New York State Route 12E
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 12E (NY 12E) is a state highway
located entirely within the northwestern part of Jefferson County
in northern New York
, USA. Officially, the southern terminus of NY 12E is at NY 12
in the city of Watertown; however, its signed terminus is at NY 12F
in the village of Brownville
. Its northern terminus, both signed and official, is at NY 12 in the village of Clayton
. NY 12E diverges westward and then eastward to follow the shoreline of Lake Ontario
, unlike NY 12, which follows a direct north–south routing between Watertown and Clayton. The portion of NY 12E north of its junction with NY 180
is part of the Seaway Trail
, a National Scenic Byway
.
was assigned to the New York portion of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway
, an auto trail
that extended from Portland, Maine
, to Portland, Oregon
. In New York, it connected North Tonawanda
(near Niagara Falls
) in the west to Plattsburgh
in the east via Rochester
and Watertown
. In Jefferson County
, the trail and NY 3 entered Watertown on modern U.S. Route 11 and exited on what is now NY 12F
. At Dexter
, NY 3 turned north to follow current NY 180
and NY 12E to Clayton
, where it continued eastward on modern NY 12
.
In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 3 was rerouted to exit Watertown to the east on its modern alignment. The former alignment of NY 3 from Watertown to Clayton was redesignated as NY 12E. At the same time, an alternate route of NY 12E extending from the modern junction of NY 12E and NY 180 to downtown Watertown along the northern bank of the Black River
was designated as NY 12F. The alignments of NY 12E and NY 12F east of what is now NY 180 were swapped ca. 1939, placing both routes on their current alignments.
On August 1, 1979, maintenance of NY 12E between Bridge Street in Brownville
and the Watertown city line was transferred from the state of New York
to Jefferson County
as part of a larger highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. In return, the state assumed maintenance of Bridge Street in Brownsville and the town of Hounsfield
, among other highways. Following the swap, the segment of NY 12E between Bridge Street and the Watertown city limits became concurrent
with County Route 190 while Bridge Street became NY 971H, an unsigned reference route.
Current signage along NY 12E indicates that the route has been rerouted east of Bridge Street to follow NY 971H across the Black River to a terminus at NY 12F. However, the 2009 New York State Department of Transportation
(NYSDOT) description of routes in New York and the 2008 NYSDOT Traffic Data Report both indicate that NY 12E's southern terminus is still located at NY 12 in downtown Watertown.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
located entirely within the northwestern part of Jefferson County
Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...
in northern 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...
, USA. Officially, the southern terminus of NY 12E is at NY 12
New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12 is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in the town of Chenango in the Southern Tier. The northern terminus is at NY 37 near the village of...
in the city of Watertown; however, its signed terminus is at NY 12F
New York State Route 12F
New York State Route 12F is an east–west state highway in Jefferson County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 180 in the town of Hounsfield to a junction with U.S. Route 11 and NY 12 in the city of Watertown...
in the village of Brownville
Brownville (village), New York
Brownville is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,022 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jacob Brown, an early settler and developer....
. Its northern terminus, both signed and official, is at NY 12 in the village of Clayton
Clayton (village), New York
Clayton is a village located in the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 1,821 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the name of the town....
. NY 12E diverges westward and then eastward to follow the shoreline of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, unlike NY 12, which follows a direct north–south routing between Watertown and Clayton. The portion of NY 12E north of its junction with NY 180
New York State Route 180
New York State Route 180 is a north–south state highway in the northwestern part of Jefferson County in the U.S. state of New York. The southern terminus of the route is at NY 3 in the Hounsfield hamlet of Baggs Corner, located west of downtown Watertown. The northern terminus is...
is part of the Seaway Trail
Seaway Trail
The Great Lakes Seaway Trail, formerly named and commonly known as the Seaway Trail, is a National Scenic Byway in the northeastern United States, mostly contained in New York but with a small segment in Pennsylvania...
, a National Scenic Byway
National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...
.
History
In 1924, NY 3New York State Route 3
New York State Route 3 is a major east–west state highway in New York, United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canadian border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for between its western terminus at an intersection with NY 104A in the Cayuga...
was assigned to the New York portion of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway
Theodore Roosevelt International Highway
The Theodore Roosevelt International Highway was a transcontinental North American highway through the United States and Canada that ran from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon. Its length was about .-Route description:...
, an auto trail
Auto trail
The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on telephone poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in the early days of the automobile.Auto trails were...
that extended from Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. In New York, it connected North Tonawanda
North Tonawanda, New York
North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south border...
(near Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
) in the west to Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh (city), New York
Plattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
in the east via Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and Watertown
Watertown (city), New York
Watertown is a city in the state of New York and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is situated approximately south of the Thousand Islands. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 27,023, an increase of 1.2% since 2000. The U.S...
. In Jefferson County
Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...
, the trail and NY 3 entered Watertown on modern U.S. Route 11 and exited on what is now NY 12F
New York State Route 12F
New York State Route 12F is an east–west state highway in Jefferson County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 180 in the town of Hounsfield to a junction with U.S. Route 11 and NY 12 in the city of Watertown...
. At Dexter
Dexter, New York
Dexter is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,120 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Simon Newton Dexter, one of the village's stockholders....
, NY 3 turned north to follow current NY 180
New York State Route 180
New York State Route 180 is a north–south state highway in the northwestern part of Jefferson County in the U.S. state of New York. The southern terminus of the route is at NY 3 in the Hounsfield hamlet of Baggs Corner, located west of downtown Watertown. The northern terminus is...
and NY 12E to Clayton
Clayton (village), New York
Clayton is a village located in the Town of Clayton in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The population was 1,821 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the name of the town....
, where it continued eastward on modern NY 12
New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12 is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in the town of Chenango in the Southern Tier. The northern terminus is at NY 37 near the village of...
.
In the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, NY 3 was rerouted to exit Watertown to the east on its modern alignment. The former alignment of NY 3 from Watertown to Clayton was redesignated as NY 12E. At the same time, an alternate route of NY 12E extending from the modern junction of NY 12E and NY 180 to downtown Watertown along the northern bank of the Black River
Black River (New York)
The Black River is a blackwater river that empties into the eastern end of Lake Ontario on the shore of Jefferson County, New York in the United States of America...
was designated as NY 12F. The alignments of NY 12E and NY 12F east of what is now NY 180 were swapped ca. 1939, placing both routes on their current alignments.
On August 1, 1979, maintenance of NY 12E between Bridge Street in Brownville
Brownville (village), New York
Brownville is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,022 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jacob Brown, an early settler and developer....
and the Watertown city line was transferred from the state of 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...
to Jefferson County
Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...
as part of a larger highway maintenance swap between the two levels of government. In return, the state assumed maintenance of Bridge Street in Brownsville and the town of Hounsfield
Hounsfield, New York
Hounsfield is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 3,466 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is from Ezra Hounsfield, a land agent and land owner....
, among other highways. Following the swap, the segment of NY 12E between Bridge Street and the Watertown city limits became concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with County Route 190 while Bridge Street became NY 971H, an unsigned reference route.
Current signage along NY 12E indicates that the route has been rerouted east of Bridge Street to follow NY 971H across the Black River to a terminus at NY 12F. However, the 2009 New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
(NYSDOT) description of routes in New York and the 2008 NYSDOT Traffic Data Report both indicate that NY 12E's southern terminus is still located at NY 12 in downtown Watertown.