New York State Route 117
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 117 (NY 117) is a 15.57 mile (25.06 km) long state highway
in Westchester County
, New York
, United States
. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 9 north of the village of Sleepy Hollow
. The northern terminus is at the Saw Mill River Parkway
south of Katonah
, a hamlet in the town of Bedford
. NY 117 meets the Taconic State Parkway
in Pleasantville
and parallels the Saw Mill Parkway from Pleasantville to Bedford.
NY 117 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York and originally extended from Tarrytown
to Katonah. The Tarrytown–Pleasantville portion of NY 117 passed through Kykuit
, the estate of the Rockefeller family. Construction on a new limited-access highway bypassing the estate to the north began in the late 1960s and was completed in 1971, at which time NY 117 was realigned to follow the highway. Another highway bypassing Katonah was built in the early 1990s and opened ca. 1992 as a realignment of NY 117.
NY 117 begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 9 just north of the village of Sleepy Hollow
in the town of Mount Pleasant
. It heads east through the town of Mount Pleasant as Phelps Way, a 2.6 miles (4.2 km) long limited-access highway straddling the northern edge of Kykuit
, the estate of the Rockefeller family. The freeway ends at an intersection with NY 448
near the northeastern extent of the park. NY 117 continues through Mount Pleasant, intersecting the conjoined routes of NY 9A
and NY 100
and crossing over the Taconic State Parkway
as it enters the village of Pleasantville
.
Within Pleasantville, NY 117 becomes Bedford Road and begins to parallel the Saw Mill River Parkway
. It veers onto Manville Road, following it through the village to its end at Bedford Avenue (NY 141
). NY 141 ends here while NY 117 turns north, rejoining Bedford Road. It remains close to the Saw Mill Parkway as it passes through the towns and villages of New Castle
, Mount Kisco
, and Bedford
. Over this stretch, NY 117 intersects NY 120
in Chappaqua
and NY 128
, NY 172
, and NY 133
in Mount Kisco.
In Bedford, NY 117 connects to the Saw Mill Parkway at exit 39 and passes under the highway. A second interchange follows roughly 1 miles (1.6 km) later, at which point NY 117 leaves Bedford Road to follow Harris Road and the Katonah Bypass. The bypass and NY 117 both end shortly afterward upon merging with the northbound Saw Mill Parkway. Incidentally, the Saw Mill Parkway itself ends a short distance to the north upon merging with Interstate 684 near the hamlet of Katonah
.
NY 117 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. It initially began at the junction of Bedford and County House Roads in Tarrytown
(both part of NY 9A
at the time) and followed Bedford Road northeast to NY 132
(now NY 35
) at Jay Street in Katonah
. NY 9A was realigned ca. 1939 to follow Sleepy Hollow Road instead, bypassing Tarrytown completely. The former routing of NY 9A on Bedford Road to U.S. Route 9 became a short extension of NY 117. The route was also extended on its northern end in the mid-1970s after NY 35 was moved onto a new highway that bypassed Katonah to the north.
On September 1, 1980, ownership and maintenance of NY 117 between Manville Road southwest of the Pleasantville village limits and Broadway within Pleasantville was transferred from the state of New York
to Westchester County
as part of a highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. In return, ownership and maintenance of the entirety of Manville Road through Pleasantville was given to the state of New York from Westchester County. NY 117 was rerouted to follow Manville Road while NY 141
was extended one block north along NY 117's former routing to intersect Manville Road. The remainder of NY 117's former routing is now County Route 27A from Manville Road to the Pleasantville village line, part of CR 106 from View Street to Pleasantville Road, and CR 27 from the Mount Pleasant village line to View Street and from Pleasantville Road to NY 141.
passed through the center of Kykuit
, the estate of the Rockefeller family, and was designed to handle 1,900 cars per day. The actual volume of traffic on the roadway was much higher as the actual average annual daily traffic reached upwards of 5,000 vehicles per day. As a result, the Rockefeller family looked into having the route realigned as early as 1932. The family suggested that a new highway be built along the northern end of the estate.
Over time, the Rockefellers had secured zoning permits to build developments on the northern edge of the estate. The movement to construct a new highway along this land began to gain steam when Nelson Rockefeller
became Governor of New York
. In 1965, Rockefeller unveiled plans for the "Potantico Expressway", a connector from the to-be-constructed Hudson River Expressway (I-487
) to the Taconic State Parkway
. Some opposition to the idea arose on the grounds that the new highway would quadruple the value of the estate land used by the road. Nonetheless, construction began on the Potantico Expressway (now known as Phelps Way) in 1969. When the highway was completed in 1971, it became part of a rerouted NY 117. NY 117's former alignment along Bedford Road became NY 448
. The Hudson River Expressway project was later cancelled, and the western stub of the expressway now serves Phelps Hospital.
The easternmost portion of NY 117 in Katonah passed through a historic district containing several homes dating back to the late 19th century. Following the construction of nearby Interstate 684 in 1968, this segment of NY 117 became a truck route between the Interstate Highway and industrial areas along NY 117 south of Katonah. While the Saw Mill River Parkway
would have provided an alternate route to I-684 from NY 117, commercial traffic was prohibited from using the highway. The trucks that used NY 117 would shake the historic homes as it passed through the hamlet, causing small amounts of damage to the structures. A study analyzing the issue of truck traffic along NY 117 in Katonah began in 1976 at the request of the town of Bedford
.
The study was completed in 1978, at which time the New York State Department of Transportation
(NYSDOT) concluded that traffic would never become heavy enough along NY 117 to bring about a need for a bypass. However, the state continued to keep abreast of the situation and eventually performed a second study in 1983. Unlike the first study, this one found traffic along the highway to be on the rise. As a result, the state began making plans to construct a bypass that would divert truck traffic away from Katonah. Over the next three years, NYSDOT proposed a total of nine different routings for the bypass. The route selected by the town of Bedford would begin at Harris Road and head north and east to the Saw Mill Parkway, which it would merge into. An exception would then be made to allow commercial traffic on the parkway between the Katonah Bypass and I-684. The routing of the highway, projected to cost $8.7 million (equivalent to $ in ), was approved in November 1987.
In October 1990, NYSDOT accepted a low bid of $8.5 million (equivalent to $ in ) for the project, clearing the way for construction to begin on the bypass by the following month. The Katonah Bypass opened ca. 1992 and became part of a realigned NY 117. The portion of Bedford Road from Harris Road to NY 35 is now maintained by the town of Bedford.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 9 north of the village of Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line.Originally...
. The northern terminus is at the Saw Mill River Parkway
Saw Mill River Parkway
The Saw Mill River Parkway is a north–south parkway that extends for through Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins at the border between Westchester County and the Bronx, where it continues into New York City as the Henry Hudson Parkway, and heads generally...
south of Katonah
Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States.-History:Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists...
, a hamlet in the town of Bedford
Bedford (town), New York
Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.The Town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah...
. NY 117 meets the Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
in Pleasantville
Pleasantville, New York
Pleasantville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University and to the Jacob Burns Film Center...
and parallels the Saw Mill Parkway from Pleasantville to Bedford.
NY 117 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York and originally extended from Tarrytown
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
to Katonah. The Tarrytown–Pleasantville portion of NY 117 passed through Kykuit
Kykuit
Kykuit , also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D. Rockefeller, and his son, John D...
, the estate of the Rockefeller family. Construction on a new limited-access highway bypassing the estate to the north began in the late 1960s and was completed in 1971, at which time NY 117 was realigned to follow the highway. Another highway bypassing Katonah was built in the early 1990s and opened ca. 1992 as a realignment of NY 117.
Route description
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line.Originally...
in the town of Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, New York
Mount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 43,724.-Geography:...
. It heads east through the town of Mount Pleasant as Phelps Way, a 2.6 miles (4.2 km) long limited-access highway straddling the northern edge of Kykuit
Kykuit
Kykuit , also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D. Rockefeller, and his son, John D...
, the estate of the Rockefeller family. The freeway ends at an intersection with NY 448
New York State Route 448
New York State Route 448 is a long state highway in western Westchester County, New York in the United States. The route begins in the village of Sleepy Hollow at U.S. Route 9 and goes in a northeast direction through the Pocantico Hills community in Mount Pleasant...
near the northeastern extent of the park. NY 117 continues through Mount Pleasant, intersecting the conjoined routes of NY 9A
New York State Route 9A
New York State Route 9A is a state highway in the vicinity of New York City, New York, United States. Its southern terminus is at the northern end of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel in New York City, where it intersects with both Interstate 478 and FDR Drive. The northern terminus of...
and NY 100
New York State Route 100
New York State Route 100 is a major north–south state highway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins parallel to Interstate 87 at a junction with the Cross County Parkway in the city of Yonkers and runs through most of the length of the county via the city of...
and crossing over the Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
as it enters the village of Pleasantville
Pleasantville, New York
Pleasantville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University and to the Jacob Burns Film Center...
.
Within Pleasantville, NY 117 becomes Bedford Road and begins to parallel the Saw Mill River Parkway
Saw Mill River Parkway
The Saw Mill River Parkway is a north–south parkway that extends for through Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins at the border between Westchester County and the Bronx, where it continues into New York City as the Henry Hudson Parkway, and heads generally...
. It veers onto Manville Road, following it through the village to its end at Bedford Avenue (NY 141
New York State Route 141
New York State Route 141 is a north–south state highway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 9A in the hamlet of Hawthorne to an intersection with NY 117 in the village of Pleasantville...
). NY 141 ends here while NY 117 turns north, rejoining Bedford Road. It remains close to the Saw Mill Parkway as it passes through the towns and villages of New Castle
New Castle, New York
New Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 17,569 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.15%, is water. New Castle is bordered by the towns of Mount Pleasant...
, Mount Kisco
Mount Kisco, New York
Mount Kisco is a community that is both a village and a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,877 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, and Bedford
Bedford (town), New York
Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.The Town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah...
. Over this stretch, NY 117 intersects NY 120
New York State Route 120
New York State Route 120 is a state highway in southern Westchester County, New York, United States. It begins in the city of Rye at an intersection with U.S. Route 1 and runs for about north to the hamlet of Millwood, where it ends at a junction with NY 100...
in Chappaqua
Chappaqua, New York
Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census, following a major revision to the delineation of its boundaries by the Census Bureau, the population was 1,436...
and NY 128
New York State Route 128
New York State Route 128 is a long north–south state highway in northern Westchester County, New York. The route connects the hamlet of Armonk to the village of Mount Kisco. The road passes by the municipal offices of the Town of North Castle.-Route description:NY 128 begins in the...
, NY 172
New York State Route 172
New York State Route 172 is an state highway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. The route begins at NY 117 in the village of Mount Kisco and ends in the hamlet of Pound Ridge at NY 137....
, and NY 133
New York State Route 133
New York State Route 133 is a state highway in Westchester County, New York. It begins at US 9 in the village of Ossining, goes through several hamlets in the town of New Castle , and ends at NY 117 in the village of Mount Kisco.-Route description:NY 133 begins in downtown...
in Mount Kisco.
In Bedford, NY 117 connects to the Saw Mill Parkway at exit 39 and passes under the highway. A second interchange follows roughly 1 miles (1.6 km) later, at which point NY 117 leaves Bedford Road to follow Harris Road and the Katonah Bypass. The bypass and NY 117 both end shortly afterward upon merging with the northbound Saw Mill Parkway. Incidentally, the Saw Mill Parkway itself ends a short distance to the north upon merging with Interstate 684 near the hamlet of Katonah
Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States.-History:Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists...
.
Origins and local realignments
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
(both part of NY 9A
New York State Route 9A
New York State Route 9A is a state highway in the vicinity of New York City, New York, United States. Its southern terminus is at the northern end of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel in New York City, where it intersects with both Interstate 478 and FDR Drive. The northern terminus of...
at the time) and followed Bedford Road northeast to NY 132
New York State Route 132
New York State Route 132 is a long state highway located entirely within the Town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York. The route acts as a connector between U.S. Route 202 and NY 35 in the south and U.S. Route 6 in the north...
(now NY 35
New York State Route 35
New York State Route 35 is the principal east–west highway in the northern part of Westchester County, New York, carrying average daily volumes of around 16,500 vehicles...
) at Jay Street in Katonah
Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States.-History:Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists...
. NY 9A was realigned ca. 1939 to follow Sleepy Hollow Road instead, bypassing Tarrytown completely. The former routing of NY 9A on Bedford Road to U.S. Route 9 became a short extension of NY 117. The route was also extended on its northern end in the mid-1970s after NY 35 was moved onto a new highway that bypassed Katonah to the north.
On September 1, 1980, ownership and maintenance of NY 117 between Manville Road southwest of the Pleasantville village limits and Broadway within Pleasantville was transferred from the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
as part of a highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. In return, ownership and maintenance of the entirety of Manville Road through Pleasantville was given to the state of New York from Westchester County. NY 117 was rerouted to follow Manville Road while NY 141
New York State Route 141
New York State Route 141 is a north–south state highway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 9A in the hamlet of Hawthorne to an intersection with NY 117 in the village of Pleasantville...
was extended one block north along NY 117's former routing to intersect Manville Road. The remainder of NY 117's former routing is now County Route 27A from Manville Road to the Pleasantville village line, part of CR 106 from View Street to Pleasantville Road, and CR 27 from the Mount Pleasant village line to View Street and from Pleasantville Road to NY 141.
Phelps Way
The portion of NY 117's original routing between Tarrytown and PleasantvillePleasantville, New York
Pleasantville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University and to the Jacob Burns Film Center...
passed through the center of Kykuit
Kykuit
Kykuit , also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D. Rockefeller, and his son, John D...
, the estate of the Rockefeller family, and was designed to handle 1,900 cars per day. The actual volume of traffic on the roadway was much higher as the actual average annual daily traffic reached upwards of 5,000 vehicles per day. As a result, the Rockefeller family looked into having the route realigned as early as 1932. The family suggested that a new highway be built along the northern end of the estate.
Over time, the Rockefellers had secured zoning permits to build developments on the northern edge of the estate. The movement to construct a new highway along this land began to gain steam when Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
became Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
. In 1965, Rockefeller unveiled plans for the "Potantico Expressway", a connector from the to-be-constructed Hudson River Expressway (I-487
Interstate 487
Interstate 487 was a proposed intrastate Interstate Highway in New York that was to run from The Bronx to Beacon. After much resident opposition, the highway was cancelled in the 1960s.-History:...
) to the Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
. Some opposition to the idea arose on the grounds that the new highway would quadruple the value of the estate land used by the road. Nonetheless, construction began on the Potantico Expressway (now known as Phelps Way) in 1969. When the highway was completed in 1971, it became part of a rerouted NY 117. NY 117's former alignment along Bedford Road became NY 448
New York State Route 448
New York State Route 448 is a long state highway in western Westchester County, New York in the United States. The route begins in the village of Sleepy Hollow at U.S. Route 9 and goes in a northeast direction through the Pocantico Hills community in Mount Pleasant...
. The Hudson River Expressway project was later cancelled, and the western stub of the expressway now serves Phelps Hospital.
Katonah Bypass
Saw Mill River Parkway
The Saw Mill River Parkway is a north–south parkway that extends for through Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins at the border between Westchester County and the Bronx, where it continues into New York City as the Henry Hudson Parkway, and heads generally...
would have provided an alternate route to I-684 from NY 117, commercial traffic was prohibited from using the highway. The trucks that used NY 117 would shake the historic homes as it passed through the hamlet, causing small amounts of damage to the structures. A study analyzing the issue of truck traffic along NY 117 in Katonah began in 1976 at the request of the town of Bedford
Bedford (town), New York
Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.The Town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah...
.
The study was completed in 1978, at which time the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
(NYSDOT) concluded that traffic would never become heavy enough along NY 117 to bring about a need for a bypass. However, the state continued to keep abreast of the situation and eventually performed a second study in 1983. Unlike the first study, this one found traffic along the highway to be on the rise. As a result, the state began making plans to construct a bypass that would divert truck traffic away from Katonah. Over the next three years, NYSDOT proposed a total of nine different routings for the bypass. The route selected by the town of Bedford would begin at Harris Road and head north and east to the Saw Mill Parkway, which it would merge into. An exception would then be made to allow commercial traffic on the parkway between the Katonah Bypass and I-684. The routing of the highway, projected to cost $8.7 million (equivalent to $ in ), was approved in November 1987.
In October 1990, NYSDOT accepted a low bid of $8.5 million (equivalent to $ in ) for the project, clearing the way for construction to begin on the bypass by the following month. The Katonah Bypass opened ca. 1992 and became part of a realigned NY 117. The portion of Bedford Road from Harris Road to NY 35 is now maintained by the town of Bedford.