New York State Route 373
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| NYS Route 373 |
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| Maintained by NYSDOT | |||||||||||||
 NY 373 highlighted in red |
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| Length: | 3.20 mi[1] (5.15 km) | ||||||||||||
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| Formed: | 1930[2] | ||||||||||||
| West end: |  US 9 in Ausable Chasm |
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| East end: | Burlington-Port Kent Ferry landing at Port Kent | ||||||||||||
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New York State Route 373 (also known as "NY 373") is a short state highway in Essex County, New York, within Adirondack State Park. It begins at U.S. Route 9 and proceeds eastward, ending at a ferry landing on Lake Champlain. It intersects two county routes, several local roads, and a reference route—New York State Route 912T—which connects it with US 9. NY 373 is the only connector to the hamlet of Port Kent and the ferry that serves it.
The hamlet of Port Kent and the connecting road were originally built in 1823. The village was planned to act as a source of labor for iron manufacturing and to provide for the industrial needs of Essex County. The hamlet grew and eventually became connected to Burlington, Vermont, via an hour-long ferry across Lake Champlain. The road that accessed Port Kent originally began in Keeseville, but was leveled in 1827 for the construction of the Port Kent and Hopkinton Turnpike, of which the modern NY 373 is the eastmost section. The route was also designated as part of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in 1919.
When NY 373 was assigned in the 1930s, it was maintained by the town of Chesterfield. The route was turned over to the State of New York during a maintenance swap with Essex County in 1985.
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[edit] Route description
NY 373, located entirely within Adirondack State Park, begins at U.S. Route 9 at the Ausable Chasm, a deep, wooded canyon. The route intersects with New York State Route 912T, its southern connector to US 9, about 0.1 mi (0.16 km) in. Route 373 continues farther along and intersects with County Route 71 before heading east-southeast just north of the Ausable River. The highway then intersects County Route 17 and several local roads, and then turns east-northeast.[3]
The route then passes south of a golf course and enters Port Kent, where it intersects with more local streets, most of which serve homes and businesses. The highway turns northward soon afterward, crosses a pair of train tracks, makes a U-turn and comes to an end at the Burlington-Port Kent Ferry landing.[3]
The Burlington – Port Kent Ferry connects NY 373 and the hamlet of Port Kent to the city of Burlington, Vermont. This, one of three ferries to cross Lake Champlain, is the longest as it crosses the widest part of the lake. It is maintained by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company, and is open all seasons except winter.[4]
[edit] History
[edit] Port Kent and the early highway to Keeseville
In 1823, a company was funded to establish a settlement and fishing wharf opposite the city of Burlington, Vermont on Lake Champlain in order to assist in the growth of iron factories and to supply dormant energy to the Essex County area. The newly-founded company chose the name "Port Kent" and located the new hamlet on a site north of Trembleau Point. The original alignment of what is now Route 373 began as a wide road that was built to access Port Kent from the nearby village of Keeseville.[5]
Route 373 exists entirely within the boundaries of Adirondack Park, a protected area maintained by the State of New York. Adirondack Park was created in the 1880s after concerns arose about logging trees in the area. The logging was a substantial part of New York's economy, but protests were lodged by the New York Times and others against the clearing of entire mountains and wilderness areas of trees. Public opinion turned firmly against the loggers by the 1880s, and the park was created in 1885. It was the first State Forest Preserve in America. The park was further protected in 1894 when a clause was added to the New York State constitution banning the selling of any timber from state parks.[6][7][8]
[edit] Old roads and designation
NY 373 was the eastern part of the Port Kent and Hopkinton Turnpike. The proposal for the construction of the 75-mile (121 km) turnpike was made in April 1827, and bidding began around September of that year.[9] In October, the existing local road was leveled to prepare for the construction of the turnpike.[10] When the highway was first graded, it was only about 50 mi (80 km) long. The turnpike served as a diversion for local horse traffic from the so-called "Far West" (near Watertown) all the way to Plattburgh, which was not yet a large industrial center at that time.[11] The Port Kent and Hopkinton Turnpike was well-maintained, but improvements on the turnpike declined.[12]
The entire length of Route 373 and the Burlington–Port Kent Ferry were part of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway, which was designated in 1919.[13] The ferry served as the connector from New York to Vermont.[14]
In 1930, Route 373 was assigned in the 1930 New York State Route renumbering and ran from U.S. Route 9 to the access to the Burlington Ferry.[2][15] For about five decades, NY 373 was maintained by the town of Chesterfield; however, on April 1, 1985, NY 373 was turned over to the state as part of a maintenance swap with Essex County.[16]
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile[1] | Roads intersected | Notes |
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| Essex | Ausable Chasm | 0.00 | US 9 |
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| Port Kent | 3.20 | Burlington–Port Kent Ferry |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Traffic Data Report - NY 305 to NY 427" (PDF). NYSDOT (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
- ^ a b Socony. Road Map of New York [map]. Cartography by Standard Oil Company. (1931)
- ^ a b Google Maps. Overview map of NY 373 [map]. Cartography by NAVTEQ. (2008) Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ "Burlington, VT - Port Kent, NY". Lake Champlain Transportation Company. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ John Austin Stevens, Benjamin Franklin DeCosta, Henry Phelps (September 24, 1823). The Magazine of American History with Notes and Queries. A. S. Barnes, 372.
- ^ "Adirondack Forest Preserve". National Park Service (2007-11-01).
- ^ Richard Greenwood (February 7, 1976), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Adirondack Forest PreservePDF (266 KB), National Park Service.
- ^ "The Constitution of the State of New York". New York State Senate. Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
- ^ William Earl McLellin (1994). The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831-1836. University of Illinois, 189. ISBN 0842523162.
- ^ "Port Kent Road", Saint Lawrence Gazette (October 23, 1827).
- ^ New York State Historical Association (1911). Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association. The Association, 229. Retrieved on 2008-08-21.
- ^ Hough, Franklin Benjamin (1853). A History of St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, New York. Harvard University, 497.
- ^ (2006) Moose Crossing: Portland to Portland on the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway. Hamilton Books. ISBN 0761835105.
- ^ (1926) Official Automobile Blue Book 1. Automobile Blue Books Inc..
- ^ Esso. New York [map]. Cartography by General Drafting. (1936)
- ^ New York State Legislature. "Highway Law, Article 12, Section 341". Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
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