New York State Route 68

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New York State Route 68

Map of the North Country with NY 68 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT and the city of Ogdensburg
Length33.43 mi[1] (53.80 km)
Existedmid-1920s[2][3]–present
Major junctions
West end NY 37 near Ogdensburg
Major intersections US 11 in Canton
East end NY 56 in Colton
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountiesSt. Lawrence
Highway system
← NY 67→ NY 69

New York State Route 68 (NY 68) is an east–west state highway located entirely within St. Lawrence County in the North Country of New York in the United States. The western terminus is at an intersection with NY 37 in Oswegatchie, just west of the Ogdensburg city limits. The eastern terminus is at a junction with NY 56 in the hamlet of Colton within the town of Colton. Along the way, NY 68 passes through the village of Canton, where it overlaps with U.S. Route 11 (US 11) through the village.

NY 68 was assigned in the mid-1920s, but only from Canton to Ogdensburg. The route was extended to Colton in 1930, then truncated slightly to end at the NY 37 bypass in the 1970s. NY 68 was re-extended to its current length in 1982 as part of a highway maintenance swap between New York State and St. Lawrence County.

Route description

Looking northwest at west terminus

The vast majority of NY 68 is maintained by New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). The only section not maintained by the state lies within the city of Ogdensburg, where the route is locally maintained from the junction of State and Canton Streets to the southeastern city line.[4]

NY 68 begins at an intersection with NY 37 (the Seaway Trail) in Ogdensburg. The route heads to the northeast, along the outskirts of downtown Ogdensburg. Along the way, it passes residential homes and several commercial businesses, parallelling the MacDonald-Cartier Freeway (Highway 401) to the north in Ontario and NY 37 to the south. NY 68 crosses a branch of the St. Lawrence River in downtown Ogdensburg, passing Crescent Park soon after. NY 68 heads to the south, intersecting with NY 37 once again along with NY 812 near the Seaway Shopping Center.[5]

After NY 37 and NY 812, the road begins to leave Ogdensburg, and the lands around NY 68 become less developed. NY 68 passes the Ogdensburg International Airport after the intersection with County Route 28A (CR 28A). The highway crosses through Oswegatchie uneventfully, entering the hamlet of Flackville. Much of the region between Ogdensburg and Canton is mostly fields, and NY 68 heads through sparsely populated areas until it reaches Canton. The highway parallels a creek before entering the village of Canton.[5]

US 11 and NY 68 merge in Canton

In downtown Canton, NY 68 intersects with US 11 before passing Rushton Falls. US 11 and NY 68 become concurrent through downtown Canton, passing St. Lawrence University and its golf course. At the intersection with NY 310, US 11 and NY 68 split, with NY 68 heading to the southeast. The urbanization of NY 68 quickly dissipates again, going down hills for some distance. When the road enters the hamlet of Langdons Corners, it passes to the north of Watermann Hill. Several miles later, NY 68 enters Colton and terminates at an intersection with NY 56.[5]

History

When NY 68 was assigned in the mid-1920s, it extended only from US 11 in Canton to the intersection of State and Ford Streets (then-NY 3 and later NY 37) in Ogdensburg.[2][3] In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 68 was extended eastward through Canton to Colton, where it ended at NY 56.[6] In the late 1950s, NY 37 was rerouted to bypass Ogdensburg to the south on a new alignment;[7][8] however, NY 68 continued to extend past the arterial to Ford Street as late as 1969.[9] By the following year, NY 68 was truncated to the intersection of Canton and State Streets, eliminating an overlap with NY 87.[10] NY 68 was truncated again in the mid-1970s to end at its junction with NY 37 southeast of the city center.[11][12]

The section of NY 68 between the intersection with NY 310 and US 11 in Canton and CR 29 in Pierrepont was offered by the state to St. Lawrence County in 1966 that they would turn over this 8-mile (13 km) section and take over the alignments of Park Street in Canton, CR 27 and CR 29, a 10-mile (16 km) alignment.[13] In March 1967, the New York State Senate approved a bill to swap maintenance of the two roads.[14] That April, Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller signed the bill to transfer roads, with NY 68 being designated as a less desirable alignment.[15] By 1969, this changeover had never occurred, as NY 68 remained on the shorter alignment.[16][17]

On September 1, 1982, ownership and maintenance of the portion of NY 68 between the hamlet of Pierrepont and NY 56 in Colton was transferred from St. Lawrence County to the state of New York as part of a highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. Also exchanged in the swap was the portion of former NY 37 between the western end of the Ogdensburg bypass and the Ogdensburg city line, which had been county maintained prior to this point.[18] Following the swap, NY 68 was re-extended into Ogdensburg, following its former alignment as well as that of NY 37 north and west to its current terminus west of Ogdensburg.[19]

Major intersections

The entire route is in St. Lawrence County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Oswegatchie0.000.00 NY 37 – Massena, WatertownWestern terminus
Ogdensburg2.353.78State Street ( NY 970E)Northern terminus of unsigned NY 970E
Oswegatchie2.954.75 NY 37 / NY 812 – Bridge to Canada
Town of Canton15.0224.17 CR 14 – MorleyFormer eastern terminus of NY 186
Village of Canton19.9332.07
 US 11 south – Gouverneur		Western terminus of US 11 / NY 68 overlap
21.3234.31

 US 11 north / NY 310 north – Potsdam		Eastern terminus of US 11 / NY 68 overlap; southern terminus of NY 310
Colton33.4353.80 NY 56 – South Colton, PotsdamEastern terminus, hamlet of Colton
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b "2008 Traffic Volume Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. p. 128. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "New York's Main Highways Designated by Numbers". The New York Times. December 21, 1924. p. XX9.
  3. ^ a b Rand McNally Auto Road Atlas (eastern New York) (Map). Rand McNally and Company. 1926. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  4. ^ "St. Lawrence County Inventory Listing" (CSV). New York State Department of Transportation. March 2, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c Google (March 26, 2008). "overview map of NY 68" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  6. ^ Dickinson, Leon A. (January 12, 1930). "New Signs for State Highways". The New York Times. p. 136.
  7. ^ New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1958 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1958.
  8. ^ New York and New Jersey Tourgide Map (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. Gulf Oil Company. 1960.
  9. ^ Ogdensburg Digital Raster Quadrangle (Map). 1:24,000. New York State Department of Transportation. 1969. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  10. ^ State of New York Department of Transportation (January 1, 1970). Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State (PDF). Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  11. ^ New York (Map) (1973 ed.). Cartography by H.M. Gousha Company. Shell Oil Company. 1973.
  12. ^ New York (Map) (1977–78 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Exxon. 1977.
  13. ^ St. Lawrence County, New York (1966). Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of St. Lawrence County. Mason Rossiter Smith, Incorporated. p. 30.
  14. ^ "Senate OKs Road Swap". The Post-Standard. March 21, 1967. Retrieved January 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Rocky Approves Highway Swap". The Post-Standard. April 15, 1967. Retrieved January 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Canton Digital Raster Quadrangle (Map). 1:24,000. New York State Department of Transportation. 1969. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  17. ^ Pierrepont Digital Raster Quadrangle (Map). 1:24,000. New York State Department of Transportation. 1969. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  18. ^ New York State Legislature. "New York State Highway Law § 341". Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  19. ^ New York State Map (Map). Cartography by Map Works. I Love New York. 2009.

External links

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