New York State Route 391
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 391 (NY 391) is a short state highway
in Erie County
, New York
, United States
. The route is signed as north–south; however, it follows more of a southeast–northwest alignment between NY 277
in the hamlet of North Boston
and U.S. Route 62 (US 62) in the village of Hamburg
. NY 391 meets the Southern Expressway (US 219) just north of North Boston. Both ends of NY 391 are located in residential areas; however, the middle section of the route passes through more rural areas of the towns of Boston
and Hamburg
.
The routing of NY 391 has been part of several routes over the years, beginning with NY 62 in 1930. NY 62 was mostly renumbered to NY 75
ca. 1932, and all of NY 75 south of Hamburg became concurrent
to US 219 when it was extended into New York ca. 1935. NY 75 was cut back to Hamburg by 1940, leaving just US 219 on modern NY 391. US 219 was realigned north of North Boston in the early 1970s to follow other routes north to meet the first completed piece of the Southern Expressway near Orchard Park
. NY 391 was assigned to US 219's former routing into Hamburg at this time. The route originally ended two blocks to the west at the junction of NY 75
and US 62; however, this extension was eliminated ca. 2004.
NY 391 begins at an intersection with NY 277
(Herman Hill Road) in North Boston
, a hamlet within the town of Boston
. It heads to the northwest as Boston State Road, passing by suburban homes as it approaches the Southern Expressway (US 219
). The two highways meet by way of a diamond interchange
. West of the exit, NY 391's surroundings become more rural as it enters the town of Hamburg
, where it passes by open fields and a handful of houses.
The route follows Eighteen Mile Creek northwest and west toward the village of Hamburg
, where the amount of development along the highway increases significantly. At McKinley Parkway (County Route 204), NY 391 becomes East Main Street and begins to pass through the outskirts of the village. It officially enters Hamburg upon intersecting Sunnyside Drive two blocks to the west. The route continues into the village center, passing by commercial and residential buildings on its way to a roundabout
at Buffalo Street, where it meets US 62. At this point, NY 391 comes to an end while US 62 turns west onto Main Street from Buffalo Street.
What is now NY 391 was originally designated as part of NY 62, a highway extending from Great Valley
north to Buffalo
, in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. US 62 was extended into New York
ca. 1932; as a result, all of NY 62 south of Athol Springs
was redesignated as NY 75
to eliminate numerical duplication with the U.S. Highway. US 219 was extended into New York ca. 1935, overlapping NY 75 between Great Valley and Hamburg
. The overlap was eliminated by 1940 following the truncation of NY 75 to what had been the west end of its overlap with US 62 through Hamburg.
In the early 1970s, construction began on the Southern Expressway, a limited-access highway connecting Buffalo to Springville
. The first segment of the expressway—between the New York State Thruway
east of Lackawanna
and US 20A
west of Orchard Park
—opened to traffic by 1973 as a realignment of US 219. In between the end of the expressway and North Boston
, US 219 temporarily overlapped US 20A and NY 277
. The former routing of US 219 from North Boston to Hamburg was redesignated as NY 391.
An extension of the freeway south to NY 391 near North Boston opened in the mid-1970s, resulting in a slight, temporary truncation of NY 391 to the end of the freeway. Another extension of the expressway south to Springville was completed in the early 1980s. It became part of US 219 upon opening; at the same time, NY 391 was reextended to NY 277 in North Boston. The remainder of remainder of US 219's former routing south to Springville was transferred to Erie County
upon the completion of the Springville–Buffalo segment of the Southern Expressway. Originally, NY 391 terminated at NY 75 in Hamburg, resulting in an extraneous overlap with US 62 for two blocks along Main Street. NY 391 was truncated to the eastern end of the concurrency ca. 2004.
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 Erie County
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
, 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 route is signed as north–south; however, it follows more of a southeast–northwest alignment between NY 277
New York State Route 277
New York State Route 277 is a state highway in New York, USA. This highway is also called Union Road, along with other names. NY 277 is a major north–south road east of Buffalo, New York, through the middle of Erie County...
in the hamlet of North Boston
North Boston, New York
North Boston is a hamlet located in the Town of Boston in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, this hamlet population was 2,680...
and U.S. Route 62 (US 62) in the village of Hamburg
Hamburg (village), New York
Hamburg is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 10,116 at the 2000 census. The village is reportedly named after Hamburg, a city in Germany...
. NY 391 meets the Southern Expressway (US 219) just north of North Boston. Both ends of NY 391 are located in residential areas; however, the middle section of the route passes through more rural areas of the towns of Boston
Boston, New York
Boston is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 7,897 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Boston, Massachusetts....
and Hamburg
Hamburg (town), New York
Hamburg is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 56,259.The Town of Hamburg is on the western border of the county and is south of Buffalo, New York. Hamburg is one of the "Southtowns" in Erie County...
.
The routing of NY 391 has been part of several routes over the years, beginning with NY 62 in 1930. NY 62 was mostly renumbered to NY 75
New York State Route 75
New York State Route 75 is a north–south state highway in Erie County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 39 in the Collins hamlet of Collins Center to an interchange with NY 5 in the town of Hamburg...
ca. 1932, and all of NY 75 south of Hamburg became concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
to US 219 when it was extended into New York ca. 1935. NY 75 was cut back to Hamburg by 1940, leaving just US 219 on modern NY 391. US 219 was realigned north of North Boston in the early 1970s to follow other routes north to meet the first completed piece of the Southern Expressway near Orchard Park
Orchard Park (village), New York
Orchard Park is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,294 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a description of the local landscape, which abounded with orchards...
. NY 391 was assigned to US 219's former routing into Hamburg at this time. The route originally ended two blocks to the west at the junction of NY 75
New York State Route 75
New York State Route 75 is a north–south state highway in Erie County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 39 in the Collins hamlet of Collins Center to an interchange with NY 5 in the town of Hamburg...
and US 62; however, this extension was eliminated ca. 2004.
Route description
New York State Route 277
New York State Route 277 is a state highway in New York, USA. This highway is also called Union Road, along with other names. NY 277 is a major north–south road east of Buffalo, New York, through the middle of Erie County...
(Herman Hill Road) in North Boston
North Boston, New York
North Boston is a hamlet located in the Town of Boston in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, this hamlet population was 2,680...
, a hamlet within the town of Boston
Boston, New York
Boston is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 7,897 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Boston, Massachusetts....
. It heads to the northwest as Boston State Road, passing by suburban homes as it approaches the Southern Expressway (US 219
U.S. Route 219 in New York
U.S. Route 219 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Rich Creek, Virginia, to West Seneca, New York. In the U.S. state of New York, US 219 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Carrollton to an interchange with the New York State Thruway at exit 55 in West...
). The two highways meet by way of a diamond interchange
Diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
. West of the exit, NY 391's surroundings become more rural as it enters the town of Hamburg
Hamburg (town), New York
Hamburg is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 56,259.The Town of Hamburg is on the western border of the county and is south of Buffalo, New York. Hamburg is one of the "Southtowns" in Erie County...
, where it passes by open fields and a handful of houses.
The route follows Eighteen Mile Creek northwest and west toward the village of Hamburg
Hamburg (village), New York
Hamburg is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 10,116 at the 2000 census. The village is reportedly named after Hamburg, a city in Germany...
, where the amount of development along the highway increases significantly. At McKinley Parkway (County Route 204), NY 391 becomes East Main Street and begins to pass through the outskirts of the village. It officially enters Hamburg upon intersecting Sunnyside Drive two blocks to the west. The route continues into the village center, passing by commercial and residential buildings on its way to a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
at Buffalo Street, where it meets US 62. At this point, NY 391 comes to an end while US 62 turns west onto Main Street from Buffalo Street.
History
Great Valley, New York
Great Valley is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 2,145 at the 2000 census. The town is named after its local geographical setting, a relative comparison of two tributaries of the Allegheny River.The Town of Great Valley is centrally located in the...
north to Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. US 62 was extended into 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...
ca. 1932; as a result, all of NY 62 south of Athol Springs
Athol Springs, New York
Athol Springs, New York is an unincorporated hamlet in the town of Hamburg in Erie County, New York, USA.-External Links:*...
was redesignated as NY 75
New York State Route 75
New York State Route 75 is a north–south state highway in Erie County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 39 in the Collins hamlet of Collins Center to an interchange with NY 5 in the town of Hamburg...
to eliminate numerical duplication with the U.S. Highway. US 219 was extended into New York ca. 1935, overlapping NY 75 between Great Valley and Hamburg
Hamburg (village), New York
Hamburg is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 10,116 at the 2000 census. The village is reportedly named after Hamburg, a city in Germany...
. The overlap was eliminated by 1940 following the truncation of NY 75 to what had been the west end of its overlap with US 62 through Hamburg.
In the early 1970s, construction began on the Southern Expressway, a limited-access highway connecting Buffalo to Springville
Springville, New York
Springville is a village in the southeast part of the town of Concord in Erie County, New York, United States. Springville is the principal community in the town and a major business location in south Erie County. The population was 4,252 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara...
. The first segment of the expressway—between the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
east of Lackawanna
Lackawanna, New York
Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, U.S., located just south of the city of Buffalo in the western part of New York state. The population was 18,141 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Lackawanna Steel Company...
and US 20A
U.S. Route 20A (New York)
U.S. Route 20A is an east–west alternate route of US 20 that extends for across the western portion of New York in the United States. It leaves US 20 in Hamburg, a suburb of Buffalo, and rejoins it in East Bloomfield about five miles west of Canandaigua, the county seat of...
west of Orchard Park
Orchard Park (village), New York
Orchard Park is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,294 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a description of the local landscape, which abounded with orchards...
—opened to traffic by 1973 as a realignment of US 219. In between the end of the expressway and North Boston
North Boston, New York
North Boston is a hamlet located in the Town of Boston in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, this hamlet population was 2,680...
, US 219 temporarily overlapped US 20A and NY 277
New York State Route 277
New York State Route 277 is a state highway in New York, USA. This highway is also called Union Road, along with other names. NY 277 is a major north–south road east of Buffalo, New York, through the middle of Erie County...
. The former routing of US 219 from North Boston to Hamburg was redesignated as NY 391.
An extension of the freeway south to NY 391 near North Boston opened in the mid-1970s, resulting in a slight, temporary truncation of NY 391 to the end of the freeway. Another extension of the expressway south to Springville was completed in the early 1980s. It became part of US 219 upon opening; at the same time, NY 391 was reextended to NY 277 in North Boston. The remainder of remainder of US 219's former routing south to Springville was transferred to Erie County
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
upon the completion of the Springville–Buffalo segment of the Southern Expressway. Originally, NY 391 terminated at NY 75 in Hamburg, resulting in an extraneous overlap with US 62 for two blocks along Main Street. NY 391 was truncated to the eastern end of the concurrency ca. 2004.