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115-514: NY 47 was originally routed along surface streets through the city when it was assigned c.  1937 . It began at NY 31 in Gates and followed Howard Road and Brooks Avenue southeast into Rochester, where it continued eastward on Genesee Park Boulevard and Elmwood Avenue. NY 47 remained on the latter through Brighton to an area known as Twelve Corners. At this point, the route turned north onto Winton Road and followed that street through

230-626: 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

345-418: 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. Genesee River The Genesee River ( / ˌ dʒ ɛ n ɪ ˈ s iː / JEN -iss- EE ) is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through

460-473: A limited-access extension south to Empire Boulevard (three blocks west of NY 47's western terminus) began at some point between 1956 and 1958 and was completed by 1960 as a realignment of US 104. Another extension of the highway south to the partially complete I-490 in Brighton was completed c.  1961 and largely became part of a rerouted NY 47 by the following year. At the time, NY 47 left

575-679: 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

690-535: 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

805-421: 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

920-708: Is a state highway that extends for 208.74 miles (335.93 km) across western and central New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 104 in the city of Niagara Falls . Its eastern terminus is at a traffic circle with NY 26 in Vernon Center, a hamlet within the town of Vernon . Over its routing, NY 31 spans 10 counties and indirectly connects three major urban areas in Upstate New York : Buffalo –Niagara Falls, Rochester , and Syracuse . The route

1035-518: Is also maintained by Monroe County as part of CR 87 . Lastly, the segments of Winton Road outside of the Rochester city limits are now part of CR 98 . The remainder of c.  1980 NY 47 and the former alignments of the route are currently locally maintained. The entire route was in Monroe County . New York State Route 31 New York State Route 31 ( NY 31 )

1150-596: Is left of this large paleogeologic valley. The area of the lower river was also affected. Since the earth rebounded from the melting glaciers more rapidly in Canada than in New York, water from Lake Ontario was spilled over New York due to its lower elevation. During this time, the original outlet of the Genesee River, Irondequoit Bay , was flooded out, creating the current bay. As these waters later retreated, glacial debris caused

1265-465: Is now NY 316 and NY 46 to NY 5 in Oneida . It 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

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1380-564: 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

1495-665: 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

1610-473: 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

1725-449: Is of NY 47 upon its removal in 1980. NY 47 began at an interchange with NY 104 (now the interchange between NY 390 and NY 104) in Greece one mile (1.6 km) west of the Rochester city limits. Although, at the time, the freeway terminated just north of the interchange, the interchange itself was roughly complete, with only ramps to and from future NY 390 north of

1840-718: Is one of the longest routes in New York State, paralleling two similarly lengthy routes, NY 104 to the north and NY 5 to the south, as well as the Erie Canal , as it proceeds east. Much of NY 31 west of Jordan 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

1955-542: The Devonian period at Letchworth and, at other canyons with three more waterfalls at Rochester cuts through the Niagara Escarpment , exposing limestones and shales of Silurian age in the rock column. With cuttings in the geologic record showing so many early ages, the river area has a great variety of fossils for paleobiological and stratigraphic analysis. During the past million years, four glacial ages covered

2070-683: 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

2185-418: The Genesee River and passing north of Strong Memorial Hospital prior to intersecting NY 15 (Mount Hope Avenue) in the shadow of Mount Hope Cemetery . East of NY 15, NY 47 progressed along Elmwood Avenue, intersecting several local streets before entering Brighton . Within Brighton, NY 47 continued on Elmwood Avenue through "Twelve Corners", intersecting NY 31 (Monroe Avenue) at

2300-746: The Holland Purchase after the American Revolution . From 1801 to 1846 the entire region was sold to individual owners from the Holland Land office in Batavia, New York . In the 1797 Treaty of Big Tree , the Seneca tribes were granted six reservations along the river, among them Canawaugus , Little Beard's Town , Geneseo, Caneadea, Deyuitgau and Gardeau. In August 1826, the Ogden Land Company purchased

2415-611: The Lake Ontario shoreline in Irondequoit . The limited-access highway portions of NY 47 were named the "Rochester Outer Loop" (or "Outer Loop") in contrast to the Inner Loop around downtown Rochester. This moniker remains in use to this day, now referring to the designations that have since replaced NY 47 along the loop. Conceptually, NY 104 completes the Outer Loop along

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2530-510: The Mississippian and Pennsylvanian subperiods. Thereafter, farther downstream as it traverses the area known as The Grand Canyon of the East , where it falls (three times) through over 600 feet (180 m) . As it passes through the gorges in New York's Letchworth State Park , the river also often exposes older rocks such as shales (some rich in hydrocarbons ), siltstones and some limestones of

2645-535: The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT); however, some sections of 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,

2760-588: 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

2875-659: 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 ,

2990-572: The Rochester area. The southern edges of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and those advances impacted the formation geology and geography of the area. The most recent glacier that left evidence here was about 10,000 years ago and it caused compression of the earth by as much as 2,500 feet (760 m). About 12,000 years ago, the area underwent massive changes, which included the rerouting of the Genesee and other water bodies. The pre- ice age eastern branch of

3105-477: 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

3220-631: The Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river contains several waterfalls in New York at Letchworth State Park and Rochester . The river was historically used as a border between the lands of the Seneca to the east and the Erie and Wenro to the west. Later, the river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills, and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester. Flooding occurred periodically in

3335-545: 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

3450-452: 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

3565-556: The 1825 Erie Canal allowed the mills to ship products to New York City . A few hundred feet north of the center of the village of Rochester, the Erie Canal crossed the Genesee River via an 1823 stone aqueduct (802 feet (244 m) long, 17 feet (5.2 m) wide), which was replaced by the Second Genesee Aqueduct in 1842 . In 1836 the Genesee Valley Canal was begun to build a new canal from the Erie Canal near Rochester, up

New York State Route 47 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3680-609: The Can of Worms became part of I-590, which continued southwest along the freeway to Winton Road. From the Can of Worms to Lake Ontario, NY 47 was redesignated NY 590 . Off the expressways, the former alignments of NY 47 now carry several designations. Howard Road, bypassed by the 1960s realignment in Gates, is still maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation as NY 940L, an unsigned reference route 2.37 miles (3.81 km) in length. Beahan Road, also bypassed by

3795-405: The Can of Worms to its end at a partial interchange with Elmwood Avenue (now I-590 exit 3). It continued west on Elmwood Avenue to Twelve Corners, where it reconnected to its old alignment at Winton Road. The first realignment of NY 47 west of the city occurred c.  1962 when it was rerouted between Chili and Elmwood Avenues to bypass the then- Rochester–Monroe County Airport to

3910-465: 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

4025-404: 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 ,

4140-587: 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

4255-516: 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

4370-587: The Genesee Valley, across to the Allegheny River at Olean . Construction of new sections extended upriver (southward) until 1880. Although an important commercial route, the canal was plagued by frequent flood damage and the final leg down the Allegany River was never completed. The most difficult section to build was the bypass around the gorge and falls at present day Letchworth Park. The canal followed

4485-547: The Genesee runs south of Mount Morris and was completely diverted by extensive terminal moraines in Livingston County with a key blocking dam just south of Dansville , so most of the upper section of the ancient river was diverted instead to fall the off Appalachian Plateau toward the Susquehanna River system (to an eventual destination well to the southeast). Only a small creek ( Irondequoit Creek ) flows in what

4600-402: The Outer Loop was complete from NY 383 to US 104 west of the city and from modern I-590 exit 1 to the lakeshore east of Rochester. NY 47 followed the loop from US 104 south to NY 383 and from Elmwood Avenue north to modern NY 590 exit 8; north of that point, the expressway was part of US 104 and NY 18 . NY 47 was extended northward along

4715-415: 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

New York State Route 47 - Misplaced Pages Continue

4830-533: 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

4945-592: 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

5060-607: 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

5175-655: 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

5290-438: 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

5405-542: 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

5520-532: 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

5635-598: The early 1950s, construction began on the Sea Breeze Expressway , a mostly limited-access highway linking the Lake Ontario shoreline to the proposed I-490 east of Rochester. The first portion of the road, a divided highway extending from East Ridge Road in Irondequoit to Culver Road just west of the Irondequoit Bay Outlet, was opened to traffic by 1954 as a realignment of NY 18 . Construction on

5750-538: The east in Irondequoit, NY 47 was stretched northward along the Sea Breeze Expressway to Culver Road, resulting in overlaps with both US 104 and NY 18. At the time, the overlap with US 104 existed only between Empire Boulevard and the Keeler Street Expressway , which became the new alignment of the route through Irondequoit after its completion in 1969. The overlap with US 104

5865-417: The eastern fringe of the city to Irondequoit, where NY 47 ended at a junction with U.S. Route 104 (US 104, now NY 404 ). The Outer Loop was constructed in stages, beginning with the portion of the Sea Breeze Expressway north of Ridge Road in the early 1950s. From that point on, construction progressed in a generally clockwise fashion around the city. By the late 1960s and early 1970s,

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5980-581: 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

6095-457: 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

6210-463: The expressway and now at-grade, NY 47 turned north onto NY 383, forming a short concurrency with NY 383 into Rochester. At Elmwood Avenue, NY 47 and NY 383 departed Scottsville Road and proceeded eastward on Elmwood Avenue. Two blocks to the east, at an intersection with South Plymouth Avenue, NY 383 split from NY 47, following Plymouth Avenue into downtown Rochester. NY 47 remained routed on Elmwood Avenue, crossing

6325-455: The expressway at Blossom Road and followed it west to Winton Road, where it rejoined its original routing. By 1964, construction was underway on a new expressway leading south from I-490 at the Can of Worms to Elmwood Avenue east of Twelve Corners. The highway was completed c.  1965 , at which time NY 47 was realigned to follow the Sea Breeze Expressway and the new expressway south through

6440-545: The expressway to US 104 in Greece . It was completed and opened to traffic by 1971. NY 47 was officially extended on both ends on January 1, 1970, to terminate at Lake Ontario on opposite sides of Rochester. In Greece, the designation officially followed what is now NY 390 north to the Lake Ontario State Parkway ; however, the portion between US 104 and the parkway had yet to be constructed. To

6555-457: 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

6670-478: 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

6785-501: 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

6900-529: 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

7015-454: 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

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7130-473: The interchange missing. NY 47 followed the modern NY 390 alignment south to I-490 , where NY 47 continued onto what is now I-390 . The routings of NY 47 and current I-390 were identical to NY 383 (Scottsville Road) in Chili , where NY 47 was forced to grade level via a partially constructed interchange, as modern I-390 had yet to be constructed in the area southeast of NY 383. Off

7245-585: The intersection of Howard Road and Chili Avenue ( NY 33A ), which also included Brooks Avenue at this juncture of time. NY 47 turned east onto Brooks Avenue and proceeded toward the Greater Rochester International Airport , joining the current routing of NY 204 at Beahan Road (now Old Beahan Road). NY 47 followed the entire alignment of NY 204 to what is now I-390 and continued on Brooks Avenue into Rochester to Genesee Park Boulevard. Route 47 turned south onto

7360-417: 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

7475-594: 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

7590-815: The lands of the Five Nations of the Iroquois , whose range extended east and the related tribes of the Erie people and Wenro along the west side of the gorge. By the end of the Beaver Wars and the American Revolution, the lands in all of upstate New York into the Ohio Country were controlled by the Iroquois Confederation, but were also effectively depopulated, the tribes weakened in the Revolution. In 1779, on

7705-461: 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

7820-466: 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

7935-441: The locally owned section begins at 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

8050-438: The location, to what is now I-590 . At the northbound entrance ramp of the modern interchange between I-590 and Elmwood Avenue, NY 47 separated from the latter, entering the freeway. While what is now I-590 was constructed and open from Winton Road to I-490, it had no signed designation between Winton and Elmwood. NY 47 followed modern I-590 northward through Brighton to the Can of Worms , where NY 47 met I-490 for

8165-418: The north side of the city. However, only the section east of the Genesee River is expressway, leaving NY 104 from modern NY 390 to the Veterans Memorial Bridge as the only at-grade portion of the loop. The at-grade portion of NY 47 along Scottsville Road and Elmwood Avenue was known as the "Rochester Bypass" prior to the completion of the Outer Loop. The alignment described within this section

8280-449: 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

8395-630: The old Native American portage route, which necessitated many locks. These old locks can still be seen near Nunda. The project was abandoned, and the right of way was sold in 1880. The property became the roadbed for the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad , which eventually merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad . Much of the canal and railroad right-of-way is open to the public today as the Genesee Valley Greenway , which

8510-471: The orders of George Washington , the Sullivan Expedition destroyed over 40 Haudenosaunee villages in and around the watershed to force the Seneca and allied nations out of the newly formed United States. Subsequently, with most Iroquois having fled to Canada, the remnant tribal groups were in no position to further impede white settlers, so most of New York state west of the Genesee River became part of

8625-418: 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

8740-460: 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

8855-416: 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

8970-485: The remainder of the Sea Breeze Expressway in 1970. On March 18, 1980, the NY ;47 designation was removed and replaced with several others, primarily I-390 , I-590, NY 390 , and NY 590. NY 47 followed a half-circle routing around the city of Rochester , beginning northwest of downtown in the town of Greece and proceeding generally counterclockwise around the city before ending northeast of downtown at

9085-474: The river to be rerouted to the west along its current path. The Seneca nation traditionally lived between the Genesee River and Canandaigua Lake . The region was surveyed by Thomas Davies in 1766. The High Falls was then also known as the Great Seneca Falls, and the Genesee River was also spelled Zinochsaa by early writers. Historically, the river's gorge formed a clearly demarcated border between

9200-540: The river valley before construction of the Mount Morris Dam in the 1950s. The Genesee is the remaining western branch of a preglacial system , with rock layers tilted an average of 40 feet (12 m) per mile, so the river flows across progressively older bedrock as it flows northward. It begins in exposing the Allegheny Plateau 's characteristic conglomerates : sandstones and shales in the rock columns of

9315-524: The river, leading to him being nicknamed "The Genesee River Killer". A March 1865 thaw was the worst Genesee flood in Rochester history, and a similar 1913 flood motivated the excavation of the Genesee's rock bed in Downtown Rochester. The 1972 Hurricane Agnes flood broke all county historical records, with the most concentrated damage in the Wellsville area. The water from Hurricane Agnes caused

9430-463: 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

9545-399: The same 1960s rerouting, was reconfigured into its current alignment by 1971 due to an expansion by the airport. The section of Beahan Road that carried NY 47 is currently maintained by Monroe County as part of County Route 164 (CR 164), the county's unsigned designation for all of Beahan Road. The portion of NY 47 on Elmwood Avenue from the Rochester city line to I-590

9660-451: 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

9775-486: The second time. Due to the way the interchange was designed at the time, traffic continuing on NY 47 across I-490 had to merge with I-490 traffic for roughly 1,000 feet (305 m) before exiting I-490 onto the other portion of NY 47. North of I-490, NY 47 followed the length of what is now NY 590 through Brighton, Rochester, and Irondequoit to Culver Road at the Lake Ontario shoreline. When NY 47

9890-521: 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

10005-589: The six Genesee River reservations from the Seneca, allegedly under duress; the modern Seneca Nation of Indians does not recognize the 1826 sale as valid and moved to reclaim Canawaugus in December 2022. On Friday, November 13, 1829 (Friday the 13th), the daredevil Sam Patch jumped to his death before 8,000 spectators at the Upper Falls in Rochester . If "not for hydropower, the flour mills, clothing mills, and tool fabricators would not have located in Rochester", and

10120-467: 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

10235-432: The south. Instead of turning east onto Brooks Avenue as it did prior to 1962, the route continued south on Beahan Road to Scottsville Road ( NY 383 ), where it turned to overlap NY 383 north to Elmwood Avenue. At the time, Beahan Road connected directly to Scottsville Road (via modern Old Beahan Road) as the primary runway southwest of the airport had yet to be extended to its present length. By 1962, construction

10350-535: 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

10465-625: The street, which circles around the southwestern quadrant of the city, and followed its length to Genesee Street, where it turned south for a short distance before resuming its eastward alignment on Elmwood Avenue. The route remained on Elmwood Avenue into Brighton , where it turned north onto South Winton Road at Twelve Corners. At Highland Avenue, NY 47 reentered Rochester and became North Winton Road at East Avenue ( NY 96 ). The route remained on Winton through Rochester and Irondequoit before terminating at Empire Boulevard (then US 104 , now NY 404 ) just west of Irondequoit Bay . In

10580-399: 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

10695-480: 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

10810-548: 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

10925-470: 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

11040-476: 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

11155-475: 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

11270-504: 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

11385-591: 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

11500-457: 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

11615-574: 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

11730-402: Was eliminated and split into four other routes. From NY 104 in Greece to I-490, NY 47 became NY 390. The section from I-490 south to NY 383 was designated as part of I-390; however, it would not connect to the existing portion of I-390 south of Rochester until 1981, when the interchange between I-390 and I-590 was completed. The segment of NY 47 from Elmwood Avenue north to

11845-461: Was eliminated entirely the following year when that route was realigned onto a new expressway alignment between NY 47 and Webster that traversed Irondequoit Bay via the newly built Irondequoit Bay Bridge . The overlap with NY 18 was eliminated c.  1973 when NY 18 was truncated to its current eastern terminus in Kodak Park . On March 18, 1980, the NY 47 designation

11960-500: Was first commissioned in the Rochester area c.  1937 , it was routed along previously unnumbered roadways, with its northwest terminus located at the intersection of NY 31 (Lyell Avenue) and Howard Road in Gates . NY 47 took Howard Road south, passing through Gates Center and intersecting NY 33 before crossing the then- New York Central Railroad main line (now the CSX Transportation -owned Rochester Subdivision ) at-grade. The route remained on Howard Road until

12075-461: 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,

12190-412: Was reconfigured to begin a half-mile (0.8 km) to the east of Howard Road at modern NY 390 exit 21 and follow the new highway southeastward to its temporary end at what is now I-390 exit 17 east of the airport. At this point, NY 47 joined its pre-1965 routing and followed NY 383 northeastward into the city limits. By 1968, construction was underway on a northward extension of

12305-401: 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

12420-562: 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

12535-448: 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

12650-456: Was started in 1991. In 1852 a wooden railroad bridge was built over the Upper Falls at Portageville . It was the largest of all wooden bridges built at the time. The wood from 300 acres (1.2 km²) of trees was required for its timber. In the "summer of 1943", Arch Merrill walked the length of the Genesee River. Serial killer Arthur Shawcross dumped most of his victims in or near

12765-576: 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

12880-438: Was transferred from the state of New York to Oneida County as part of 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

12995-514: 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

13110-414: Was truncated westward to NY 365 in Verona in 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

13225-485: Was underway on a new limited-access highway paralleling NY 47 (Howard Road) to the east between NY 31 and NY 33. Within two years, work had begun on an extension of the highway south along the Erie Canal to Scottsville Road. Farther east, construction was underway on a new highway leading south from I-490 to Elmwood Avenue east of Twelve Corners. All of the limited-access highway between NY 31 and NY 383 opened to traffic c.  1965 . NY 47

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