New York State Route 2
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 2 (NY 2) is a state highway
in the Capital District
of New York
, United States
. It extends from an interchange with Interstate 87 and NY 7
in the hamlet of Latham
within the town of Colonie to the Massachusetts
state line, where it continues to Boston as Route 2. Cities along the highway include Troy
and Watervliet
. Grafton Lakes State Park
is off this highway in Grafton
.
At Petersburg Pass just west of the state line, Route 2 reaches 2400 feet (731.5 m) in elevation, one of the highest points on New York's state highway system.
as a continuation of NY 7
, which leaves Troy–Schenectady Road at the interchange to join I-87. The route continues east on Troy–Schenectady Road to U.S. Route 9, which it intersects via the Latham Circle
. Instead of directly intersecting US 9, NY 2 meets a series of ramps leading to and from the road while US 9 itself crosses under the circle, allowing for a continuous flow of traffic on US 9. Past US 9, NY 2 continues east through the town of Colonie to Watervliet
, where it becomes 19th Street and meets NY 32
a short distance from the Hudson River
. NY 2 then passes over Interstate 787 before crossing the Hudson via the Congress Street Bridge
and entering Troy
on the opposite bank. Here, the route splits into a one-way pair
along Congress Street (westbound) and Ferry Street (eastbound) through the Central Troy Historic District
.
Four blocks into Troy, NY 2 intersects U.S. Route 4, also routed along a one-way pair through the city. At 3rd Street, NY 2 meets US 4 southbound; it then intersects US 4 northbound at 4th Street. After traversing two more blocks, NY 2 merges into a single carriageway at 8th Street. NY 2 continues east along the now two-way Congress Street, passing south of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
before becoming Brunswick Road at an intersection with NY 66
in eastern Troy.
East of Troy, NY 2 meets NY 278
and NY 351
in Brunswick
before skirting the southern edge of Grafton Lakes State Park
in Grafton
. The route then continues east from Grafton into the hamlet of Petersburgh in the town of the same name
. As NY 2 enters from the west, down a steep incline, it curves leftward while Moses Road continues straight ahead. This surface street in Petersburgh ends at NY 22
, while NY 2 continues over NY 22 on an overpass. North of the overpass, Main Street intersects NY 22 and connects to NY 2, which curves right. Westbound NY 2 traffic curves left for the overpass, with Main Street continuing straight ahead in the same manner that Moses Road does on the west side. Collectively, Main Street and Moses Road make up the 0.41 mile (0.6598294 km) long NY 914A, an unsigned reference route. Past NY 22, NY 2 briefly occupies Main Street before heading southeast to the Massachusetts
state line, where it becomes Route 2 upon entering the town of Williamstown, Massachusetts
.
, however, two locally maintained sections lie on the route. In the city of Watervliet, NY 2 is city-maintained from Grotto Court to NY 32, while in the city of Troy, NY 2 is city-maintained from US 4 to the east city line.
was originally designated by the New York State Legislature as Route 42, an unsigned legislative route
, in 1911. East of Troy, however, Route 42 was routed on Pawling and Pinewoods Avenues. Route 42 was extended west across the Hudson River
to Schenectady
in 1914 by way of what is now NY 2 and NY 7
. When the first set of posted routes in New York
were assigned in 1924, the portion of Route 42 west of 1st Street became part of NY 9. The rest of Route 42 remained unnumbered until the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, when it was designated as NY 96. Near Troy, NY 96 bypassed Pawling and Pinewoods Avenues to the north on Brunswick Road instead of following the path of Route 42. The alignments of NY 96 and NY 2, a highway extending from Owego
to Rochester
in the Finger Lakes
region of New York
, were swapped in the early 1940s, placing NY 2 on the Troy–Massachusetts routing.
Around the same time as the designation swap, NY 2 was extended south to NY 5
in Albany
by way of overlaps with U.S. Route 4, then routed on 1st Street, and NY 32
. In between the two routes, NY 2 was routed on modern NY 378
and crossed the Hudson River by way of the Troy–Menands Bridge. NY 2 was rerouted slightly in the early 1950s to leave NY 32 at the junction of Wolfert Avenue and Broadway and follow Broadway into downtown Albany, where it ended at Madison Avenue (U.S. Route 9 and U.S. Route 20). The route was truncated to the northern end of the NY 32 overlap in the mid-1960s, then to 3rd Street (US 4) in Troy on January 1, 1970. The former routing of NY 2 between NY 32 and US 4 became an extension of NY 378.
Construction on a new limited-access highway through the town of Colonie between Interstate 87 and Interstate 787 began in the early 1980s. At the time, the roadway was known as "NY 7 Alternate". However, when it opened in 1986, it became a realignment of NY 7 instead. NY 7's former surface routing from I-87 in Latham
to US 4 in Troy then became a westward extension of NY 2.
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 the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It extends from an interchange with Interstate 87 and NY 7
New York State Route 7
New York State Route 7 is a 180-mile long New York State Highway that runs from the New York/Pennsylvania border south of Binghamton, New York to the New York/Vermont border east of Hoosick. Most of the road runs along the Susquehanna Valley, closely paralleling Interstate 88 throughout...
in the hamlet of Latham
Latham, New York
Latham is a hamlet in Albany County, New York, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 9 in the town of Colonie, a dense suburb north of Albany.-History:...
within the town of Colonie to the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
state line, where it continues to Boston as Route 2. Cities along the highway include Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
and Watervliet
Watervliet, New York
Watervliet is a city in Albany County in the US state of New York. The population was 10,254 as of the 2010 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, the capital of the state, and is bordered on the north, west, and south by the town of Colonie. The city is also known as "the Arsenal City".- History...
. Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park is a state park in Rensselaer County, New York in the USA. The park is in the central part of the Town of Grafton and north of the community of Grafton on NY Route 2....
is off this highway in Grafton
Grafton, New York
Grafton is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,987 at the 2000 census. It is believed that the town received its name from Grafton, Vermont, from where the first town supervisor, Nathaniel Dumbleton, was originally from. The town is an interior town near the...
.
At Petersburg Pass just west of the state line, Route 2 reaches 2400 feet (731.5 m) in elevation, one of the highest points on New York's state highway system.
Route description
NY 2 begins at Interstate 87 exit 6 in the hamlet of LathamLatham, New York
Latham is a hamlet in Albany County, New York, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 9 in the town of Colonie, a dense suburb north of Albany.-History:...
as a continuation of NY 7
New York State Route 7
New York State Route 7 is a 180-mile long New York State Highway that runs from the New York/Pennsylvania border south of Binghamton, New York to the New York/Vermont border east of Hoosick. Most of the road runs along the Susquehanna Valley, closely paralleling Interstate 88 throughout...
, which leaves Troy–Schenectady Road at the interchange to join I-87. The route continues east on Troy–Schenectady Road to U.S. Route 9, which it intersects via the Latham Circle
Latham Circle
The Latham Circle is the intersection of US Route 9 and NY Route 2 within the town of Colonie, New York in Albany County.-Description:The circle takes the name from the hamlet of Latham, of which the circle is close to the exact center...
. Instead of directly intersecting US 9, NY 2 meets a series of ramps leading to and from the road while US 9 itself crosses under the circle, allowing for a continuous flow of traffic on US 9. Past US 9, NY 2 continues east through the town of Colonie to Watervliet
Watervliet, New York
Watervliet is a city in Albany County in the US state of New York. The population was 10,254 as of the 2010 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, the capital of the state, and is bordered on the north, west, and south by the town of Colonie. The city is also known as "the Arsenal City".- History...
, where it becomes 19th Street and meets NY 32
New York State Route 32
New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
a short distance from the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. NY 2 then passes over Interstate 787 before crossing the Hudson via the Congress Street Bridge
Congress Street Bridge
The Congress Street Bridge carries NY 2 across the Hudson River connecting Watervliet, New York with Troy, New York.-References:...
and entering Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
on the opposite bank. Here, the route splits into a one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....
along Congress Street (westbound) and Ferry Street (eastbound) through the Central Troy Historic District
Central Troy Historic District
The Central Troy Historic District is an irregularly-shaped, area of downtown Troy, New York, United States. It has been described as "one of the most perfectly preserved 19th-century downtowns in the [country]" with nearly 700 properties in a variety of architectural styles from the early 19th to...
.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
before becoming Brunswick Road at an intersection with NY 66
New York State Route 66
New York State Route 66 is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. The route begins at an intersection with NY 23B in the Columbia County city of Hudson and ends at a junction with NY 2 in the Rensselaer County city of Troy...
in eastern Troy.
East of Troy, NY 2 meets NY 278
New York State Route 278
New York State Route 278 is a state highway in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The route, in length, is located entirely in the town of Brunswick...
and NY 351
New York State Route 351
New York State Route 351 is a north–south state highway in central Rensselaer County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 43 in the Sand Lake hamlet of West Sand Lake to a junction with NY 2 in the Brunswick hamlet of Cropseyville...
in Brunswick
Brunswick, New York
Brunswick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States that was originally settled in the early 18th century. During its history, it had been part of Albany County, Rensselaerswyck, and Troy, before its incorporation in 1807...
before skirting the southern edge of Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park is a state park in Rensselaer County, New York in the USA. The park is in the central part of the Town of Grafton and north of the community of Grafton on NY Route 2....
in Grafton
Grafton, New York
Grafton is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,987 at the 2000 census. It is believed that the town received its name from Grafton, Vermont, from where the first town supervisor, Nathaniel Dumbleton, was originally from. The town is an interior town near the...
. The route then continues east from Grafton into the hamlet of Petersburgh in the town of the same name
Petersburgh, New York
Petersburgh is a town located in the northeast section of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,563 at the 2000 census. The town was named after an early settler.- History :...
. As NY 2 enters from the west, down a steep incline, it curves leftward while Moses Road continues straight ahead. This surface street in Petersburgh ends at NY 22
New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...
, while NY 2 continues over NY 22 on an overpass. North of the overpass, Main Street intersects NY 22 and connects to NY 2, which curves right. Westbound NY 2 traffic curves left for the overpass, with Main Street continuing straight ahead in the same manner that Moses Road does on the west side. Collectively, Main Street and Moses Road make up the 0.41 mile (0.6598294 km) long NY 914A, an unsigned reference route. Past NY 22, NY 2 briefly occupies Main Street before heading southeast to the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
state line, where it becomes Route 2 upon entering the town of Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
.
Maintenance
Most of NY 2 is maintained by the New York State Department of TransportationNew 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...
, however, two locally maintained sections lie on the route. In the city of Watervliet, NY 2 is city-maintained from Grotto Court to NY 32, while in the city of Troy, NY 2 is city-maintained from US 4 to the east city line.
History
Most of modern NY 2 east of 1st Street in TroyTroy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
was originally designated by the New York State Legislature as Route 42, an unsigned legislative route
Legislative route
In United States, a legislative route or legislative highway is a highway defined by laws passed in a state legislature. The numbering of such highways may or may not correspond to the numbers familiar to the public as part of the state, U.S. highway, and Interstate highway systems...
, in 1911. East of Troy, however, Route 42 was routed on Pawling and Pinewoods Avenues. Route 42 was extended west across the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
to Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
in 1914 by way of what is now NY 2 and NY 7
New York State Route 7
New York State Route 7 is a 180-mile long New York State Highway that runs from the New York/Pennsylvania border south of Binghamton, New York to the New York/Vermont border east of Hoosick. Most of the road runs along the Susquehanna Valley, closely paralleling Interstate 88 throughout...
. When the first set of posted routes in 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...
were assigned in 1924, the portion of Route 42 west of 1st Street became part of NY 9. The rest of Route 42 remained unnumbered until the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, when it was designated as NY 96. Near Troy, NY 96 bypassed Pawling and Pinewoods Avenues to the north on Brunswick Road instead of following the path of Route 42. The alignments of NY 96 and NY 2, a highway extending from Owego
Owego (village), New York
Owego is a village in and the county seat of Tioga County, New York, USA. The population was 3,911 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
in the Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
region 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...
, were swapped in the early 1940s, placing NY 2 on the Troy–Massachusetts routing.
Around the same time as the designation swap, NY 2 was extended south to NY 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
in Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
by way of overlaps with U.S. Route 4, then routed on 1st Street, and NY 32
New York State Route 32
New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
. In between the two routes, NY 2 was routed on modern NY 378
New York State Route 378
New York State Route 378 is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. It runs from Loudonville to Troy and traverses the Hudson River via the Menands Bridge. NY 378 once connected to Menands Road in the village of Menands; however, Menands Road has since...
and crossed the Hudson River by way of the Troy–Menands Bridge. NY 2 was rerouted slightly in the early 1950s to leave NY 32 at the junction of Wolfert Avenue and Broadway and follow Broadway into downtown Albany, where it ended at Madison Avenue (U.S. Route 9 and U.S. Route 20). The route was truncated to the northern end of the NY 32 overlap in the mid-1960s, then to 3rd Street (US 4) in Troy on January 1, 1970. The former routing of NY 2 between NY 32 and US 4 became an extension of NY 378.
Construction on a new limited-access highway through the town of Colonie between Interstate 87 and Interstate 787 began in the early 1980s. At the time, the roadway was known as "NY 7 Alternate". However, when it opened in 1986, it became a realignment of NY 7 instead. NY 7's former surface routing from I-87 in Latham
Latham, New York
Latham is a hamlet in Albany County, New York, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 9 in the town of Colonie, a dense suburb north of Albany.-History:...
to US 4 in Troy then became a westward extension of NY 2.