Жоғарғы Делавэр көрікті жолы: NY 97 тарихы

State highway in southern, New York, US

NY 97 begins at an intersection with US 6 and US 209 (Pike Street / East Main Street) in the city of Port Jervis. NY 97 is immediately concurrent with NY 42 as the route proceeds west on West Main Street, a two lane commercial street. NY 42 and NY 97 soon split from West Main Street for Park Avenue in the Germantown section of Port Jervis, north of the Port Jervis Metro North Railroad station. NY 42 and NY 97 soon leave Port Jervis for the town of Deerpark, paralleling the Norfolk Southern Southern Tier Line (ex Erie Railroad Delaware Division) past and soon into the hamlet of Sparrowbush. In Sparrowbush, NY 42 and NY 97 proceed west, passing north of the Eddy Farm Resort Golf Course before bending northwest through the hamlet. After the intersection with Darraugh Lane, NY 42 forks off on a new right of way to the northeast, while NY 97 continues northwest on the current alignment. The route quickly bends north, intersecting with Hook Road, which connects to the golf course and nearby fishing area. NY 97 continues north, paralleling NY 42 and the Delaware River into the Hawk's Nest section of Deerpark. In Hawk's Nest, NY 97 runs alongside the side of several cliffs overlooking the Delaware. As the river bends to the west, NY 97 bends westward out of Hawk's Nest, bending southwest into Sullivan County. When the plans for a new highway through the corridor of NY 97 were initially drawn up, it was to bypass what became the Hawk's Nest in favor of a shoreline route. However, the Erie Railroad refused to sell the necessary right of way, forcing the state to construct the improved road along the cliffside instead. In 1911, the New York State Legislature created Route 3 a, an unsigned legislative route extending from the Pennsylvania state line at Port Jervis to Route 4 (later NY 17) in Hancock along the Delaware River. Very little of this highway actually existed in reality; by 1920, only 3.69 mile (6 km) of the 62.27 mile (100 km) long route had been built. In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, the segment of former Route 3 a from Port Jervis to Callicoon was designated as NY 97, even though two sections of the route—between NY 42 at Sparrow Bush and Mongaup and from Pond Eddy to near the hamlet of Tusten—were still incomplete. The remainder of old Route 3 a north of Callicoon, which was fully constructed by 1930, became part of NY 17B. In 1932, then Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation designating NY 97 as the "Upper Delaware Scenic Byway". In May 1939, rest of future NY 97 was proposed by the New York State Highway Department to become NY 17L from Hancock to Bradley's Corners. The Orange County Chamber of Commerce wanted one designation for the entire stretch of highway from Hancock to Port Jervis, which shared NY 97. NY 17B, NY 84 and US 6. NY 17L was chosen to provide an alternate to NY 17 for motorists who wanted to avoid the busy highway. The Route Ninety Seven Council had been created several months prior to advocate for designating the entire road as NY 97. They opposed the decision for NY 17L, preferring to keep NY 97 to help travelers. Walter Schwartz, the chairman of the highway committee for Sullivan County's Board of Supervisors, announced on May 12 that he would discuss with the state about the NY 17L/NY 97 ordeal. On June 28, the state announced that they were dropping the NY 17L designation and the entire route would be designated as NY 97. On August 30, 1939, the entirety of NY 97 was officially opened to traffic. Several events were held to mark the road's opening, including a ribbon cutting ceremony in Port Jervis featuring the mayors of Port Jervis and Hancock and a motorcade procession that traveled the length of the highway. In all, it cost $4 million (equivalent to $ in ) to build NY 97. The portion through the Hawk's Nest cost $2 million (equivalent to $ in ) to construct. Following the road's completion, NY 97 was extended north to Hancock, overlapping NY 17B. The overlap was eliminated in the mid 1960s when NY 17B was truncated to Callicoon. Near Cochecton, a historical marker points out that NY 97 passes the rock claimed by New Jersey colonists as the western end of the colony's northern border during the New York–New Jersey Line War in the 18th century. About a quarter of the route follows the old Delaware and Hudson Canal.