New York State Route 342

New York State Route 342 (NY 342) is a short east–west state highway in Jefferson County, New York, in the United States. The western terminus of NY 342 is at an intersection with NY 12 near the hamlet of Scoville Corners in the town of Pamelia. The eastern terminus is at a junction with NY 3 in the town of Le Ray, west of the village of Black River. Along the way, NY 342 connects to Interstate 81 (I-81) in Pamelia and intersects U.S. Route 11 (US 11) outside of the Le Ray hamlet of Calcium.

This article is about the current alignment of NY 342. For the former alignment of NY 342 in Schoharie County, see New York State Route 990V.

New York State Route 342 marker

New York State Route 342

Map of the Watertown area with NY 342 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length8.37 mi[1] (13.47 km)
Existedc. 1963[2][3]–present
Major junctions
West end NY 12 in Pamelia
Major intersections I-81 in Pamelia
US 11 in Le Ray
East end NY 3 in Le Ray
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CountiesJefferson
Highway system
← NY 341→ NY 343

What is now NY 342 was originally built during the 1950s as a federal-aid highway known as the "Watertown Bypass". It became a state highway in 1960, at which time it was designated as New York State Route 181. The designation was short-lived as NY 181 was renumbered to NY 342 c. 1963. The portion of NY 342 between US 11 and NY 3 was part of NY 26 from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s.

Route description
NY 342 westbound in Calcium

In the west, NY 342 begins at an intersection with NY 12 in Pamelia, a town to the north of the city of Watertown. It heads northeastward through open, mostly undeveloped fields for 1 mile (1.6 km) to an interchange with I-81. East of I-81, the development along NY 342 increases as the route enters Pamelia Center, a hamlet centered on NY 342's intersection with NY 37. NY 342 continues on, passing through the eastern portion of the community and serving a local country club before entering another rural area dominated by open fields.[4]

Upon intersecting Nellis Road, NY 342 turns to follow a linear, southeasterly routing into the town of Le Ray. The rural surroundings remain until the hamlet of Calcium, where NY 342 meets US 11 north of the community's center in a lightly populated residential area just southwest of the Fort Drum Military Reservation. The route continues on, running along the southwestern edge of Fort Drum to a junction with NY 283. At this point, NY 342 curves to the south, bypassing the village of Black River to the west as it heads through another undeveloped area consisting of little more than open fields. The route ends roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south of NY 283 at an intersection with NY 3 southwest of the village.[4]

History

The portion of modern NY 342 between NY 12 in Pamelia and US 11 in Le Ray was originally built in stages between 1951 and 1955 as a federal-aid highway named the "Watertown Bypass".[5] The remainder of the route (via Le Ray and South Main Streets in Black River) was built around this time.[6] NY 26 was realigned between 1956 and 1958 to use the portion of the bypass between US 11 and NY 3. The change was part of a larger realignment of NY 26 between Carthage and Antwerp.[7][8]

In 1960, the New York State Department of Transportation assumed ownership and maintenance of the Watertown Bypass.[5] The entirety of the new state highway, including the portion already part of NY 26, was initially designated as NY 181. It was renumbered to NY 342 c. 1963, eliminating potential confusion between NY 181 and the nearby I-81. NY 342 was also rerouted to bypass Black River to the west around this time.[2][3] The overlap with NY 26 was eliminated in the mid-1970s when NY 26 was truncated to Carthage.[9][10]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Jefferson County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Pamelia0.000.00 NY 12 – Watertown, ClaytonWestern terminus
1.151.85 I-81 – Canada, SyracuseExit 48 (I-81)
1.893.04 NY 37 – Ogdensburg, WatertownHamlet of Pamelia Center
Le Ray5.148.27 US 11 – Fort Drum, Gouverneur, WatertownHamlet of Calcium
6.7910.93
 NY 283 west / Pearl Street Road – Watertown, Fort Drum		Eastern terminus of NY 283
8.3713.47 NY 3 – Carthage, WatertownEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. "2008 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. June 16, 2009. p. 296. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  2. New York with Sight-Seeing Guide (Map) (1962 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1962.
  3. New York Happy Motoring Guide (Map) (1963 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1963.
  4. Google (May 23, 2008). "overview map of NY 342" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  5. New York State Department of Transportation (November 2008). "Fort Drum Connector Final Environmental Impact Statement – Chapter II" (PDF). p. 7. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  6. New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1955–56 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1954.
  7. New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1957 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1956.
  8. New York with Special Maps of Putnam–Rockland–Westchester Counties and Finger Lakes Region (Map) (1958 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Esso. 1958.
  9. New York and New Jersey Tourgide Map (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally and Company. Gulf Oil Company. 1974.
  10. New York (Map) (1977–78 ed.). Cartography by General Drafting. Exxon. 1977.
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