is a 208.74 mile (335.8 km) New York State Route that travels through 10 counties from Niagara Falls in the west to Vernon Center in the east.
Route 31, spanning 10 counties over a course of 209 miles, is one of the longest routes in New York State. The route parallels two lengthy routes, Route 104 to the north and NY 5 to the south, as it proceeds east.
Route 31 begins at NY 104 in northern Niagara Falls. After a short distance eastward through the northern fringe of the city, the road encounters NY 61 and, to NY 61's northeast, I-190 at exit 24. Past I-190, NY 31 meets NY 265 south of the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant reservoir. At the intersection, NY 31 becomes Saunders Settlement Road, a name it retains for almost 15 miles. Continuing through Niagara County , Route 31 passes the south end of the Tuscarora Indian Reservation ahead of a brief Overlap with NY 429 . the southwest corner of Niagara County Community College . NY 429 travels north toward Route 104 while NY 31 continues east to an intersection with NY 425 . After passing through Comstock Corners , NY 31 crosses New York State Route 270 and New York State Route 93 prior to entering Lockport.
Now in Lockport , Route 31 crosses the Erie Canal and NY 78 , better known as Transit Road in this area. NY 77 begins at NY 31 just east of town.
Farther to the east, in Middleport , Route 31 acts as the termini of NY 31E and NY 271 . Just east of town, NY 31 makes the first of nine county line crossings, entering Orleans County.
At an intersection in Medina, NY 31A branches off and NY 31 overlaps NY 63 for a short distance between NY 31A and NY 31E. NY 31 follows the path of NY 31E east out of the village. 10 miles to the east, Route 31 crosses NY 98 in Albion . In Fancher , a locale situated midway between Albion and Holley, it comes to the southern end of NY 387 .
In the village of Holley , it crosses NY 237 .
1.5 miles east of Holley, Route 31 makes the transition into Monroe County.
West of Brockport , the road crosses the Erie Canal twice, and passes the SUNY Brockport campus. South of Brockport, it crosses NY 19 , meets the southern terminus of NY 260 , and comes to the current western terminus of NY 531 , the Senator Ralph Quattrociocchi Memorial Highway (Spencerport Expressway), and, shortly after, the northern terminus of NY-36 south of Adams Basin, New York .
Northeast of Gates on the Rochester city line, there is a connection to I-390 and another bridge over the Erie Canal that leads the route into the city.
Route 31 enters the city as Lyell Avenue. After passing Mount Read Blvd., NY 31 continues east to West Broad Street, where it turns south onto the road. The route passes PAETEC Park to its east as it heads toward a pair of overpasses, one carrying Interstate 490 and another holding the CSX Rochester Subdivision . Route 31 continues under both, following the former path of the Erie Canal southeast through the city to the eastern terminus of NY 33 , West Main Street. NY 31 follows West Main to the east, passing under I-490 once again before breaking from West Main and occupying East Broad Street. The street proceeds to the east, passing through the commercial heart of the city. Just east of Exchange Blvd., the northern terminus of NY 383 , the route crosses the Genesee River on the Broad Street Aqueduct .
East of the waterway, NY 31 follows East Broad to South Avenue, where it turns south for two blocks. It then turns east on Woodbury Blvd. and finally south on Chestnut Street. (Westbound NY 31 follows Woodbury Blvd. to South Clinton Avenue to East Broad Street.) At the Inner Loop , Chestnut Street becomes Monroe Avenue, the name NY 31 retains to Pittsford.
NY 31 maintains a constant southeast progression between downtown Rochester and the village of Pittsford. Near Cobbs Hill Park , NY 31 interchanges with I-490 at exit 18. After entering Brighton , it comes to I-590 and then NY 65 . Northwest of Pittsford (village), New York , Route 31 crosses the canal again.
In the village center, NY 31 intersects NY 96 . East of NY 96, the route crosses over the Erie Canal once again. Now in the town of Pittsford , NY 31 meets I-490 again, and then the canal one more time. In Perinton , it crosses NY 250 near Perinton Square Mall .
After passing through the hamlet of Egypt , NY 31 enters Wayne County.
East of Macedon , Route 31 passes the southern terminus of NY 350 and the eastern terminus of NY 31F . The highway then runs through Yellow Mills and joins NY 21 through Palmyra . From Palmyra east, the route parallels the Erie Canal for a considerable distance.
Between Palmyra and Newark, NY 31 dips into Ontario County for less than a mile before reentering Wayne County.
In Newark , NY 31 intersects NY 88 . Farther east, in Lyons , it crosses NY 14 and the canal. At Clyde , there is a junction with NY 414 . NY 31 then overlaps NY 89 in Savannah . Together they pass through Fort Hill .
At the southern terminus of the concurrency, NY 31 turns east and ventures into Seneca County for a short distance before entering Cayuga County.
Shortly after entering Cayuga County, NY 31 crosses and begins to parallel the New York State Thruway ( Interstate 90 ), which NY 31 does for most of its routing west of the outer Syracuse Suburb s. In Port Byron , NY 31 intersects NY 38 in the center of the village. The routes embark on an overlap through the village before separating near the eastern edge of Port Byron. Route 31 continues alone to Weedsport , where the route meets NY 34 north of the village. East of Weedsport, NY 31 and the Thruway are joined by the CSX Rochester Subdivision mainline, which runs down the center of the strip of land created by the Thruway to the north and NY 31 to the south. Continuing into Onondaga County and the village of Jordan , NY 31 begins to make a turn northward while connecting to the northern end of NY 317 (the former northern terminus of NY 31C ) a short distance north of the village center. With the turn complete, NY 31 traverses the CSX mainline and the Thruway via successive overpasses before returning to level ground and resuming an eastward alignment in the shadow of the Thruway. Once inside the limits of Van Buren , NY 31 separates from the Thruway, curving north and intersecting the western terminus of NY 173 in quick succession.
The alignment remains fairly straight to the outskirts of Baldwinsville , where NY 31 turns to the right onto Downer Street to avoid the Seneca River to the immediate north. The eastward progression is limited, however, as NY 31 merges with NY 690 northward, traversing the Seneca River and straddling the western edge of Baldwinsville. On the north bank of the river, NY 31 exits NY 690 but joins NY 370 at the end of the exit ramp. Together, NY 31 and 370 enter Baldwinsville, intersecting NY 48 in the village center. Three blocks from NY 48, NY 370 splits from NY 31. As NY 370 heads for downtown Syracuse , NY 31 continues east, overlapping NY 631 for a short distance before passing through Lysander New Community and crossing the Seneca River again. Now in the town of Clay , NY 31 interchanges with NY 481 in the shadow of the Great Northern Mall . Route 31 continues eastward through the town to Cicero , where it meets U.S. Route 11 and Interstate 81 at exit 30. As NY 31 heads away from I-81, Oneida Lake slowly becomes visible to the north. NY 31 comes within a mile of the lakeshore before turning slightly to parallel the shoreline. Near the Madison County line, here delimited by Chittenango Creek , NY 31 enters the western half of Bridgeport and meets the eastern terminus of NY 298 near the banks of the creek. NY 31 then crosses the creek, entering Madison County and the remaining portion of Bridgeport.
East of Bridgeport, NY 31 moves closer to Oneida Lake, eventually coming to within 200 yards of the lakeshore at points. Near the eastern edge of Oneida Lake, NY 31 intersects NY 13 in the hamlet of South Bay . To the east, NY 31 meets the northern terminus of NY 316 at a junction adjacent to the Oneida County line, again marked by a body of water, the Oneida Creek . NY 31 traverses the creek and proceeds eastward through the Oneida County town of Verona . Northeast of Oneida , NY 31 intersects NY 46 adjacent to the path of the old routing of the Erie Canal . Farther east, Route 31 intersects NY 365 just north of its interchange with the Thruway. The Turning Stone Resort & Casino , located two miles south of the intersection, is accessible via NY 365. Past NY 365, NY 31 passes over the Thruway (I-90) for the final time. The route continues southeast into Vernon , where NY 31 intersects NY 5 in the Village Of The Same Name . NY 31 joins NY 5 eastward for just over a half-mile before splitting and following County Road 81 south. NY 31 becomes overlapped with county routes for the remainder of its routing, following CR 81 south, with Vernon Downs Racetrack located to the direct east, then CR 13 east to a Traffic Circle with NY 26 in Vernon Center, where NY 31 comes to an end.
NY 31 was signed as early as 1926 and initially followed an alignment similar to its current routing. Between Niagara Falls and Sanborn , the alignment of NY 31 was identical to that of the route today. At what is now the eastern junction with NY 429 , NY 31 split from its modern routing and followed the path of NY 429 north to modern-day NY 104 ( Ridge Road ) in Porter . NY 31 turned east, remaining on Ridge Road through the remainder of Niagara County , the entirety of Orleans County , and western Monroe County .1 Within the city of Rochester , NY 31 continued east on Ridge Road to Lake Avenue, where it turned south to enter downtown Rochester, becoming State Street at Lyell Avenue. At East Main Street, NY 31 resumed its eastward alignment, crossing the Genesee River and continuing on Main to Monroe Avenue, which, at the time, connected directly with Main. NY 31 turned right on Monroe, rejoining the present alignment of NY 31 near Union Street.''Automobile Legal Association (ALA) Automobile Green Book'', 1931/32 edition, p. 219, (Scarborough Motor Guide Co., Boston, 1931). East of Rochester, NY 31 followed its current alignment to Baldwinsville , where the route entered the village on Downer Street and modern NY 48 in the absence of NY 690 . Outside of the village, NY 31 remained on its current routing to what is now NY 316 in Lenox . Here, NY 31 broke from its modern path and followed the current NY 316 and part of NY 46 into Oneida , where it terminated at NY 5 .2
From Lockport to Rochester, except for segments near Gasport , Albion , and Brockport , what is now NY 31 was originally designated as NY 3 in 1924.3 The remaining portions of modern NY 31 not part of then-NY 3 or then-NY 31 were unnumbered.
In the 1930 Renumbering , NY 31 west of modern NY 429 in Niagara County was rerouted onto Ridge Road, moving the western terminus north to Lewiston . NY 3 was realigned as well, occupying what is now NY 31 west to Niagara Falls. Additionally, NY 3 was moved near Albion, placing NY 3 on the current routing of NY 31 in the area. The remainder of NY 31 east to Lenox remained unchanged;4 however, at Lenox, NY 31 was rerouted to follow its modern alignment to NY 365 near Oneida, while the former alignment from Lenox to Oneida became NY 316. In 1934, Ridge Road became part of U.S. Route 104 , causing NY 31 to be rerouted onto the former alignment of NY 3 from Niagara Falls to Rochester. NY 3 was then truncated to a location in Central New York .
By 1946, what is now NY 31 from NY 365 to Vernon Center was designated .5 On April 1 , 1981 , NY 234 was decommissioned and replaced with an extended NY 31.6
Between 1978 and 1985, NY 31 was moved onto its current alignment southwest of Brockport, bypassing the village and eliminating an overlap with NY 19 .7 Later, between 1985 and 1995, NY 31 was rerouted in Baldwinsville to follow its current alignment along NY 690 and NY 370 .89
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Niagara
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12
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000
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NY 104
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Niagara Falls
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2
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212
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I-190
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Niagara
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Exit 24 (I-190)
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concur
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894
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NY 429
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Sanborn
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2
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Western terminus of overlap
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concur
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919
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Eastern terminus of overlap
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NY 429
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2202
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NY 77
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Lockport
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town
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Northern terminus of NY 77
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3084
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Middleport
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Western terminus of NY 31E southern terminus of NY 271
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Orleans
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5
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3533
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concur
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Medina
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2
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Western terminus of NY 31A southern terminus of NY 31/NY 63 overlap
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3629
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concur
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Eastern terminus of NY 31E northern terminus of NY 31/NY 63 overlap
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4650
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NY 98
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Albion
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village
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5171
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NY 387
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Fancher
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Southern terminus of NY 387
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Monroe
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18
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6079
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NY 31A
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Brockport
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3
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Eastern terminus of NY 31A
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6422
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NY 260
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Southern terminus of NY 260
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6630
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NY 531
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Ogden
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2
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Western terminus of NY 531
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6673
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NY 36
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Northern terminus of NY 36
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7572
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NY 390
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Rochester
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6
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Rochester Outer Loop
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Exit 21 (NY 390)
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7881
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I-490 west
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Western Expressway
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Entrance only
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7922
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NY 33
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West Main Street
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Eastern terminus of NY 33
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7964
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NY 383
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Exchange Boulevard
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Northern terminus of NY 383
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8146
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I-490
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Eastern Expressway
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Exit 18 (I-490)
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8399
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I-590
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Brighton
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Monroe
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2
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Exit 2 (I-590)
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8650
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NY 96
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Pittsford
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village
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8827
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I-490
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Pittsford
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town
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Exit 26 (I-490)
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Wayne
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8
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9802
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Macedon
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town
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Eastern terminus of NY 31F southern terminus of NY 350
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concur
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10151
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NY 21
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Palmyra
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town
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2
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Western terminus of overlap
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concur
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10213
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NY 21
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Eastern terminus of overlap
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11614
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NY 14
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Lyons
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village
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concur
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12998
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NY 89
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Savannah
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2
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Northern terminus of overlap
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concur
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13321
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NY 89
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Southern terminus of overlap
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Cayuga
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5
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13542
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NY 90
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Montezuma
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concur
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13955
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NY 38
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Port Byron
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2
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Northern terminus of overlap
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concur
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13995
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NY 38
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Southern terminus of overlap
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decomd
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14334
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NY 31B
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Former western terminus of NY 31B
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Weedsport
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2
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Onondaga
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14
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14833
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NY 317
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Northern terminus of NY 317
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Jordan
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15422
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NY 173
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Ionia
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Onondaga
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Western terminus of NY 173
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concur
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15878
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NY 690
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Baldwinsville
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5
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Southern terminus of overlap
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concur
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15968
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NY 690
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Northern terminus of overlap
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concur
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16016
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NY 370
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Western terminus of overlap
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concur
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16200
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NY 370
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Eastern terminus of overlap
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concur
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16299
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NY 631
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Lysander New Community
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2
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Western terminus of overlap
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concur
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16348
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NY 631
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Eastern terminus of overlap
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16562
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CR 57
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Clay
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4
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Former routing of NY 57
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17324
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I-81
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Exit 30 (I-81)
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18107
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NY 298
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Kirkville
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Northern terminus of NY 298
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Madison
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2
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19226
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NY 13
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Lenox
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2
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19414
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NY 316
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Northern terminus of NY 316
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Oneida
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5
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19652
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NY 46
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Verona
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2
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concur
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20568
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NY 5
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Vernon
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town
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3
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Western terminus of overlap
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concur
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20641
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NY 5
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Eastern terminus of overlap
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