Skip to main content

Old NY 3 in Hannibal, New York

NY 3 between Hannibal and Fulton was placed on a new alignment during the late 1960s/early 1970s, possibly as part of the US/NY 104 super-two project that took place in the time. This page has photos of the old alignment of NY 3 in Hannibal. The old alignment is now known as Oswego CR 3. There is a dead end of Oswego CR 3 around where NY 3 and NY 104 currently intersect.

When I had this information on a page on a former website I used to help operate a number of years ago, I received an email from a gentleman by the name of Daniel Harmony who helped provide some additional background information for me. The information he provided was as follows:

"I was reading the narration you have posted concerning the western end of Oswego County 3, formerly NY 3, at Hannibal. The directional sign to the new NY 3 was installed at the time the new road opened. The roadway itself had been used to move traffic back and forth from the new alignment to the old during the construction phase. What you referred to as a driveway at the western end of CR 3 was built as a turn around (perhaps for motorists who missed the NY 3 directional). This was part of the original construction. I assume its true purpose was for snow plows to turn. When the new highway was built, the alignment entering the village was changed radically. As your picture shows, the original alignment was straight into the village from the old road. This was a particularly rough section of road with a narrow bridge just before entering the main square in the village.

By the way, up until some time in the early 1980's (I think), NY 3 ended in Hannibal. It had ended at the junction with US 104 when that road also ran through the village up until the early 1960's. NY 3 was extended west to NY 104A at Crocketts when a plan surfaced to construct some chemical waste disposal plant at the site of what was to have been the Sterling Nuclear Plant. One of the objections raised was that there was no adequate roadway to get to I-90. The state took over what had been town-maintained roads and did a total rebuild following the 1984 Transportation Bond Act (Rebuilding New York program)."

Peering over at the NY 3 and NY 104 intersection.

Looking east at Oswego CR 3. That is a driveway or more than likely, a snowplow turnaround.

END Oswego CR 3 shield westbound.


An old NY 3 shield (with NY on top of the shield) near the western end of Oswego CR 3. There appears to have been a period of time where travelers were asked to switch off between the new alignment and the old alignment. Here is an old NY 3 shield on Oswego CR 3 westbound that may have been used for that purpose.


Sources and Links:
Daniel Harmony (information)
Doug Kerr (photos and information)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

US Route 62 and US Route 180 in the Guadalupe Mountains

US Route 62/US Route 180 between El Paso, Texas and Carlsbad, New Mexico passes through the Guadalupe Mountains.  The Guadalupe Mountains comprise the highest peaks of Texas which are largely protected as part Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  The automotive highway through the Guadalupe Mountains was constructed in the late 1920s as part of Texas State Road 54.  US Route 62 was extended from Carlsbad through the Guadalupe Mountains to El Paso during 1932.  US Route 62 was joined in the Guadalupe Mountains by US Route 180 in 1943.  The Guadalupe Mountains comprise a portion of the 130 mile "No Services" zone on US Route 62/US Route 180 between El Paso-Carlsbad. Part 1; the history of US Route 62 and US Route 180 in the Guadalupe Mountains The Guadalupe Mountains lie within the states of Texas and New Mexico.  The Guadalupe Mountains essentially is a southern extension of the larger Rocky Mountains.  The Guadalupe Mountains is the highest range in Texas with the peak elevati

Paper Highways; unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz

This edition of Paper Highways examines the unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz. The History of Unbuilt California State Route 100 The route that became CA 100 was added to the State Inventory in 1959 as part of the Freeway & Expressway System as Legislative Route 287 .  According to CAhighways.org the initial definition of LRN 287 had it begin at LRN 5 (CA 17) and was defined over the below alignment to LRN 56 (CA 1) through downtown Santa Cruz. -  Ocean Street -  2nd Street -  Chestnut Street For context the above alignment would required tearing down a large part of the densely populated Santa Cruz.  A modern Google imagine immediately reveals how crazy an alignment following Ocean Street, 2nd Street, and Chestnut Street would have been. LRN 287 first appears on the 1960 Division of Highways State Map . In 1961 the definition of LRN 287 was generalized to; from LRN 5 via the beach area in Santa Cruz to LRN 56 west of the San Lorenzo River. 

New Mexico State Road 7 (Carlsbad Caverns Highway)

New Mexico State Road 7 is approximately a seven-mile highway in the Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County. New Mexico State Road 7 connects US Route 62/US Route 180 at Whites City to the visitor center of Carlsbad Caverns National Park via Walnut Canyon. The so-called Carlsbad Caverns Highway to the National Park visitor center complex was constructed following the designation of the namesake National Monument in 1923. The current iteration of New Mexico State Road 7 was designated by the New Mexico State Highway Commission during June 1929. A proposal once was once floated to connect New Mexico State Road 7 to a cavern drive which would have been blasted into Big Room. Part 1; the history of New Mexico State Road 7 What are now Carlsbad Caverns was explored in the Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County by local Jim White during 1898.  White explored the caverns via a homemade ladder and named several of the more notable rooms.  The name "Carlsbad Caverns" was derived from the