Current and historic US Highway ends in Rouses Point and Champlain, NY
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When the US routes were first commissioned, three of them ended in Rouses Point: US 9, US 11, and the eastern segment of US 2. Here is a scan of the 1943 USGS map:
c. 1943, USGS
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It is possible that US 11 originally ended there, while US 9 ran both directions along Lake Street (the crossroad).
This next series of photos was taken looking northbound on Lake (old US 9). Today northbound US 11 goes straight ahead, but it is possible that its north beginning was to the left at one time... |
Field/Nitzman, July 2000
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Bourey, Sep. 2019
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...however, it is just as likely that US 11 overlapped with US 9 north to the border. Just ahead is a reference to the upcoming junction with US 2:
Bourey, Sep. 2019
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But first we reach what was the last US 11 marker as of 2019 (just past the jct. with NY 276):
Bourey, Sep. 2019
Shortly we come to the Bridge Road intersection, which is shown in these next photos:
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Field/Nitzman, July 2000
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Bourey, Sep. 2019
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Today US 2 begins to the right. However, it is likely that US 2 originally overlapped north with US 9 (and probably US 11 too) to the border: this would have been the practical way to mark the road, especially for travelers coming from Canada. In the distance ahead was a US 11 reassurance marker, shown close-up here...
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Field/Nitzman, July 2000
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...although the US 11 signs shown in both of those last two photos have been gone since at least 2005 (perhaps to cut down on non-border traffic). The customs house is just visible at far left. US 11 continues ahead about a half-mile to the Canada border; it has probably always been that way, despite what is shown on the maps on this page. Here is a photo from there:
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Eisenstein, Apr. 2002
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The Canada line is right about where the railroad crosses in the distance. That is also the historic north end of US 9, and probably the historic end of US 2 as well. Today however, it is only US 11 that goes all the way to the border. Heading the opposite direction, this was the first marker heading south from Canada:
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Mortell, 1996
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Not far ahead is the junction with US 2; these photos show signage posted at that intersection:
Mortell, 1996
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Bourey, Sep. 2019
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Drivers taking that turn to the east immediately encounter the first confirming assembly for US 2's eastern segment:
Bourey, Sep. 2019
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Heading the opposite direction, as of 2019, the last westbound US 2 marker was four miles away, in Vermont, just past the junction with VT 225. These photos were taken in New York, looking west on Bridge, approaching Lake St:
Field/Nitzman, July 2000
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Bourey, Sep. 2019
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Bourey, Sep. 2019
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On the map above, US 2 is shown coming in from Vermont on Bridge Road, and possibly ending here at Lake St, just as it does today. However, it is just as likely that US 2 continued north from here with US 9 and US 11. (But note that today, not even US 11 is signed to the north from this point.)
Shortly after the map above was published, US 9 was rerouted north of Chazy NY. Instead of going northeast through Coopersville to Rouses Point (via today's NY 9B), US 9 traffic was redirected more northerly through Champlain, ending at the border crossing north of town. This change was made in response to the rerouting of Quebec hwy. 9 to the west. Here is the 1956 USGS map; the solid red line running east-west is US 11:
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c. 1956, USGS
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This photo shows the last northbound US 9 sign, heading north out of Champlain, with traffic on I-87 visible in the background:
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Bourey, Sep. 2019
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Just a bit further ahead, an "End" assembly is posted:
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Field/Nitzman, July 2000
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Bourey, Apr. 2018
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The customs house is visible in the distance; to get there, one must enter I-87 (ahead to the left). I-87 bisects the original alignment of US 9, and that "End" sign happens to be right about where the original highway went slightly to the left, rather than along this newer frontage road, which dead-ends before reaching the border. In fact, as of 2006, there was still a US 9 sign posted even farther to the north, but facing south on the west-side frontage road. Presumably that was a remnant from the pre-interstate era. This next shot was taken heading the same direction (northbound), but on I-87:
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Nitzman, July 2005
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Drivers exiting there encounter this sign on the offramp:
Nitzman, July 2005
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For drivers heading north on I-87, that is the north beginning of US 9; to the left leads only to a cul-de-sac adjacent to the customs house. These next photos show the first southbound signs:
Bourey, Apr. 2018
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Nitzman, July 2005
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In the background of that photo is the first exit sign for southbound I-87 coming from Canada; it is shown close-up here:
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Nitzman, July 2005
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Drivers exiting there are directed south on a service road, which soon passes underneath I-87 and connects to US 9, just south of the "End" sign shown previously.
After US 9 was redirected to go through Champlain, its old route through Coopersville and Rouses Point became NY hwy. 9B, which shows up on this map: |
c. 1956, USGS
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What that shows is kind of odd: did US 11 really end on Champlain at NY 9B (Lake) back then? Or did it continue north to the border, as it does today? Or, a third possibility is shown on this 1959 Gousha map:
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c. 1959, Gousha
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In that map series, the legend clearly differentiates US routes as red lines with blue casing, while state routes are red or blue lines with no casing. So that suggests US 2 and US 11 ended at their common junction, while it was only 9B that actually served the border crossing.
Research and/or photo credits: George Bourey; Hank Eisenstein; Andy Field; Dan Moraseski; Alex Nitzman; Chris Jordan; Robert Mortell; Dale Sanderson
Page originally created 2003;
last updated Jul. 10, 2021.
last updated Jul. 10, 2021.
