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149-474: Mount Albion Cemetery is located on New York State Route 31 in the Town of Albion , New York, United States, east of the village of Albion , which owns and operates it. It is a rural cemetery established in the 1840s on a glacial drumlin . From its original 25 acres (10 ha), it has almost tripled in size. Graves are on terraces in the rolling terrain. Tall trees, including some locally rare species, maintain

298-626: A $ 17.5 million project to either demolish or rehabilitate the Broad Street bridge between Brown Street and Exchange Boulevard ( NY 383 ). As part of the project, the section of the bridge between Brown and West Main Streets would be removed—allowing for the canal bed to be filled in and the road to be rebuilt—while the segment between West Main Street and Exchange Boulevard would be rehabilitated. The portion of Broad Street between Allen and Main Streets

447-466: A canal across New York in the first decade of the 19th century. Shipping goods west from Albany was a costly and tedious affair; there was no railroad yet, and to cover the distance from Buffalo to New York City by stagecoach took two weeks. The problem was that the land rises about 600 feet (180 m) from the Hudson to Lake Erie. Locks at the time could handle up to 12 feet (3.7 m) of lift, so even with

596-740: A canal could cut transport costs by about 95 percent. In the early years of the United States, transportation of goods between the coastal ports and the interior was slow and difficult. Close to the seacoast, rivers provided easy inland transport up to the fall line , since floating vessels encounter much less friction than land vehicles. However, the Appalachian Mountains were a great obstacle to further transportation or settlement, stretching 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from Maine to Alabama , with just five places where mule trains or wagon roads could be routed. Passengers and freight bound for

745-587: A committee to secure the removal of veterans from the potter's field within Mt. Albion Cemetery to the veterans lot. The local GAR posts assisted in relocated ten other bodies to the lot by November 9, 1887 while securing new headstones for each veteran. On May 28, 1885, a flag pole and cannon were dedicated on the site. The M1841 six pounder bronze howitzer was cast by the Ames Foundry at Springfield, Massachusetts and inspected by Capt. William Maynadier, ordinance inspector at

894-478: A cul-de-sac for the residences in the area. NYSDOT projects that the job would be completed by the end of 2018. NY 31 has had as many as eight suffixed routes using six different designations; all but three have been eliminated or renumbered. Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie . Completed in 1825,

1043-624: A deeply cut channel. The final leg had to be cut 30 feet (9.1 m) deep through another limestone mass, the Onondaga ridge . Much of that section was blasted with black powder , and the inexperience of the crews often led to accidents, and sometimes to rocks falling on nearby homes. Two villages competed to be the terminus: Black Rock , on the Niagara River , and Buffalo, at the eastern tip of Lake Erie. Buffalo expended great energy to widen and deepen Buffalo Creek to make it navigable and to create

1192-698: A harbor at its mouth. Buffalo won over Black Rock, and grew into a large city, eventually encompassing its former rival. In 1824, before the canal was completed, a detailed Pocket Guide for the Tourist and Traveler, Along the Line of the Canals, and the Interior Commerce of the State of New York , was published for the benefit of travelers and land speculators. The entire canal was officially completed on October 26, 1825. The event

1341-518: A highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. In return, the state acquired a pair of county roads that followed a routing parallel to that of the transferred section of NY 234. The new state highways and the remainder of NY 234 became an extension of NY 31. Most of NY 31 is owned by the state of New York and maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT); however, some sections of

1490-606: A lesser degree, related rivers, a large part of the continent's interior (and many settlements) would be made well connected to the Eastern seaboard. Among the first attempts made by European colonists to improve upon the future state's navigable waterways was the construction in 1702 of the Wood Creek Carry, or Oneida Carry a short portage road connecting Wood Creek to the Mohawk River near modern-day Rome, New York . However,

1639-529: A parklike atmosphere. Its notable monuments include a local Civil War memorial, a chapel and entrance arch. The dead buried there include Rufus Bullock , the first Republican Governor of Georgia and nine congressmen from two other states beside New York. In 1976 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district . It was the first property in Orleans County listed on

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1788-679: A partial renumbering of the legislative route system. Among these was Route 30, which was modified to follow Ridge Road instead between Ridgeway and Rochester. Its former routing from Medina eastward and the Lockport spur of Route 30 mostly became part of an extended Route 20, which now began in North Tonawanda and followed modern NY 425 and Lower Mountain, Gothic Hill, and Upper Mountain Roads north and east through Cambria Center to Lockport. From Middleport to Medina, however, Route 20

1937-728: A point in the Montezuma Marsh . There the Cayuga and Seneca Canal continued south with the Seneca River, and the new Erie Canal again ran parallel to the old canal along the bottom of the Niagara Escarpment, in some places running along the Clyde River, and in some places replacing the old canal. At Pittsford , southeast of Rochester, the canal turned west to run around the south side of Rochester, rather than through downtown. The canal crosses

2086-453: A public address by Daniel Cady, Esq. Oversight of the cemetery fell under the responsibility of the village president and board of trustees while lot owners were tasked with caring for and improving their graves. In 1862, after nearly two decades of poor upkeep and minimal improvements, the village board of trustees appointed three commissioners to oversee the cemetery; Lorenzo Burrows, Lemuel C. Paine, and Henry J. Sickels. Upon their appointment,

2235-461: A scraper and a plow, a three-man team with oxen, horses and mules could build a mile in a year. The remaining problem was finding labor; increased immigration helped fill the need. Many of the laborers working on the canal were Irish , who had recently come to the United States as a group of about 5,000. Most of them were Roman Catholic, a religion that raised much suspicion in early America because of its hierarchic structure, and many laborers on

2384-535: A short distance between NY 31A and NY 31E in Medina. At NY 31E, NY 31 separates from NY 63, following the path of NY 31E east out of the village. 10 miles (16 km) to the east, NY 31 crosses NY 98 in Albion . Midway between Albion and Holley , NY 31 intersects the southern end of NY 387 . NY 31 continues to the southeast, entering Holley and intersecting NY 237 in

2533-518: A shorter canal from Lake Ontario . The proposal drew attention and some action but was never implemented. Jesse Hawley had envisioned encouraging the growing of large quantities of grain on the western New York plains (then largely unsettled) for sale on the Eastern seaboard . However, he went bankrupt trying to ship grain to the coast. While in Canandaigua debtors' prison , Hawley began pressing for

2682-410: A slate roof and iron gates. A short distance south is a small parking lot and sandstone chapel, a Gothic building with steep gabled roof shingled in slate. Atop the hill in the southeast quadrant is the cylindrical 58-foot-foot high (18 m) Soldiers and Sailors Monument, also of red ("Medina") sandstone. A pointed-arched door on the north side opens to a spiral staircase climbing to the overlook at

2831-421: A slightly different routing. It initially exited the village on Clinton Road and followed that road to Jordan, where NY 31 turned north and followed modern NY 317 and NY 31 north and east to modern CR 84. NY 31 turned north here, using what is now Old Route 31, current NY 31, and Downer Street to reach Baldwinsville . Within the village, NY 31 followed Downer Street and what

2980-409: A walkway known as a towpath . Its construction, through limestone and mountains, proved a daunting task. To move earth, animals pulled a "slip scraper" (similar to a bulldozer ). The sides of the canal were lined with stone set in clay, and the bottom was also lined with clay. The Canal was built by Irish laborers and German stonemasons. All labor on the canal depended upon human and animal power or

3129-564: Is now NY 48 along Syracuse Street between Downer and Genesee Streets. Outside of Baldwinsville, NY 31 remained on its current routing to Cicero , where it followed a more northerly alignment along Lakeshore Road. It rejoined its modern alignment near the eastern town line, and followed it east to what is now NY 316 in Lenox . From here, NY 31 went southeastward to NY 5 in Oneida by way of modern NY 316 and NY 46 . In

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3278-721: Is now NY 31 from NY 365 in Verona to NY 5 in Vernon became part of NY 234 c.  1932 . The new north–south highway continued south to NY 26 in Vernon Center by way of NY 5 and Churton and Youngs Roads. Also around this time, NY 3 was realigned between Shawnee and Lockport to use Saunders Settlement Road. US 104 , meanwhile, was assigned c.  1935 , following Ridge Road from Niagara Falls east to Maple View in Oswego County . The assignment of

3427-473: Is now NY 31 in the latter location and proceeded eastward on roughly current NY 31 to the Rochester city line. In the vicinity of Brockport , however, Route 30 was routed on West Avenue and modern NY 19 instead. From the southeastern city line to NY 96 in the village of Pittsford , Monroe Avenue (modern NY 31) was part of Route 14, which turned south onto South Main Street in

3576-584: Is now re-watered and again accessible by boats. With several miles of the Canal inland of this location still lying under 20th-century fill and urban construction, the effective western navigable terminus of the Erie Canal is found at Tonawanda. The new alignment began on the Hudson River at the border between Cohoes and Waterford , where it ran northwest with five locks (the so-called " Waterford Flight "), running into

3725-529: The Appalachian Mountains , separating them from the geologically distinct Adirondacks to the north. The Mohawk and Hudson valleys form the only cut across the Appalachians north of Alabama . A navigable canal through the Mohawk Valley would allow an almost complete water route from New York City in the south to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in the west. Via the canal and these lakes, other Great Lakes, and to

3874-462: The Capital Region and west to Buffalo. The area has a population of 2.7 million; about 75% of Central and Western New York's population lives within 25 miles (40 km) of the Erie Canal. There were some 42 commercial shipments on the canal in 2008, compared to 15 such shipments in 2007 and more than 33,000 shipments in 1855, the canal's peak year. The new growth in commercial traffic is due to

4023-548: The Erie Canal , Marvin Porter, was hired to design the landscape in the eastern, oldest portion of the cemetery. To cover the initial cost of the land, lots were sold at auction where wealthy citizens purchased graves on prominent locations overlooking the main entrance to the cemetery; Lorenzo Burrows purchased lot number one. The cemetery was dedicated on September 7, 1843 in the presence of thousands of local residents who listened to

4172-515: The Falls Road Railroad crossing in the village center and ends at Center Street ( NY 31E ). The portion in Newark, meanwhile, extends from Mason Street (one block west of NY 88 ) to the eastern village line. As of 2009, the most heavily trafficked segments of NY 31 lie in and around the city of Rochester. The busiest of these, from Interstate 590 (I-590) to NY 65 in

4321-683: The Genesee River and continuing on Main Street to Monroe Avenue, which, at the time, connected directly with Main Street. NY 31 turned right on Monroe Avenue, rejoining its present alignment of NY 31 near Union Street. East of Rochester, NY 31 continued eastward to Jordan, utilizing the Rochester–Pittsford portion of legislative Route 14, the Perinton –Jordan segment of Route 20, and its current alignment between Pittsford and Perinton. From Weedsport to Jordan, NY 31 used

4470-507: The Genesee River at the Genesee Valley Park , then rejoins the old path near North Gates . From there it was again roughly an upgrade to the original canal, running west to Lockport. This reach of 64.2 miles (103.3 km) from Henrietta to Lockport is called "the 60‑mile level" since there are no locks and the water level rises only two feet (0.61 m) over the entire segment. Diversions from and to adjacent natural streams along

4619-688: The Maryland arsenal. By 1894 the cemetery had reached its present size. As it expanded, the park-like atmosphere was maintained. The rises were terraced with the dells between them kept flat. Trees and shrubs similar to those in the eastern half were planted, some in an orchard. Further park amenities, such as the 1908 pond and the Ingersoll Memorial Fountain in front of the chapel in 1914, were added. A number of politicians, from New York and other states, are buried at Mount Albion. New York State Route 31 Much of NY 31 west of Jordan

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4768-522: The New York Central Railroad and its Auburn Road in 1853) was open the whole way to Buffalo. As the railroad served the same general route as the canal, but provided for faster travel, passengers soon switched to it. However, as late as 1852, the canal carried thirteen times more freight tonnage than all the railroads in New York State combined. The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway

4917-638: The New York State Barge Canal began, which was completed in 1918, at a cost of $ 96.7 million. This new canal replaced much of the original route, leaving many abandoned sections (most notably between Syracuse and Rome). New digging and flood control technologies allowed engineers to canalize rivers that the original canal had sought to avoid, such as the Mohawk, Seneca , and Clyde rivers, and Oneida Lake. In sections that did not consist of canalized rivers (particularly between Rochester and Buffalo),

5066-476: The Niagara Escarpment , an 80-foot (24 m)-high wall of hard dolomitic limestone . The route followed the channel of a creek that had cut a ravine steeply down the escarpment. The construction and operation of two sets of five locks along a 3-mile (4.8 km) corridor soon gave rise to the community of Lockport . The 12-foot (3.7 m) lift-locks had a total lift of 60 feet (18 m), exiting into

5215-588: The Niagara Falls city line (delimited by modern NY 61 ) and followed current NY 31 east to Sanborn , where it turned north onto modern NY 429 . The route followed current NY 429 to Ridge Road in Porter , at which point it turned to follow Ridge Road eastward to what is now NY 63 in Ridgeway . Route 30 went south here, utilizing modern NY 63 between Ridgeway and Medina. It rejoined what

5364-659: The Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant reservoir. At the intersection, NY 31 becomes Saunders Settlement Road, a name it retains for almost 15 miles (24 km). Continuing through Niagara County , NY 31 passes the south end of the Tuscarora Indian Reservation ahead of a brief overlap with NY 429 . Past the east end of the concurrency, NY 429 travels north toward NY 104 while NY 31 continues east past Niagara County Community College to an intersection with NY 425 ,

5513-477: The Rochester Subway while a 4,000-foot (1,219 m) bridge was built over the bed to carry a new street named Broad Street. None of Broad Street was initially part of NY 31, however; when NY 31 replaced NY 3 west of Rochester c.  1935 , it entered the city by way of NY 3's old routing on Lyell Avenue and rejoined its original alignment at State Street. In the late 1930s, NY 31

5662-659: The Waterford Flight , the steepest locks in the United States. When leaving the canal, boats must also traverse the Black Rock Lock to reach Lake Erie or the Troy Federal Lock to reach the tidal Hudson. The overall elevation difference is about 565 feet (172 m). The Erie's peak year was 1855, when 33,000 commercial shipments took place. It continued to be competitive with railroads until about 1902, when tolls were abolished. Commercial traffic declined heavily in

5811-492: The village of Pittsford . Just inside the village limits, NY 31 crosses the Erie Canal once more and intersects the West Shore Subdivision at-grade. In the village center, NY 31 intersects NY 96 . East of NY 96, the route crosses over the Erie Canal once again and exits the village. Outside of the village, NY 31 parallels I-490 for a short distance across slightly open areas before connecting to

5960-452: The village of the same name within, where NY 31 intersects NY 5 . NY 31 joins NY 5, following the route eastward for about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) out of the village to Stuhlman Road. Here, NY 31 splits from NY 5 and follows Stuhlman Road southward, passing to the east of Vernon Downs before intersecting Youngs Road. Stuhlman Road ends here; however, NY 31 turns eastward onto Youngs Road, following it into

6109-671: The 1920s. The Genesee Valley Canal was run along the Genesee River to connect with the Allegheny River at Olean , but the Allegheny section, which would have connected to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, was never built. The Genesee Valley Canal was later abandoned and became the route of the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad . The original design planned for an annual tonnage of 1.5 million tons (1.36 million metric tons), but this

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6258-568: The 363-mile (584 km) canal was the second-longest in the world after the Grand Canal in China . Initially 40 feet (12 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, the canal was expanded several times, most notably from 1905 to 1918 when the "Barge Canal" was built and over half the original route was abandoned. The modern Barge Canal measures 351 miles (565 km) long, 120 feet (37 m) wide, and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep. It has 34 locks , including

6407-631: The Erie Canal into a system. These included the Cayuga-Seneca Canal south to the Finger Lakes , the Oswego Canal from Three Rivers north to Lake Ontario at Oswego , and the Champlain Canal from Troy north to Lake Champlain. From 1833 to 1877, the short Crooked Lake Canal connected Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake . The Chemung Canal connected the south end of Seneca Lake to Elmira in 1833, and

6556-458: The Erie Canal is quite different from the nineteenth-century Erie Canal. More than half of the original Erie Canal was destroyed or abandoned during construction of the New York State Barge Canal in the early 20th century. The sections of the original route remaining in use were widened significantly, mostly west of Syracuse, with bridges rebuilt and locks replaced. It was called the Barge Canal at

6705-465: The Erie Canal once again. NY 31 follows Lyell Avenue through the city to West Broad Street, where it turns to follow Broad Street southeastward past Rochester Community Sports Complex Stadium . It heads onward toward a pair of overpasses, one carrying I-490 and another holding the CSX Transportation -owned Rochester Subdivision . NY 31 continues under both, following the former path of

6854-404: The Erie Canal southeast through the city to the eastern terminus of NY 33 at West Main Street. NY 31 follows West Main Street to the east, passing under I-490 once again before breaking from Main Street and occupying East Broad Street. The street proceeds to the east, passing through the commercial heart of the city. Just east of Exchange Boulevard, the northern terminus of NY 383 ,

7003-587: The Erie Canal. At Clyde , NY 31 briefly overlaps NY 414 in the center of the village. Outside of Clyde, the Erie Canal veers off to the southeast while NY 31 continues east alongside the Rochester Subdivision to the hamlet of Savannah , the final centralized community within Wayne County. Here, NY 31 intersects NY 89 and follows it southward toward the Seneca County line. At

7152-594: The Erie as part of the Great Loop . The canal has also become a tourist attraction in its own right—several parks and museums are dedicated to its history. The New York State Canalway Trail is a popular cycling path that follows the canal across the state. In 2000, Congress designated the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor to protect and promote the system. The waterway today referred to as

7301-516: The Fourth Section Road segment still read "31A". The former routing of NY 31 into Brockport became NY 943B , an unsigned reference route , and later also became part of NY 19 Truck . The Redman Road portion of NY 31, meanwhile, was initially maintained by Monroe County as part of CR 236 . In 2007, ownership and maintenance of the Redman Road segment of NY 31

7450-492: The Genesee River near Rochester. The former ultimately required building the 1,320-foot (400 m) long "Great Embankment", to carry the canal at a height of 76 feet (23 m) above the level of the creek, which ran through a 245-foot (75 m) culvert underneath. The canal crossed the river on a stone aqueduct, 802 feet (244 m) long and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, supported by 11 arches. In 1823 construction reached

7599-514: The Hudson River to the Great Lakes was first proposed in the 1780s, but a formal survey was not conducted until 1808. The New York State Legislature authorized construction in 1817. Political opponents of the canal (referencing its lead supporter New York Governor DeWitt Clinton ) denigrated the project as "Clinton's Folly" and "Clinton's Big Ditch". Nonetheless, the canal saw quick success upon opening on October 26, 1825, with toll revenue covering

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7748-407: The Mohawk River east of Crescent . The Waterford Flight is claimed to be one of the steepest series of locks in the world. While the old Canal ran next to the Mohawk all the way to Rome, the new canal ran through the river, which was straightened or widened where necessary. At Ilion , the new canal left the river for good, but continued to run on a new alignment parallel to both the river and

7897-547: The New York State Canal System as a whole was used to ship 42,000 tons of cargo. Travel on the canal's middle section (particularly in the Mohawk Valley) was severely hampered by flooding in late June and early July 2006. Flood damage to the canal and its facilities was estimated as at least $ 15 million. The Erie made use of the favorable conditions of New York's unique topography, which provided that area with

8046-643: The Register, and is so far the only one in the Town of Albion. The cemetery is a 70-acre (28 ha) rectangular parcel on the south side of Route 31 between the Butts and Keitel Road intersections, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the village of Albion. Its terrain is gently rolling, dominated by a 680-foot (210 m) hill in the southeast quadrant. The area is rural, with the cemetery's sandstone office and barn located opposite its main entrance, near another smaller cemetery across

8195-415: The Rochester suburbs end as the route heads eastward through the mostly rural town of Macedon to the village of Macedon . Prior to exiting the village, NY 31 meets the southern terminus of NY 350 and the eastern terminus of NY 31F . The highway continues on, exiting the village and proceeding eastward through the town of Macedon, bordered by the Erie Canal to the north and Ganargua Creek to

8344-415: The Thruway are joined by the CSX Rochester Subdivision mainline, which runs down the center of the strip of land created by the Thruway to the north and NY 31 to the south. Continuing into Onondaga County and the village of Jordan , NY 31 begins to make a turn northward while connecting to the northern end of NY 317 (the former northern terminus of NY 31C ) a short distance north of

8493-420: The United States. James Geddes and Benjamin Wright , who laid out the route, were judges whose experience in surveying was in settling boundary disputes . Geddes had only used a surveying instrument for a few hours before his work on the Canal. Canvass White was a 27-year-old amateur engineer who persuaded Clinton to let him go to Britain at his own expense to study the canal system there. Nathan Roberts

8642-415: The Waters". On its return trip, Seneca Chief brought back a keg of Atlantic Ocean water, which was poured into Lake Erie by Buffalo's Judge Samuel Wilkeson , who would later become mayor. The Erie Canal was thus completed in eight years at a total length of 353 miles (568 km) and cost $ 7.143 million (equivalent to $ 192 million in 2023). It was acclaimed as an engineering marvel that united

8791-407: The West would enjoy economic success, and the port at the seaward end of such a route would see business increase greatly. In time, projects were devised in Virginia , Maryland , Pennsylvania , and relatively deep into the coastal states. The Mohawk River (a tributary of the Hudson River ) rises near Lake Ontario and runs in a glacial meltwater channel just north of the Catskill range of

8940-426: The abandonment of short segments of the original 1825 canal. The First Enlargement was completed in 1862, with further minor enlargements in later decades. The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad opened in 1837, providing a bypass to the slowest part of the canal between Albany and Schenectady. Other railroads were soon chartered and built to continue the line west to Buffalo, and in 1842 a continuous line (which later became

9089-592: The area, however, follows one block of Woodbury Boulevard and two blocks of South Clinton Avenue to reach East Broad Street. At the Inner Loop , Chestnut Street becomes Monroe Avenue, the name NY 31 retains to Pittsford . Over this stretch, NY 31 maintains a constant southeasterly progression as it passes through southeastern Rochester and the town of Brighton . As the route exits downtown Rochester, it intersects I-490 at exit 18. The route continues onward, passing Cobbs Hill Park and entering Brighton, where it traverses areas more commercial in nature and meets

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9238-560: The bridge supports were largely built with concrete while the supports on the section between Brown Street and West Main Street were mostly built with steel. Unlike the concrete supports, the steel supports flexed throughout the year, creating holes and gaps in the pavement on the deck above. The city of Rochester, which owns and maintains the section of NY 31 within the city, closed the outer northbound lane of West Broad Street (westbound NY 31) between Brown and Main Streets in June 2008 for this reason. In February 2010, work began on

9387-405: The canal suffered violent assault as the result of misjudgment and xenophobia . Construction continued at an increased rate as new workers arrived. When the canal reached Montezuma Marsh (at the outlet of Cayuga Lake west of Syracuse ), it was rumored that over 1,000 workers died of "swamp fever" (malaria), and construction was temporarily stopped. However, recent research has revealed that

9536-423: The canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes , vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians . The Erie Canal accelerated the settlement of the Great Lakes region , the westward expansion of the United States, and the economic ascendancy of New York state . It has been called "The Nation's First Superhighway ." A canal from

9685-420: The canal would not be finished for 30 years. The main delays were caused by felling trees to clear a path through virgin forest and moving excavated soil, which took longer than expected, but the builders devised ways to solve these problems. To fell a tree, they threw rope over the top branches and winched it down. They pulled out the stumps with an innovative stump puller . Two huge wheels were mounted loose on

9834-557: The center of Pittsford. Lastly, the segment what is now NY 31 between current NY 31F and NY 350 in the village of Macedon and NY 317 in Jordan was part of Route 20. Two spur routes were added to the definition of Route 30 in 1914. One of these, a route connecting Lockport to Medina, utilized what is now NY 31 from the Lockport city line to NY 77 and from Gasport Road in Gasport to Medina (via modern NY 31E ). On March 1, 1921, several routes were altered or eliminated as part of

9983-438: The center of the community. Outside of Spencerport, NY 31 becomes Spencerport Road as it heads eastward into the town of Gates . The route heads past residential neighborhoods to the north and mostly undeveloped land to the south as it enters the hamlet of Elmgrove, built up around NY 31's junction with NY 386 . Not far to the east, NY 31 enters North Gates , a densely populated residential community near

10132-409: The channel of Tonawanda Creek . From the Tonawanda south toward Buffalo, it ran just east of the Niagara River, where it reached its "Western Terminus" at Little Buffalo Creek (later it became the Commercial Slip ), which discharged into the Buffalo River just above its confluence with Lake Erie . With Buffalo's re-excavation of the Commercial Slip, completed in 2008, the Canal's original terminus

10281-491: The charter, the committee redrafted the entire document, which was passed by the New York State Legislature on April 1, 1842. Soon after, the citizens of Albion selected Lorenzo Burrows and Alexis Ward to locate a parcel of land on which a new municipal cemetery could be established. A suitable location sitting on 25 acres of forested hills and rolling meadows atop a sandy drumlin were selected and purchased for $ 40 per acre from Jacob Annis and Lyman O. Patterson. A former engineer on

10430-542: The city. While NY 77 continues along the right-of-way of NY 31, NY 31 exits, following a northeasterly alignment through Gasport to Middleport , where it acts as the western and southern terminus of NY 31E and NY 271 , respectively. Just east of town, NY 31 crosses the first of nine county lines along its routing, entering Orleans County . At an intersection south of Medina , NY 31A branches off, continuing straight from NY 31 while NY 31 turns north to overlap NY 63 for

10579-411: The coast. Frequently it was not worth the cost of transporting it to far-away population centers. This was a factor leading to farmers in the west turning their grains into whiskey for easier transport and higher sales, and later the Whiskey Rebellion . In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it became clear to coastal residents that the city or state that succeeded in developing a cheap, reliable route to

10728-503: The commissioners hired the cemetery's first caretaker, Michael Hanley, who was responsible for maintaining the cemetery grounds. In 1874 and additional 13.5 acres were added to the west of the original cemetery boundary and a rudimentary receiving vault was added. The following year, the Gothic Revival cemetery chapel was constructed of locally quarried Medina Sandstone at a cost of $ 3,000 by A. Harris and R. Romp. The structure's design

10877-511: The construction of a canal along the 90-mile-long (140 km) Mohawk River valley with support from Joseph Ellicott (agent for the Holland Land Company in Batavia ). Ellicott realized that a canal would add value to the land he was selling in the western part of the state. He later became the first canal commissioner. New York legislators became interested in the possibility of building

11026-411: The country and helped New York City develop as an international trade center. Problems developed but were quickly solved. Leaks developed along the entire length of the canal, but these were sealed using cement that hardened underwater ( hydraulic cement ). Erosion on the clay bottom proved to be a problem and the speed was limited to 4 mph (6.4 km/h). Additional feeder canals soon extended

11175-532: The county line, NY 89 turns west to follow the county line while NY 31 heads southeast into Seneca County. The route proceeds across the northeasternmost corner of the county before crossing into Cayuga County via a bridge over the Erie Canal after just 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Shortly after entering Cayuga County, NY 31 crosses and begins to parallel the New York State Thruway ( I-90 ), which NY 31 does for most of its routing west of

11324-558: The creation of the "Western and Northern Inland Lock Navigation Companies" in 1792, which took the first steps to improve navigation on the Mohawk and construct a canal between the Mohawk and Lake Ontario, but it was soon discovered that private financing was insufficient. Christopher Colles , who was familiar with the Bridgewater Canal, surveyed the Mohawk Valley, and made a presentation to the New York state legislature in 1784, proposing

11473-452: The death toll was likely much lower, as no contemporary reports mention significant worker mortality, and mass graves from the period have never been found in the area. Work continued on the downhill side towards the Hudson, and the crews worked on the section across the swampland when it froze in winter. The middle section from Utica to Salina (Syracuse) was completed in 1820, and traffic on that section started up immediately. Expansion to

11622-434: The early 1940s, moving the eastern terminus of NY 31 to the same junction that also had served as the northern terminus of New York State Route 234 , a north–south route that extended southeastward to Vernon Center, since the early 1930s. The two routes continued to share a terminus until 1981, when ownership and maintenance of part of NY 234 was transferred from the state of New York to Oneida County as part of

11771-425: The east and west proceeded simultaneously, and the whole eastern section, 250 miles (400 km) from Brockport to Albany, opened on September 10, 1823, to great fanfare. The Champlain Canal , a separate but connected 64-mile (103 km) north–south route from Watervliet on the Hudson to Lake Champlain , opened on the same date. After Montezuma Marsh, the next difficulties were crossing Irondequoit Creek and

11920-632: The eastern suburb of Brighton , carries in excess of 40,000 vehicles per day on average . Two other segments—between South and Woodbury Avenues in downtown Rochester and from NY 65 to French Road in Brighton and Pittsford —have traffic volumes in excess of 30,000 vehicles. On the other hand, the portion of NY 31 in the Oneida County town of Vernon between the Vernon Downs racetrack and Youngs Road handles just 910 cars per day on average, making it

12069-402: The end of the exit ramp. Together, NY 31 and 370 enter Baldwinsville, intersecting NY 48 in the village center. Three blocks from NY 48, NY 370 splits from NY 31. As NY 370 heads for downtown Syracuse , NY 31 continues east, overlapping NY 631 for a short distance before passing through Lysander New Community and crossing the Seneca River again. Now in

12218-421: The ends of an axle. A third wheel, slightly smaller than the others, was fixed to the center of the axle. A chain was wrapped around the axle and hooked to the stump. A rope was wrapped around the center wheel and hooked to a team of oxen. The mechanical advantage (torque) obtained ripped the stumps out of the soil. Soil to be moved was shoveled into large wheelbarrows that were dumped into mule-pulled carts. Using

12367-457: The final state route that NY 31 intersects before entering the Lockport area. West of Lockport, NY 31 crosses NY 270 and NY 93 . Continuing into the city, NY 31 meets NY 78 (Transit Road) at an intersection partially located over the Erie Canal . NY 31 heads eastward through Lockport, intersecting the northern terminus of NY 77 at the eastern edge of

12516-508: The first documented instance of the idea of a canal to tie the East Coast to the new western settlements via New York's waterways was discussed as early as 1724: New York provincial official Cadwallader Colden made a passing reference (in a report on fur trading) to improving the natural waterways of western New York. Colden and subsequent figures in the history of the Erie Canal and its development would draw inspiration from other great works of

12665-473: The force of water. Engineering techniques developed during its construction included the building of aqueducts to redirect water; one aqueduct was 950 feet (290 m) long to span 800 feet (240 m) of river. As the canal progressed, the crews and engineers working on the project developed expertise and became a skilled labor force. The men who planned and oversaw construction were novices as surveyors and as engineers . There were no civil engineers in

12814-478: The former routing of NY 47 a second time in an area of town known as Twelve Corners. In the eastern portion of Brighton, NY 31 meets I-590 by way of an interchange and intersects NY 65 . From NY 65, NY 31 continues southeast into the town of Pittsford , passing along the southern fringe of Oak Hill Country Club and paralleling the former right-of-way of the Auburn Road railroad line to

12963-501: The freeway near the Perinton town line at exit 26. The route continues east into Perinton, where it traverses the Erie Canal for one final time within the county and crosses NY 250 near Perinton Square Mall. East of the mall, the route passes through increasingly rural areas, with the exception of the hamlet of Egypt midway between NY 250 and the Wayne County line. NY 31 progresses onward into Wayne County, where

13112-529: The hamlet of Vernon Center. The route continues eastward into the center of the community, where it ends at a large traffic circle with NY 26 . In 1908, the New York State Legislature established a statewide legislative route system that initially consisted of 37 unsigned routes. Much of what is now NY 31 west of Jordan became part of one of three routes, namely Route 14, Route 20, and Route 30. Route 30 began at

13261-420: The heftiest cuttings and viaducts , fifty locks would be required along the 360-mile (580 km) canal. Such a canal would be expensive to build even with modern technology; in 1800, the expense was barely imaginable. President Thomas Jefferson called it "little short of madness" and rejected it. Eventually, Hawley interested New York Governor DeWitt Clinton in the project. There was much opposition, and

13410-454: The highway led to the reconfiguration of several state highways in western and central New York , including NY 3 and NY 31. The latter route was rerouted west of Rochester to follow the former alignment of NY 3 to Niagara Falls while NY 3 was truncated to a location in northern Cayuga County . At the same time, NY 31A was reassigned to a new alignment extending from Middleport to Knowlesville via Medina. NY 31

13559-411: The hilltop; on the south the land is still wooded and not yet used for burials. A network of paved roads, many named after trees and shrubs, runs through the cemetery. The rises in the terrain are terraced to allow for level gravesites. There are three entrances from Route 31; the central one across from the cemetery offices is the main entrance. It is framed by a carved Medina sandstone arch with

13708-437: The horses, go slack, fall into the water and sink to the bottom, while his boat coasted with its remaining momentum. The privileged boat's team would step over the other boat's towline, with its horses pulling the boat over the sunken towline without stopping. Once clear, the other boat's team would continue on its way. Pulled by teams of horses, canal boats moved slowly, but methodically, shrinking time and distance. Efficiently,

13857-417: The intersection of NY 531 and NY 36. This would improve the connection between NY 531 and NY 31 for safety purposes. Instead of the abrupt end at NY 36, a new road would be constructed to connect NY 531 and NY 31. NY 31 would be widened from Gallup Road to NY 531; a center median would be added and a portion of NY 31 between NY 531 and NY 36 would become

14006-579: The lake. From Canastota west, it ran roughly along the north (lower) edge of the Onondaga Escarpment , passing through Syracuse, Onondaga Lake , and Rochester. Before reaching Rochester, the canal uses a series of natural ridges to cross the deep valley of Irondequoit Creek . At Lockport the canal turned southwest to rise to the top of the Niagara Escarpment , using the ravine of Eighteen Mile Creek . The canal continued south-southwest to Pendleton , where it turned west and southwest, mainly using

14155-594: The lakeshore at points. Near the eastern edge of Oneida Lake, NY 31 intersects NY 13 at a roundabout in the hamlet of South Bay . To the east, NY 31 meets the northern terminus of NY 316 at a junction adjacent to the Oneida County line, again marked by a body of water, the Oneida Creek . NY 31 traverses the creek and proceeds eastward through the Oneida County town of Verona . Northeast of Oneida , NY 31 intersects NY 46 adjacent to

14304-461: The late 1920s, NY 31 was rerouted west of what is now NY 429 to follow Ridge Road to Lewiston , where it ended at then-NY 34. The former routing of NY 31 into downtown Niagara Falls was redesignated as NY 31A . In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York , NY 31 was realigned east of Oneida Valley to continue east to Utica by way of its modern alignment plus Spring and Lowell Roads and several city streets. At

14453-615: The latter half of the 20th century due to competition from trucking and the 1959 opening of the larger St. Lawrence Seaway . The canal's last regularly scheduled hauler, the Day Peckinpaugh , ended service in 1994. Today, the Erie Canal is mainly used by recreational watercraft. It connects the three other canals in the New York State Canal System : the Champlain , Oswego , and Cayuga–Seneca . Some long-distance boaters take

14602-466: The least-traveled segment of the route. NY 31 begins at an intersection with NY 104 in northern Niagara Falls. After a short distance eastward through the northern fringe of the city as College Avenue, the road encounters NY 61 at the northeastern city line. NY 31 continues northeastward into the town of Niagara , following Witmer Road to an interchange with I-190 at exit 24. Past I-190, NY 31 meets NY 265 south of

14751-822: The newly created New York State Canal Corporation , a subsidiary of the New York State Thruway Authority . While part of the Thruway, the canal system was operated using money generated by Thruway tolls. In 2017, the New York State Canal Corporation was transferred from the New York State Thruway to the New York Power Authority . In 2000, Congress designated the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor , covering 524 miles (843 km) of navigable water from Lake Champlain to

14900-441: The north side. When canal boats met, the boat with the right of way remained on the towpath side of the canal. The other boat steered toward the berm (or heelpath) side of the canal. The driver (or "hoggee", pronounced HO-gee) of the privileged boat kept his towpath team by the canalside edge of the towpath, while the hoggee of the other boat moved to the outside of the towpath and stopped his team. His towline would be unhitched from

15049-449: The northern town line of Gates. In the southeastern outskirts of the community, NY 31 intersects Lyell and Howard Roads at a junction that once served as the western terminus of NY 47 . NY 31 continues east from here as Lyell Avenue, meeting NY 390 at an interchange immediately north of the route's larger interchange with I-490 . Not far to the east is the Rochester city line, which NY 31 crosses upon traversing

15198-578: The old canal to Rome. From Rome, the new route continued almost due west, merging with Fish Creek just east of its entry into Oneida Lake. From Oneida Lake, the new canal ran west along the Oneida River , with cutoffs to shorten the route. At Three Rivers , the Oneida River turns northwest, and was deepened for the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario. The new Erie Canal turned south there along the Seneca River, which turns west near Syracuse and continues west to

15347-556: The only break in the Appalachians south of the St. Lawrence River . The Hudson is tidal to Troy , and Albany is west of the Appalachians. It allowed for east–west navigation from the coast to the Great Lakes within US territory. The canal began on the west side of the Hudson River at Albany, and ran north to Watervliet , where the Champlain Canal branched off. At Cohoes , it climbed the escarpment on

15496-495: The original Erie Canal channel was enlarged to 120 feet (37 m) wide and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep. The expansion allowed barges up to 2,000 short tons (1,800 t) to use the Canal. This expensive project was politically unpopular in parts of the state not served by the canal, and failed to save it from becoming obsolete for commercial shipping. Freight traffic reached a total of 5.2 million short tons (4.7 million metric tons) by 1951. The growth of railroads and highways across

15645-418: The outer Syracuse suburbs. In Port Byron , NY 31 intersects NY 38 in the center of the village. The routes embark on an overlap through the village before separating near the eastern edge of Port Byron. NY 31 continues alone to Weedsport , where the route meets NY 34 and County Route 31B (CR 31B, formerly NY 31B ) north of the village. East of Weedsport, NY 31 and

15794-460: The outskirts of Baldwinsville , where NY 31 turns to the right onto Downer Street to avoid the Seneca River to the immediate north. The eastward progression is limited, however, as NY 31 merges with NY 690 northward, traversing the Seneca River and straddling the western edge of Baldwinsville. On the north bank of the river, NY 31 exits NY 690 but joins NY 370 at

15943-416: The path of the old routing of the Erie Canal . Farther east, NY 31 intersects NY 365 just north of its interchange with the Thruway. The Turning Stone Resort & Casino , located 2 miles (3 km) south of the intersection, is accessible via NY 365. Past NY 365, NY 31 passes over the Thruway (I-90) for the final time. The route continues southeast into the town of Vernon and

16092-406: The project was ridiculed as "Clinton's folly" and "Clinton's ditch". In 1817, though, Clinton received approval from the legislature for $ 7 million for construction. The original canal was 363 miles (584 km) long, from Albany on the Hudson to Buffalo on Lake Erie. The channel was cut 40 feet (12 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, with removed soil piled on the downhill side to form

16241-417: The rising cost of diesel fuel. Canal barges can carry a short ton of cargo 514 miles (827 km) on one gallon of diesel fuel, while a gallon allows a train to haul the same amount of cargo 202 miles (325 km) and a truck 59 miles (95 km). Canal barges can carry loads up to 3,000 short tons (2,700 long tons), and are used to transport objects that would be too large for road or rail shipment. In 2012,

16390-463: The route crosses the Genesee River on the Broad Street Aqueduct . East of the waterway, NY 31 follows East Broad Street to South Avenue, where it turns south for two blocks to a junction with Woodbury Boulevard. It turns east here, following Woodbury Boulevard for two blocks to Chestnut Street, at which point NY 31 turns southward to follow Chestnut Street. Westbound NY 31 in

16539-418: The route—mostly within cities—are locally owned and maintained. In the cities of Niagara Falls and Rochester , NY 31 is completely city-owned. Another city-maintained section exists in the city of Lockport from Washburn Street (five blocks east of NY 78 ) to the eastern city line. Two villages— Medina and Newark —also maintain parts of NY 31. In Medina, the locally owned section begins at

16688-484: The same cement blocks as the pond. Mt. Albion was established 12 years after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Massachusetts popularized the rural cemetery , where graves were located in a park-like setting outside an urban area. Arad Thomas and Lorenzo Burrows were tasked with revising the village charter so that land outside of the village limits could be purchased for use a municipal cemetery. Instead of adding amendments to

16837-451: The same time, NY 3 was realigned to continue west to Niagara Falls over modern NY 31, overlapping NY 31A west of Sanborn. Two other portions of NY 3—from the modern junction of NY 31 and NY 77 east of Lockport to Gasport and between Middleport and Medina—were also realigned at this time to use modern NY 31 and the old routing of legislative Route 30 Spur along modern NY 31E, respectively. What

16986-521: The shoreline. Near the Madison County line, here delimited by Chittenango Creek , NY 31 enters the western half of Bridgeport and meets the eastern terminus of NY 298 at a roundabout near the banks of the creek. NY 31 continues eastward, crossing the creek and entering Madison County and the remaining portion of Bridgeport. East of Bridgeport, NY 31 moves closer to Oneida Lake, eventually coming to within 200 yards (180 m) of

17135-637: The so-called " canal age ," including France's Canal du Midi and the Bridgewater Canal in England . The attempt in the 1780s by George Washington to build a canal from the tidewaters of the Potomac into the fledgling nation's interior was also well known to the planners of the Erie Canal. Gouverneur Morris and Elkanah Watson were early proponents of a canal along the Mohawk River . Their efforts led to

17284-467: The south. In Palmyra , NY 31 joins NY 21 through the center of the village. From Palmyra east, the route parallels the Erie Canal for a considerable distance. Between Palmyra and Newark , NY 31 dips into Ontario County for less than a mile (about 1.6 km) before reentering Wayne County. In Newark , NY 31 intersects NY 88 . Farther east, in Lyons , it crosses NY 14 and

17433-535: The southern terminus of NY 260 . The route continues eastward, paralleling the Erie Canal as it enters Ogden , where NY 31 comes to the current western terminus of NY 531 , the Spencerport Expressway, and, shortly after, the northern terminus of NY 36 . NY 31, now sandwiched by the canal to the north and NY 531 to the south, heads eastward into the village of Spencerport , where it becomes Nichols Street and meets NY 259 in

17582-404: The state's construction debt within the first year of operation. The westward connection gave New York City a strong advantage over all other U.S. ports and brought major growth to canal cities such as Albany , Utica , Syracuse , Rochester , and Buffalo . The construction of the Erie Canal was a landmark civil engineering achievement in the early history of the United States . When built,

17731-497: The state, and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, caused commercial traffic on the canal to decline dramatically during the second half of the 20th century. Since the 1990s, the canal system has been used primarily by recreational traffic. In 1992, the New York State Barge Canal was renamed the New York State Canal System (including the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca , Oswego, and Champlain canals) and placed under

17880-407: The street. Immediately west of the lot is a small business. On all other sides the cemetery is surrounded by open lots and worked fields. The northern three-quarters of the property has tall mature deciduous trees sheltering most of the graves; the southern quarter is open. Among the trees are a rare yucca and one of the few butternuts in the area. Rows of evergreens are located north and south of

18029-399: The terms of the act, it took effect 90 days after it was signed into law; thus, the maintenance swap officially took place on November 26, 2007. The portion of NY 31 in downtown Rochester between Brown Street and South Avenue runs along the old path of the Erie Canal through the city. When the canal was diverted to bypass the city to the south in 1920, the canal bed became part of

18178-408: The time, but that name fell into disuse with the disappearance of commercial traffic and the increase of recreational travel in the later 20th century. Before railroads , water transport was the most cost-effective way to ship bulk goods . A mule can only carry about 250 pounds (110 kg) but can draw a barge weighing as much as 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg) along a towpath . In total,

18327-503: The top, which offers 360-degree views of the surrounding countryside. In the northwest corner of the cemetery is a small square pond fed by a natural spring . It is trimmed with blocks which are made out of cement by the local cement company that was in Albion to look like sandstone, red ("Medina") sandstone and granite . On its south side is a domed cement block (made to look like sandstone) spring house with "1908" carved into it made out of

18476-480: The town of Clay , NY 31 meets NY 481 at an interchange in the shadow of the Great Northern Mall . NY 31 continues eastward through the town to Cicero , where it meets US 11 and I-81 at exit 30. As NY 31 heads away from I-81, Oneida Lake slowly becomes visible to the north. NY 31 comes within a mile (about 1.6 km) of the lakeshore before turning slightly to parallel

18625-598: The two levels of government. Two of highways that the state received in return were Stuhlman Road (CR 81) and the segment of Youngs Road ( CR 13 ) between Stuhlman Road and Churton Road (NY 234). The two new state highways did not become a rerouting of NY 234, however, as the NY ;234 designation was eliminated at this time. Instead, NY 31 was extended southeastward over NY 234's former routing to Vernon, from where it continued to Vernon Center by way of NY 5, Stuhlman and Youngs Roads. Churton Road

18774-470: The village center. The route quickly leaves Holley soon after, crossing into Monroe County just over a mile (about 1.6 km) from the village line. Just inside the Monroe County line, the road traverses the Erie Canal before intersecting Redman Road about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the village of Brockport . NY 31 turns south here, following Redman Road back across the Erie Canal and past

18923-476: The village center. With the turn complete, NY 31 traverses the CSX mainline and the Thruway via successive overpasses before returning to level ground and resuming an eastward alignment in the shadow of the Thruway. Once inside the limits of Van Buren , NY 31 separates from the Thruway, curving north and intersecting the western terminus of NY 173 in quick succession. The alignment remains fairly straight to

19072-475: The village. Around the same time as the Baldwinsville realignment, NY 31 was moved onto its current alignment southwest of Brockport, bypassing the village on Redman and Fourth Section Roads and eliminating an overlap with NY 19 . The new alignment of NY 31 utilized part of NY 31A , which was truncated westward to the junction of Redman and Fourth Section Roads. Reference markers along

19221-564: The way are used to maintain the canal's level. It runs southwest to Tonawanda , where the new alignment discharges into the Niagara River, which is navigable upstream to the New York Barge Canal 's Black Rock Lock and thence to the Canal's original "Western Terminus" at Buffalo's Inner Harbor . Canal boats up to 3.5 feet (1.1 m) in draft were pulled by horses and mules walking on the towpath. The canal had one towpath, generally on

19370-546: The west side of the Hudson River—16 locks rising 140 feet (43 m)—and then turned west along the south shore of the Mohawk River, crossing to the north side at Crescent and again to the south at Rexford . The canal continued west near the south shore of the Mohawk River all the way to Rome, where the Mohawk turns north. At Rome , the canal continued west parallel to Wood Creek , which flows westward into Oneida Lake , and turned southwest and west cross-country to avoid

19519-504: The western fringe of the SUNY Brockport campus to a junction with Fourth Section Road. NY 31A enters the intersection from the west and ends at NY 31 while the latter turns east onto Fourth Section Road. NY 31 progresses eastward, intersecting NY 19 in a commercialized area directly south of Brockport and becoming Brockport–Spencerport Road. East of the village in the surrounding town of Sweden , NY 31 meets

19668-485: The western parts of the country had to travel overland, a journey made more difficult by the rough condition of the roads. In 1800, it typically took 2½ weeks to travel overland from New York to Cleveland, Ohio , (460 miles; 740 km) and 4 weeks to Detroit (612 miles; 985 km). The principal exportable product of the Ohio Valley was grain, which was a high-volume, low-priced commodity, bolstered by supplies from

19817-612: Was a mathematics teacher and land speculator . Yet these men "carried the Erie Canal up the Niagara escarpment at Lockport , maneuvered it onto a towering embankment to cross over Irondequoit Creek , spanned the Genesee River on an awesome aqueduct , and carved a route for it out of the solid rock between Little Falls and Schenectady —and all of those venturesome designs worked precisely as planned". Construction began on July 4, 1817, at Rome, New York . The first 15 miles (24 km), from Rome to Utica , opened in 1819. At that rate,

19966-583: Was an important route for Pennsylvania coal and timber into the canal system. The Chenango Canal in 1836 connected the Erie Canal at Utica to Binghamton and caused a business boom in the Chenango River valley. The Chenango and Chemung canals linked the Erie with the Susquehanna River system. The Black River Canal connected the Black River to the Erie Canal at Rome and remained in operation until

20115-591: Was assigned to an alignment extending from Niagara Falls to Oneida . The route began at NY 34 (now NY 104 ) in Niagara Falls and followed College Avenue east to the city line, from where it continued eastward to Rochester on the alignment of legislative Route 30. Within the city of Rochester , NY 31 continued east on Ridge Road to Lake Avenue, where it turned south to enter downtown Rochester, becoming State Street at Lyell Avenue. At East Main Street, NY 31 resumed its eastward alignment, crossing

20264-457: Was closed to all traffic in February and was originally scheduled to open on October 30. It finally reopened to traffic on December 3. Farther north, work on the segment between Brown and Allen Streets was performed on one side at a time, keeping one side of Broad Street open at all times. The northbound lanes of this segment were closed on April 7, and one direction of the segment

20413-574: Was closed until November. It fully reopened on December 3 along with the West Main Street–Allen Street segment. Rehabilitation of Broad Street from West Main Street to Exchange Boulevard was expected to be completed in mid-to-late 2011. The entire project, which also calls for landscape improvements to the area surrounding West Broad Street, was tentatively scheduled to be finished in February 2012. On June 8, 2017, Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo announced that they would upgrade

20562-550: Was completed by Charles Diem, a local marble dealer operating with Norman S. Field in Albion. Atop the cemetery's highest point, the Soldiers & Sailors Monument was erected between 1874 and 1876 to the memory of local soldiers who died during the Civil War. On June 1, 1883, a committee led by David Hardie met to select a fifty square foot lot for the interment of Civil War veterans. Four years later, Hiram Curtis Post GAR appointed

20711-572: Was completed in 1884, as a route running closely parallel to both the canal and the New York Central Railroad. However, it went bankrupt and was acquired the next year by the New York Central. The canal continued to compete well with the railroads through 1902, when tolls were abolished. In a November 3, 1903 referendum, a majority of New Yorkers authorized an expansion of the canal at a cost of $ 101,000,000. In 1905, construction of

20860-524: Was exceeded immediately. An ambitious program to improve the canal began in 1834. During this massive series of construction projects, known as the First Enlargement, the canal was widened from 40 to 70 feet (12 to 21 m) and deepened from 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2.1 m). Locks were widened and/or rebuilt in new locations, and many new navigable aqueducts were constructed. The canal was straightened and slightly re-routed in some stretches, resulting in

21009-406: Was marked by a statewide "Grand Celebration", culminating in a series of cannon shots along the length of the canal and the Hudson, a 90-minute cannonade from Buffalo to New York City. A flotilla of boats, led by Governor Dewitt Clinton aboard Seneca Chief , sailed from Buffalo to New York City over ten days. Clinton then ceremonially poured Lake Erie water into New York Harbor to mark the "Wedding of

21158-491: Was originally designated as part of a legislative route from the late 1900s to the early 1920s. NY 31 itself was assigned in the mid-1920s, utilizing all of legislative Route 30 (modern NY 31, NY 429 , and NY 104) west of Rochester and much of its current alignment from Rochester to Lenox . At Lenox, NY 31 turned southeast to follow what is now NY 316 and NY 46 to NY 5 in Oneida . It

21307-450: Was realigned by 1929 to continue west to Lewiston on Ridge Road and altered in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York to continue east to Utica via Verona . With the advent of U.S. Route 104 (US 104) c.  1935 , NY 31 was realigned west of Rochester to follow most of its modern routing. NY 31 was truncated westward to NY 365 in Verona in

21456-461: Was realigned through downtown to follow Smith and Bausch Streets east across the Genesee River and St. Paul Street and South Avenue south to Woodbury Boulevard, which at the time connected to Monroe Avenue one block to the east at South Clinton Avenue. NY 31 was altered once again c.  1964 to leave Lyell Avenue at Broad Street and follow West and East Broad Streets through downtown to South Avenue. From West Main Street to South Avenue,

21605-401: Was redesignated as CR 94. Several small-scale realignments of NY 31 have occurred over the years. NY 31 was altered c.  1938 to follow its modern alignment through Cicero, bypassing Lakeshore Road to the south. In the late 1930s, NY 31 was moved onto a new, more northern highway between Weedsport and Jordan. The section of the route between Middleport and Medina

21754-562: Was routed on modern NY 31 instead. East of Rochester, the section of Route 20 between Fairport and Macedon was reconfigured to utilize what is now NY 250 and NY 31. The first set of posted routes in New York were assigned in 1924. At this time, all of legislative Route 20 west of Rochester became part of NY 3 , a cross-state route that began in North Tonawanda and ended in Plattsburgh . By 1926, NY 31

21903-448: Was shifted southward on January 1, 1949, to follow what had been NY 31A between the two villages. NY 31's old northerly routing became NY 31E . The portion of NY 31 northeast of Jordan was straightened at some point in the late 1970s or early 1980s to bypass the hamlet of Jacks Reef to the south and east. In the early 1980s, NY 31 was rerouted near Baldwinsville to follow NY 690 and NY 370 into

22052-576: Was transferred from Monroe County to the state of New York as part of a highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. A bill (S4856, 2007) to enact the swap was introduced in the New York State Senate on April 23 and passed by both the Senate and the New York State Assembly on June 20. The act was signed into law by Governor Eliot Spitzer on August 28. Under

22201-465: Was truncated to NY 365 in Verona in the early 1940s; as a result, NY 31 and NY 234 now had a common terminus. Despite this fact, the two routes continued to co-exist for the next 40 years. On April 1, 1981, ownership and maintenance of the Churton Road portion of NY 234 was transferred from the state of New York to Oneida County as part of a highway maintenance swap between

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