County Route 83 (Suffolk County, New York)
Encyclopedia
Suffolk County Road 83 is a major county road in Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. It runs north and south from New York State Route 27
New York State Route 27
New York State Route 27 is an east–west long state highway extending from Interstate 278 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York, United States...

 (Sunrise Highway) at exit 52A in North Patchogue
North Patchogue, New York
North Patchogue is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 7,825 at the 2000 census. The community is located on Long Island.-Geography:North Patchogue is located at ....

 to New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A is a state highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore of Long Island, running from the Queens Midtown Tunnel in the New York City borough of Queens at its western terminus to...

 in Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai, New York
Mount Sinai is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The population was 8,734 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

. The road was to have to run further south along North Ocean Avenue and South Ocean Avenue through the Village of Patchogue
Patchogue, New York
-Notable citizens:* Franc D'Ambrosio, Broadway Actor, best known for being the longest running Phantom in Phantom of the Opera. Graduated Pat-Med HS 1981* Michael Fagan, professional bowler...

, but that proposal was canceled.

North Ocean Avenue

North Ocean Avenue begins at the historic four corners of Patchogue, where West Main Street, East Main Street(both formerly NY 27A
New York State Route 27A
New York State Route 27A is a state highway extending from Massapequa in Nassau County to Oakdale in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York in the United States...

), and South Ocean Aveue also begin. From there, the road exists as a local two-lane village street. until the area between intersection with Roe Boulevard East and Roe Boulevard West, and the intechange with NY 27
New York State Route 27
New York State Route 27 is an east–west long state highway extending from Interstate 278 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York, United States...

, where it begins to open up in preparation for its status as a county designated, four-lane mostly undivided highway towards Farmingville.

North of the Long Island Expressway, North Ocean Avenue crosses County Road 16
County Route 16 (Suffolk County, New York)
Suffolk County Route 16 is a main thoroughfare through central Suffolk County, New York. Its western terminus is at Middle Country Road in Smithtown, on the eastern border of the Village of the Branch, and its eastern terminus is at Montauk Highway in Brookhaven near Southhaven...

 (Horse Block Road/Farm-to-Market Road), and terminates at Granny Road, a street connecting Farmingville
Farmingville, New York
Farmingville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 16,458 at the 2000 census.Farmingville is in the Town of Brookhaven...

 to Gordon Heights
Gordon Heights, New York
Gordon Heights is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 3,094 at the 2000 census.Gordon Heights is in the Town of Brookhaven.-Geography:Gordon Heights is located at ....

. CR 83, on the other hand, continues northward along Patchogue-Mount Sinai Road to NY 25A southeast of Mount Sinai.

Patchogue-Mount Sinai Road

North Ocean Avenue has always ended at Granny Road; however, the right of way of North Ocean Avenue continues north as an extension called Patchogue-Mount Sinai Road built between 1971 and 1972. Located in the vicinity of the former Bald Hill Ski Bowl
Bald Hill (Farmingville, New York)
Bald Hill, located in the hamlet of Farmingville, New York, part of the Town of Brookhaven, is one of the highest areas of elevation on Long Island. The highest elevation in the Bald Hill area is . Though local residents often claim it to be the highest point on Long Island, that honor actually...

, it acts like a limited-access highway. In reality, the only reason for the limited-access portion was to make driving through hilly region of Farmingville
Farmingville, New York
Farmingville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 16,458 at the 2000 census.Farmingville is in the Town of Brookhaven...

 much easier. The bridge over South Bicycle Path
Bicycle Path
Bicycle Path is a historic road in Central Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, built in the late 19th Century in order to capitalize on the bicycle craze of that period...

 was actually installed at least twelve years before the road was laid out. The ski bowl was closed and converted into a cultural arts center, and two former nearby overlooks were converted into the Suffolk County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park. A housing development that was being built along Granny Road almost blocked construction of the roadway. Loftier plans once existed to extend the limited-access status north of Mooney Pond Road, but legend has it they were literally crossed out in pencil.

Beyond Bald Hill, there was to be an interchange across New York State Route 25
New York State Route 25
New York State Route 25 is an east–west state highway in downstate New York in the United States. The route extends for just over from east midtown Manhattan in New York City to the Cross Sound Ferry terminal at Orient Point on the end of Long Island's North Fork...

. The northbound CR 83/NY 25 ramps were to be accessible to on and off ramps leading to a residential side street called New Lane. A half-mile north of NY 25 is an intersection with Old Town Road. The status of any formerly proposed upgrade of this junction is undetermined and requires further research. New York State Route 112
New York State Route 112
New York State Route 112 is a New York state highway, entirely within the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County. It runs from Montauk Highway, formerly part of NY 27A, in the village of Patchogue to NY 25A in Port Jefferson Station. It is known locally as Medford Ave in Patchogue...

 had a proposed interchange as well that would have utilized Hawkins Road. For a short time, NY 112 acted as the northern terminus of CR 83.

The segment north of NY 112 included an intersection with Pine Road. Another intersection with Canal Road was to be upgraded as part of County Road 111
County Route 111 (Suffolk County, New York)
Suffolk County Road 111 is a county road in Suffolk County, New York. It runs northwest and southeast from Interstate 495 at exit 70 in Manorville to NY 27 at exit 62 near Eastport...

, better known as the unbuilt Port Jefferson-Westhampton Beach Highway. Naturally, an interchange was expected here as well. Coram-Mount Sinai Road, the final intersection on CR 83, is less than a half-mile away from CR 83's terminus at New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A is a state highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore of Long Island, running from the Queens Midtown Tunnel in the New York City borough of Queens at its western terminus to...

. This too was planned to be rebuilt with another limited-access highway known as the North Brookhaven Expressway
New York State Route 347
New York State Route 347 is an east–west state highway located in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. It connects the Northern State Parkway in Hauppauge to NY 25A in Mount Sinai. The route serves as a southern bypass of Smithtown and as a direct link between Nesconset and...

, a road that was planned to start as County Road 26 and upgraded into part of New York State Route 347.

By the mid-1970s, North Ocean Avenue would be widened to four lanes as well, at least as far south as the Sunrise Highway
New York State Route 27
New York State Route 27 is an east–west long state highway extending from Interstate 278 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Montauk Point State Park on Long Island, New York, United States...

. This widening finally filled the gap beneath the Long Island Rail Road bridge, but eliminated a connecting road to Brookrun Drive.

North Shore extensions

There were once plans to extend CR 83 northward beyond its northern terminus at New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A is a state highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore of Long Island, running from the Queens Midtown Tunnel in the New York City borough of Queens at its western terminus to...

. Unlike most proposed highway extensions north of NY 25A, this proposal was to extend it north then curve it east through Miller Place
Miller Place, New York
Miller Place is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. The population was 10,580 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Miller Place is located at ....

 and then into Sound Beach
Sound Beach, New York
Sound Beach was established in 1929 and is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 9,807 at the 2000 census.Sound Beach is a community in the north part of the Town of Brookhaven.-Geography:...

.

Aside from the extension to Sound Beach, there was also another proposed spur to the Cedar Beach Town Park. Along with a local Yacht Club, Cedar Beach lies on a peninsula between the Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...

 and Mount Sinai Harbor. The spur would have been designated County Road 83A.

Both the Sound Beach Extension and the Cedar Beach Spur were stopped by highway opponents on the North Shore, as were the North Brookhaven Expressway, and Port Jefferson-Westhampton Beach Highway.

Former alignments

Until the late-1950's, North Ocean Avenue ran between Austin Avenue, immediately south of the interchange with NY 27 in North Patchogue, to County Road 99
County Route 99 (Suffolk County, New York)
Suffolk County Road 99 is a county road in southern Suffolk County, New York. It runs east and west from Suffolk CR 19 in Holtsville to Suffolk CR 16 near Yaphank and Brookhaven.-Route description:...

 (Woodside Avenue). The expansion of the Sunrise Highway east of Oakdale cut off the southern terminus between Austin and Willmarth Avenue in the 1950s, but a frontage road reconnected the old and new sections. When the interchange with NY 27 was reconstructed in the late-1980's, another frontage road connecting Old North Ocean Avenue replaced the one that was built in the 1950s. The intersection with Woodside Avenue was eliminated in the mid-1970s. Today, the old road is still intact for the most part as Old North Ocean Avenue.

North Ocean Avenue rejoined its present alignment, following the road northward to Bayside Avenue in Patchogue Highlands. At a location between Bayside Avenue and Fairview Avenue, North Ocean broke from its present alignment, running parallel to the west of the modern routing between Fairview Avenue and Wrana Drive. Today, only two segments of the road remain in the form of First Avenue, a short, dead end street off Fairview Avenue, and Brookrun Drive, a street off Masonic Avenue with a dead end located south of the present CR 83/Wrana Drive intersection.

At Wrana Drive, North Ocean Avenue rejoined the current alignment for 0.7 miles (1.1 km) before separating at a location near Robinson Avenue and Petty Lane. The road rejoined the modern routing at the Long Island Lighting Company
Long Island Lighting Company
The Long Island Lighting Company, or LILCO [ "lil-co" ], was an electrical power company and natural gas utility for the communities of Long Island, New York, serving 2.7 million people in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties....

 High Tension Line Right-Of-Way midway between I-495 and CR 16. This segment was completely abandoned as North Ocean Avenue was realigned to accommodate exit 63 along Interstate 495
Interstate 495 (New York)
Interstate 495 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway on Long Island in New York in the United States. The route extends for from the western portal of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel in the New York City borough of Manhattan to County Route 58 in Riverhead, Suffolk County...

 (the Long Island Expressway).

Trolley line

Within Patchogue and North Patchogue, a trolley line used to run along South Ocean Avenue, North Ocean Avenue, and what is now Old North Ocean Avenue. This trolley line ran into Holbrook
Holbrook, New York
Holbrook is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 27,512 at the 2000 Census.-Geography:Holbrook is located at ....

 and veered to the northwest at Canaan Lake
Canaan Lake, New York
Canaan Lake is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States.- Lake :The hamlet is named after Canaan Lake, a physical lake in the area, that flows into the Canaan River, which leads to the Patchogue River....

 along what is known as Traction Boulevard
Traction Boulevard
The Suffolk Traction Company is a former streetcar system in Suffolk County, New York. It operated primarily between Patchogue and Holtsville, but also included a route that served Blue Point, Bayport, and Sayville...

, while the current Old North Ocean Avenue moved northeast.

LIRR bridge

A concrete slab railroad bridge with provisions for a second lane replaced a one-lane arch bridge in the late-1940s. From the 1940s into the 1970s, this bridge had an empty right of way for an unbuilt Southbound lane, clearly indicating that the proposal to widen this road went back to the post-war era. Ironically, Long Island Avenue was a divided highway at this intersection decades before North Ocean Avenue was.

External links

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