New York State Highway 17, also known as The Southern Tier Expressway, runs from Suffern, New York (where it connects to NJ 17) to the Pennsylvania border in Western New York where it connects to Interstate 86. NY 17 is gradually being resigned as Interstate 86 as part of an upgrade to the route, replacing at-grade intersections and bringing the road up to Interstate standards. North and west of Harriman, New York, at its intersection with Interstate 87 and U.S. Highway 6, NY 17 is informally known as the 'Quickway,' connecting the New York City metropolitan area with the southern-tier and Pennsylvania. It is named the Southern Tier Expressway to Interstate 81, where it becomes the "Quickway." Suffern is a village located in Rockland County, New York. ... Jamestown is a city located in Chautauqua County, New York in the USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 31,730. ... Corning, New York is the name of two places in Steuben County, New York, although it most frequently means the City of Corning. ... Elmira is a city located in Chemung County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 30,940. ... Jump to: navigation, search Binghamton is a city in upstate New York in the United States. ... Middletown is the name of two separate cities located in the U.S. state of New York: Middletown, Delaware County, New York Middletown, Orange County, New York This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Suffern is a village located in Rockland County, New York. ... Suffern is a village located in Rockland County, New York. ... New Jersey State Highway 17 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Senators Arlen Specter (R) Rick Santorum (R) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... Western New York refers to the westernmost counties of New York State, roughly the area included in the Holland Purchase. ... Interstate 86 runs from an intersection with Interstate 90 in Erie, Pennsylvania to an intersection with New York State Highway 14 in Horseheads, New York along the Southern Tier Expressway (New York State Highway 17). ... The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) defines standards for Interstate Highways in their publication A Policy on Design Standards - Interstate System. ... Harriman is a village located in Orange County, New York. ... Interstate 87 is a 346 mile (558 km) intrastate interstate highway located entirely within the state of New York. ... Jump to: navigation, search MAJOR JUNCTIONS JUNCTION POSTMILE US-395 CA 0. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Senators Arlen Specter (R) Rick Santorum (R) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... I-81 looking southbound near mile 245, Harrisonburg, Virginia. ...

Route 17 is currently the longest New York State Highway. It stretches 397 miles (639 km) and serves eleven counties in the State of New York, including Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Alleghany, Steuben, Chemung, Tioga, Broome, Delaware, Sullivan, Orange and Rockland. When it becomes fully transformed into Interstate 86 (a step tentatively set for 2012) the title of longest New York State Highway will be passed down to Route 5. New York State Highway 5 is a 370 mile long New York State Highway that runs between the New York/Pennsylvania border at the town of Ripley and downtown Albany where it intersects NY 32. ...

History

The original NY 17 was a two-lane local route built in the late 1920s. Unlike the modern road, it veered northwest to the village of Westfield along Lake Erie. Jump to: navigation, search Lake Erie, looking southward from a high rural bluff near Leamington, Ontario Lake Erie is one of the five large freshwater Great Lakes in North America, among the worlds largest such lakes. ...

The explosive growth of the tourism industry in the Catskill Mountains region, which began in the 1930s and intensified after World War II, stretched the rural road to its limits. Scores of hotels, resorts and bungalow colonies attracted hundreds of thousands of vacationing New Yorkers, whose cars left NY 17 hopelessly jammed in summer. As well, the tight turns and steep inclines along the route led to numerous fatal crashes. Jump to: navigation, search A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Beaches make popular tourist resorts. ... Catskill Escarpment and Blackhead Range as seen from Overlook Mountain The Catskill Mountains, a natural area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are not, despite their popular name, true geological mountains, but rather a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently... Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ...

In response, New York State officials planned a four-lane replacement, the first free long-distance expressway in the state and one of the earliest in the United States. It would replace intersections with well-spaced access ramps, separate grades with flyovers, and allow safe travel at up to 65 miles per hour. State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ...

Construction of the NY 17 freeway began in 1949 near the Catskills town of Goshen, and the road was extended in stages over the next two decades. By 1969 a 130-mile route provided nonstop access between Harriman and Binghamton, from the New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) to Interstate 81. Despite flaws in the highway's design - it included a grade-level railroad crossing (since removed) and two stretches with intersections and driveway access - the so-called Quickway succeeded in easing travel through southern New York, cutting the driving time in half and crashes by 70 percent. Binghamton is a city in upstate New York in the United States. ... NY Thruway Sign The New York State Thruway (officially the Thomas E. Dewey Thruway) is a limited-access toll highway in the U.S. state of New York. ... Interstate 87 is a 346 mile (558 km) intrastate interstate highway located entirely within the state of New York. ... I-81 looking southbound near mile 245, Harrisonburg, Virginia. ...

During the 1970s, New York State extended the NY 17 freeway westward along a new alignment, which took the route into western Pennsylvania to intersect with Interstate 90 outside the city of Erie. The extension, formally known as the Southern Tier Expressway, was completed in 1983. Like its eastern counterpart, it was not originally a fully limited-access route; it included at-grade segments in Horseheads and Corning, while the westernmost leg was a divided two-lane road (called a "super 2"). This narrow segment was widened to four lanes in 1998. // Places Erie is the name of several places in the United States of America: Towns Erie, Colorado Erie, Illinois Erie, Kansas Erie, Pennsylvania Townships Erie Township, Michigan, in Monroe County Erie Township, Ohio, in Ottawa County Counties Erie County, New York Erie County, Ohio Erie County, Pennsylvania Bodies of Water...

When completed, the revamped NY 17 provided a valuable "inside route" for truckers and vacationers alike. It now serves as a time-saving, non-toll shortcut past the Thruway for motorists going from the New York City area to Ohio and points west. (In fact, the Thruway's governing authority initially opposed the highway's construction, fearing the loss of toll revenue on its own route.) New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Buckeye State Other U.S. States Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Governor Bob Taft (R) Senators Mike DeWine (R) George Voinovich (R) Official languages None Area 116,096 km² (34th)  - Land 106,154 km²  - Water 10,044 km² (8. ...

The road's Interstate future

In 1998, the U.S. federal government designated the NY 17 expressway a "high-priority corridor," enabling it to receive Interstate designation and structural upgrades. New York politicians and businessmen backed the move in the hope that an efficient, high-speed roadway would inspire companies to do business in the state's economically depressed southern counties.

In December 1999, the westernmost 185 miles of NY 17 (including the short stretch in Pennsylvania, signed PA 17) were re-signed Interstate 86. This section, which extends east to Corning, was the first to receive Interstate status because it had been designed to higher standards than the older sections in the east. Interstate 86 is the designation of two interstate highways in different parts of the United States. ... Corning is the name of some places in the United States of America: Corning, California Corning, New York Corning, Wisconsin Corning, Iowa For the manufacturing company where the optical fiber was invented, see Corning Glass Works. ...

The remainder of NY 17 is slated to be signed I-86 in about 2012, after the remaining at-grade sections are converted to limited access. (Temporary signs mark the route as "Future Interstate 86.") Recent improvements have included the removal of intersections near Elmira, Horseheads and east of Binghamton, as well as the widening and straightening of sections in the Catskills towns of Goshen and Chester.

Cost estimates for the I-86 renovation range from $550 million to $900 million.

External links

The Roads of Metro New York (Steve Anderson): http://www.nycroads.com/roads/I-86_NY/