US highway endpoints in Waverly, NY
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1927-present
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The north end of US 220 has always been in the Waverly area, but the exact location of its terminus has moved over the years. Originally there was no US 220 bypass around Athens and Sayre PA. Instead, US 220 followed what is now PA 199 through those towns (except for the segment right up near the state line). And after 1930, the US 309 designation was twinned with US 220:
c. 1940, Rand McNally
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Near the state line, the route jogged around a bit (partially along roads that no longer exist) before ending up on Pennsylvania Avenue in Waverly, ending at its junction with the original NY hwy. 17 (Chemung Street):
c. 1957, USGS
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Prior to that map, US 220-309 crossed into New York via Penn. Av. (via a bridge that was dismantled in 1954). A photo from that time, looking south on Penn, shows that New York had the detour signposted only as US 220, not US 309:
c. 1954, courtesy of Farr
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By 1961 US 309 still was not signed anywhere in New York; the first southbound shield was posted right at the Pennsylvania line (click on the image to read more comments from the photographer):
Lindsay, 1961 (linked to source)
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Other photos from the 1940s and '50s also show only US 220 signage on the New York side... including this image, which was taken looking northeast on Pennsylvania at Chemung:
c. 1950s, courtesy of Farr
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Officially, US 220-309 ended at that intersection, although again the backside of only one shield is visible, further suggesting that US 309 may never have been signposted in New York. Here is a more recent photo looking the same direction:
Farr, Apr. 2002
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What are some possible reasons New York wouldn't have signed US 309? Well, from the beginning, NY was not enthusiastic about the US highway system (that is why several routes, including US 220, ended at or near the state line). US 220 was the first route in Waverly, so NY may have reluctantly signed it. But US 309 came a few years later, and it was a Pennsylvania intra-state route, so NY may have considered it unworthy of acknowledgment.
On the other hand, this sign did reference US 309, although it is uncertain whether this was a NYSDoT sign, or just a local sign. This was posted on southbound NY 34, pointing west on Chemung towards Penn. Av: |
courtesy of Farr
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US 309 was truncated out of Waverly by 1963. Today's US 220 bypass around Athens and Sayre was built in 1973; at that time the location of its north terminus changed. Though the route continued to end at its junction with old NY hwy 17, its terminus was about a half-mile west of Pennsylvania Av (which on this map is the road running through the letter "o" in "Forest"):
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NYSDoT
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The NY 17 freeway (which is now also I-86) wiped out a segment of old route 220-309 heading south from there. Red indicates NYSDOT maintenance; orange indicates PENNDOT maintenance; and brown indicates county maintenance...
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...so by the time of that map, US 220 in New York was not state-maintained, which explains why it did not show up in state records. Nevertheless, an "End" sign was posted in New York:
Nitzman, 2000
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Sep. 2015, Google Maps Street View
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That was just north of 220's interchange with I-86 / NY 17 / Southern Tier Expressway ("STE"); US 309 never ended there. These photos were taken from westbound Chemung; US 220 began to the left:
Nitzman, 1994
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Kerr, Apr. 2002
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Bourey, Oct. 2019
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At the time of that last photo, the sign assembly for eastbound traffic was essentially identical, but within a couple years the only designation referenced was US 220:
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Nitzman, Aug. 2021
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When the NY 17C designation was removed from Chemung, it made sense for the US 220 designation to be cut back to the STE. NYSDoT finally formalized this with AASHTO in 2017, although signage had not been removed as of 2019. But officially US 220 now ends in South Waverly, just shy of the New York line. This photo shows exit signage from the STE:
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Morrison, Aug. 2021
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For years prior to that, the 500-foot segment of US 220 that continued north from the STE was (understandably) not acknowledged from the off-ramps; both of these images are from Google Street View, Sep. 2015:
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(westbound)
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(eastbound)
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Turning south from that interchange, drivers immediately encounter the first southbound US 220 confirming marker:
Farr, Jan. 2019
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Bourey, Oct. 2019
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Heading the opposite direction, this photo shows the last northbound US 220 marker:
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Bourey, Oct. 2019
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Research and/or photo credits: George Bourey; Bryan Farr; Doug Kerr; Jim Lindsay; Jeff Morrison; Alex Nitzman; Nathan Perry; Dale Sanderson
Page originally created 1999;
last updated Aug. 17, 2023.
last updated Aug. 17, 2023.
