Lake Ontario State Parkway

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Greece
East endLake Avenue in Rochester
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountiesOrleans, Monroe
Highway system

The Lake Ontario State Parkway is a 35.05-mile (56.41 km)

reference route. A short, 0.55-mile (0.89 km) connector between the west end of the parkway and NY 18
is unsigned New York State Route 948A.

The parkway mainline and the connector to NY 18 are both part of the

Greece
and Rochester, where the land surrounding the highway is more developed. It serves mostly as a connector between Rochester and several lakeside state parks and communities. From its western terminus to the Rochester suburbs, the parkway is the closest continuous roadway to the Lake Ontario shore.

The highway was one of several parkways built as part of a 145-mile (233 km) expansion to the

Robert Moses State Parkway near Fort Niagara
.

The parkway has been underfunded for years by the state. At the beginning of its life, it was planned to go from Rochester to Niagara Falls. In 2017, the western half of the parkway was finally gifted $9 million, to begin project to repave the sections of Route 19 in Hamlin to Payne Beach (approximately 8 miles).[4] In 2018, $5.2 million was given by the State Of New York. This project paved 7 miles, east and westbound lanes, west of Route 19 (Hamlin) and Route 237 (Kendall). The paving project began in April 2018 and finished in the fall of the same year. During these projects, shoulders were narrowed from 12 to 8 feet.[5] Still, in 2019, about 12 miles of the parkway are in poor condition; consequently, it sees barely any traffic and is not driveable in the winter. The NYSDOT considered permanently closing the deteriorated part of the parkway, which saw only a few hundred cars a day, but the parkway remained open.

Route description

An aerial view of the western end of the parkway and Oak Orchard Creek

The entirety of the 35.05-mile (56.41 km) Lake Ontario State Parkway mainline is designated as NY 947A, while the 0.55-mile (0.89 km) connector between the parkway and

reference route designations and are thus unsigned.[1] The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has jurisdiction over NY 948A and at least part of the parkway mainline; however, NYSDOT maintains both highways.[6]


Orleans County and Hamlin Beach

The Lake Ontario State Parkway begins at an interchange with Lakeside Beach Road in Lakeside Beach State Park, located within the town of

Oak Orchard River. Not far to the east, the parkway crosses the river itself and connects to the northern terminus of NY 98 by way of an interchange.[7]

Lake Ontario State Parkway west of Kendall

East of NY 98, the parkway makes a turn to the northeast, meeting Lake Shore Road at a

hamlet of Troutburg, located at the north end of NY 272, which runs along the Orleans–Monroe county line. The parkway crosses into Monroe County upon connecting to NY 272 at an interchange 0.3 miles (0.5 km) from the lake shore.[7]

Now in the town of

at-grade intersections along the highway in Hamlin and Parma.[7]

Hamlin to Rochester

Past NY 19, the parkway crosses over Sandy Creek and heads into a portion of Hamlin with less open fields and more forested areas. It has intersections with three more roads—including

Greece town line. In Greece, the parkway takes a more southeasterly routing, matching the curvature of Lake Ontario's shoreline. About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) into Greece, the parkway reverts to a freeway ahead of an interchange with NY 261. At this point, the trees that had surrounded the parkway begin to dwindle in number, once again opening up views of the lake.[7]

Old, text-only sign for NY 261's exit on the Lake Ontario Parkway

At NY 261, the parkway briefly turns southward, crossing over Salmon Creek and passing west of

Braddock Bay State Park, located just northeast of the exit. The parkway leaves the lake for good after the East Manitou Road junction, staying roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) from the lake shore for the remainder of its routing. As it proceeds onward, it runs along the southwestern side of Long Pond and subsequently meets Long Pond Road. Here, the surroundings of the parkway begin to change, becoming more developed as homes gradually overtake the forests and fields that had surrounded the parkway since Carlton.[7]

The parkway winds its way southeastward, passing by homes to the south and marshlands surrounding

Hojack Line. East of Latta Road, it passes into the city of Rochester and its Charlotte neighborhood, where it terminates just 0.25 miles (0.40 km) later at an intersection with Lake Avenue.[7] The right-of-way of the parkway and the Seaway Trail both continue eastward as Pattonwood Drive, which leads to the Colonel Patrick O'Rorke Memorial Bridge a short distance to the east.[7][8] Two blocks north of the junction is the National Register of Historic Places-listed Charlotte–Genesee Lighthouse, located off Lake Avenue.[7]

History

Background and initial financing

Eastern terminus of the parkway at Lake Avenue in Rochester

Prior to the construction of the Lake Ontario State Parkway, there were no highways that ran along the Lake Ontario shoreline in eastern Orleans County or western Monroe County. At the time, the northernmost continuous east–west highway in these areas was NY 18; however, it deviated significantly from the lakeshore east of Carlton and followed a more inland route to Rochester. Between Carlton and Rochester, the lake shore was accessible only by way of north–south highways off NY 18 or by local east–west roads.[10]

Plans were made as early as 1941 to construct the Lake Ontario State Parkway. On January 13, 1941,

grade crossings for the construction of highways instead. The $30 million earmarked for parkway construction was part of the $60 million in question.[12][13] On November 4, 1941, the amendment was approved in a statewide referendum on the issue, allowing for the money to be transferred.[14]

Construction and extensions

On August 17, 1944, Moses announced a 145-mile (233 km) expansion of the existing system of

Greece.[17] By 1956, the parkway was open to East Manitou Road and under construction to Lake Avenue in Charlotte.[18] The portion of the highway from East Manitou Road to Long Pond Road was opened by 1958,[19] and the section from Long Pond Road to Dewey Avenue was opened to traffic on October 14, 1958, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Governor W. Averell Harriman and State Council of Parks chairman Robert Moses.[20] The segment between Dewey and Lake avenues opened to traffic c. 1962.[21][22]

A stub at the parkway's west end, a remnant of the original plans to extend the highway farther west. This stub is located at Lakeside Beach State Park, in Waterport

Long-term plans for the parkway called for it to extend westward along the entirety of the Lake Ontario shoreline to

Robert Moses State Parkway in Porter, near Fort Niagara.[24] When the city of Niagara Falls released its Regional Highway Plan for the Buffalo–Niagara Falls area in 1971, the proposed routing of the Lake Ontario State Parkway was unchanged.[25] Despite the widespread intentions of extending the parkway westward to Niagara County, the highway never extended any farther westward than Lakeside Beach State Park.[26] The lone portion of the extension that was built—between Hamlin Beach and Lakeside Beach state parks—was constructed between 1969 and December 1972 and officially opened on February 16, 1973.[20]

Seasonal closure

The 5-mile (8.0 km) section of the parkway between Lakeside Beach State Park and Lake Shore Road handles an

average of just under 1,200 vehicles per day, making it the least-traveled section of the highway.[1] Furthermore, the 2-mile (3.2 km) piece west of NY 98 serves an average of 800 vehicles during the summer months and a fraction of that number during the winter months. On November 21, 2012, NYSDOT announced plans to close the parkway between Lakeside Beach State Park and NY 98 during the winter months, citing the low wintertime traffic volumes along the road. The move was predicted to save roughly $70,000 annually in costs related to plowing and salting. The practice has continued to the present.[27] A detour is posted along NY 18, which parallels the parkway for most of its length.[28]

Exit list

All exits are unnumbered.

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
OrleansCarlton0.000.00 NY 18 / Great Lakes Seaway Trail – Lakeside Beach State Park, Niagara FallsWestern terminus of concurrency with the Seaway Trail; access via NY 948A; exit closed to all traffic during seasonal closure from December to March
2.243.60
Point Breeze
Northern terminus of NY 98; western terminus during seasonal closure from December to March
4.827.76Lake Shore Road
Kendall10.3616.67
 NY 237 south – Kendall, Holley		Northern terminus of NY 237
12.4720.07
Morton
MonroeHamlin15.1524.38Hamlin Beach State Park
Eastern end of freeway section
17.6128.34
 NY 19 south / Sandy Harbor Drive – Hamlin, Brockport		Northern terminus of NY 19
19.8431.93
 NY 260 south (Walker–Lake Ontario Road)		Northern terminus of NY 260
Parma23.2037.34
 NY 259 south (North Avenue) – Hilton		Northern terminus of NY 259
Western end of freeway section
Town of Greece
26.9343.34 NY 261 (Manitou Beach Road)
28.4745.82
Braddock Bay State Park
30.1248.47Long Pond Road
32.2051.82
 NY 390 south		Northern terminus of NY 390
33.2153.45
 To NY 18 / Dewey Avenue
34.2555.12Greenleaf Road
34.6555.76Latta Road
Rochester35.0556.41Lake AvenueEastern terminus; at-grade intersection
Pattonwood Drive (Great Lakes Seaway Trail)Continuation beyond Lake Avenue; eastern terminus of concurrency with the Seaway Trail
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

NY 18 connector (NY 948A)

The entire route is in Carlton, Orleans County.

mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
0.000.00 NY 18 / Great Lakes Seaway TrailSouthern terminus of concurrency with the Seaway Trail
0.230.37 Lake Ontario State Parkway / Great Lakes Seaway TrailInterchange; northbound terminus of concurrency with the Seaway Trail
0.550.89Park access roadNorthern terminus of state maintenance; Lakeside Beach Drive continues west
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "2011 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. September 25, 2012. pp. 274–275. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  2. ^
    Socony-Vacuum Oil Company
    . 1950.
  3. ^ a b New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. Sunoco. 1952.
  4. ^ McDermott, Meaghan M. "Facelift coming for parts of Lake Ontario State Parkway". Democrat and Chronicle.
  5. ^ McDermott, Meaghan M. "State repaving a rugged stretch of the Lake Ontario State Parkway". Democrat and Chronicle.
  6. ^ New York State Department of Transportation (January 2012). Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycling Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State (PDF). Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Microsoft; Nokia (November 1, 2015). "overview map of the Lake Ontario State Parkway" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  8. ^
    National Scenic Byways Program. Federal Highway Administration
    . Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  9. ^ New York (Map) (1969–70 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1968.
  10. Gulf Oil Company
    . 1940.
  11. ^ "Moses Stirs Clash on Crossings Issue". The New York Times. January 14, 1941. p. 23.
  12. ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "2 Stephens Bills Signed by Lehman". The New York Times. March 29, 1941. p. 32.
  14. ^ "Reform Bill Wins". The New York Times. November 5, 1941. p. 1.
  15. ^ "State Planning More Parkways". The New York Times. August 18, 1944. p. 15.
  16. State of New York Department of Public Works
    .
  17. ^ New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1955–56 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1954.
  18. ^ New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1957 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1956.
  19. ^ New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1958 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1958.
  20. ^ a b "Architectural Survey for New York State Department of Transportation PIN 4947.14.121" (PDF). New York State Education Department, Cultural Resource Education Program. 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  21. H.M. Gousha Company
    . Sunoco. 1961.
  22. ^ New York with Sight-Seeing Guide (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1962.
  23. ^ "New Park in View on Lake Ontario". The New York Times. October 28, 1956. p. 51.
  24. ^ Grutzner, Charles (May 22, 1960). "State Aims to Expand Parklands". The New York Times. pp. XX1, XX23.
  25. ^ Regional Highway Plan for Buffalo and Niagara Falls (Map). City of Niagara Falls. 1971. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
  26. Shell Oil Company
    . 1973.
  27. ^ Guerrein, Jordan (2019-04-16). "TRAVEL ADVISORY: WESTERN PORTION OF LAKE ONTARIO STATE PARKWAY IN ORLEANS COUNTY RE-OPENS TO TRAFFIC FOLLOWING WINTER CLOSURE". NYSDOT.
  28. ^ "Short Stretch Of Parkway To Close For Winter" (Press release). New York State Department of Transportation. 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.

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