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.
Search Results for: "Map:" Old Route 8
Modern Route 10 overlaid on the old Arietta – Piseco Road (1954)
New York Route 10 is often said to be the last paved state highway in New York when the Glen Harris Highway was paved north of Arietta up through Piseco Lake in the early 1980s.
Due to constitutional constraints relating to the road running through forest preserve, with few exceptions, almost all of modern asphalt road follows the path of the dirt road, although during construction they did bank the curves and widen the road slightly from the horse and buggy road that existed in almost the same form since the 1800s.
I have the 1904 topographic maps of the area too but due to issues with the original map survey, the overlay is more difficult to do accurately compared to the more modern 1954 survey.
The modern alignment is shown in orange while the topographic map below is from 1954.
Little Moose Lake
The white-dashed line shows the route of the Wilson Ridge Trail, which is an old logging road that is maintained nowadays as a mountain bike trail.
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.
Historical Route 10 Around Goodman Mountain (1954)
Old NY 10 running on the east side of Goodman Mountain couldn't have been in use very long as it's not seen on the 1907 USGS topographic maps and by the mid-1950s has already been by-passed in favor of the modern western alignment along the lake.
Original Routing of Route 8 Along East Branch Sacandaga
From the 1898 Thirteenth Lake and 1910 Stoney Creek topographic maps. Contemporary campsites are also shown on this map to see how they interact with old roads and homesteads.