Elmira, NY 17J to Jamestown, NY 17M to Middletown, etc.

[NE2]

I always thought that some of the NY 17 suffixed routes were based on destination... NY 17E to Elmira, NY 17J to Jamestown, NY 17M to Middletown, etc.

That too is coincidence (except perhaps 17M). In 1930 you had 17A to 17J increasing from east to west. Sorry to spoil your fun.

[dgolub]

I always thought that some of the NY 17 suffixed routes were based on destination... NY 17E to Elmira, NY 17J to Jamestown, NY 17M to Middletown, etc.

That too is coincidence (except perhaps 17M). In 1930 you had 17A to 17J increasing from east to west. Sorry to spoil your fun.

Yeah, I don't think it would work with NY 17K.

[machias]

Well at the very least, we know why US 20SY was suffixed as US 20SY.

[WNYroadgeek]

The only suffixed route that I know offhand that has an actual meaning is NY 5S, as it runs south of the Mohawk River (whereas NY 5 runs north of it).

[dgolub]

The only suffixed route that I know offhand that has an actual meaning is NY 5S, as it runs south of the Mohawk River (whereas NY 5 runs north of it).

There's also NY 6N, which runs to the north of US 6.

[vdeane]

Also NY 28N.  NY 31A and NY3A both function as "alternate", as does NY 11A.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Also NY 28N.  NY 31A and NY3A both function as "alternate", as does NY 11A.

NY 31A was assigned with the others when 3 was truncated. So really, I'm not calling that an alternate.

[empirestate]

Also NY 28N.  NY 31A and NY3A both function as "alternate", as does NY 11A.

NY 31A was assigned with the others when 3 was truncated. So really, I'm not calling that an alternate.

It's a coincidental remnant; NY 31E is just as nearby and just as alternate as NY 31A. Now, I have always considered NY 31F to refer to "Fairport", but now I suppose that's equally a coincidence.

There was also NY 33B in "Buffalo"...but NY 33A in Rochester (still).

[vdeane]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention NY 33A... even if not intended, they still function as "alternate" fairly well.

Of course, US 20A really does mean alternate.

NY 31F is just plain weird, seeing as it has to multiplex with NY 350 to meet NY 31 at all.  And there's former NY 252A, which did not intersect NY 252 at all.

[NE2]

And there's former NY 252A, which did not intersect NY 252 at all.

WV 27 Alternate (signed with banners) never meets WV 27.

[Alps]

1X... and no 1W?