Sprakers in 1946
This map shows the original, steep routing of NY 162 (Sloansville Road) in Sprakers. You can reduce the transparency above to better see how the new road compares to the old route.
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Old Route 8B
Old Route 8B is a 1915-era routing of NY 8 and 30 between Wells and Speculator that is now a dead-end after the lower bridge was closed some time ago. It runs between Auger Falls and Speculator, passing closely by Austin Falls. Old Route 8B is most famous for Robert Garrow killing a camper at the Robb Creek Mill and then fleeing up Fly Creek Road. There are several campsites along the road, and Austin Falls is a scenic location where the Sacandaga River runs through a narrow floom. The road, while paved with concrete and letter covered with two layers of asphalt only receives the most minimum of maintenance, and is quite rough and disjointed in locations. Old Route 8A refers to the 1915 routing of NY 8 and 30, which at one time ran closer to Auger Falls and wound into the valley, taking a closer path to the Sacanadaga River.
Old Route 8B in 1954
I was surprised to see that NY Route 8 and 30 followed Old Route 8B well into the 1950s, if not the 1960s before the modern alignment. I would have thought such a twisty road with sharp, dangerous curves would have been re-aligned in much earlier on.
The original road was built in 1915, according to bridge inspection reports (click on blue box to pull up the report). Before then, people used Gilmantown Road past Gilmantown Lake to get from Wells to Speculator, with the portion of NY 8 along the East Branch heading south to Wells, until the 1935 bridge was built between NY 30 and NY 8 over the Sacandaga River.
The current alignment was built in 1968 it would appear, based on the fact that the Scandaga River Bridge in Speculator was constructed that year and that looking at historical topographic maps from the mid-1960s still shows the old alignment.
Earlton, NY
Earlton is a hamlet in Greene County, New York, United States. The community is located along New York State Route 81, 5 miles west of Coxsackie.
Taconic Parkway Over Croton Reservoir in 1960
The TSP took a very different and windy route over the Croton Reservoir in 1960, although the northbound lanes still use the same bridge with a different approach.
Forestport, New York
The 1938-era trus bridge that NY 28 uses to cross the Black River in Forestport will be closed this summer due to bridge replacement. 🚧 The 5,181 average daily traffic will have to take Hawkinsville Road (County Route 61) from NY 12 in Boonville to NY 28 in Woodgate to bypass the closure coming to and from the Adirondacks. Closed bridge is square blue box, click on box for full bridge data record.
End of the Lake Ontario State Parkway
In 1944 there was a proposal to create a Lake Ontario State Parkway. It was to be part of the Seaway Trail project. The parkway was to extend from Charlotte Beach in Rochester, through Monroe, Orleans, and Niagara Counties and end at Niagara Falls. When the Robert Moses State Parkway was proposed, the western terminus was moved north to Fort Niagara.
The construction of the Lake Ontario State Parkway began in the late 1940s, with the first section opening in the early 1950s, linking the Hamlin Beach State Park to NY 261 (Manitou Road). The section through Greece to Charlotte was built in stages during the 1950s and 1960s. The portion between Hamlin Beach state park and Lakeside Beach State Park was planned in the ’60s and finished in 1972. Officially opening February 16, 1973.
There was a US Supreme Court ruling in 1964, that caused Counties to lose their representation in the Assembly. That ruling began to take a toll fairly quickly. With the NYS Legislature putting its focus on the seven counties downstate, the parkway was abandoned, half-finished. Little focus was ever again placed on the Lake Ontario State Parkway, at least not for the next 56 years.
It wasn’t until the Lake Ontario Parkway began to be an eyesore and embarrassment, and even a safety hazard, that the state made any effort to make repairs. The parkway was in such disrepair that drivers had to slow to 35-40 MPH, slower in some places, or risk serious damage to their vehicles. Many users preferred driving on the shoulder rather than over the broken parkway pavement. In 2017, the parkway from Route 19 east to Payne Beach was repaved (approximately 8 miles). In 2018, seven miles from Route 19 to Route 237 were repaved, but the shoulders in this stretch narrowed from 12 to 8 feet.
As of today, about 12 miles of the western end of the parkway is in poor condition. The only consideration actually keeping that stretch open is that it is treated as a sessonal highway and is viewed as a historical landmark. With serious deterioration, lack of state funding, failure to complete the parkway to Fort Niagara, and no plans on the books, the Lake Ontario Parkway has become a highway to nowhere.
Source: https://www.glogowskiforassembly.com/a-road-to-no-where/
15 years ago, I drove the Lake Ontario State Parkway. It was in bad shape back then, but was an extremely pleasant drive for the rural country with almost no traffic on it if you didn't mind the repeated bumps of the 50 year old, rarely repaired pavement.