New York State Route 73

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New York State Route 73 marker
New York State Route 73
Map
NY 73 highlighted in red, and Reference Route 913Q in blue
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length27.55 mi[1] (44.34 km)
Existed1930[2]–present
Major junctions
East end US 9 in Elizabethtown
Major intersections NY 9N in Keene
West end NY 86 in Lake Placid
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountiesEssex
Highway system
←
NY 74
← NY 86NY 86A→ I-87

New York State Route 73 (NY 73) is a 27.55-mile-long (44.34 km)

Underwood in the extreme southwestern corner of the town of Elizabethtown. NY 73 meanders through a mountainous region of Adirondack Park and passes by several named peaks, including Porter Mountain and Lower Wolfjaw Mountain. Along the way, the route has a short concurrency with NY 9N in the town of Keene
.

In the early 19th century, Lake Placid and Keene were connected by the North West Bay Road, an east–west highway linking Hopkinton to Westport. The highway was initially a crude, impassable road; however, it was significantly improved by the state of New York in the mid-1810s. A highway linking Keene to Underwood was constructed by 1846; at Underwood, the road connected to a stagecoach road that went from Albany to the Canada–US border. The latter road became the basis for most of modern US 9.

NY 73 was assigned as part of the

NY 74
.

Route description

NY 73 begins at a traffic light along NY 86 near the eastern end of the village of Lake Placid in the town of North Elba. The highway heads towards the southwest, passing homes as Sentinel Road. At the intersection with Mill Pond Road, NY 73 passes a small pond, crossing over an associated creek. For that short time, the highway takes on a more southerly direction, mainly to the southeast. The surroundings of the highway remain the same as NY 73 leaves Lake Placid via Cascade Road.[3]

A two-lane highway in a wooded, mountainous rural area. To the right of the highway is a sign assembly instructing drivers to turn left for NY 9N and continue straight for NY 73.
NY 73 at NY 9N in Keene

NY 73 exits Lake Placid, where it passes

CR 21 at an elevation of 1,800 feet (550 m).[3][4]

Cascade Road makes several turns, passing south of the Craig Wood Golf Course. After the golf course, NY 73 climbs in elevation, up to 2,000 feet (610 m).[4] The highway turns from the southeast to the east, and to the southeast once more as it rounds Round Lake, where it intersects Bobsled Run Lane (unsigned New York State Route 913Q). The road passes Mud Pond, where it turns to the northeast along the side of a high ridge. Pitchoff Mountain is directly to the northwest as NY 73 passes Upper Cascade and Lower Cascade Lakes.[3]

A two-lane highway passes through the center of a commercial and residential district. Both sides of the street are lined with business and parked cars.
First reassurance shield along NY 73 eastbound in Lake Placid

NY 73 begins to descend in elevation, while

CR 51 splits off and NY 73 heads into Keene. After crossing the East Branch of the Ausable River, NY 73 merges in with NY 9N. The two roads continue to drop in elevation, passing and circling mountains as they head along. After Norton Cemetery, NY 9N splits off to the east and NY 73 continues southward. NY 73 now runs along the East Branch, intersecting with county and local roads as it heads southward.[3]

The highway heads along the base of Porter Mountain and into Keene Valley, crosses Johns Brook and heads through downtown. Lower Wolfjaw Mountain, which averages the same height as Porter, is nearby. NY 73 continues, eventually crossing the Ausable River branch, later coming in the towns of Elizabethtown and North Hudson. There are a few more ponds and mountains before NY 73 ends at an intersection with US 9.[3]

According to estimates made by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) in 2009, NY 73 serves an average of 1,950 vehicles per day from US 9 to the east end of the NY 9N overlap in Keene. The overlap with NY 9N accumulated an average of 4,360 vehicles, with the stretch up to the control station at having a less amount of traffic. After NY 913Q, the average increases, peaking at 4,810 vehicles at NY 86 in Lake Placid.[1]

History

Early highways

North West Bay Road

The area that is now known as the

hamlet of Keene—the modern junction of NY 9N and NY 73—was first settled at the beginning of the 19th century. Many of the early settlers arrived in the region by traveling along a rough and nearly unusable highway connecting what became Keene to Jay in the north and Lewis in the east.[5] By 1810, part of the crude roadway had been supplanted by a privately funded highway leading westward from Westport to at least North Elba and possibly to Saranac Lake by way of Keene. On April 5, 1810, the New York State Legislature passed an act establishing a new state highway linking Westport to Hopkinton by way of Keene and Saranac Lake. The highway incorporated the entirety of the pre-existing roadway between Westport and Saranac Lake.[6]

A narrow two-lane highway runs along the base of a valley bounded on each side by many large, tree-covered mountains.
NY 73 through Keene Valley as seen from Rooster Comb Mountain

Initially, the state highway was poorly constructed and largely impassable, mirroring the condition of the roadways that preceded it. An act passed by the state legislature on June 19, 1812, indicated that the funds that had been allocated to the highway were "entirely inadequate to open and improve" the road. On April 17, 1816, the state attempted to correct the issue by approving a measure that appointed two sets of commissioners to oversee the reconstruction of the highway. Each set was to work on opposite ends of the route and eventually converge at a point midway along the route. Work on the highway was completed by 1818. The road was officially named the "North West Bay Road"; however, it eventually became known as the "Old Military Road".[6] The route did not enter the village of Lake Placid; instead, it bypassed it to the southwest. This portion of the highway is still known today by the latter name.[7]

Other highways

The highway through

Underwood to Keene was built by 1846.[8] At its southern end, it connected to a major stagecoach road that connected Albany to the Canadian border. The route fostered the rise of local lumber and tanning industries; up to 40 wagon loads of timber used the stagecoach route daily. Various hotels and taverns opened in the nearby town of North Hudson to serve travelers along the route.[9]

Scenic view from Route 73 in Keene, NY.

State ownership and designations

In 1909, the state of New York began to take control of many private highways across the state under the terms of the new highway law developed in 1908.

village of Ticonderoga.[12][13] On March 1, 1921, Route 22-b became part of Route 48, a new route created as part of a partial renumbering of New York's legislative route system.[14] The path of the former Albany–Canada stagecoach route was largely designated as US 9 in 1927.[15]

An intersection of a pair of highways in a wooded rural area. In the foreground is a sign assembly reading "End NY 74"; in the foreground is a second assembly indicating that Interstate 87 is straight ahead and US 9 is accessed by turning either left or right.
Signage at the former western terminus of NY 73 in Schroon

NY 73 was assigned as part of the

overlapped US 9 south to Schroon, where it proceeded eastward on the former legislative Route 48 to Ticonderoga, where it ended at a junction with NY 22. At the time, modern NY 73 from Lake Placid to Keene—identical to the old North West Bay Road east of the Lake Placid area—was assigned NY 86A.[2][16] The remainder of what is now NY 73 from Keene south to Underwood was designated as NY 427 within a year's time.[16][17]

The portion of NY 73 between Tahawus and

NY 74.[28]

A two-lane highway in a forested area. To the right of the highway is a sign indicating that a hill is ahead. In the distance is a large mountain completely covered with trees.
NY 73 approaching a steep grade with a mountain of the Adirondacks in view

On September 14, 1994, the state of New York signed a proposal to turn NY 73 into a scenic byway into law.[29] The 30-mile (48 km) byway, known as the "High Peaks Scenic Byway",[30] begins at the western terminus of NY 73 in Lake Placid and follows NY 73 and US 9 to Interstate 87 exit 30.[31][32] In December 1994, the group Scenic America designated the highway as one of the ten most scenic areas in the nation.[29]

Future

In 2009,

Bouquet River in Keene,[35] $2.6 million for two bridges over Beede Brook[36][37] that were built in 1935 and 1936,[38][39] $1.3 million for a bridge over the outlet of Lower Cascade Lake,[40] and $1.6 million for a bridge over Johns Brook.[41]

Major intersections

Note: Although NY 73 is signed east-west, traffic data reports, inventory listings and reference markers indicate that it is a north-south route. The entire route is in Essex County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Elizabethtown0.000.00
 US 9 to I-87 – Elizabethtown, Schroon Lake, Ticonderoga		Eastern terminus; to I-87 via US 9 south
Keene11.4818.48


 NY 9N south to I-87 north – Elizabethtown		Southern terminus of NY 9N / NY 73 overlap
13.3221.44
Whiteface Mountain
Northern terminus of NY 9N / NY 73 overlap; hamlet of Keene
NY 913Q) – Mount Van Hoevenberg
Eastern terminus of unsigned NY 913Q
26.0241.88John Brown Road (
John Brown Farm
Northern terminus of unsigned NY 910M
Whiteface Mountain
Western terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "2014 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. July 22, 2015. p. 225. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Dickinson, Leon A. (January 12, 1930). "New Signs for State Highways". The New York Times. p. 136.
  3. ^ a b c d e "overview map of NY 73" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 23, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Lake Placid, New York quadrangle (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. United States Geological Survey. 1979.
  5. ^ "Keene, NY". Essex County Historical Society. 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Donaldson, Alfred Lee (1921). A History of the Adirondacks. Vol. 2. New York: The Century Co. pp. 127–128.
  7. ^ "Lake Placid, New York" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  8. ^ A new map of New York with its canals, roads and distances (Map). H.S. Tanner. 1846. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  9. ^ "North Hudson, New York". Essex County Historical Society. 2008. Archived from the original on April 26, 2005. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  10. ^ "More Money Needed For State Highways" (PDF). The New York Times. October 29, 1911. pp. C8. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  11. ^ State of New York Department of Highways (1909). The Highway Law. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon Company. p. 61. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  12. ^ New York State Legislature (1918). "Tables of Laws and Codes Amended or Repealed". Laws of the State of New York passed at the One Hundred and Forty-First Session of the Legislature. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon Company. p. 72. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  13. ^ New York State Department of Highways (1920). Report of the State Commissioner of Highways. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon Company. p. 533. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  14. ^ New York State Legislature (1921). "Tables of Laws and Codes Amended or Repealed". Laws of the State of New York passed at the One Hundred and Forty-Fourth Session of the Legislature. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon Company. pp. 42, 60, 71–72. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  15. ^ Automobile Blue Book. Vol. 1 (1927 ed.). Chicago: Automobile Blue Book, Inc. 1927. This edition shows U.S. Routes as they were first officially signed in 1927.
  16. ^
    Standard Oil Company of New York
    . 1930.
  17. 1930 renumbering
  18. Sun Oil Company
    . 1935.
  19. ^ New York State Map (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1936.
  20. Standard Oil Company
    . 1937.
  21. ^ New York Road Map for 1938 (Map). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1938.
  22. ^ "Route 73 Extended to Include 347 Out of Ti". The Lake Placid News. November 28, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  23. ^ New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. Sunoco. 1952.
  24. ^ New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1955–56 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1954.
  25. Texas Oil Company
    . 1933.
  26. ^ Road Map of New York (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. Texas Oil Company. 1934.
  27. ^ "Route Changes Made in County". The Lake Placid News. October 14, 1952. p. 5. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  28. State of New York Department of Transportation
    . pp. 1–2.
  29. ^ a b "Appendix I" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. 2009. pp. 20, 21. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  30. ^ New York State Department of Transportation. "New York State's Designated Scenic Roads". Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  31. ^ New York State Department of Transportation (January 2017). Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycling Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State (PDF). Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  32. ^ "High Peaks Scenic Byway (NYS Route 73)". National Scenic Byway Program. United States Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  33. ^ "Route 73: 2 Bridges over the W. Branch Ausable". New York State Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  34. ^ Federal Highway Administration (2008). "Structure 1053630". National Bridge Inventory. United States Department of Transportation.
  35. ^ "Route 73 Over The South Fork of the Bouquet River". New York State Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  36. ^ "Route 73 Over Beede Brook (138333)". New York State Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  37. ^ "Route 73 Over Beede Brook (138335)". New York State Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  38. ^ Federal Highway Administration (2008). "Structure 1029720". National Bridge Inventory. United States Department of Transportation.
  39. ^ Federal Highway Administration (2008). "Structure 1029710". National Bridge Inventory. United States Department of Transportation.
  40. ^ "Route 73 Over Cascade Lake Outlet". New York State Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  41. ^ "Route 73 Over Johnsbrook". New York State Department of Transportation. 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
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